Recommendation

[wobbie]

If you want the latest, constantly updated sim, then P3D is academically speaking, is the way to go.

If you wand a sim where development has long been frozen, then FSX:SE is your choice.

Never fear, the chances of the men in black, the flight sim police, will never come knocking! :-)

[mallcott]

Not sure if this's what you meant but the fact that FSX hasn't been updated for so long is seen by many (particularly developers) as a good thing. It means that they have a fixed environment to work with and, unlike the situation with updates to P3D, there's no chance that their products will suddenly become incompatible with the base sim.

 

People have been predicting the death of FSX almost since Microsoft stopped developing it - particularly so after P3D was first released. FSX:SE is, by far, the cheapest way to get into the hobby (even more so in sales) and, if you subsequently decide to add to it, stands up well to the opposition. I may be lucky but I've yet to have an OOM and I've had FSX since it was released. Buy it in a sale, you've got very little to lose.

 

Admittedly, having a stable sim can encourage the eftermarket. It also stymies development as the `stable` sim has nowhere near enough documentation to enable ALL the aftermarket to develop their product. TRUEskies being a single example.

 

Consistently wrong or inefficient is as bad as consistently right and inefficient in my book, and now the sim skirts the edge of the 32-bit morass of 64-bit computing, it's dead.

Some of the faults of FSX have been fixed by the aftermarket or the simmer directly in the last ten years, but NONE in the last two or three... It's dead.

[Rupert]

Admittedly, having a stable sim can encourage the eftermarket. It also stymies development as the `stable` sim has nowhere near enough documentation to enable ALL the aftermarket to develop their product. TRUEskies being a single example.

 

Consistently wrong or inefficient is as bad as consistently right and inefficient in my book, and now the sim skirts the edge of the 32-bit morass of 64-bit computing, it's dead.

Some of the faults of FSX have been fixed by the aftermarket or the simmer directly in the last ten years, but NONE in the last two or three... It's dead.

 

And there are currently 284 people viewing the carcass.:p That's a hell of a crowd for an ongoing multi year funeral!!;);)

[cobalt]

Rubbish. The `life` of a sim is how much work is going into still developing it, not developing for it.

 

Scientists are still investigating dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are still dead.

 

Rubbish? The only sensible measure of the "life" of a program is how many people are using it. And by that measure, FSX is still way out in front, based on this and other forums. As for development, that term has to take into account the vast number of scenery, planes, and other products for FSX that continue to appear. Here again, FSX far exceeds other sims. If you consider FSX dead, be my guest, but you will have a tough time convincing the army of FSX users, and developers who continue to crank out new add-ons for this "dead" sim.

[Skywatcher12]

If you purchased $1,000 of FSX add-ons 10 years ago, how many would still work in FSX today?

If you purchased $1,000 of P3D add-ons 5 years ago, how many would still work in P3Dv4 today?

 

I'd suggest sticking with FS9 personally but if you must try something different, I'd be going FSX. P3Dv4 is still a very risky proposition as far as I'm concerned to invest in and build up. All 3 sims are virtually the same thing imo and from the same generation. The main difference is the number of headaches each one brings.

[Rupert]

Just now 264 were viewing FSX, and 119 were viewing it's equally dead partner FS9. Meanwhile the red hot movers and shakers P3D And X-Plane are scoring 16 viewers and 6 views.

 

I guess people really prefer dead programs to what a very few prefer in the red hot movers!!

 

And yes, those who write new software add-ons would much prefer designing products for a program with 264 viewers than one with 16 or 6!

 

Two flight sim programs are obviously dead in real world interest. And neither is named Microsoft! :D;)

[btbenoit]

Great, thanks for all the info. It looks like FSX is the way I will go ($$$$). Is the steam version compatible with download add on's from Flightsim?

[mrzippy]

Great, thanks for all the info. It looks like FSX is the way I will go ($$$$). Is the steam version compatible with download add on's from Flightsim?

 

Pretty much! It's all about how you have FSX-SE installed on your computer. It's usually recommended not to install it to the default location, but rather something like C:/FSX

[mallcott]

Pretty much! It's all about how you have FSX-SE installed on your computer. It's usually recommended not to install it to the default location, but rather something like C:/FSX

 

Rubbish! It's all dependent on your operating system, and how much control you have over your operating system. And that depends on your skills with computers. Nothing to do with location on the drive.

[MrUnSavory]

I can see you have a real bee in your bonnet about this, but I'm going to take the risk and point out:

 

1. Not dead yet but "on their way": '56 Chevys, Jaguar E Types, Volkswagen Beetles, vintage warbirds . . .

 

2. While you may be happy using the Academic Version of P3D, a scrupulous reading of the respective EULAs suggests to me that most people don't actually qualify, and should buy the Pro version. And $200 is steep, even for the indisputably better graphics and better capabilities. As a step up from FS2004, FSX:SE is the simple, sensible way to go.

