Stewart Hobson

I think you'll have to agree that much of the "new stuff", as you refer to it, is geared towards both P3Dv4.x as well as XPlane. Far be it for me to advise one way or the other, but while many of the new products are still geared towards both FSX and P3D, and XPlane is still the new kid on the block, one should be able to divine in which direction the company is going. Many, but not most, simmers are gradually switching from FSX to one of the three or four other choices. It would seem it all depends on what kind of flying one does and what priority one places on the quality of scenery which is available. If a simmer feels he's being left behind, then that would seem to be the choice he has made. The company seems to have made its decision about where it's going. We simmers have the choice to follow or not to follow. Personally, I didn't give up FSX until P3D went 64-bit--no more OOMs for this guy.

Same here, Rodger. I'm still thinking about the "miles" part.

Hello, again. We're holding up pretty well out here in the rain. I might suggest you download both Orbx AI packages and begin with them. Or, rather, ignore the AU AI pack if you don't have Australia installed. The Orbx NA AI package works well, but it isn't countrywide, mostly Pacific Northwest and adjacent Canada. This is where UT Live comes in--it covers the whole country, and if you're in Europe it covers where you are in Europe, no matter where you are. If you do have Orbx Australia installed, use the AU AI pack and disable UT Live, otherwise you'll get duplicate aircraft, or so I"m told. Cheers!

Yes. Refer to the user's manual--it will help a lot with what kind of and how many GA and airliner AI you choose to use in the sim. Go easy at first--too much AI will overwhelm FSX.

...assuming you have VAS problems in those places. Perhaps your referring to fps problems? That would be more like it.

Indeed there is, Nick. He finally gave up on his horse and cart when they could no longer keep up with the work load (if you catch my drift).

Thanks for your story, Matthew. However, you may have guessed that my story above really wasn't about Fords and Chevys...

My friend Tom recently bought a Chevy Volt. A very fine car, he says: "It's clean, quiet, doesn't pollute the environment, and is cheap on gas." Tom really likes his new car and drives it 30 miles to work and back every day. Tom used to drive Fords. He would never have considered driving a Chevy. His father drove Fords, and that was that. Tom drove Fords. Until he saw a Chevy Volt in the dealer's showroom and saw some commercials for the car on tv. "This is a great car, Stew!" he told me. "It's clean, quiet, doesn't pollute the environment, and is cheap on gas." "But, Tom," I replied, "You've always driven Fords. Your old man always drove Fords. You used to hate Chevys. What happened?" "I saw the light," he said. "Electric cars are the wave of the future. You'd better get on board, or you'll be left behind at the station," he warned. Funny thing, buying a new car. Your entire life you've driven a Ford and suddenly you're driving a Chevy, a car as recently as a year ago you wouldn't have considered driving to save your life. And to boot, it's more expensive than your favorite Ford, has less features, and it's damned difficult finding a recharging station. Still, Tom loves his Chevy Volt, and will talk to anyone who will listen about what a great car it is, how it's the wave of the future, how everyone should own a Chevy Volt. Gasoline automobiles are a thing of the past, he will say, and it's time to embrace the new technology and get rid of the old. I can't help but think that the more he praises his new Chevy Volt, the more he is convincing himself that he made the right choice. That's human nature, I guess.

More importantly, with a 64-bit sim, VAS is a non-issue. Not so important is the issue of what scenery is loaded when into the sim, and does the sim release that scenery when it's no longer needed, as P3D3.x and later are designed to do.

Atta boy, Jack!

Thanks for the advice. But I'm guessing you haven't seen some of my previous posts--I don't fly the sim to gawk at the scenery, I fly it in order to fly the airplane(s) and all that that involves. There are still those of us around, by-the-by. As I've said before, when XP starts modeling the seasons, then I'll take a look.

I have a difficult enough time trying to decide which (of only a half dozen or so) aircraft I want to fly in P3D, much less decide which sim to use--P3D or XP.

While I appreciate the fine job Orbx is doing in creating and advancing the art of developing flight sim scenery and airports and have purchased many of their products, I would only point out that this hobby is flight simulation, emphasis on *flight*. I enjoy watching the scenery float by, but that's not the main reason I fly. I fly to experience the aircraft, its systems, its handling in less than ideal conditions, and when necessary, landing the darn thing when I should have diverted to another airfield due to weather, etc. I appreciate that TE GB may be beautiful, as others have so eloquently described, but as I've stated before, I don't know the difference when I fly over the UK, and furthermore, that's not the reason I'm flying the sim in the first place. I get just as much enjoyment flying in the US with FTX OpenLC_NA, or the full fat regions, or FTX GEN or GES, or even FTX Open LC_EU in Southern Europe because I'm flying the airplane first, and gawking at the scenery second. Obviously, I'm in the minority--that's ok. Each simmer has his/her own reasons for enjoying the hobby. It *is* just a hobby, after all. Enjoy TE GB, if that's your "gig", as we say in the States.

Thank you for your post. Unlike yourself, I have no plans to visit Wales. But by all means, enjoy yourself!

Agreed.