NZFF

Hi all,

I just received an email from FSS reporting that FTX Global is Prepar3d V2 compatible. Those who are customers of FSS will most likely get the same email and will be able to download it.

Well least i have Gobal .. and it really fix's and makes the world better to look at rather the default FSX we studied for so long .

Well, the huge grin I have on my face every time P3D 2.0 launches says it all. Our next generation simulator is here!

Still tweaking at the moment, so doing a lot of proving flights around default scenery, including NZ. Lockheed Martin did some good work improving the default textures for the last version, but NZ remains pretty bad. Still basically a desert outside the cities.

It really brings home how lucky we are to have packages like FTX and VLC to improve virtual NZ.

Based on my opinion of P3D 2.0 after one day, FSX could well be in the bin come Christmas.

AdrianPetford wrote:

QUOTE (AdrianPetford @ Nov 27 2013,1:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Based on my opinion of P3D 2.0 after one day, FSX could well be in the bin come Christmas.

I'm just 'chicken' the dates .. Ade's for Chicken on Xmas day

AdrianPetford wrote:

QUOTE (AdrianPetford @ Nov 27 2013,1:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Based on my opinion of P3D 2.0 after one day, FSX could well be in the bin come Christmas.

Join the club: mine went in the bin at Christmas...7 years ago!
At least there looks to be a bit of headroom in P3D.
But I can see I will hold out for 64 bits and a REALLY expensive computer; this one is really only FSX redux.

@Ade, completely agree...nothing more to say at this point.

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Nov 27 2013,12:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm just 'chicken' the dates .. Ade's for Chicken on Xmas day

You'd be very welcome of course, and Mars could hide in your suitcase.

Charl wrote:

QUOTE (Charl @ Nov 27 2013,12:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Join the club: mine went in the bin at Christmas...7 years ago!
At least there looks to be a bit of headroom in P3D.
But I can see I will hold out for 64 bits and a REALLY expensive computer; this one is really only FSX redux.

You should give this one a try Charl, really. Whereas 1.4 was a clear development from FSX (FSXI or ESPII if you will) 2.0 is light years ahead of anything yet seen. It's an amazing achievement.

64-bit is on the roadmap, but probably a long time away. P3D 2.0 is quite cheap on the academic licence (I am learning as much as I can about flying as a precursor to my PPL but I'd argue all simmers are students of flying as a sim is not a game) so you get huge benefit for not much outlay.

Plus we need the GNZLAP for P3D!

Kelvinr wrote:

QUOTE (Kelvinr @ Nov 27 2013,4:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

@Ade, completely agree...nothing more to say at this point.

I would love to post more about P3D 2.0, but I can't stop flying!

We should hook up on Skype to compare notes.

A few quick observations. Almost everything to do with rendering has been thrown off onto the GPU as it should be. Scenery, autogen, shadows, aircraft textures are all handled by the VRAM. As a result, you can move sliders right with not much difference to FPS. The graphics are absolutely amazing, especially the aircraft and cockpit shadowing. Flying through clouds is another highlight.

Autogen buildings and trees now have their own dedicated sliders, then there's this:

[SCENERY]
POP_FREE_AUTOGEN=1

Even on LOD 4.5 (the default), you have autogen as far as the eye can see. It's brilliant! One of my pet hates in FSX was when Uluru/Ayers Rock, one of the largest and most recognisable natural objects on earth disappeared as soon as it was outside your LOD radius. Not now in P3D 2.0.

Performance is very smooth. I've tweaked it (so far) to get P3D 2.0 running at a solid 30fps using the internal limiter. It averages about 60 with unlimited frames and vsync off.

CPU use remains at about 25-35% and all four cores are used. RAM use is 4.5-5.0 Gb.

As this is DirectX11, most Nvidia Inspector overrides won't work (yet) but you can still set 8xS and Sparse Grid Multisampling in NI and disable FXAA in P3D. This gives the same image quality and sharpness as FSX rather than the blurrier equivalent in the sim. AA in P3D itself needs work I think.

AdrianPetford wrote:

QUOTE (AdrianPetford @ Nov 28 2013,12:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You'd be very welcome of course, and Mars could hide in your suitcase.

