Switch to FSX ?

Hi all, I am thinking of switching from X-Plane to FSX. I have some questions, where is a good place to get Micro-soft FSX and why is the prices so high right now? I just purchased a GoFlight GF-46 panel and did not realize it is not supported in X-plane. I got a plug-in and downloaded it but can't get it to open.

 

Who here has used both and which do you prefer? I like X-Plane but there is no default airports with any buildings and my attempts to make my own seems over my head and is very frustrating. Also I wanted to start purchasing GoFlight panels to get my cockpit going and none are supported in X-Plane without 3rd party plugins. I also really like the A2A airplane and would like to get the 182 and start flying that as well.

 

So please chime in and convince me to switch and help with a good place to get FSX and which edition do you recommend?

 

Sincerely:

Rszweda:(

where is a good place to get Micro-soft FSX

 

Steam

Hi all, I am thinking of switching from X-Plane to FSX.

Who here has used both and which do you prefer?

 

I've got both but FSX is my favourite. I'm keeping X-Plane 10 as a standby to switch to if ever my FSX packs up.

I've had FSX for about 6 years and it's run as smooth as silk all that time.

FSX has got a reputation for being a bit temperamental, but I think that's because people run into trouble by installing too many fancy addons and stuff.

All I've added is a strip of photoreal scenery and some planes, because default FSX looks beautiful enough straight out of the box..:)

The main thing I don't like about XP10 is that I found it impossible to trim the planes for level flight, because no matter how carefully I trimmed them, a bank would slowly develop as if they were balanced on a pin without any natural stability.

XP10 has got a good official forum so maybe I should have asked for advice over there.

I also didn't like XP10's terrible default city scenery, but I think you can buy addons.

 

PS- if you click 'Forum' here at Flightsim.com, you'll see a list of all the forums, and you'll always see that the FSX forum has got far more people viewing it than any of the others. For example there are currently 240 people viewing the FSX forum (Sunday morning), but only 9 are viewing the X-Plane forum, which illustrates how popular FSX is.

Thanks for the reply, now where to buy MS FSX Gold at a reasonable price so I can make the final decision.

rszweda

Thanks for the reply, now where to buy MS FSX Gold at a reasonable price so I can make the final decision.

rszweda

 

Like Bean said.....Steam

Just be aware that if you go for the FSX Steam Edition, your flight simulation computer must be hooked up to the internet. My flight simulation computer isn't, so Steam is a no go.

I think you would like Steam....I think it is cool ...no disks are needed......and for me being on the internet is no big deal...this computer is hooked up to the internet at all times according to my Server anyway...I take that to be even when it is off....again.....Steam....is the way to go now....I don't know about Prepar3d.

Can you install any FSX item/addon into Steam?

Say, PMDG MD-11, or the older Aerosoft sceneries like LFPG?

PMDG 777 and now the 737NGX can but I don't know how to load anyother a/c in yet but I think in the future the answer is yes....I only fly the 777 anyway...from PMDG

Wow!! woke up today to find a bunch of replies to my post, many more responses than I got over at X-Plane. I am hooked up to the internet so that should be no problem for me. One more question, I want to get the Cessna 182 from A2A. Any know if that plane is compatible with Steam Addition?

 

rszweda

Yes, the A2A C182 has been updated to install in FSX:SE (Steam Edition).

 

BTW, an automatic update will be released soon that will allow FSX:SE to be run off-line (that is, not connected to the internet).

I like the looks of Xplane, these two sims are like two different planets (2 different concepts...) and shouldn't be compared because there is nothing in common. There are good addons for xplane too.

The only thing that bothers me right now is the directional stability as mentioned by Scatterbrain, I hope this is resolvable. Other problem is I just spent a bag of money on FSX addons (I'm new to FSX too, only few months and I love the addons but the platform is less relevant) and so starting spending on Xplane addons right now is a bit insane, gotta give a budget a break )))

 

I am keeping the FSX and at the same time I am (slowly) starting with

Xplane. Ofcourse given that directional stability issue can be solved with sensitivity or other settings in there. The bottom line for me is, FSX is for enjoying the great addons primarily, FSX-features second. And Xplane is the other way around: to enjoy the sim itself primarily, with available great addons.

 

Again as far as visual world goes, I do not consider FSX (with FTX Orbx and REX combined) superior to Xplane.

one kind contributor pointed out on another thread that FSX gold is still available from an online retailer in South Africa called Kalahari - selling for less than the Steam version (including international postage). I've ordered one.

 

I think Steam is where the future of FSX is at now though, with bug fixes and support for multiplayer.

I downloaded FSX Steam today and went for a spin, or at least gave it a shot. The interface is definitely different and the 172 flew different as well. I found it difficult to get the settings right, actually did not get them close to my satisfaction. The scenery was great and my local airport KRPC Prescott Love field look much better with buildings and a tower. What I found strange was the lack of any buildings outside the field, which are present in X-Plane 10. Like alexzar14 said earlier they are two different birds.

 

rszweda

you can turn up the autogen to get buildings outside the field, but I wouldn't bother - they don't look that good, and they kill performance more than anything else I've found.

X-Plane..The only thing that bothers me right now is the directional stability as mentioned by Scatterbrain, I hope this is resolvable.

 

Apparently not. I've just run searches at the X-Plane forum and it seems users simply have to live with the fact that X-Plane prop aircraft can't be trimmed to stop them rolling, it's a propeller "torque" thing.

I gather the effect is not noticeable in X-Plane jets, but as I'm mostly a propeller nut the quirky roll effect kills the sim stone dead for me, that's why my copy of X-Plane10 sits gathering dust on my cupboard shelf despite paying 60 US dollars (40 GB pounds) for it.

