JeremyWM

I think there are two main points here that are fundamentally different between the sims. One is that with IL-2, we are just talking about a relatively tiny section of the world, the area surrounding the Cliffs of Dover and the subsequent air battles that took place there during WW2. X-Plane however, attempts to depict nearly the ENTIRE PLANET, with as much a detail as can be attained given a finite amount of computer resources and development time. Yes Sebjo, it's definitely a matter of how much visual information a computer can currently draw and still keep a good fluid frame-rate, as well as the time it takes to develop the art assets that X-plane uses in game to depict the world. IL-2 really doesn't have a whole lot of ground detail especially when it comes to large cities, as far as I know, it has been a while since I played an IL-2 flight sim. My second point, specifically pertaining to the skies, is that I don't think the weather in IL-2 is dynamic. You pick your mission to fly and depending on what you pick, it has a certain depiction of weather that doesn't change during combat. With X-plane, the weather is quite dynamic. It's always referring back to the current METAR'S in whatever area of the world you're flying in and changing the weather depiction accordingly if you have it set to grab real-world weather from the internet. Are the clouds in ARMA 3 actually dynamic? Do they change with the weather, or do they just spin around and move the way the clouds in Microsoft Flight Simulator do. I doubt that the clouds in ARMA are actually 3-D objects or particles that change with the weather. There wouldn't be a reason to make them so complex in a mostly ground combat simulator, so I think they're just 2-D"sprites" that spin and move in order to a nice backdrop.

What a beautiful plane! Unfortunate that it sounds like the default X-plane Hoover engines, though. It's such a simple thing to add decent sounds for an X-plane addon. This isn't a cheap aircraft either. At $27.95 there really isn't an excuse for not having at least a few custom sounds. Still a great aircraft though.

Sounds really great saranda, really immersive. Do you think this will be able to link up with FS Economy? It'd be fantastic to start with a flight from FS Economy then load up passengers with your program. You'd really have a lot of real world details then!

Sorry about the errors. I just wasn't paying enough attention to my typing. Can't wait for HD Mesh Scenery v3!

Currently the place place to go is Simheaven.com, which has a HUGE amount of free scenery downloads for X-plane 10. Unfortunately, the source data that they use is not the greatest for Canada. However what you should definitely keep an eye out for is the upcoming "HD Mesh v3" from Alpilot.net, which will upgrade the entire Canadian region with higher resolution mesh data (adds much more definition to the terrain land classes), properly places many errant bodies of water, and adds more accurate roads & objects placement. All totally free, as well. There is still the "Inside Passage v10" payware addon available on Xplane.org, too. It covers a really big area with many custom objects and 95 airports and seaplane bases, including CYRV, plus a 100 uncharted facilities. It's been around for years though, it's showing it's age in terms of graphic fidelity compared with newer scenery. Still if you don't mind the lower quality graphics, it's a great pack for relatively cheap.

Superdelphinus- If no one bought addons that cost between 60-80 dollars, then we simply wouldn't have aircraft at that high level of fidelity and quality available for X-plane, period. Which is one of the main reasons why X-plane was relegated to the periphery of the flight sim market for the majority of its existence; all of the really amazing addons with high level systems realism and detailed 3D models were only made for MS Flightsims because thats where the market was that could support a team of dedicated people working full-time for years on end to be able to make a living creating flightsim addons. The price does reflect the effort and time put into the product as well as the individual market economy. The very fact that X-plane has these products means that it has finally become a viable platform for talented people to make a living by creating great addons for it. Think about how much enjoyment you can have out of some of these products. A flight sim enthusiast can get months of entertainment or even years out of a purchase. This particular hobby does cost some money if you want the very best products available, but in comparison to other endevors I'd say it's pretty cheap. Try buying a real life RC aircraft of any size and quality and you're looking at paying hundreds or easily thousands of dollars for about 20 minutes of fun out at the flying field. Almost every brand new videogame for consoles or computer costs $60 whether they're total garbage or not. As I said if you can't afford the best of the best just wait for a sale or grab something else that you can afford. Javiers Rollons Jetstream 32 is AMAZING and it only costs $35. It's well worth the investment.

In my opinion all cars should only cost around $10,000 or so and they should have 50% off days so that I can go buy a Ferrari or Lamborgini. Maybe both if have the extra cash. Oh wait, maybe that's absurd. It's also absurd to expect add-on developers to sell everything at 25 or 30 dollars. 60 dollars is not unreasonable or "through the roof" for something that can take years of full-time work for these people to create. The Saab is a procedural study sim that took over three years of daily toil to produce; are you really suggesting that they sell it for 25 bucks!!?? There's plenty of great addons available that cost around 20 or 30 dollars for Xplane or even less. Almost all of Carenado's offerings are about that much. But for a truly remarkable product like the 777 or the Saab it's going to cost you more because products like these take A LOT more time and effort to make, it's just simple economics. If you can't afford them at first you can wait for the price to come down after a time or watch for a sale. Not everything can cost 5 cents Charlie Brown.

