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

You are right, those 10 to 15-second pauses can seem like a long time but they sure beat the hell out of a total shutdown OOM crash. I can make those long flights without a crash because of the memory management routines LM has added to P3D v3. My OS is running not only P3D v3.3 but my weather and EZ Doc programs as well. The drive has nothing to do with memory problems which are caused by running out of VM which is limited by the 32-bit OS. All of my FS Software runs from an SSD. With the exception of my backup hard drives all of my software on this computer runs from SSDs SSDs have no effect on how fast the game runs, only on loading times, so buying them to speed up game play doesn't work.

1st. LM is not in the business of selling to FS hobbyist. Their core business is producing Mil Spec and FAA approved Training Sims for commercial and military enterprises. We are fortunate that they have allowed a window for us to take advantage of their developments 2nd. 64 bit will not make your sim run faster, that is the processors job. The only advantage to going to a 64-bit machine is that it allows you to break the 32-bit memory barrier so that you will be able to use all of your installed memory In short, no more OOM because of those highly detailed add-ons that we all love so much. LM is going 64-bit because it will allow them to create better training scenarios for their customers where the little details can be very important. The last thing you want is an OOM error on your F18A bombing run. 3rd. We run 32-bit software on 64-bit machines all the time. I am sure that the developer community will figure out a way to do it on a 64-bit sim. Having spent over $1500 dollars on just scenery add-ons, it will be the decision point for me. 4th. LM is continuing to develop and upgrade the old FSX platform. They now have superior memory management which is dynamic and no longer loads everything into the sim, only the parts that are needed which reduces the VM load. For example, I was able to make a 3-hour flight down the Pacific Coast fully populated with maxed out Orbx scenery without a crash. It isn't perfect, I no longer have to do a reset due to an OOM crash, but now I will get these short 10 to 15-second pauses while the sim catches up and then continues the flight. A small annoyance that I can live with. I am using v3.3 which so far has been the best platform that I have flown. Back to the original subject. Unless your flying requires the extra memory access a 64-bit sim is not necessary, so don't worry about it. If you want a faster sim, buy a faster processor. :smile: I want to give a big thank you to LM for deciding not to lock up out of their platform and providing us support as needed. :smile: Dale "Gypsy Pilot" Evans

Good Information, I have just downloaded the program. I would appreciate it if one of you could point me to the instructions on how to interface a bat file (something I haven't used since the late 80's) with FSX. Where do you save it and how do you call it? Thank you very much. Dale "Gypsy Pilot" Evans Living in my paradise, AKA -- West Texas

After reading this thread all I can say is if you want something so much read the SDK and build it yourself. For me the greatest thing about MSFS is that when you finally get bored being a "Bus Driver" you can still use the sim to go and do something else. Don't like your home airport, make the necessary changes. Your favorite plane just doesn't feel right to you, fine tune it. Don't like ATC ( I hate it ) become a bush pilot and fly "Off Grid". Me, I am a lazy "Scenery ######" and will freely admit that John V and Company have figured out how to separate me from my money. When compared to the many hours of research and effort they invest in their products, the price is cheap. The point that I am trying to make is that you do not have to sit and wait for someone else to do it, you can do it yourself. All it will take on your part is time, research, and effort. The choice is yours, build it, do without, or wait for someone else to do it. We are so lucky that there are so many in this hobby who are willing to share their efforts with us, be thankful that they are there. It makes no difference to me if it's freeware or payware, I am just glad that it's there. I would love to have a Super Sherpa to ply the mountains with but I am not willing to do the work to build one so I will just hope and wait while I enjoy what I have. Dale "Gypsy Pilot" Evans

Well I have been doing my homework and I now understand why Orbx is not adding XP10 to it's line. MSFS and XP10 use completely different systems to generate their scenery. Comparing XP10 to early versions of XP is like comparing FSX to it's earlier versions. XP10 is a new program just like FSX was a new program. The XP crew is working hard to encourage developers to create As they say their are only a few of us and thousands of developers out there. Read their blogs and you will understand. ~~ Dale ~~

My computer is quite capable of running XP10. My machine is an i7 running at 3.2 Ghz and holds 30fps over most scenery. I want the HD because I like my sims on their own drive. Thanks for the software off but I'll have to pass. ~~ Dale ~~

When comparing FSX without the addon's to XP10-64 I have to give the nod to XP10-64 just because of the door that a 64 bit system opens. It ends the OOM problem for developers. Let's face it, FSX without addons looks like a piece of crap video game and not a flight sim. It takes several hundreds of dollars to make it look good and then another couple of thousand in equipment to make it all run right. After spending all of that money and time tweaking my system, once again, I am running into that dreaded OOM message that only dumbing down my scenery/weather addons will cure. I finally got my frame rate to be acceptable but now I am running out of memory only because FSX/P3D are 32 bit systems. A new computer will not solve this, only a new sim will. Looky here, there is a new baby in town called XP10-64 bit that will allow all of my installed memory to be used. At long last, hope. I hate change. I really hate to abandon something that I have spent so much time and money on but sometimes it is forced upon us. If it wasn't for FTX/Orbx and Misty Moorings I wouldn't be suffering from the pain that my decision to migrate to XP10 is causing. My fervent hope is that John V and the crew at Orbx will start to support XP10, it really needs it. If they don't I am sure that somebody just as talented will step in. I am sure that given time XP10 will have scenery packages that will equal FSX in quality and they will run without memory problems. The platform is there, all it needs is the developers to use it. The thing that solidified my decision was the following interview. Please watch both part 1 and 2 to get the full story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_471823&feature=iv&src_vid=KmdiQcybhLw&v=goY_QEkBow0 Well now all I have to do is save my pennies, purchase a fast hard drive to mount it on, buy the sim, learn a new UI, Blender, Plane Maker, and I will be set to go. I am just 76 now so I should have enough time left to do it. Wish me luck. Dale "Gypsy Pilot" Evans.

I have a collection of MegaScenery Earth that Is Not on my computer. Why. wrong colors and lack of 3D buildings. I did not really care until I bought Louisiana a state I know well and frankly, the colors stunk. and Key West is wrong. Purchased before I knew better. Abacus -- Most of their aircraft are only fit for conversion to static aircraft for scenery. They look and fly like early freeware. I have their PBY and the damn thing won't get off the water. The Vertigo Stearmans -- They just ain't right. I hate it say it because it shows my that I cannot see beyond the hype but I have a folder called " Aircraft to be repaired" where I store my bad purchases. For me, one of the great things about this hobby is that we can make changes in the aircraft to make them fly better. I just wish that we could make small mods to the models. I can make a Super Cub fly like a Carbon Cub but I can't make it look like one by adding the STC Mods.

Chris, in the world of programming zero is always the first number 0,1,2,3 etc.. Just consider 0 as number 1 and go on from there.

As for John V remarks, well he is entitled to his opinion, but if he fails to support XP10-64 he will become a footnote in the FS history book unless P3D goes 64 bits.