 

This extract from a long post by a Moderator in their forum-

"One of the longest and hottest debate subjects in X-Plane is its handling of directional stability, in particular, roll response to changes in engine power in prop airplanes.

Many, including experienced pilots, have accused X-Plane aircraft models of being unrealistically unstable in roll.

......X-Plane does not correctly model the yaw effects that in real life cover up the roll effect."

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=81200

 

PS- in fairness I should mention that the FSX flight model is not perfect either, for example FSX rudder effect can be a bit dodgy when banking with some aircraft, and also runways and fields in FSX tend to feel slippery as if the tyres won't grip when turning at speed, but I can just about live with that, so FSX remains my favourite sim..;)

What had immediately upset me the most is vertical stability, in more degree than rolling.

It doesn't maintain the altitude, pitching up and down all the time. Any thoughts on that?

"What had immediately upset me the most is vertical stability, in more degree than rolling.

It doesn't maintain the altitude, pitching up and down all the time. Any thoughts on that? "

 

Since this is the FSX forum and this thread has been discussing x-plane problems a lot, if this question is about FSX, one answer is like all simulations, the quality of the flight modeling is very much dependent on the skill of the modeler. Not all models are created equal, even the same plane by different modelers may fly as if they are different planes completely. Another problem is many simmers who have never flown the real plane in question have false ideas about how a plane should fly.

 

Another aspect of handling is any flight controller no matter what type or quality are NOT the controller used in the real plane and are completely subject to the whims of the user and the driver software. A plane which flies stable on the modeler's test machine may become unflyable on another machine (even with the same controller) which is not configured exactly the same. As a rule, most beginning FSX simmers have to learn to give their controllers generous null zones until they retrain themselves to not over-compensate.

 

Trim:

In stable weather (no gusts or crosswinds) models which porpoise (cycle up and down repeatedly in predictable oscillations under AP control do so because their Center of Gravity is wrong. The typical causes of this is errors in modeling or the fuel/cargo is loaded improperly. Errors in modeling include positioning the datum and cg position wrongly, positioning the fuel tanks and their quantity wrongly, positioning the control surfaces wrongly and making them too sensitive or not sensitive enough (under and over compensation by the AP) and last, making the AP control sensitivities too high or too low.

On the part of the pilot:

Incorrect fuel loading, too sensitive or no sensitive enough controllers, flying too fast or too slow for the fuel load. Flying at the wrong altitude/speed combination.

When flying a small plane in manual altitude control, setting the keyboard trim controls too sensitive or not sensitive enough cause both over and under compensation. Because FSX aircraft are not designed to obey the laws of arcade game dynamics (perfect stability all the time) but rather real world dynamics, FSX aircraft are harder to fly than an arcade game and require many hours (if not months) of determined practice to master even one of the thousands of aircraft available.

 

Bottom line:

Models fly best when they are flown at the speeds, flaps settings, trim settings, weights, fuel loads and weather the modeler intended and tested. In well made critical aircraft, these settings and specifications can be found in downloaded documentation with the distribution and/or in the simulator kneeboard specs and checklist. Small planes are (and should be) more unstable (lively) than airliners especially in weather which has wind and turbulence components.

 

-Pv-

Got it Pv.

This is some good input about FSX Steam. I've been trying to decide whether to jump into Steam Edition or hunt down an old hard copy of FSX. I'll give Steam a try. I've been using FS2002 forever and I'm finally getting back into simming, now that my little ones are not so little and I have some time again.

 

Apologies if I've missed it, but is there or will there be a forum dedicated soley to FSX Steam Edition?

 

P.S. First post to the forums! Enjoying all the info. Cheers,

 

Chinook

Hi chinook,

Prior to purchasing FSX from Steam you have to set up a Steam account. And once you purchase FSX it will show up in your "Library" on Steam. Right clicking on FSX there, will show the option to go to a forum exclusively for FSX. There are currently over 360 threads and multiple replies to many. I know that some software providers also have forums exclusively for the Steam version.

Regarding your purchasing decision: the disc version originally was available in a Standard and Deluxe version; I'll ignore the Standard version as it was a stripped down version of the Deluxe and the differences are not germane to this. The Deluxe version had 2 updates (SPs) and an enhancement called Acceleration was made available for purchase. The Steam version is the updated Deluxe version including Acceleration with a few changes to address some problems. The Steam version lacks some tools for software development that were included in Deluxe but these can be found for free online.

The Steam version is likely a better choice.

Jim F.

I would dig in ground or sky to get fsx gold disk, not as download (steam)

Nothing is better than a disk, and fsx gold has all service packs and acceleration pack.

try to order it from amazone or ebay.

Hi lefu,

Why do you recommend the disc version? I have both installed and aside from some addon problems, which it seems are being addressed, I don't see any major drawbacks with the Steam version. An update which takes care of some relatively minor problems is scheduled for release shortly. I think it likely that the more interest shown in the Steam version will result in more improvements.

Jim F.

I would dig in ground or sky to get fsx gold disk, not as download (steam)

Nothing is better than a disk, and fsx gold has all service packs and acceleration pack.

try to order it from amazone or ebay.

 

Thanks all. I'm a old school disc guy myself. I have a hard time buying stuff that's not tactile (lol). So I'll hunt for the Gold Edition and probably pick up SE as I'm reading that a lot of people have done the same.

 

Cheers,

I would definitely recommend the A2A Cessna. It's my first payware aircraft after spending an arm and a leg on scenery addons (mainly from Orbx). The attention to detail in the Cessna is unreal. The guys over at A2A forums are extremely helpful and have already helped me a bunch of times. My next purchase is going to be the A2A Cherokee, it looks awesome as well. I also have the FSX SE and it runs absolutely perfect.