Starting with P3D, a basic set of Questions required to start.

I'm not dumping the FSX and don't plan to move all my stuff over to P3D, I just want to install this (P3D) and see what it is, after all it costs less then 2 airport sceneries so why not.

1. There are several P3D options on LM site and I assume the one an average simmer buys is an "Academic" option for $59.95?

it doesn't tell the version either (like 2.5...), I assume you have to register to see full details?

1a. Do upgrades cost additional fee? Not that $5-10 matters, just want to know.

2. If I am to buy this, the first thing I will want to install is FSGlobal2010 terrain with FTX Global base, Vector, and OpenCL EU.

My installers are dated December 2014, will that be ok for P3Dv2.5 or do I need new installers for version 2.5?

The versions are all the latest. You buy the license you feel works for you.

Point releases are fre - 2.3 to 2.4, etc. Major upgrades, like when V3.0 comes out will NOT be free.

You can easily find that out on the Otrbx site. I *believe* they are the latest, but always check AND download the latest Orbx Libs.

Vic

As always, check with your vendors to ensure what YOU install on YOUR computer is suitable for YOUR requirements.

P3D is in a constant state of flux - Hotfix 2.5.12944.0 just released.

1. Academic license is for students. If you are an undergraduate student go for it. Everyone else has to buy professional. Matter of personal integrity which one you choose, as LM doesn't check.

I don't really understand those license discussions. Academic licenses have been around for payware products since the dawn of time, compilers, business suites, graphics design stuff, you name it. They always are bound to the fact that you need to be a student at some school or university to get it. hence the name "academic".

1.a Until now the point releases have been free. Everyone suspects the V3 to be the 64bit one, and as this is a major piece of work the upgrade price may be considerable (take a look at what PMDG and A2A are charging for the P3D upgrades to get an idea)

2. I would download the latest installers, as there have been small updates AFAIK. And make sure you get the ORBX libs for P3D (there are different libs now for the different simulators). The global mesh works just fine, you don't really have to install it again, just put it in the scenery library.

Seeing that you like those addons as much as I do, some words of advice: don't mix sims on the same system. Get yourself an additional harddisk to boot a seperate windows from, and use this for your sim exclusively. I use a third HDD for scenery, so the sims with compatible architecture (FSX, FSX SE, P3D) can share the sceneries. Planes can not be shared, so those have to be local. I bought a case with exchangable drive bays, so I can swap in the HDD for the sim of the day. That way you never get cross compatibily issues and you always know that your problem lies within that specific sim and nothing else. Not to mention that you can rid the local Windows system of everything not needed for running the sim.

Thank you for informative reply.

Still in doubt... No I'm not in doubt about a V3-64bit (that I will get surely), but the current P3D... Addons are still very few, but the cost of buying a P3D with PMDG-777 is about $200 alone, with no guarantees it will work (with FSDT/Aerosoft sceneries) better than it is in FSX. People say the VAS improved, but how is it noticed/figured? - no idea.

Today (I mean at present time) perhaps it makes a better sense to spend a sock of money on X-plane+addons now that the FMS-programmed planes start to appear for X-plane. Less advanced all together but it is a new thing, new concept, kinda fresh new "toy" compared to what can be the same thing (P3Dv2.5) at a same high cost.

That is basically what I tried to tell you last time, bad choice of words on my part perhaps. P3D plus PMDG 777 will set you back more than $300 actually. And that is for only the sim and a plane, other devs can and will make you pay through the nose too (like A2A). I fear more of the same with the 64bit version.

Not so in XP, as a lot of really good stuff is freeware. But it takes a lot more work to get it all right, and XP is not without its drawbacks (like missing seasons, weak ATC, strange AI planes in weird places etc). But the payware stuff is catching up, check out the start page here, there is a new review up of a 777 for XP. And a lot of lovely tube videos, like the ones from Matt Davies, where he flies the 737 at night on pilot egde. Would be worth getting XP just for the night lighting...

But it all depends on how your FSX is working out now. If you are experiencing massive OOMs you can always dial down settings, it doesn't matter too much if you switch off autogen while flying the 777. Then there is always FSX SE, people report better VAS from there too - can't confirm this, to me it works just the same. Maybe you should try to get your current sim more stable first, then decide. Just post in the FSX forum how you set up everything, maybe there is room for improvement.

Even while I own all four major sims, I always end up using FSX (DX10ed). Yes, the OOMs are a nuisance, but only with certain addons. My setup allows me to circumvent them mostly (btw, switch on the autosave function in FSUIPC, so you can continue where you OOMed off). Just completed a flight from LIEO to LICD in the MilViz 737 - man, is she nice to hand fly. And those Rex soft clouds with ASN... well... (no OOM by the way, not even close - instead a wide grin)

Kosta confirmed, FSDT scenery + PMDG 777 + FTX Vector + ASN will give you an OOM no matter the settings.

Airbus-X can do it with the other 3 (FSDT+Orbx Vector+ASN), but PMDG will not. And the iFly 747 will give you an OOM while still on the ground at JFK (FSDT).

I can switch off the Autogen completely and perhaps that will postpone the OOM but... what's the fun then? By the way my autogen right now is set to medium.

Looks like right now we have tiny improvements in progress at a very high cost, this causes a rhetoric dilemma: do I need it or not...

Left part of brain tells me: relax and wait for the 64bit progress, there are other ways to spend money, including addons for FSX.

Right part of brain tells me: I can't take the VAS no longer!! :-)

Additionally, there is no solid guarantee of a 64bit P3D, and if there is it may come 3-5 years from now... I assume it is not coming this year for sure.

ok, here is some weight to break the balance on the scale, this will close the dilemma:

if I can fly a PMDG-777 and iFly-747 KJFK (FSDT) to EGLL (Aerosoft) with FTX Vector and ASN with no OOM, I will buy the P3D today.

Very easy to answer for those with these addons, rather then rhetorics I see. Somebody just do a flight with above items.

ok, here is some weight to break the balance on the scale, this will close the dilemma:

 

if I can fly a PMDG-777 and iFly-747 KJFK (FSDT) to EGLL (Aerosoft) with FTX Vector and ASN with no OOM, I will buy the P3D today.

Very easy to answer for those with these addons, rather then rhetorics I see. Somebody just do a flight with above items.

You will need to also have system specs, OS, hardware in full, and sim settings or else what you are asking for is only a report. And even then it will still not tell you what will happen on YOUR system, You seem fixated on this issue o the exclusion of all else?

P3D offers a 60 day money back gaurantee.