Arr the reason Mars sat on my lap for the last four hours .. maybe it was the Movie "Catch22" or the thought off going overseas for the first time

OR ... he did not have a 'Pawsport' .... what the Internationally well known cat or ....

What I need to find out is whether the coding or way it operates will accommodate all the open-cockpits stuff I have been doing toward building my simpit or will I have to stay with FSX???

AdrianPetford wrote:

QUOTE (AdrianPetford @ Nov 28 2013,12:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You should give this one a try Charl

See I have this dilemma:
As an FS9 diehard, when I switch, it will be a big commitment, and I'd like to know how much life there'd be in the software.
FS9 went for a decade!
We've had 64-bit capability for a long time, I'm surprised LM didn't go for it now and be done.

Dipping a toe into P3Dv2 would be a stopgap for me and cost 4 grand in hardware, which might not be good enough for v3.
I am totally past spending thousands for each incarnation of FS software and then finding it lacking in ultimate performance!

Think I might spectate this phase of development...
Still, I reckon LM have their heads in the right place, and great that FS has another strong development base.

And Adrian, you are right!
NZ needs another concerted burst of energy, the way it came together for FS9.
Perhaps we might all (FS9 as well as FSX diehards) meet in the next incarnation... a totally fresh start.

What next incarnation? This is it I think. Money spent on upgrading is never wasted, provided it is done properly and at the right time. It is probably worth waiting until other payware has been fully licenced/ported to P3D2 but I don't see anything else on the horizon.
Even if a new sim should miraculously appear it won't have anywhere near the third party support and development that has matured for FSX and the prepar platforms.

I'm as over the inherent limitations of MSFS as the next person but there just isn't anything else. (DCS and BMS notwithstanding).

nzav8tor wrote:

QUOTE (nzav8tor @ Nov 28 2013,9:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What next incarnation?

64-bit P3D, as described long-term by LM. +++
It will be a big step, because all the FSX-friendly stuff will have to be binned.
I am FSX-agnostic and so couldn't care less.
But I'm not going to dump my beloved FS9 for a warmed-over FSX rehash**, if the Real (64-bit) Deal requires a complete fresh start in my lifetime.

My situation is actually a little more complicated, and I don't know if many would share the same problem.
I have FSX on a "Spare" computer which is fast enough just to look at specific FSX things that interest me.
It isn't P3D compliant however, so if I'm to take a look, I'll have to shell out for a new machine.
(I am not interested in anything that does not run like buttersmooth FS9 y'see)
I have other longer-term uses for my 4 grand though - so keep those screenshots coming, please!

+++
"We’ve put a lot of thought and research into a 64-bit version of Prepar3D. It is in the roadmap, but I can’t promise you when it will be released. 64-bit will require all addons with 32-bit code to be recompiled, so users opening up a 64-bit Prepar3D will not be able to use any of their addons or solutions they’ve developed for 32-bit, so there are pros and cons to this. While most addon scenery should work, planes and vehicles likely would require some work on the developers part. I know your users have discussed in great depth the pros, which there are many, but it is not a simple re-compilation and would be a very involved effort to release a 64-bit version of Prepar3D."

**Although I'm not saying it is (yet)!

The thing which gives me the most hope is that Lockheed Martin seem to really be committed to giving users/developers what they really want. At the moment they are saying if you want something, just ask and we'll see what we can do. That's very different from Microsoft, who have tended to decide unilaterally the direction we all should go -- FS = Flight, Windows = touchscreen/apps -- which doesn't always work out for us or them:)

So when they say they are working on cloud shadows, and will look at AI-supported sloping runways, plus dozens of other user-requested improvements, I can relax a bit about the future, even if v2 is more of an improved FSX. Although I'll be more relaxed once I actually try it to make sure it works on my system...

An upgrade in the near term will support whatever future developments await the Prepar environment. FSX in its current REX'd and FTX'd etc form is pretty impressive and Prepar is already an improvement on that, both of which can be optimised with the current hardware on the market.

I built a new PC twelve months ago for about 3k, granted I got my parts in the US for pretty low prices. While the 3770k chip is somewhat obsolete now it will still run everything fine for the next couple of years. Maybe a new graphics card would buy me some time. (EVGA 670 at the mo').