 

I never said it was dead. I still have it installed myself and fly it once in awhile. All I said was no one can prove what the simulator of choice by most of the community by the numbers from 1 or 2 sites.

[MrUnSavory]

Just now 264 were viewing FSX, and 119 were viewing it's equally dead partner FS9. Meanwhile the red hot movers and shakers P3D And X-Plane are scoring 16 viewers and 6 views.

 

I guess people really prefer dead programs to what a very few prefer in the red hot movers!!

 

And yes, those who write new software add-ons would much prefer designing products for a program with 264 viewers than one with 16 or 6!

 

Two flight sim programs are obviously dead in real world interest. And neither is named Microsoft! :D;)

 

No, what I would guess is MOST P3D users do NOT use this site as there is very little in the library for it. Sorry, Flightsim.com is not the only site or the best site. Actually there is very little free stuff for P3D at all and most of it, like free scenery, is garbage. Most forums are also garbage as they are filled with fan boys. I still have FS2004, FSX, X-Plane 11 and P3D v3 and P3D V4 all on my machine. I don't limit myself. Out of all those I still prefer P3DV4 because I don't have to spend hours tweaking it and buying extra shader programs for it to look good. Personally I don't care what you fly. It is all an individual choice. I never put down a platform just because I don't use it which I see a lot of here but denying that FSX is an outdated platform and will eventually go the way of the model T is just ludicrous. Happy Flying! :)

[MrUnSavory]

If you purchased $1,000 of FSX add-ons 10 years ago, how many would still work in FSX today?

If you purchased $1,000 of P3D add-ons 5 years ago, how many would still work in P3Dv4 today?

 

I'd suggest sticking with FS9 personally but if you must try something different, I'd be going FSX. P3Dv4 is still a very risky proposition as far as I'm concerned to invest in and build up. All 3 sims are virtually the same thing imo and from the same generation. The main difference is the number of headaches each one brings.

 

I have FSX addons I bought 5 years ago and the developer updated them for P3DV4 for free. So now I can use them in both.

[Egsjr1956]

Great, thanks for all the info. It looks like FSX is the way I will go ($$$$). Is the steam version compatible with download add on's from Flightsim?

 

Just a quick note. If you buy addons from steam, you can only use them on steam. Not the boxed edition or P3d.

[btbenoit]

Just a quick note. If you buy addons from steam, you can only use them on steam. Not the boxed edition or P3d.

 

So would it be better to buy the steam version, or find a boxed version somewhere?

[napamule2]

I got FSX Steam ('SE'). I used it once. I use FSX Acceleration daily. Get the GOLD box edition with Acceleration (3 DVD's) (which is what I got). There is nothing like having the DVD's so you can install to new Hard Drive, etc, anytime. Install to seperate HDrive (ie: 'D' drive) as 'D\FSX' and NOT '..\Program Files\Microsoft Games\FSX'. Get FSX cfg tweaks. Set frames (locked) to between 24 and 30 fps. Want to experiment with the other sims? And regret spending money on the tons of payware available? Then you could do that too. Nobody is going to stop you. I don't own ANY payware. NONE! Period! I also have FS9 and use it occasionally (also on 'D' drive) as 'D\FS9'. Live and learn.

Chuck B

Napamule

[loki]

I got FSX Steam ('SE'). I used it once. I use FSX Acceleration daily. Get the GOLD box edition with Acceleration (3 DVD's) (which is what I got). There is nothing like having the DVD's so you can install to new Hard Drive, etc, anytime. Install to seperate HDrive (ie: 'D' drive) as 'D\FSX' and NOT '..\Program Files\Microsoft Games\FSX'.

 

How is this relevant? You can install the Steam Edition wherever you want to, and the installation can be backed up locally so it doesn't need to be re-downloaded again. The only piece missing from the Steam Edition is the SDK, which can be replaced with the P3D 1.4 SDK.

[il88pp]

Steam also has a tool to migrate an install to a new pc. Something box does not, migrating is much harder with that, if not impossible.

 

A few addons have an installer that looks for the steam version to install in. Or another version that installs in box. But what that installer installs is exactly the same in both editions. The plane/airport is no different.

Just buy steam edition. No need to spend 200$ on box set. If at the same price, i would prefer the box set personally, probably because that's what I have. But at that price difference it's nonsense to even consider buying it.

[longbreak754]

So would it be better to buy the steam version, or find a boxed version somewhere?

 

Go for the steam version.

 

See this THREAD also for some pertinent info regarding addons.......