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General => The Flight Deck => Topic started by: Mark Hubbert on March 09, 2017, 07:19:14 PM

Title: What Simulator
Post by: Mark Hubbert on March 09, 2017, 07:19:14 PM
I have been using FS9 for years, I am behind everybody else because I am still using it.  My reasons, it is stable, I have a ton of payware that would be useless if I switch.  But with the support for FS9 dwindling and the lack of new products and updates I have been contemplating switching.  Trying to get an idea of what simulator to do?

FSX?
Prepare 3D?
X-Plane?
Others that I have not heard of?

So which one is better?
I would intend to buy good realistic aircraft and sceneries possibly a good weather generator.  Which one is a stable platform and which one is not.  Please let me know.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Sergio Lopez on March 10, 2017, 09:37:54 AM
Mark, I personally prefer P3D over anything else. Most FSX addons are compatible across. Some companies will make you purchase a separate license for P3D.

As far as I see, scenery is where the money is spent the most. If you don't care much about it, then I would recommend just getting the following:

P3D
Active Sky 2016
Payware plane you will be flying the hell out of.

These are the essentials, everything else pretty much falls under the scenery category. And it's all up to you which areas you would like to have updated and looking nice.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Josh Glottmann on March 10, 2017, 09:38:54 AM
Here are my brief thoughts (I might expand later).

FSX - it's going to eventually become outdated. It's a years old software that is not being updated and has significant limitations.

P3D - essentially a redo of FSX. It's still not 64 bit but it is being developed. In terms of add-ons, you're covered unless you want to fly Airbus (aside from the A320) or regional jets. In terms of graphics, everything can be made to look really good. With that said, it's a lot less plug and play than X-Plane. For VATSIM, this is your best bet because vPilot is still being actively developed and improved.

X-Plane - I've been an X-Plane user since v9. 10 looked good, and 11 looks amazing. If you want your sim to look amazing from the start, go for X-Plane. It's still being developed. For VATSIM, xSquawkBox is lacking - but hopefully swift will solve that. Payware aircraft in X-Plane are hit or miss. Most of the new stuff is really really good (FlightFactor 767 is better than PMDG IMO) and well rounded. If you like flying GA, I think X-Plane is where you want to go. Flying X-Plane feels more like flying a plane than P3D/FSX. Most addons from v10 are compatible with v11 without any changes at all.

I have used all three platforms, and I think X-Plane is the best sim nowadays.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Ryan Parry on March 10, 2017, 11:30:32 AM
Well, what we really need to know is your computer specs. We can all suggest any of the three all day long but if your computer can't handle it then it is a pointless switch to make.

That said, I'm going to recommend P3D, but I am also going to say wait a little bit longer for two reasons. First, P3D is going to be 64bit in V4, and that's confirmed (https://fselite.net/news/prepare3ds-next-version-will-64bit/). Second, it's worth seeing what comes of the Dovetail Games flight simulator which will also be 64bit. If the DTG sim isn't too bad you can avoid paying the ridiculous price hike for addons when they come out.

There is XP11 but I have mixed emotions on that. It's 64bit, you can make it look great, the physics are extremely realistic, but the addons are lacking and I don't know if they'll ever really be what we have in P3D/FSX.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Toby Rice on March 10, 2017, 11:31:34 AM
I use FSX SP2 primarily.   I own X-Plane 9.   I'm going to buy version 11 when I finish decking out my computer.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Mark Hubbert on March 11, 2017, 10:16:08 PM
Appreciate the responses.

What sort of addons are there for Aircraft - Prepare3d and XPLane

What are the good ones and the ones to stay away from?
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Josh Glottmann on March 12, 2017, 12:52:26 AM
Boeing
FlightFactor 757, 767, 777 (http://flightfactor.aero/) - 757 and 767 are insane. 777 is old but still pretty good. Advanced FMC, good 3D cockpit, movable external objects.
FlyJSim 727 and 732 (http://www.flyjsim.com/index.php) - both are great.
SSG 748 (http://store.x-plane.org/Boeing-747-8-Series_p_345.html) - from what I've heard it's pretty good.
I would stay away from the 787.

Airbus
FlightFactor A350 (http://flightfactor.aero/) - click (http://store.x-plane.org/assets/images/files/Airbus/A350/plane/post-2-0-58781700-1417046052.jpg). It's awesome.
JarDesign A320 and A330 (http://jardesign.org/) - both are really good, I would recommend A330 over A320.
I would not recommend anything by Peter's hanger.

I was going to go on, but I realized the list would be too long. Checkout the store (http://store-x-plane-org.3dcartstores.com/Airliners_c_75.html). It has almost everything sold for X-Plane with detailed descriptions and screenshots. For extremely detailed reviews, checkout XPlaneReviews (http://xplanereviews.com/).

I honestly don't think you could go wrong with X-Plane. And if it weren't for XSB being outdated (but still 100% usable), I think many more VATSIM users would be using XP. It's aesthetically pleasing, realistic to physics, still being constantly developed, and has great payware (and freeware).

Oh - and weather. XPGFS NOAA Weather plugin (http://x-plane.joanpc.com/plugins/xpgfs-noaa-weather) is really accurate. It's a lot more lightweight than ActiveSky, but is far better than any freeware weather engine. I haven't been following the development since 2015, but from what I've heard, all the kinks from back then have been ironed out and the plugin significantly improved.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Ryan Parry on March 14, 2017, 09:41:05 AM
For P3D you've got...

Boeing - PMDG 737NGX, PMDG 777, PMDG 747v3 (just came out), TFDi 717, Milviz B732

Airbus - Aerosoft A32X series, FSL A320 (sorta hyper realistic), Aerosoft A330 (in dev but almost done)
Stay away from Black Box.