Yes, my thoughts exactly sundog. The re-sellers provide a valueable service for a reasonable percentage of the sales. Not only do they add value by providing a place for individual addon creators to market their products to a wide network of flight sim ethusiasts, they also give a person trying to sell their creations more credibility. Think about it, would you rather give your credit card information online to a reputable re-seller like X-Aviation or to some unknown individual on JoeBlowCreations.com. I started buying addons for X-plane 9 3 or 4 years ago. Back then the selection was pretty slim. I took a chance and bought my first plane, which was the superlative MU-2, even though I wasn't entirely comfortable with putting my information out on the site I bought it from. Not everyone would take a possible risk like that however. Most would rather stick to where they feel comfortable. Xplane products are now listed on traditionally MS Flight Sim sites like Aerosoft, Just Flight, and Carenado, but for a while it was a bit wild wild west seeming. When I bought Javier Rollons' Beechcraft Mentor, I purchased it on his own website store. Everything was fine until I had a problem getting one of the updates to work correctly. I emailed him, but it took some time and back and forth correspondence before the issue was finally resolved. I was patient through the whole thing as I understood how hard it was for him to check his website and all the other forums everyday and his email inbox for customer questions or concerns. Then he was having to deal with every problem or question by himself. I never blamed him or got upset with the delay in addressing my problem, but not all people would be that understanding. Since his products have been added to X-Aviation, I have had a much smoother experience with my purchases. The CRJ-200 has had numerous updates since I bought it and I've had a few hiccups along the way which were dealt with promptly by the professional staff of X-Aviation.

So if what you seem to be saying is true, Hangar advocates for the de-listing of Xplane products from marketplaces such as X-plane.org (this one I agree should die off), X-aviation, Just Flight,and Aerosoft. Then each Xplane developer should "go their own way" and develop and release their products, market them, and do all of the customer support solely on their own. How exactly would this be desirable for a single person or even two people and really why would these people do this? What's wrong with a person or small team being able to focus all their time and efforts on doing what they love, creating add-ons, while letting another company deal with setting up the online marketplace and customer support forums? Hangar, your little snide insults don't bother me in the least. Implying that I can't "comprehend" your posts and talking out the side of your neck by saying that I should just "stick to what I know...whatever that is" only serve to show that you are unable to hold a debate. Instead you must rely on personal insults to try to get your point across. Yes I did read you posts, every word of them. I do know what you are saying, I simply disagree with you. Why did Microsoft Flight Simulator get so big? Having the backing of the Microsoft had a lot to do with it. Then also the hard working addon developers made amazing products which added the incredible longevity of the market we see today. Xplane has never had that kind of backing, that kind of mindshare with the public. For most of it's life it languished in the shadows as an inferior simulation in many respects. Version 10 has changed that, it is a much more robust platform for content creators to work on. Hence we've seen a many more fantastic addons available from numerous developers, many of whom have come over from FSX. There are talented people working on Xplane and the sim market will continue to perform well.

The quality of this conversation took a rather abrupt swerve into absurdity, but honestly I'd rather read a few dirty limericks then to have to hear Hangar prattle on about his "20 years" of experience in sales and marketing again. I don't care if you have 20 years of experience, the very basis of your argument is ridiculous and not based on fact. X-plane DOES have professional etailers making quality products for the marketplace. Carenado, FlyJSim, Alabeo, and X-Aviation are all well respected content creators. Soon we'll have the 737 Classic from IXEG which looks to be phenomenal and hopefully somewhat soon the first product from PMDG as well. Is the X-plane market anywhere near as big as Microsoft Flight Simulator? No, of course not, not by long shot, but then Laminar is all of 6-10 people in South Carolina, not a multi-billion dollar international corporation. Gee, do you think that might have something to do with it maybe? Xplane is growing and so too are the developers. Do they wish they were bigger or growing faster? Sure, but as long as they make good products that sell well and sales continue to grow each year, they'll be doing just fine.

So you say that you're an "informed observer/advisor" and yet the very first thing you say in your ramblings is that X-plane has no reputable e-tailers making X-plane addons. Really? Carenado and their sister company Alabeo have almost all of their products available for X-plane, Aerosoft has released a number of payware airports as well as some which come bundled with X-plane and have been a focal supporter for quite a while now, and PMDG has commited to TWO projects in the near future. Then for you to come on this website which is the official X-Aviation forums and pontificate that X-plane has no professional etailers is some nerve. How do you make these informed opinions by the way, do you have actual sales figures from Laminar, Carenado, and X-Aviation to look at? Xplane has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years and shows no signs of slowing down. When I got version nine, it was far behind FSX in terms of visuals and the add-ons market was basically just free stuff from the org and a few paid addons which were of terrible quality. Now there's a wealth of excellent freeware and professional payware. With Xplane 10 getting better with each new update, I really don't see the issue.

Yes Javier does have his aircraft on the org, but honestly people would be far better off getting his work from X-aviation instead. You have much better customer service and professionalism with X-aviation and you don't have to search that damnable org store every other week to see if you have any updates for your purchases. Javier himself does a good job of checking the forums to address customers needs, but it's pain in the ass to use that website all the time. X-pilot has a much nicer, cleaner design.

??? Hmmm, X-aviation currently offers 14 aircraft, which by the way are examples of some of the BEST aircraft available for X-plane right now. How many do you think they should have? PMDG basically has 5 aircraft with a couple variations on the 777, 737, and 747. Now these are of course the pinnacle of procedual simulation on any home platform, but I'd venture to say that the Saab comes pretty damn close. In fact it offers some features that the add-ons from PMDG don't even have, but it is a simpler aircraft, however. As for the question of why X-aviation people are banned from the org, the answer is quite simple, Nicolas is an unrepentant power tripping jack-ass who views actual professional developers/distributors like X-aviation and others as a threat to his once complete domination of the X-plane ecosystem. As well he should. The recent addition of X-plane and some addons to Steam as well as the continued success of X-plane into moving towards being in the mainsteam means a few more welcome nails in the coffin of the borg. (oh pardon, I mean org

A "terrorist mode" is insensitive and just shows that you aren't a professional add-on developer. Besides that, having a medical emergency onboard like Keith and Ohsirus mentioned is more realistic as that can happen more often than a thankfully extremely rare terrorist attack.

Gorgeous flight! Your videos are some of the best Xplane videos anywhere. It really shows off what this awesome sim is capable of. Great work!