Getting to like X-plane

[toprob]

Today I took a break and flew from Tekapo to Timaru in X-plane. It started out just to check how the border of my photoscenery looked, but it was such a nice flight, I carried on to Timaru. Apart from the fact that in X-plane, everything is just a little gloomy, and I don't know how to get it to show a normal, bright sunny day, this was one of the most enjoyable flights I've taken in a long time. There's an extra degree of immersion which Prepar3d is missing, and the plane -- the default 172 -- performs amazingly, and the fact that all the cockpit controls work as expected, just makes for a more evocative experience.
Spotting an airport is easier because it is more realistic, and there's something about the whole thing which just makes me a better pilot. I wasn't craning my neck to figure out where I was all the time, the runway was where I expected it to be. I will have to convert my Timaru airport some time, at the moment I'm using the addon NZ Pro scenery outside the photo areas.
I've got a converted Real NZ Tekapo airport installed, and I'm figuring out how to get it looking the way I need it to look. I think there's a big future for X-plane NZ...

[NZ255]

Xplane 11 really turns it up a notch. 10 was kind of a hodgepodge... the pov hat switch didn't even work out of the box and I could never figure out how it worked.

I'll have to put XP11 on my short list

Look forward to some screenshots

[kiwi_the_iwik]

It's great news to hear how X-Plane is starting to be embraced in the community!

I'm a massive fan of Flight Sims with a New Zealand flair, and to see that interest is growing on this site really is encouraging...

I've already created a version of NZAA which can be found on the x-plane.org site. It's heartwarming that it has been used to great effect by members of VATSIM.

Here's a few NZAA X-Plane 11 VATSIM examples on YouTube, by NZKIWIAVIATOR:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULDOtk9gDQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLBVmgSbhs

Additionally, I have begun the rather lengthy process of building an Auckland skyline - and although I've created a few of the major landmarks from scratch (such as the Harbour Bridge, the War Memorial Museum and, of course, Sky Tower), the task is understandably taking a fair bit of time!

The creator of World2XPlane has also been busily working on "NZ ULTIMATE" - an OSM overlay for New Zealand which uses LINZ data to superimpose building footprints across the country - also adding to the realism. It works perfectly with orthophoto images created with Ortho4XP, and with Alpilotx's NZ Pro HD mesh.

However, as you've so successfully accomplished, Robin - it's fairly straightforward to convert FSX/P3D scenery over to X-Plane and enjoy the same levels of detail and immersion. It'd be wonderful to see more work develop in this area in the future!

Cheers,
Aaron

[Sonnyj]

I enjoyed that flight - Thanks.. Must get back into Vatsim.

[toprob]

Brilliant stuff, Aaron. As you may have seen I am putting together a fund-raising campaign so that I can continue with the development, plus expand the 'Real NZ' coverage to some of the new sims, particularly X-plane. I can send a preview of the Kickstarter campaign if you are interested in helping promote this, as it really does rely on getting some support from X-plane users in particular. I don't really have a clue how to reach X-planers, so I would need some help here!
Helping would just involve letting people know that this project will hopefully result in ongoing development of some quality, payware New Zealand scenery, in X-plane as well as any of the other sims which are viable.
So the idea is to make it easy for anyone who might look at changing their platform at any point, without losing their existing investment in New Zealand scenery.
Just a quick note that these won't be conversions in the sense of using the existing conversion tools, they will be optimised for X-plane in the same way that I optimise for the existing sims. However they will share the same aerial images and 3D models.

P.S. although helping could also include making a pledge of funds:)

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Hi Robin,

Yes - a kickstarter campaign is one way of doing this, although it does offer limited exposure to a small footprint within the flight simulator world.

Developers tend to use the X-Plane.org site store to sell their add-ons (http://store.x-plane.org), which it works out to be quite successful as it has a very large footfall and helps them develop a following within the X-Plane community. Added to that, providing support via the X-Plane.org forum site ensures an ongoing loyal customer base (http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/fo ... s-support/).

Linking the support page to your website also adds to your professional status as a payware developer and offers greater exposure. The following are examples of this process:

http://www.drzewiecki-design.net
http://jardesign.org
http://xenviro.net
http://www.classicjetsims.com

And finally, another option is to work with a parent distributer such as Aerosoft to deliver content to X-Plane users - although I'm unfamiliar with their collaborative process or percentage split (however, it could be a negotiable deal with their marketing team).

It's important to point out that there are a number of developers generating very high-quality freeware add-ons for the X-Plane community, so the price and quality of your payware products would have to be very competitive. But get the right balance, and you could be onto a winner...

All food-for-thought!

Cheers,
Aaron.