Moving on

[falcon409]

About a month ago I purchased X-Plane11. It has quite a learning curve and I'll continue to question why they do some things the way they do, but overall I'm enjoying it immensely. On the other hand, P3D continues to expand and improve in ways that are beyond the scope of my needs. I am a very simple Flight Simmer. Many of the improvements since P3D was first released are wonderful (HDR Lighting effect, cloud shadows, self shadowing and much more) and certainly make a difference in what one sees and experiences. The use of bump maps, specular lighting and PBR are vast improvements over anything we could have realized was possible not so long ago. . .and yet, being a "simple simmer" these are things I don't really require in order to enjoying the main reason I even got into this in the first place. . .I just wanted to experience what I knew I would never have the chance to do in the RW. . .the freedom of flight.

Basically, P3D is becoming so advanced that it goes beyond my needs as a flight simulator. . .especially since I found X-Plane. When I considered how much money I have spent on aircraft and Orbx scenery alone while using P3D I wonder if I should really dump it all and go to a new Sim. Yea I'm gonna dump it, lol. I haven't flown P3D in probably 6 months. I have only loaded it on occasion to check scenery work to be sure everything looked right before I released it. 98% of my heavy flying in the past year was done in FSX/Accel, so the handwriting has apparently been on the wall for awhile now. I don't need P3D any more and X-Plane will now become my 64bit playground along with FSX.

Merry Christmas all!!

[Javis]

TURNCOAT !!!

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year!

cheers,
jan

[falcon409]

TURNCOAT !!!
Merry Xmas & Happy New Year!
cheers,
jan

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well Jan!!

[Sundog]

Merry Christmas and enjoy whichever flight sim you like!

[manfredc3]

First of all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I totally get what you are saying about the different platforms. I for one have not loaded up FSX in almost a year. I use P3D for all the add-on's I enjoy the most (too bad for my PMDG and A2A add-on's, which I will not be purchasing again in order to use them in P3D).

I am flying in X-Plane 11 for about 85% of the time.

I now only consider a purchase, if it is for X-Plane, or if it is an add-on I just can not stay away from in P3Dv4. I'don't think I will ever get P3Dv5 whenever that will be released.

[b52bob]

TURNCOAT !!!

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year!

cheers,
jan

I guess I am one also. Haven’t really used P3D except very rarely when I want to fly an aircraft only available in P3D.

X-plane continues to evolve in the right direction. A good ATC and seasons would put it over the top.

But, to each their own, we have 3 or 4 flight sims available and everyone can enjoy what you have.

A merry Christmas to everyone at this fantastic web site and a big thank you for all involved in keeping it running.

Bob

[Montie]

Okay, but many of those technologies are also present in X-Plane. Best of luck with your simming.

[falcon409]

Okay, but many of those technologies are also present in X-Plane. Best of luck with your simming.

Yep, considered that too. a part of this decision lies in the fact that simming has become stale. I have to force myself to even load the Sim and then spend most of my time fiddling with things and rarely even getting 10 minutes of air time before I land (or just quit in mid-flight).

X-Plane has revived my desire to go fly and see a whole new world below me.

[jeansy]

Okay, but many of those technologies are also present in X-Plane. Best of luck with your simming.

Concur where bump and spec were a part of FSX from day one

Each to their own

[ColoKent]

Ah Ed...hate to see you go the the "dark side", but the goal in the hobby is (or at least should be) enjoying the experience to the max, so if XPlane 11 does that for you, that is great. But...please don't make yourself a stranger over here on the FSX and P3D forums! Merry Christmas.

Kent

[YoYo]

I know many advantages of XP11 over P3D, used demo also and I liked it...but I have too many payware addons to change a sim platform . So P3Dv4 still and Im waiting for P3Dv5 next year.

Merry Xmas also Falcon!

[AussieMan]

FSX has completely gone from my system. Now, like Ed I find myself flying more in XP11. A big learning curve but now only have P3D V4.4 and XP11, both 64 bit sims.

I actually went to the Darkside 6 months ago and will only consider making purchases for XP11 from now on.

[stansdds]

I'm still using a 32-bit system, so I'm stuck for now, but that will eventually change. Will it be P3D or X-Plane? I like the fact that much of my FSX stuff will integrate into P3D, but it seems that updates to P3D, which happen fairly often, break compatibility with some add on software. I don't like that. X-Plane would be starting from scratch, that would be expensive, and there would be a lot to learn. I dunno which way I'll go. Perhaps I should go fishing instead?

[Javis]

I dunno which way I'll go. Perhaps I should go fishing instead?