Others - Majestic Dash 8 Q400, FlySimWare LearJet 35, A2A has realistic GA stuff and Carenado has nice looking but not realistic flying GA stuff, both of which pair great with the Flight 1 GTN.

I know you were a big fan of the PMDG MD11, so I know you'll enjoy the other PMDG products, and if you still want to fly those Fedex flights you'll like the PMDG 777. They're pricey for P3D though.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Ira Robinson on March 14, 2017, 03:09:15 PM
Which license version of P3D is everyone talking about? 
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Russell DeSpain on March 14, 2017, 03:26:34 PM
Which license version of P3D is everyone talking about?

The academic and professional versions are essentially the same. The only thing that's truly different about them is one is meant for educational use and the other is meant for commercial purposes.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Mark Hubbert on March 14, 2017, 06:51:47 PM
Quote
I know you were a big fan of the PMDG MD11

Somebody that truly knows me.   :o

Again many thanks for the advice.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Daniel Hawton on March 14, 2017, 08:40:49 PM
Keep in mind RE: P3D, the EULA doesn't permit use for "entertainment" purposes.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Don Desfosse on March 15, 2017, 07:04:48 AM
The good news is that we all learn something (educational) every time we fly, right?
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Sergio Lopez on March 15, 2017, 08:41:10 AM
The good news is that we all learn something (educational) every time we fly, right?

Yep.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Chad Schrieber on October 19, 2018, 05:48:21 PM
You all have me wishing I'd paid a little more attention to what I was getting into when I bought FSX.  I'm finding it functional (with problems, posted in another thread) but the age surprised me.  I somehow did not find x-plane when I was looking.
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Chris Robison on October 19, 2018, 07:50:37 PM
I have been using FS9 for years, I am behind everybody else because I am still using it.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one with FS9 still.
I just got a new rig a week ago. Started flying in both P3D and Xplane. Takes a little getting use to with the better frames, but a huge step up from the FS9 days.
See you in the skies Mark!
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Randall Girouard on December 21, 2018, 11:05:27 AM
I have been a long time XP user, mostly because I have been a Mac user for 30 years.  I had some limited experience with FS in the early 90's. I started with iFly in the early 90's. Then I went to lunch one day with Apple's Mac desktop engineering manager at the time - my job meant I collaborated extensively with all of Apple's hardware engineering groups from 1991-2006 - I told him I started diving into flight sim and it turned out he also was an avid flight simmer. He suggested XP. I bought XP and have loved it ever since. Having said that, I do at times think about switching to  PC gaming hardware with high end graphics at a reasonable price.  Even though I have an iMac with 2G Vram there are times when frame rate still becomes an issue.  I have researched P3D and it looks appealing but I am very happy with what I have. The only drawback I see with XP is that Laminar seems to put most of its dev resources into the GA planes.  Like someone else here noted, if you fly GA then XP is superior.  If you fly jetliners like I do then the XP 11 planes have gotten better---not great--but still very enjoyable.  The "Zibo modified" 737 is excellent...and is free! Much better than the FF767 in my opinion.  As for XSB, about 75% of my flying is on VATSIM and XSB is very adequate.  I bought SkyMax Pro add-on and think it is overrated.  Just OK imo.  I have all of Mister-X airport scenery - LAX,BOS,SFO,etc. - and his airport scenery is by far superior.  So, the only issue I see with XP is that in order to keep up with the software development in the XP world I am looking at making a Mac hardware upgrade. If I want graphics capability to carry me forward for many years to come, unfortunately,  it will be at significant cost. 
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Barry Sowell on April 22, 2019, 07:10:49 AM
I have been using FS9 for years, I am behind everybody else because I am still using it.  My reasons, it is stable, I have a ton of payware that would be useless if I switch.  But with the support for FS9 dwindling and the lack of new products and updates I have been contemplating switching.  Trying to get an idea of what simulator to do?

FSX?
Prepare 3D?
X-Plane?
Others that I have not heard of?

So which one is better?
I would intend to buy good realistic aircraft and sceneries possibly a good weather generator.  Which one is a stable platform and which one is not.  Please let me know.

I'm only a GA single Engine Land rated pilot with limited hours but have had a sim for upwards of 15 years. I recently ran across the Oculus Rift coupled with X-plane and found it to be quite advanced from my days of multiple monitors. It takes some computing power but seems well worth the investment for such a small footprint.

I ran across the Oculus at a demo and was sold immediately. There is another VR system that boasts some advantages over the Oculus. HTC Vive Pro Eye, detects eye movement for faster control ability for gaming, but the screen resolution is what has me interested. With the exponential improvements in graphics, VR systems are taking flight simulation to a more realistic level.

Finally, there is the ability to add a copilot. Simply put, the copilot, a real person, is either simply a voice in the aircraft with you, or you can construct an avatar for both yourself and the copilot. The one restriction is that the copilot isn't allowed access to the controls.

Hope there was something in that that helped
Title: Re: What Simulator
Post by: Michael Fuhr on May 12, 2020, 09:23:41 AM
Recently I've been going through the process of switching from FSX to Xplane11. I found myself in the same situation, debating on switching because of all the payware I had installed. I have no regrets though switching to Xplane11, far superior dynamics, default aircraft and scenery. Since buying X-plane11 the only thing I have spent money on was the reality expansion pack for their Cessna172 (worth looking into). There are very good payware and freeware addons for Xplane11 with very active communities out there to help guide you through the process of getting the sim set up to your liking. Plus the ZiboMod (freeware) is on par with the likes of PMDG. Installations are pretty straight forward as well and I have personally not had any problems minus one livery that has no duct pressure >:( and Spad.Next but most my problems with that are user error. Anyways thats my opinion but it is definatley worth the switch. Best of luck in whatever choice you make!