Advice / Opinions Needed: Which FS is right for me?

[KiwiElf]

QUOTE (sambo @ Jun 21 2013,9:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok, that's very similar to what I'm running so there's hope yet!

So what info is available about P3D2?

Hi Sambo,

Check out P3D's site if you haven't already, plus Google any online reviews that may be around. The British "PCPilot" mag gave it quite a detailed coverage over several issues if you can get hold of any back copies; they also have it available online.

Essentially P3D is based on the FSX platform but wayyy more sophisticated (ie what's under the water can also be modelled and they've added mesh for the entire ocean floor - just in case you want a flying sub ) - hence a lot of compatibility between the two platforms. But FSX is still a great buy and no plans to ditch it yet, and it has the most add-ons both for aircraft, utilities (weather radar etc) and scenery. That and P3D will cost you several times more to buy! For realistic NZ scenery, Red Baron is a big favourite but the ORBX Nth & South Islands are pretty impressive too - very real. Combine that with a good environmental program like REX or Active Sky etc for authentic (and impressive) real-weather - there are many other options here, too. Your puter should be more than powerful enough to run these add-ons at really good hi-res, fluid speeds. My feeling is, if P3D is good enough for the aviation industry at large, flight schools, military & corporations to use, then DAT'S DA ONE to get Just my opinions of coz

[sambo]

Thanks for the info KiwiElf. I've been looking for P3D2 info but it's very scarce! I did find one interesting interview with a P3D developer dated only 3 months ago. Of particular interest was the answer to the last question, which as I read it, basically said that backwards compatibility with FSX addons would be maintained with P3D2 and that v2 was more about further performance enhancements and weapons support.

Regarding Red Baron's NZ scenery, do you know of a valid link to this or some screenshots of it in action? None of the links I have found appear to be working.

Does anyone know if the P3D (v1) scenery is better than FSX out of the box? It's hard to know in all the pics / videos if add-ons are being used or not.

[Sopwith]

You can go to X-plane and down load a demo for no more than the cost of that download.
It give you about twelve minutes of use before locking the controls and is located in KSEA, (Seattle).
It at least give you a feel for the potential, but as with most sims the best planes and scenery is purchased as add on's.

[gojozoom]

I'm an FSXer myself, although if I started with this fantastic hobby today, I'd definitively go with X-plane...

My reasoning is rather simple:

O the amount of development going into the core product (not talking about add-ons here)
O continuous support (no such thing for FSX anymore)
O New Zealand Pro scenery (similar to VLC for FSX - accurate landclass and textures pack)- it's donationware by the way
O stability and 64bit processing
O it has a growing community with a lot of dev talents
O 3D objects and lighting (no more 2D texture trickery)

BUT....I've got about 3000 reasons why I didn't make the switch yet Also, I'm one of those lucky ones who never had an OOM or any kind of CTD with FSX yet But then, I work in IT and I'm a bit of maximalist, so you got the picture....

Oh, about Prepar3D...something is wishy-washy around their EULA and its future...

Dan

[sambo]

QUOTE (gojozoom @ Jul 16 2013,3:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, about Prepar3D...something is wishy-washy around their EULA and its future...

What do you mean?

Also, how would you compare the NZ Pro scenery with the likes of ORBX for FSX?

[gojozoom]

What I meant with the EULA problem is best explained by the PMDG example. As PMDG is licensed to create highly-detailed Boeing add-on aircraft, they can't start developing for Prepar3D due to the fact that it's made by Lockheed... At least that's the general understanding according to many forum threads I read. So, I imagine that any developer who's got a commercial relationship with any aircraft company other than Lockheed will not be able to develop for P3D...

Regarding the comparison, let the pictures/videos speak:

VLC screenshots:
http://www.vectorlandclass.co.nz/index.php/media/screenshots

VLC videos:
http://www.vectorlandclass.co.nz/index.php/media/videos

New Zealand Pro screenshots:
http://www.alpilotx.net/gallery/?album=XPl...alandProRELEASE

New Zealand Pro video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFnh-77I5QE

If you ask me they're both awesome! We're lucky with these high-end sceneries for different platforms...


Dan