Have you thought of embroidery or bonsai tree cultivation ?.... I do and actually have done so for years... It's after i realized i can buy whatever flightsim program, whatever aircraft to fly and whatever scenery to fly over, you just ain't gonna lift off 1 millimeter, buddy. You're in your comfortable relax seat that firmly sits on your parquet floor in the livingroom staring at your 30" monitor and that's where you'll stay put. ( you know, say 15 or 20 years ago i could sometimes swear i felt pressure in my ears when decending rapidly... )

A good way to circumvent getting bored with flightsimming is to create something for it, be it with aircraft or scenery, modeling, texturing, sound creation, repainting, programming, whatever. It works and keeps the batteries from depleting !

Re XPlane, i bought it twice. During early development and later on XPlane10. The nightlighting blew my socks off ! I never experienced such an enchanting, beautiful and realistic virtual flight as i did during a nightflight over a few cities in XPlane10. A real bummer to see this wonderful magic completely (well, more or less..) dissapear when doing the same flight during the day... Mind you, this was 10, maybe the difference ( like night and day... ;-) is not that obvious anymore with the 11th edition ?....

IMHO the biggest *flaw* in XP is the lack of ATC and AI (as is the case with all other flightsim programs presently apart from FSX/P3D. Remember Flight Unlimited and Pro Pilot from the medieval ages of flightsimming ? They had fantastic ATC and voice instructor sitting behind you ) Just might turn out that it'll not even be the visual aspect of a contemporary flightsim program that will point out the winner but the one that produces the best ATC....

Not giving up on P3Dv4 yet but i'll keep a close look at XPlane ( and Aerofly 2, 3, 4,.. as well )

Btw, i was just kidding, Ed... ;-)

[falcon409]

. . . . .IMHO the biggest *flaw* in XP is the lack of ATC and AI (as is the case with all other flightsim programs presently apart from FSX/P3D. Remember Flight Unlimited and Pro Pilot from the medieval ages of flightsimming (They had fantastic ATC and voice instructor sitting behind you) Just might turn out that it'll not even be the visual aspect of a contemporary flightsim program that will point out the winner but the one that produces the best ATC....

Javis, every time someone brings up the subject of ATC I refer back to those same two Sims as probably the best ATC ever. If you taxied the wrong way, took the wrong runway, missed a vector on approach. . .even taxied too fast, Ground or the Tower was on your case and stayed on it til you got where you were supposed to be. Don't know why that system or something close was never seen again. Too bad really.

[Navy Chief]

Well Ed,

I know we will stay in touch. Much as I have heard great things about X-Plane (or, as I like to refer to it....Brand X), my decision not to ever get it is purely financial. I am at a stage where I have spent way too much cash on FSX, FSX Steam, P3D, and DCS, to start doing the same for yet another sim. Just can't afford to do it! NC

[ejoiner]

I have both sims. I tend to periodically go back in and forth between them on binges. Since P3D 4.4, I have pretty much stayed with P3D. I find it easier on frames on my older PC and the large amount of military aircraft in P3D keep me here mostly foe the moment. However, my other fave genre of flight simulation is GA aircraft. XP11 is great for this. With Ortho scenery especially, I find the scenery to be much more accurate especially in places like Atlanta, where there is no regional scenery anywhere near accurate. (which tends to annoy me.). Both are great sims. Im enjoying P3D until XP11 catches up with the FPS. (and this is not pejorative on my part... I have an i7-4770K CPU and a GTX 1070 Video card. for my older unit, P3D works better.)

Merry Christmas and hope you hang around!

Eric

[stansdds]

Have you thought of embroidery or bonsai tree cultivation ?.... I do and actually have done so for years... It's after i realized i can buy whatever flightsim program, whatever aircraft to fly and whatever scenery to fly over, you just ain't gonna lift off 1 millimeter, buddy. You're in your comfortable relax seat that firmly sits on your parquet floor in the livingroom staring at your 30" monitor and that's where you'll stay put. ( you know, say 15 or 20 years ago i could sometimes swear i felt pressure in my ears when decending rapidly... )

A good way to circumvent getting bored with flightsimming is to create something for it, be it with aircraft or scenery, modeling, texturing, sound creation, repainting, programming, whatever. It works and keeps the batteries from depleting !

Re XPlane, i bought it twice. During early development and later on XPlane10. The nightlighting blew my socks off ! I never experienced such an enchanting, beautiful and realistic virtual flight as i did during a nightflight over a few cities in XPlane10. A real bummer to see this wonderful magic completely (well, more or less..) dissapear when doing the same flight during the day... Mind you, this was 10, maybe the difference ( like night and day... ;-) is not that obvious anymore with the 11th edition ?....

