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JNicol

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    Former Principal Engineer, Lockheed Martin Prepar3D 2010-2012.

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  1. I always find it interesting and somewhat depressing at times following the threads about Prepar3D here on AVSIM. Like an abusive relationship I come back to see if things are different within the profession that I am part of and love, but no. If I can just interject for a moment and say that the LM team are on your side. They care deeply about the product and its success. Many folks on the team are from the original Microsoft Flight Sim team, or worked with them during development. Saying that, just remember that you are not their primary focus. You are a key and integral part of the story, but you are a rounding error in terms of financial support to the product so don't use that as an argument. Your influence comes in the form of passionate users and developers that have insight into where you would like the product to be. The LM team gets that and no-one here can argue that they do not listen and act upon the information as best they can within the constraints they have. The result you get is a supported product with regular improvements and new features coming out all the time. Compare that to the past releases of MSFS. There is always something that people here seem to latch on to as proof that LM aren't doing enough. Whether it be SLI support, 64 bit, name a topic of the day.... I am constantly amazed that when one issue of the day is solved by the team, the next one crops up that means that someone is "sticking with FSX, Xplane, old version of choice..." <sigh> It is depressing when I see comments in this thread calling the developers liars and trying to intimate that they do not care, or that there is a hidden agenda. It is just plain wrong and hurtful. Constant attacks wore me down for sure and there are some of you that don't realize the damage you do. Former Principal Engineer, Lockheed Martin Prepar3D
  2. Website is back up and running now... sorry for the inconvenience. John
  3. The Robinson R-22 ships with Prepar3D. We only removed the Bell 206 due to licensing restrictions from the manufacturer.
  4. Hi,People, you are taking my words and mis-interpreting them (again). :sad:Lockheed Martin will be maintaining compatibility for as long as we can. There are no plans to break compatibility, so don't know where this is coming from. There is a statement above that indicates that I am hinting that we will move into commercial development. I absolutely have no clue what this means. The product is already available for commercial use and there are no "hints". We continue to do what we are doing and there are no post-apocalyptic plans to deviate from the course we have set. A post appeared on our site indicating that the user was or intends to use the product as a one for one replacement of FSX and it looked like it was being used as a game. This is an inappropriate use of Prepar3D. Also, Prepar3D is a simulation framework that can be used to build simulators and synthetic environments. The environment will not have game-like functionality. That is part of the product description and has been on our website since day one. The clarification I was talking about, which again seems to be highlighting that I am speaking with two tongues, is the fact that I hope to continue educating the user base that Prepar3D is not a game. My native language is New Zealand English. I realize that there are a lot of non-native New Zealand English speakers in the forums (what is that all about?) so I realize that it is easy to mis-interpret the meaning of words that are used, so if I can suggest that if there are any areas of confusion, that you seek clarification from the originator of the message, rather than delve into endless speculation.... To all, please don't read something into what I say that isn't there and then post snippets out of context in other forums. It is extremely unhelpful and is getting me into hot water each time it happens when I have to go to my bosses and say that such nonsense was not actually what I said! :Talking Ear Off:Thanks for your understanding. :Monkey:Regards,John
  5. Hi,Multi-monitor setup should be the same as what you are probably used to, however there are a few features that have been added. We have also fixed the upper limit for monitors to allow more than 5 monitors. We have also created the ability for undocked windows to remember their last location so that when you restart Prepar3D, all is placed in the proper place without having to click and drag into position each time. We have also added in support for multi-touch monitors if you want to use these as soft-panels for instruments. Other features are also explained in the documentation that will assist developers, such as true multi-channel for distributing processing across multiple computers. This includes a panel only option for computers, that switches off the out-the-window rendering for better performance on multi-channel systems. The multi-channel information can be found in the Learning Center that ships with the client application. There is additional information in the SDK documentation that can be downloaded for free from the Prepar3D forums. The Learning Center documentation that comes with the Prepar3D and the SDK also explains in brief, how to configure the new Observer Mode camera system, sensor views (night vision etc), bathymetry and others. There are quite a few features to explore from what you may have been used to in the past, with more in the pipeline.Regards,John NicolPrepar3D
  6. We are looking at LOD blending to stop object popping and it is on the roadmap. Just note that V2 is still some time away, like a LOOOONG time away, so enjoy 1.x for a while. There is a massive amount of work that needs to be done as you might imagine to update the engine.
