salukipilot

I just made the jump from FSX-SE to P3D, fantastic and the only tweak it needed was affinity mask. Other than it runs great, and looks fantastic right out of the box.

Is there any way to integrate the use of the wing lights? I'm not referring to the wing mounted landing lights, but rather the aft facing fuselage-mounted lights used for lighting the leading edges of the wings. The original use of the lights was to help the crew inspect the leading edges of the wings for ice. In the US however (not sure about other countries) these lights are turned on for takeoffs and arrivals to make the aircraft more visible to other traffic. While the altitudes may be different from airline to airline, generally most carriers have the wing lights on anytime they're below FL180. -John Luis

Southwest is adding them to all the -800s as well, not sure about the -700s though. With the shorter average sector lengths, perhaps the numbers aren't as enticing. -John Luis

Yeah but they released the 777 when it was ready and it has the WX radar too, I'm sure the 737 will be the same, as soon as it's ready they'll roll it out. The weather radar isn't a deal breaker for most folks anyways, after all we've been flying the ole girl for years now without a weather radar. When the ASN beta is ready it'll be a nice bonus, but until then just having the NGX back will be fine. -John Luis

The folks who produce ASN were hoping to have an FSX-SE beta out right about now, nothing yet but it seems it should be soon. The two releases will hopefully coincide pretty nicely. -John Luis

The problem is that if I recall correctly Dovetail only has distribution rights for FSX, so they're limited in just how much they can change. A few minor fixes to some known issues is one thing, but I don't think they're allowed to make major changes to the code itself. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure that was the extent of the agreement. I do agree that it certainly appears there was little in the way of input from developers like PMDG which would have possibly prevented situations like these where everyone is waiting for their favorite add ons to become compatible. Even once the NGX gets the green light, there's no using the new wx radar in FSX SE until Hifi patches Activesky to make it compatible. Admittedly, it's a real tough spot for the developers. -John Luis

Rod, Yeah after some research I think I'm good to go. Spending to get a really good PSU as I did a year ago definitely doesn't have the kind of exhilaration that comes with upgrading the video card, but it's definitely worth it. It's odd, I have zero brand loyalty towards anything, anything except my PSU. Seasonic or bust. Thanks again for the input guys.

Thanks to both of you for the reply, yeah $100 is what I'm seeing. Figured it's a low-risk, moderate upside investment. I have a Seasonic 620w PSU, might have to upgrade that too I suppose. Thanks again gents for the insight.

Mark, I have a 550Ti which I got a few years ago because that's all the budget would allow, a brand-new card like the 970 is probably out of the question from a cost standpoint for me, but I've seen some good deals on some of the now obsolete cards (notably the GTX580). Would it still be worth the upgrade going from a 550ti to the 580? I'm actually pretty pleased with the performance of FSX, like many, it's actually OOMs that are limiting what I can do as much as the hardware these days. But if it got me and extra frame or two at places like LAX in the 777, that'd still be nice. Thanks. -John

I agree 100%. I have KMCO and it's spectacular. Doha is on the acquisitions list for down the line. Terrific stuff.

And the entire Delta fleet of 737-700s, all ten of them, are also in Avsim if you dig around. They're very good. -John Luis

The two newest ones (normal and One World livery) by Mr Mohr in particular are masterpieces. I see the NGs in the new colors all the time, he nailed it. Two smoking aces. -John Luis

Has anyone figured out a work around to the lighting issues with the VASI and flashing strobe lights while using DX10? Even with Steve's fixer I'm still getting the big red wall and flashing black boxes...

Uncle_adolph, Yes, but all the roads that Vector adds gives Global all sorts of places to add those nice new lights and it really transforms the night environment. Being able to clearly pick out the Dan Ryan Expy while shooting a night approach into MDW was the moment I realized just how pleased with the purchase I was. I'm also getting better frames than I had with UTX, it seems the lights used with Global are perhaps better optimized, the framerate difference is small but still noticable on my mid-range PC.