IMHO the biggest *flaw* in XP is the lack of ATC and AI (as is the case with all other flightsim programs presently apart from FSX/P3D. Remember Flight Unlimited and Pro Pilot from the medieval ages of flightsimming ? They had fantastic ATC and voice instructor sitting behind you ) Just might turn out that it'll not even be the visual aspect of a contemporary flightsim program that will point out the winner but the one that produces the best ATC....

Not giving up on P3Dv4 yet but i'll keep a close look at XPlane ( and Aerofly 2, 3, 4,.. as well )

Btw, i was just kidding, Ed... ;-)

Embroidery? Nope, ain't gonna happen!
Bonsai tree cultivation? I can go outside and trim shrubs to my heart's content or until my hands hurt so badly that I can no longer grasp the shears.
The lack of ATC and AI in X-Plane is definitely a negative and I do rely upon these things in FSX to keep it somewhat real and visually interesting.
Circumventing boredom with flightsimming by creating something for it? Yes, I have learned how to use ADEX and I've downloaded a ton of freeware objects and scenery.

I've spent countless hours updating stock airports and freeware add on airports. I've even updated my only payware airport, KEYW by TropicalSim. I've been spending so much time with ADEX that I rarely fly FSX, but I've pretty well populated the state of Florida and the Bahamas with up to date airports. I'd hate to throw away all of that work, so when I do make the jump to the 64-bit world, the best flight sim candidate is still P3Dv4.

[b52bob]

After I made the move to XP-11, I found a wealth of great freeware at x-plane.org. My sim is populated with some great free add-on’s. I recently bought my first payware aircraft (B-1900) and really won’t buy more if not on sale. Oops, excepting ORBX.

[kiki]

FSX has completely gone from my system. Now, like Ed I find myself flying more in XP11. A big learning curve but now only have P3D V4.4 and XP11, both 64 bit sims.

I actually went to the Darkside 6 months ago and will only consider making purchases for XP11 from now on.

I have never been tempted to go to XP. What is so good with it? And would you, please, tell us more about that learning curve. What things you need to learn?

[Priller]

Haven't installed FSX since P3Dv3. Tried XP, but it never really got to me. P3Dv4 on the other hand is an evolving sim with a lot of $$$ behind it.

Version 5 of P3D is promising to be awesome.

I see no reason whatsoever to go to XP.

Priller

[blanston12]

Haven't installed FSX since P3Dv3. Tried XP, but it never really got to me. P3Dv4 on the other hand is an evolving sim with a lot of $$$ behind it.

Version 5 of P3D is promising to be awesome.

I see no reason whatsoever to go to XP.

Priller

I agree 100%

I have tried XP with each new version going back to V8 but it never really bit me.

[bazzar]

From a developer's perspective, XP has come an awful long way in terms of model fidelity and finish. Scenery is coming in leaps and bounds. But the one important aspect and the one for which XP was always supposed to be superior, flight dynamics, is lagging behind. They are notoriously difficult to get right and I for one am not convinced that the basics are there. For me, XP has always felt like a "plane on a stick" much like the old CFS3 used to feel compared to FS.

I don't get a feeling of "freedom" flying it but I do recognise that a lot of people are moving this way, despite the comparatively high cost of the better quality add-ons.

However, that may be because of a decline in favour of FS simulators rather than anything else. I'm not sure either that it is quite as user friendly as it could be. In the end it is horses for courses. P3DV4 /5 has massive potential and providing the funds continue to flow into it, it can only get better.

[Stickshaker]

That is my experience too, Bazzar.

[spatialpro]

What on Earth is FSX?!

Regarding P3D4 vs XP11... I find I enjoy both, for different reasons. I feel I could transition to XP 100% one day, but only when:

• There is more military content (after all this is the reason I inhabit this forum)
• Better handling for tail draggers (I love military STOL and GA STOL alike)
• Better ATC
• In-built seasonal scenery engine... this is a big one which keeps me going back to P3D
• A re-built scenery engine to permit the layering of topographic tiles (aka "mesh" or DEM)... thereby getting around the need to modify, or have the same resolution, for entire 1×1 degree DSF tiles! All this (i.e. inc. handling orthophotos and seasons) is done brilliantly well in P3D and XP lags far behind. It permits the use of very fine spatial resolution DEM (e.g. from ALS, aka airborne LiDAR), which to this day is impractical in XP without also breaking other scenery... crazy! Upgrading the XP engine to match P3D's capabilities will probably break compatibility with existing scenery, which is certainly a big reason reason I'm not yet 100% committed to XP.

Of course we are all individuals, we all have different perspectives and priorities and one can't please all the people all of the time! This is just my 2p!

Oh and I was joking about FSX... I just uninstalled it so long ago I can't remember when it was.

Andy