Some upcoming x-plane 10 screens

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Love the lighting and those roads.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

While this video is shot in x-plane 9, it features some of the new updated default aircraft models going to be included in x-plane 10.

X-Plane's 2010 Official OshKosh Video created for Laminar Research

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Grr... I so want a pre-order page for X10... Don't see the point in buying X9 now with only 4-6 months to X10 shipping. The x737project B738 in the Oshkosh vid is making me vibrate with desire.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Yeah, that is a nice bit of freeware - 2d panel only though.

Word on the org is that xplane 10 will be $80 - xp9 is only $29.99 so you may feel you'll get your moneys worth in that time. TBH I would wait though, both ATC and weather are getting an overhaul for v10.

You may find this payware announcement to be of interest too - http://forums.x-pilot.com/index.php?topic=1155.0 'tis a 300 classic I expect it will be great if it materialises as mortens involved and the XPFW team have a solid track record behind them.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Yeah, that is a nice bit of freeware - 2d panel only though.

Word on the org is that xplane 10 will be $80 - xp9 is only $29.99 so you may feel you'll get your moneys worth in that time. TBH I would wait though, both ATC and weather are getting an overhaul for v10.

You may find this payware announcement to be of interest too - http://forums.x-pilot.com/index.php?topic=1155.0 'tis a 300 classic I expect it will be great if it materialises as mortens involved and the XPFW team have a solid track record behind them.

Re: 2D panel, that's not so much of a problem. I already have the important aircraft systems in external software/hardware (Project Magenta CDU/PFD/MCP/EFIS and FDS CDU/MCP/EFIS), so all I care about in the cockpit is the things I don't yet have hardware controls for - fwd and aft overheads and auto-brakes being the big ones (although I can control auto-brakes through the CDU). Reading the x737 thread on that forum the next major release will have a 3D cockpit and I have infinite patience for freeware developers. Heck, I'd even donate if it meant everyone got it a little bit earlier.

If it's $80, so be it; FSX cost more than that (FSX Deluxe and then the Accel. Pack...) and I got a hell of a lot less with it (assuming X10 will still ship with decent res world-wide textures).  I just hope it doesn't arrive in November, as thanks to Kinnect and the new XBox 360 I'm tapped in November (and have been for a month or so...)

As for the classic, all my simpit gear is for the NG (-800 specifically), as is all my systems knowledge now... But, those are *very* pretty pictures.

One final one, and I'll be Googling this shortly; is there a decent (preferably freeware) EGLL for X-Plane, of no less quality than the Gary Summons/UK2000 "standard" version? (Wonder if it's worth dropping Gary an email and seeing if he wants to convert his sceneries to X-Plane... Or is FS2XPlane good enough to do this for me?) On [ another XPlane forum ], someone actually recommended using FS2XPlane on Gary's sceneries (and that they work really well). Since I'm a legal owner of all his FSX standard scenery, and EGLL Xtreme, I'll be sorted...

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Yes, scenery will not be going backwards and there are improvements to dynamic lighting and scenery in xp10.

They are including open street map data for the roads, so expect accurate road layouts as well.

Yes, FS2XPlane can do a great job on some sceneries, some need you to spend a little time fixing things by hand in the editors, others (aerosoft mega airport heathrow) have a few more issues and there are a few that don't convert at all.

I'm hoping a few more scenery developers will produce for x-plane as carenado, REX, horizon and that other one I can't remember have.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Thought this thread might be usefu - it lists compatablility for scenery conversion

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=44099

[EHM-0654 Murray]

...just caved in and bought X-Plane 9 direct from Laminar Research.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

 

Make sure you update your drivers, and grab the sim updater from the website to update x-plane.

Ask if you want any info or run into things you don't like.

[EHM-2097 Andrei]

...just caved in and bought X-Plane 9 direct from Laminar Research.

He he... I already ordered it on September 1st. But you probably will get your copy before me because where I ordered it, it takes ages to complete the delivery (I won't name the site to skip advertising, be it negative).

Andrei

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Well, here's a bit of good news for you Andrei, my copy arrived today.  Won't be installing it before the weekend.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

x-plane support station - check! 

[EHM-2097 Andrei]

Well, here's a bit of good news for you Andrei, my copy arrived today.  Won't be installing it before the weekend.

