Don Quixote

I've replied by PM, as it's not relevant to the topic. I'm looking forward to purchasing the Bobcat one day as it seems like a really fun aircraft.

If that's how you feel about your customers, don't expect them to treat you any better. FWIW, I'd be very much interested in the Bobcat, which seems to be very well done and considering that I'm very happy with the C310 and the B55 I'd normally buy it without hesitation. However, due to the KingAir situation I won't be buying any more Milviz products. I'm NOT saying that to spite you or to complain, I simply want you to know that it does influence your business, even if only in a small way.

The mesh is created by Ortho4XP (along with the photoscenery). The source data is from Viewfinderpanorama (http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/Coverage%20map%20viewfinderpanoramas_org1.htm) which, I believe, is also used by the UHD mesh. However, Ortho4XP does its own interpolation of the data, so the resulting mesh wouldn't be identical.

Flying the Thranda (Dan Klaue) Kodiak. The new lighting in XP11 is pretty good, I think.

Sad news indeed. You guys have earned the community's respect and admiration throughout the years, and your work will be remembered as some of the finest ever done for flight sim. The Lancair Legacy is, without a doubt, one of the very best virtual vehicles ever created. All the best to both of you.

I agree, at least about the last part. I've recently started my PPL training as well and it's absolutely correct that a sim won't teach you how to fly the aircraft. However, I've found it easy to replicate many real-world maneuvers in the sim, such as the effect of different power settings, or the angle of attack for example. The result may not be 100% true to life, but close enough in many cases. I think the issue isn't that the sim's realism isn't high enough. The simple reason why a sim isn't any good for learning to fly is that you don't have an instructor sitting next to you, teaching you how to do it! Although it's possible to figure out some of the basics by yourself, but that will only get you so far, and you might end up "learning" something the wrong way. Anyway, I wouldn't want to miss X-Plane (or any other sim, for that matter) as a training aid. No, it won't teach you how to fly a plane, but I've found it to be extremely valuable to learn about many things that you need to know in order to get you license: The effect air pressure has on an altimeter, the way a trim tab works, how to read taxiway signs, or the way flaps increase lift (and drag), just to give some examples. You learn about all those things during training, but I've found much of it much easier to understand because I've seen it previously in the sim (even though I often had a totally wrong idea about how something works... ). Also, the sim is a great tool to train some basic procedures or help memorize checklists. Perhaps not everybody realises that even when flying VFR in a little bugsmasher, there are a lot of rules and procedures one must adhere to, from preflight briefings to ATC clearances and descent checklists. Not to mention basic navigation skills (using a paper map and a ruler rather than a fancy GPS) to make sure you don't stray into the next Charlie airspace by accident and having to be "escorted" out of it. X-Plane is great, by the way, for flight preparation: Thanks to free orthophoto scenery (Ortho4XP) and W2XP buildings it's easy to navigate by real-world charts, in order to get a rough idea of what the terrain on a certain flight will be like.

No performance issues here either, seems similar to XP10 so far even with the reflections on medium. However, the default clouds drag performance down severely (just like they did in XP10). Had several crashes while configuring my controls (TM Warthog) but it does work fine once it's set up. The new user interface is a huge improvement to say the least. I'm very happy with the default C172, they did a stellar job! The visuals, sounds and apparently the flight model as well are top notch. I also tried the 747, only to find that the horrendous tire screeching sound is still present.

Looking very much forward to the amphibian version. The screenshots look amazing - the detail on the water rudder is just stunning. The Kodiak has quickly become one of my favorite aircraft to fly. The quality and attention to detail remind me of RealAir products, and that's saying a lot.

I'll pass. I have both the 757 V1 and the 767, and both are good addons - the 767 is very good, actually - but they're not good enough, in my opinion, to justify spending $45 for this update.

I don't have this issue. Performance was a bit below average with version 1.0, and 1.1 seems to have improved it somewhat. But overall it's smooth without any stuttering. Your issue sounds like a driver problem to me. What kind of hardware do you have?

That's a great suggestion actually! I've used the tool too, very useful if you don't want to move or rename the entire config file around. Probably the smartest solution if you only want to change a few parameters (like the autostart option). It can be found here, by the way: https://sourceforge.net/projects/fart-it/

I use simple batch files to start XP10 in different configurations, and also start additional tools like the FSGRW weather engine. These files simply replace the X-Plane.prf with another one (by renaming the files) - for example, an "IFR" configuration file which has extended DSF enabled, and a "VFR" one without the option (to maximise performance). The same could easily be done to have a profile "autostart enabled" and an "autostart disabled" one. example code: IF EXIST "D:\Programs\X-Plane 10\Output\preferences\X-Plane_IFR_inactive.prf" ( Ren "D:\Programs\X-Plane 10\Output\preferences\X-Plane.prf" "X-Plane_VFR_inactive.prf" Ren "D:\Programs\X-Plane 10\Output\preferences\X-Plane_IFR_inactive.prf" "X-Plane.prf" ) ELSE ( Echo Already in IFR mode! ) start "" "D:\Programs\X-Plane 10\X-Plane.exe" start "" "D:\Programs\FSGRW\FS Global Real Weather.exe" dynamic xplane 15 y n Also, for having different controls for different aircraft, I highly recommend the freeware X-Assign plugin: http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/12551-x-assign-linmacwin3264/ It works somewhat like FSUIPC in FSX and allows you to save different profiles with their own axis and button assignments for your hardware, and automatically loads them for the selected aircraft.

There are many freeware airports for XP10 which already have moving traffic (although they don't interact with the aircraft much), and those don't seem to drag performance down too much. Also, the lighting is awesome, as has been mentioned above. But it appears that only the aircraft itself casts shadows, but not the trucks or the terminal buildings - I guess that means that having global shadows will still be quite heavy on performance (same as it is in XP10).

