What do I need?

[middle]

Guys...I've only read a little about this new thing....what do I need to run it well and do I understand correctly that you can port over stuff from other sims? Do ya get the whole world or do you have to buy sections of it? Anyway, if someone could ponit me to a full explanation I'd really dig
it....middle

[Naismith]

Basically it IS FSX. So if you can run FSX, you can run this, only smoother. It is the whole world but they have enhanced a couple of bases a bit. So far most add-ons seem to work, even some FS9 aircraft seem fine, most notably the carefully crafted ones that run fine in FSX. I have yet to read any disaters or really bad reviews in forums here or elsewhere. I have the Academic version and am not disappointed, though I haven't abandoned FSX entirely yet.

[Roger]

Hi Mid,
It would help if you posted your pc spec then you would probably get a more considered answer.

[Lionheart]

Hey Middle,

I have a humble single core, 2.80 GHz Intel chip, Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card, 4 Gigs of Ram, Windows XP 32bit, and it runs fine with frames locked at 20 FPS. It will drop down sometimes, but mostly runs really nice.

As you can see, I have a very low end computer.


About the sim, it 'is' basically the FSX platform code. They have revised it 3 times now; Build 1.3. They are constantly working on bugs, getting things working smoothly.

There are some different aspects it has compared with FSX;
* No startup screen; you boot up into a flight. You can then change out where you want to fly out of, plane, etc.
* No active weather; it cannot call somewhere for the latest weather settings where you are going to take off from. They are working on it though.
* Some (alot) of the terrain textures are improved, like around mountains and places. Where FSX had tons of desert patches everywhere, P3D has been cleaned up from that quite a bit, more realistic.
* P3D can run 4096 ground textures now, FSX I am told cannot.
* Some of the FSX planes are not in the package. They actually are, but need the panel folders in them to be flyable. They are included for use as AI planes (Traffic). You have the Mooney (very grim), the Maule, and a few others such as some P-38 Lightnings, Constellation prop liners, a submarine, Piper J3 Cub, etc.

I linked in my ORBX scenery via Addon Scenery and its working nicely. Not 100%. I am waiting for the migration tool to get that working properly. Its about 95% operational, (ORBX that is).

Whats wild, for me, is having clouds 'on', car traffic 'on', boat traffic 'on', AI plane traffic 'on' and there are no studders! No blinking clouds... To me, it runs like FS9.

EDIT: Mind you, someone here ended up going for a refund, stating it didnt run good at all on his rig. You also will need to run this as the primary 'authority' on the computer with Win7, (what is the word... the person who runs the computer overall)?


Bill

[Lionheart]

Next...

If you decide you wish to purchase it, there are 3 pricing blocks;
* Developer..................$9.95 a month
* Academic..................$49.95
* Full purchase.............$200.00

If you are a developer, its monthly. Works great as a demo. If you demo it for a month, like it, go for the $200.00 version, you will need to download that version. If you want to develope for it, and you get the $200.00, I am told you need to get the $9.95 version. I guess because it comes with SDK materials. Not sure. If you get the Academic version, you need proof of being a student of some sort.

When you download the package, it is 3 packs of 1.9, 3.6, and 3.9 Gigs. They have servers around the world. You 'must' download it, there are no CD's.

I installed mine onto my external sim HD with no problems. I havent had any issues yet, except extreme addiction.

For multi player, run the FSHost Client software, just like they do with FS9 and FSX.


Thats about it. It looks totally different in the sim; bluish GUI screens that have Lockheed and Prepar3D on them. Its like having a totally new sim. Some of the terrain texture tiles are the same as in FSX, but its a smoother engine now, more stable.

Below pics; the stock aircraft that come with it; the new selection center. Middle pic, the boot up screen for P3D. The third is their version of a logbook, looks more like a logbook to me.


Bill

[middle]

Thanks, gents...looks like i would need a new machine...i've never tried fsx on this one...HP Pavilion,3.00GHz Intel dual core,w/ 2 gigs '0' RAM

[nio]

Hey Mid

How are you and K doing? Well I hope.

I have the Academic licence and it runs fine on my machine of a certain age . Spec in my signature.

best

nio

[Daveroo]

Hey Mid

How are you and K doing? Well I hope.

I have the Academic licence and it runs fine on my machine of a certain age . Spec in my signature.

best

nio

may i ask how you got the "academic" lic?...bill said you need to prove you are a student?...now i dont mean to be rude..you are 55...are you a student? teacher?..or ( what im hoping) you have a "trick" to get aroound the need to be a student and prove it part for the academic lic....im getting more and more interrested in this all the time..specailly if bill is going to start making P3D only planes....

[wombat666]

may i ask how you got the "academic" lic?...bill said you need to prove you are a student?...now i dont mean to be rude..you are 55...are you a student? teacher?..or ( what im hoping) you have a "trick" to get aroound the need to be a student and prove it part for the academic lic....im getting more and more interrested in this all the time..specailly if bill is going to start making P3D only planes....

Me and Mid are both 'Senior Students'........ never too old to learn Dave, never too old.
And anyway, 60 is the new 40.

[Dangerous Beans]

I wasn't asked to prove anything when I bought my copy.

[cheezyflier]

may i ask how you got the "academic" lic?...bill said you need to prove you are a student?...now i dont mean to be rude..you are 55...are you a student? teacher?..or ( what im hoping) you have a "trick" to get aroound the need to be a student and prove it part for the academic lic....im getting more and more interrested in this all the time..specailly if bill is going to start making P3D only planes....

if that's true, then i need to get it too. i dont want to miss out on new stuff from mr bill

[Roger]

The Prepar3D EULA is available on LM's website and does not need more discussion here. Avsim have adopted a policy of closing EULA threads and I can understand why.