  7. Ummm, hi guys. I have not been contacted by anyone at PMDG and am very concerned that someone has been trying to get hold of us and there is nothing heard. I have been posting away on AVSIM and am available at Prepar3D.com. I haven't received any PMs or emails, so I will reach out with a PM here. I only stumbled across this forum topic after someone posted in the Prepar3D forums. I am here and available.
  8. We created a new SimConnect function called ExternalSim that allows the default internal flight model to be replaced with an external one. Therefore you can use a high-fidelity flight model if you want to and plug it in if you are a developer, or third-party add-on provider that wants to simulate a more complex system, or vehicle. Just as an aside, the existing flight modeling system is very powerful and complex. It is very much under-utilized and very good flight characteristics can be achieved if used properly. I will try to get the existing flight model documentation improved over the course of time. As I have come to understand the existing features, I have become more and more impressed with the work that the previous development team did and we are certainly building upon that.
  9. To be very clear to all and hopefully from the source (me): Lockheed Martin secured the source code for Microsoft ESP v1.0. ESP is NOT the same as FSX although based on the same source code itself as FSX. It is closer to FSX SP2 plus some other stuff, minus some stuff. LM have been continuing development for TWO + years on the original ESP source and have made significant changes to this baseline. Most of the work has been to refactor the original code to allow us to develop on VS2010 and make it fully compatible with Win7. We have made additions to the code to make it more suitable for commercial simulation operations, including changes to the GPS for FAA qualification requirements, sensor views for military and law enforcement operations, bathymetric and land-class changes and upgrades for future non-flight applications, true multi-channel for high-end cockpit simulation applications, multi-touch panel support and many many others. We have squashed many bugs as well and added in more functions into SimConnect for the development and integration community. Although compatibility is maintained as much as possible with ESP and FSX content, the products are probably now so far apart under the hood that I can safely say that Prepar3D is Prepar3D. This work will continue to strengthen the baseline for future enhancements and changes coming. So although the engine and functionality still looks like ESP, which is I guess what the comments are all about (and I understand that), it is laying a great foundation for us.I am not going to answer any of the many speculative comments that appear on these boards or in this post as to be honest my words do tend to get over analysed and simple answers never seem to be enough. Suffice to say that the wall next to my monitor has a dent in it now and my forehead is sore. :( Maybe some of the energy can be directed at letting us know of features that would enhance the application for flight training and simulation use as I am sure that there are many real-world pilots out there that use the application. (Do this on the Feature Request topic on the P3D website forum.) Thanks for your understanding.Regards,JohnPrepar3D
  10. Hi Word Not Allowed,If it was this issue: http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=444 Beau says it is fixed and will be in the next update.John
  11. Hi Bill,Sorry if the list is unclear, I will look at that on the P3D website. Currently the aircraft/vehicles that ship with Prepar3D are:Maule OrionPiper J3 CubMooney BravoRobinson R22Beechcraft Baron 58Beechcraft King Air 350P-38 LighteningLockheed ConstellationNeptune SubmersibleMore will follow as I continue to work through licensing permissions with various OEM's. Most add-ons will work. CH products are working for me.....JohnPrepar3D
  12. Controller issue is fixed in the next update. Can you remind me of the clouds issue?
  13. Hi, this is a known problem that has been fixed and will be in the next update. Just affects add-ons that add menu items and only when P3D exits. Developers have been kicked and beaten appropriately.John
  14. We are looking at upgrading from DX9 to DX11.
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