I just purchased it a few weeks ago, honestly, I cannot remember an add-on that so completely changed FSX. The night lighting alone is just superb, I could'nt fly without it now to be honest!

The last few updates have had zero said about the NGX SP/900ER, I too am waiting for the -900ER. It's understandable that the teams resources would be focused on the 777 and 747 however, these are new products that will generate more revenue. And I certainly don't think the planned update has been cancelled. Say what you will, but PMDG has never been shy about telling their customers the truth, even if the news was not what some of them wanted to hear (see the NGX for FS9 decision back in the day). If it had been shelved permanently, they would've said so. I'm passing on the 777/747 because I'm not a fan of longhaul flying. But I do understand the excitement both among the customer base and within PMDG for these two products. By all accounts they have upped the bar once again in FS. In the meantime, I can only assume that no mention of the NGX in the last few updates means the forthcoming SP is still in the pipeline. Where it fits on the to-do list? Only they know that, unfortunately. JohnLuis

By 2016 the NGX, as great as she is, will be a bit long in the tooth and ready for a refresh. The timing will be perfect for something all new. In the meantime I'm hoping we eventually get the 739ER for the current NGX. Even with the terrific 777, it's hard to stray far from the 737! -John Luis

I'm not sure if you're planing to include cabin crew sound effects, but if you are, with just about every 777 having IFE the days of the flight attendant belting out the safety briefing over the PA are over. Something that sounds like one of those cheesy 'welcome aboard' videos would be more realistic. Cannot wait for the 777 FS2Crew, what always impressed me about this outfit was that each new version added so much new functionality. FS2Crew is indispensable when it comes to flying the heavy iron. Kudos to you Brian, I cannot wait to see/hear this thing in action. Cheers, -John

After price shopping and other assorted research I've narrowed down my choices to the GTX550ti and the GTX560. I'm upgrading from a GT530 so either one should be light years ahead, but does anyone have an opinion on which is better? I have am i7-2600K @3.40, no OC if that makes a difference. Thanks all! -lou

Hello all,I came here seeking some advice.I recently made the switch to FSX after the purchase of a new Dell XPS8300 with the i7.I’m awestruck to be honest, this was my first foray into FSX and combined with the NGX, it really is something else.I get good performance all in all, even with UTX, REX, FSDT, etc. I’m pretty happy, well more than just happy. However, as all of us FS addicts are want to do – I am always sniffing for a few extra FPS.The system I have came with the stock GT530, a budget card but it does the job. Now I know FSX is primarily a processor hog but I am curious if it would be worth upgrading the video card? Will I see enough of a performance bump to justify the cost?And if so, can anyone recommend a solid replacement card to look for?Thanks as always everyone.-lou

Hello all,I have an old system, I use it solely for FS9 and upgrading the system as a whole is out of the question - for now at least.I generally get good frames but some slowdowns during heavy weather, and at large airports with lots of AI (FSDT ORD, JFK for example).My system specs:AMD X2 Dual Core 5200+ 2.60 GHz4GB RAMVista 32 bitI have a GeForce 8500GT - 512mb.Obviously the whole system is old and slow, but while I wait for my financial situation to improve I'm curious as to whether upgrading the video card will allow me to wring a little more life out of my system. A new PC is at least a year (or two) in the offing so this is really my only choice for now.IF an upgrade will help, can anyone recommend a decent card?Thanks.-lou

Avsim.com has some already. Some real nice ones actually.Except the -900, there is not a winglets option. Have to wait for the NG 2.0 I'm afraid.-lou

Now that KLAS is complete, DFW is next...-lou

PMDG said not more than a week ago that the NGX is still dual platform...came right from the Chief himself...Heh, so now we can close the thread before it gets out of hand.-lou

+1 for the combo pack as well.I will say I do notice the lack of eyebrow windows, makes the airplane look a little more snippier, more surly if that makes any sense, haha.Can't wait to see that HUD, sure looks sweet, wish our Piper Arrow had one!-jlk