My X-Plane installation has cost me not a cent more than the base price of $65(?) Do not remember exactly, been a long time since I bought it.
I got the areas I fly in covered with ortho’s ontop of an improved HD mesh - and use OSM data and some other free sources for the autogen buildings. For clouds and performance there is a - also free - XP settings tool. This can not only increase performance, but can also improve the look of the clouds.
In general there is a lot of quality freeware available for X-Plane. So to get a totally “pimped” version does not need to cost much - or as in my case anything (besides time). In this aspect X-Plane is very similar to how FS2004 was.
Performance wise X-Plane is a LOT less demanding then MSFS. So you can get butter smooth simulation even with fairly old and weak systems. The current version 11.5 offers both Vulcan and Open-GL support. On older machines you use Open-GL, on newer systems with lots of Graphic card RAM you can use Vulkan.
i tried one time to try to DOWNLOAD and setup all the freeware mod… the download speed was so slow on freeware sites that… at the end was more convenient to me to work and to pay for good and easy to install and download payware addon :\
I’d go for X Plane purely for Zibo to be honest. I mainly go back to X Plane now purely for VR and still enjoy it a lot, it has its own issues though (and some of the payware is just pure garbage). Honestly can’t think of a sim that doesn’t have issues but that doesn’t mean they can’t be great fun! I also love DCS but that is its own mess. when it works, it’s fantastic too. Just really expensive once you decide to actually get some planes outside of the free ones. I’d suggest waiting for Steam sales on those.
I have P3D and XP11.
Love PMDG 737 and 747 in P3D.
But my preferred sim now for realistic flights is XP11. I usually fly GA aircraft or Zibo 737 or IXEG 737 over ORBX TrueEarth regions (I love TE Washington and TE UK) or in Greece, where there are some great airports from Flytampa.
Please bear in mind that MSFS is on another level, I think that in one year it will probably be the best simulator available. No sim has ever offered so much straight “out of the box”. What it still lacks is good addons (airports and aircraft) and some (many?) fixes. I would say P3D is in the past, XP11 in the present, and MSFS is the future.
I also love DCS but that is its own mess. when it works, it’s fantastic too. Just really expensive once you decide to actually get some planes outside of the free ones. I’d suggest waiting for Steam sales on those.
