32 Bit is Kaput

[Charl]

ORBX is looking to AFS2 and XP11 for their future:

Hello all,
After much effort to try and minimise OOMs with the Netherlands TrueEarth product running on 32-bit FSX and P3Dv1,2,3 we have decided to put the release on hold for now and instead focus on the AFS2 and XP11 versions.

Well this is good news for users like myself who have been bagging FSX for a decade.
Appears the FS market is shaking itself out, and new golden years approach!

[jpreou]

Good, but...

I still hope 'they' sort out the scenery situation ... I'd like to be able to load *just* NZ without *any* other global or base stuff. I may just not know how to do it, but I have de-selected everything in the scenery library I felt I could, but there is an awful lot of non-NZ boxes I am unable to change... makes me think I am loading a bunch of stuff that will never actually be used.

I'm also somewhat non-plussed by things that still seem a challenge, like the concept of "on the ground" (aka; why do we have floating houses and runways occasionally in trenches and the like?!) and windsocks and that kind of thing that would seem obvious to a non-developer such as myself.

[Charl]

It's the reason I am pleased with AFS2 being Steam-driven.
I do nothing other than tell it I want the stuff, and it pushes it.
I spent half a lifetime trying to make FS addons do what I want, and am enjoying the luxury.

[toprob]

I really have no idea of how many now use x64, so at the moment I'm developing for 32 bit as well. I think I said recently that for NZCH, I'm working on the P3D x64 version first, then I'll do whatever it takes to make it work in 32 bit. But I suspect that this will mean just taking stuff out. It has been so long since I actually released anything that I don't know who my market is now -- do they mainly use P3Dv4? FTX NZ? How many prefer X-plane these days?

The things which Jeff points out are really the todo list for Lockheed Martin once they've sorted out all the 'important' things. Yes, the autogen needs a complete overhaul, we've been talking about non-flattened airports for a long time, and the default windsocks haven't changed since 1910. It is things like that which help Aerofly FS2 and X-plane leapfrog Prepar3d. His 'on the ground' comment is particularly poignant, I've been trying to figure out a suitable way to dig a hole in the ground for the Canty aero club bunker, but the sim just doesn't cater for this. So whatever I do will be a compromise.

I've just wasted a week revisiting the autogen building system, I tried this for Dunedin but progress was too slow so it didn't make the release. Most of the industrial buildings here are low-pitch long-run iron roofs, which should be easy to do, but so far I'm just getting annoyed.

[jpreou]

"Vote" here (currently, *if* I was actually using my sim) for 64-bit P3Dv4.1 and FTX ... unlikely to invest in XP and same for AFS2 until and unless VR improves and I decide to go that way *and* can get over the nausea!
For now; I think I've done less than an hour of simming in weeeeeks!

[toprob]

Thanks for that, Jeff, so that makes 100% of users with Prepar3d v4, and that includes me....
50% use FTX in P3Dv4. I just use it in FSX and P3Dv3, for testing compatibility with/without.

[AhunterG]

Only just saw this. The whole 32 vs 64 bit debate is pretty much no longer a debate, since P3D V4, XP11 and AFS2 it's quite clear the benefits + the base sim is actually being developed and updated, unlike FSX.

From what I hear people are talking about multi sim use being the norm, so owning more than just the one. Generally, I hear XP11 P3D V4 and AFS2... But also DCS world occasionally... If you have the $$$ you can have them all...

I think it is tough on developers especially the smaller ones who only have the manpower to focus on developing for one or two platforms. It seems like ORBX are the only devs to really start diving into multi sim development but even then from my perspective they still have a long way to go to release all their products for XP and AFS2.

For now I go where A2A simulations (as far as I'm concerned you cant get a more realistic GA simulation) and ORBX (best and most diverse scenery) go, the crossover is P3D V4.


You can put me down for P3D V4 but if I were to get another sim it would be XP11 because of the helicopter simulations and ORBX's interest. AFS2 is still a little young in my eyes, how many aircraft devs will adopt it is my main concern.

I wish we could put all the base sim devs together (we would have the best possible base sim) and then bring all the scenery, weather and aircraft devs to the one sim and fill it with the best!!

Andrew

[Charl]

That is the ORBX vision, can't put my finger on the link, but Venema has stated that the future will be content-driven, from the cloud.
The underlying engine will be invisible to the user.

It's a bit like the antivirus software we were conned into buying for all those years... today's operating system just takes care of all that.
So in future you'll go shopping and get NZ the Whole Country without having to invest in someone's simulator software.
Roll on, I say.