Gypsy Pilot

I live 150 miles east of El Paso and I know the Western Desert well. I just installed Open Landclass NA and can say that it was worth the effort. It is a big improvement over anything else I have tried. It's not perfect, no product will ever be, but it is a big visual improvement for the Southwest's desert areas. Dale

I agree with Froogle, X-Plane for realistic flight characteristics or P3D v3.3/Orbx/ASN for scenery. It all depends on where your passion is. Me, I fly low and slow so I can see the detail in all of that great scenery that I have spent so much money on I can't help it, I am such a scenery ###### My first Orbx download was PNW and it opened my eyes to what a flight sim could look like. That was a few years ago and things have just gotten better with each release. LM purchased the rights to FSX as a basic development platform for their commercial grade flight training simulators for airline and military pilots and they will keep improving it for years to come. For them, it isn't a hobby supply business and unlike MSFS they are pumping a lot of money into their R&D program. Orbx has spent millions of dollars in development cost to improve their products core designers platform which has allowed them to grab the lion's share of the scenery market. If I wanted to be a bus driver flying from major airport to major airport at FL35 where high detail scenery isn't important I would go with X-Plane, but I love great scenery so I am investing in P3D for flight, Orbx for scenery, and ASN for weather. That is where my passion ls.

The release of Open Landclass NA has resulted in thousands of purchases and there is only so much bandwidth available, hence the slowdown. It's a 9.41G download that comes in 4 files I use Internet Download Manager. A great program that is well worth the price. Set up the download Queue and go do something else until it's finished. Usually, it's the ISP and not the server that is at fault. Either way, it is just something that we all have with. Try doing the download on a slow DSL (<300 kbps) line and you will learn what frustration really is like. My average download speed is 1G per hour unless there is a lot of traffic which can result in Dial-Up speeds.

Does anybody out there in the fs sim world know how many people are flying the sim? Dale

Some people drive Lincolns and others drive Cadillacs. It's your choice. Do not confuse Landclass files with Vector Files. They serve two different purposes and that's why Orbx has two different programs. My experience is that the Orbx team has gone to great lengths to match what is on the ground and if you use both LC and Vector and check them against Google Earth you will find very little difference. This is especially true in their Region and Airport Packages where they spend even more time and money on development. I fly P3Dv3.3 and have found sticking to Orbx solves a lot of problems. Orbx developers use the same set of standards in their work so, as a rule, everything works as it should. That is not saying that it is problem free, it's not, but the FTX Community Forum group provides great support. You will find that a growing number of other than Orbx developers are now testing their products on Orbx systems to ensure compatibility in both operation and color blending. If we all used exactly the same computer none of these problems would exist, but alas, we don't so it is up to each of us to iron out the problems that pop up on our systems. Dale

You really need to upgrade to the new Central. I find it to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. It is really a problem solver. It auto checks for upgrades every time you open it and you no longer have to switch regions. Dale

That's the one Jim. Check out this page: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=cherry+g86+keyboard&N=-1&isNodeId=1 You might have to cut and paste the link into your browser. Dale

I just purchased a Cherry LPOS G86-71x400 keyboard and now have 24 working function keys with which I can bind controls plus other keys which can be used once I have figured out the correct scan codes to use. It comes with a total of 26 blank keys that can be programmed plus their software allows you to change the standard key assignment. The first things that I did I turn off the caps lock key and move it to a location where I would never hit it by accident again. This is important, You must go to their website and download the latest version of their Designer.exe software. Make sure that you get the correct version. Google vendors for pricing. There is a wide range of prices all the way from full retail, almost 300 dollars US to around the 130 dollars that I paid. This is a commercial grade Point Of Sale keyboard designed for heavy duty use by cashiers and I expect it to last for years. I am well pleased with my purchase, Dale

To get an idea of how expensive and difficult it is to get a product like this to market watch this interview with JV at FlightSim Com 2016. Dale

A totally unnecessary post. It adds nothing to the conversation. Dale

Bob, I fly low and slow with a 2560x1080 monitor which tends to eat up memory at a rapid pace. I love flying over the highly detailed scenery that I have paid so much money to get. This is the main reason that I don't fly jets. Can't see much at 30K feet. Dale

The best tool is FSUIPC because it allows you to have precise aircraft specific settings or you can watch for a how to video. Google "Calibrate Flight Sim Joystick" for more information. Dale

I am using V3.3 The aircraft I want all work in FSX. Dale

I have quite a few legacy aircraft left over from FS9 and FSX that do not have installer packages included and require manual installation so the Migration Tool will not work. I have tried to install them but they do not show up in the installed aircraft list. I will greatly appreciate any help the forum can provide me to accomplish their installs. If I need to change the graphics type I can do this I really need guidance Thanks, Dale

Has anyone else noticed that the default frame rate on v3.3 is 20? I was taught years ago that the best frame rate was 1/2 of your monitor's refresh rate so I keep my frame rate locked at 30. I fly with Orbx scenery set to their high-end computer settings and achieve 29+ frame rates without stutters and smooth aircraft handling, even when flying into KSEA. I never understood the Great Frame Rate Chase, I guess it is because I fly low at slower speeds so that I can enjoy the scenery that I have spent so much money on. Instead of spending my time tweaking for frame rates I spend it on improving aircraft and controller handling. Have you ever taken the time to tweak your Joystick? You will be amazed at the difference it makes. Dale