It's quite the opposite for me: I don't think I'll get it before the weekend and I definitely won't install it today 

It may take as much as a month to ship it from the US, I had this experience with a previous buy a few years ago. That's why I generally prefer publishers who ship from Europe, in which case it only takes a few days. But I understand, crossing the Atlantic by row boat takes time...

Andrei

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Well, I had mine sent plain US Post (not courier), so you never know...

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

I bought mine from amazon.co.uk and had it within a day. You're both nuts. 

Caranedo's Moony 20J for x-plane 9 was released today at $24.95 

http://www.carenado.com/ecommerce/buscador.php3?categoria=21

[EHM-0654 Murray]

I really am astonishingly weak... just finished installing it

Don't have time to check it now, though, so that *will* have to wait 'til the weekend.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Javiers Mentor should be out this week, and I would recommend it well above the caranedo, quality is much higher.

T34c TurboMentor for XPlane 9.60

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Having now downloaded a few plugins (and unpacked one for a look), I take it there's an obvious "Plugins" directory they should go into when I get home?

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

/resources/plugins/

Javiers T-36c mentor (as shown in the video 2 posts up) is now out at $30 / £20

http://www.x-aviation.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=60

Murray, grab the updater and do yourself a favour - keep 2 copies of x-plane. One you update to latest, one you keep to a known working configuration. Exclude the world scenery from the backup, no need to hold a duplicate of that.

http://www.x-plane.com/pg_downloads.html

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

More news on x-plane 10, just tamper Austin's excitability with some real-world skepticism, and you're all good.

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=47604

[EHM-0654 Murray]

/resources/plugins/

Thankee

Murray, grab the updater and do yourself a favour - keep 2 copies of x-plane. One you update to latest, one you keep to a known working configuration. Exclude the world scenery from the backup, no need to hold a duplicate of that.

http://www.x-plane.com/pg_downloads.html

Wilco, started one off with almost nothing extra installed (just the checklister plugin).

[EHM-0654 Murray]

More news on x-plane 10, just tamper Austin's excitability with some real-world skepticism, and you're all good.

If what Austin says is believed, I wonder how long it'll be before his team (or a third-party) figure out "render farm" support for it... but notice that big "If"

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

With your setup, may be of interest: with version 9, multi monitor is achieved by slaving multiple pcs to a master, and changing views. slave machines render from position data passed by the primary.

You'll want the XPUIPC plug in, especially for your project magenta.

http://www.tosi-online.de/XPUIPC.html

You may also want my CycleViews plugin (pc and mac builds available). This cycles a pre-selected set of views forward and back using F9 and F8 like MSFS views can be cycled forward and back.

http://forums.x-pilot.com/index.php?topic=536.0

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Got things mostly working; yolk, pedals and throttle all working - well enough that I took off and landed in the Cirrus Vision and Cessna 172 at LOWI (even buzzed one of the balloons in the C172), and I plowed a 777 into a mountainside to see what happens

Still a little confused by the GoFlight plugin - doesn't seem to have a way to save the changes made. But I'm installing the 9.60 update and if it's not too late when it finishes, I'll see if that makes any difference.

[EHM-2097 Andrei]

I bought mine from amazon.co.uk and had it within a day. You're both nuts.  

Nut #2 reporting: eventually got it yesterday and installed it on the spot.

I gave it a short try so for now I only have a very very first impression (will try harder during the week-end ). Thus the following lines are BY NO MEANS to be taken as my review of the product.

For IFR flights using "your regular airliner" I still prefer FS2004 (and I prefer it over FSX too).

For VFR X-Plane looks better, at least in three essential aspects:
- rivers are better rendered and STAY AT VALLEY BOTTOM instead of randomly climbing across hills
- familiar (to me, I mean ) mountain range looks closer to reality
- the ingame map is way more useful (and useable as well)

On the down side, it's a bit disappointing to see the mountains from the distance (when they look superbly realistic) and then, the closer one gets, the more "square" they look, and the more blurry the textures become. However this was with default rendering configuration, I'll experiment with it to see what it gives.

Also, on my first attempt, I had a very hard time telling roads from railroads (and I am not sure at all I succeeded in the end).

I still have some problems with the views, as in VFR flights I used extensively the joystick hat switch to rotate the spot view. More generally, having used MSFS for 7 years, I developed some reflex gestures and it's troubling when these have a completely different result than expected (I let you imagine the worst).

However, I hadn't yet red the whole manual (obviously, true experts never do   ) so still expect to find there solutions to my worries.

Andrei