Absolutely. The only other aircraft that comes close would be the Soulmade Sims DHC-2 Beaver, which is excellent in its own right (although I've almost stopped flying it due to how poorly X-Plane models friction, making taildraggers a PITA when there's anything but the lightest of crosswinds!).

I think you're onto something there! I completely agree, Glass cockpits in FSX and its derivatives always seem arduous to use, no matter how well the systems are done. I usually avoid even GPS of any kind for that reason. But in X-Plane it feels much easier to use these systems. One reason is possibly that the entire sim feels more fluid, even when the actual framerate is the same. And the excellent camera system also helps. Back to the Kodiak, I've done some more flights with it and didn't encounter any severe bugs this time - perhaps I did something wrong the first time? In any case, I've had a lot of fun flying this thing. The amount of thought that went into the aircraft, as well as into the extras, is just stunning. I love details like being able to open the engine covers, no matter how irrelevant this might be to the actual flight sim. Also, the little electric tug is a work of genius! Once it's attached to the aircraft, you can control it with your joystick/yoke and let it drag the aircraft where you want it. Again, a small detail, but it adds a lot of immersion. One thing I noticed was something I've missed from most X-Plane aircraft: Ground effect. Although it's supposedly present in XP, I've never encountered it to a degree where it was actually noticeable. With the Kodiak I encountered fairly pronounced ground effect (perhaps a bit too much, considering it's a high wing design?), which is a welcome additional challenge.

Some first impressions on the Kodiak: - Modelling and texturing are stunning, inside and out. - The sounds are amazing! Definetly among the best in the business, not just for XPlane. - A bit heavy on the framerate. I don't own any of the Carenados with the G1000, so I can't compare, but the aircraft does have a noticeable impact. Still very much flyable on my system, though. - The slew system is great, although it needs some fine tuning. - Quite a few bugs. Some affect the G1000 (which isn't too bad, as you can always rely on the Eyeball Mk.I) and others the plane itself (I've had some weird "stutters" which seem to move the plane a bit out of its original position and/or alter the speed). - Last but not least, flying the Kodiak is fun - a lot of fun! I usually stay away from anything with a glass cockpit as if it carries the plague, but in the Kodiak these systems feel very much like a part of the plane and don't get in the way. Combined with the forgiving handling and the engine's enormous power, it makes for a perfect bush plane. Overall, I'd say wait a little until the worst bugs are patched, but otherwise the Kodiak is highly recommended.

Awesome. Bought it, downloading now. Apart from the quality of the addon itself, I have to say that the pricing is very sensible. Addon prices have increased a lot in the past two years or so, or at least that's my impression - and often enough, it wasn't justified by higher quality. In this case, I'm sure that a higher price would have been justified, considering all the extras. But personally I'm much more willing to spend $33 than $40, even though the difference isn't all that huge. Kudos to Dan for keeping it at a reasonable level!

Looks incredible! A quality bush plane is a must have for me in any case, and this one will undoubtedly be an excellent one. It's a shame that Dan had to put so much effort into developing those plugins and to work against LR due to stubborness on their part (the torque bug is just one example). But on the whole his efforts have surely contributed to making XP better, and we the simmers can only benefit from it.

That's exactly what I'm going to do. :smile: I don't mean to say that the business model of offering an early access version is a bad one. It worked well for many games, as you've already pointed out (and, for many more, it ended poorly becaue the developers abandon their product, leaving people with something unfinished - but that's a completely different issue). However, usually the deal with early access is to offer the alpha / beta version at a lower price, because not all features have been implemented and because there are still bugs. That way, customers can either deal with these issues (as well as assisting the developers by giving feedback) while paying a lower price, or wait until the software is finished and then pay the full price. Your business model seems to be... different, and of course you have every right to do as you wish. But I felt it was worth pointing out the difference.

$39 for an Alpha version, which according to the official website is subject to "bugs and crashes" and doesn't even include a manual? That sounds like a really poor deal to me. Do developers now expect us to test their products while paying full price?

Have to agree with the others here, the video is dreadful. I really think they are doing themselves a disservice by uploading something like this, because it makes XP look a lot worse than it actually is.

Thanks Cameron! This looks interesting indeed. Seems like it is intended to be an "all-in-one" weather and effects package. If it delivers what it promises, the price isn't all that unreasonable - after all, buying AS16 + REX or ASCA + PrecipitFX for FSX/P3D isn't any cheaper. I'll keep an eye on this.

Would be interesting to know what this is about. The link above only goes to a Facebook login screen. Normally, it's possible to read Facebook posts without having to be registered. Meh.

Thank you for the mini-review! Sorry to hear that you didn't get your money's worth, but you've just saved me (and probably some others too) 33 Euros. :wink: I was fairly interested in this airplane, but it seems that it would be a far better idea to get Ant's excellent Eaglet at less than half the price.

Well that sounds promising! If Austin himself is unhappy with the weather, then there's at least a chance that we'll see some improvements over time. :wink: By the way, has there been anything mentioned about ground handling? One issue with XP10 is how it handles (or rather, does not) friction on the ground. It's fine for heavier aircraft, but for light GA aircraft, especially taildraggers, ground friction is a huge issue. With some aircraft, even a 5kt crosswind can make it slide across the runway... Also, on the note of FSX vs. XPlane. There seems to be some misconception that all criticism of XPlane is supposed to mean that FSX/P3D are somehow better and that the commenters just want to bash XPlane. But that's far from the truth. I think many of us who make critical comments here, regarding weather and other things, actually care about XPlane very much. The reason we criticize some of the developments isn't because we want to belittle LR's work, but because we feel that XPlane could be even better if some key features would receive more attention.