Last year I had purchased X-Plane 12 to use on my Mac while I was away from home for a few weeks. I did not have a proper controller and the small notebook screen could not compare what I was used to at home, so never really used it.
Tonight I installed XP12 on my flightsim PC and configured my helicopter controls (joystick with extension, collective, pedals) and Tobii head tracking. Installation was quick and configuration really easy, at least for the basics.
I did some flights with the XP12 default Robinson R22. In MSFS2024 one of my favorite helicopters is the Cowansim R22, and all I can say that both helicopters feel quite similar. I was right at home in an easy hover, and transitioning to forward flight was very similar as well. Same with landing later on.
The airfields I tried looked quite okay on first sight. But the big let down came when I got a bit higher and started to see the scenery. Memories of FS2004 and FSX came back. 20 years ago I was able to reach some level of immersion with this kind of scenery. But after using MSFS2020 since release and now MSFS2024, there is no way I can go back to this kind of scenery.
I did one of my regular flights from EDNX Oberschleißheim north of Munich to the helipad at the big hospital Rechts der Isar. The streets had more or less the correct layout, but nevertheless I was neither able to find the hospital nor my home, which is not far away.
I feel sorry for Laminar Research because they clearly cannot compete with the resources Microsoft pours into the MSFS project. I understand that they are very passionate about flight simulation. But for me the fascination of flight is to see the world from a different perspective. XP12 can probably do this on a limited scale with additional scenery for some smaller parts of the world.
I really hope LR will be able to continue improving X-Plane. There is no guarantee MS will continue the MSFS project forever. Maybe a future CEO will decide to get rid of Bing Maps and remove the source for all the scenery we use? But that is just speculation …
When I need some disk space I will not hesitate to uninstall XP12 again. I simply cannot see myself using it on a regular basis. But I mainly do bush and helicopter flying, so it is simply not the right sim for me. For others it might be just what they want/need, so I am happy it exists!
that is so not the same thing. The ground is not tessalated at all so what you’re demonstrating here is XP introducing fake bumps based on ground type. Basically, if bare ground-make plane rock a little. Whereas in 2024, I can literally see the bumps before they happen. But thank you for demonstrating how simplistic X-Plane’s solution is
I was demonstrating that X-Plane supports it out of the box because the suspension is modelled. X-Plane obviously doesn’t have the procedurally generated terrain but what it does have is
a) support for object detection
b) independently modelled suspensions
c) ground effects
d) tyre physics (burst tyres etc)
e) aircraft damage if hitting objects
f) a plausible model when the terrain doesn’t exist, based on the type of terrain the aircraft is on (which is what you see in the video).
TL:DR; If a third party creates scenery with modelled terrain, the aircraft will react to it.
No it isn’t. In a very tiny nutshell, we could say that the main issues with 2024 are:
It doesn’t perform too well (a bunch of CTDs, LOD smears the scenery, inefficient use of memory and processors, general in-flight shenanigans, etc);
Buggy airplanes (systems don’t work like they should, broken/faulty models, unrealistic/incorrect behaviour);
The headline Career mode is also very, VERY buggy and grindy;
Now please enlighten us what on Earth do these things have to do with “dumbing down the simulation”.
By that vague remark and your Gran Turismo comparison, I reckon you mean that 2024 has somehow streamlined and/or simplified elements of its flight model in comparison to 2020.
There is not a single credible source or argument supporting that statement. Hardly “spot on”.
Oh, by the way, you obviously know little about Gran Turismo. Since the first game it has had some peculiarities to the handling model which you can notice up to the current version. It’s also meant to be playable with a regular controller, unlike, say, Project Cars or Assetto Corsa. That means dialing in control sensivities and a good choice of control mapping. Odd criticism, considering X-Plane outdoes 2024 in control adjustment
I’m referring to the physics, not the level of details on the terrain. Both the ground physics and water physics are far better in XP 12. The level of detail on the terrain is a completely different story.
No it’s not, there is a consumer and a professional version. The professional version (which is many times more expensive) could be used as a base for a FNPT II or other type of simulator. That simulator then needs to be approved by the authorities. It’s not like you can buy X-plane for PC and then have a device you can log hours on, certainly not sitting at home behind a monitor with a Logitech extreme spring centered twist grip joystick . Additionally, in order to log hours on a simulator you must follow an approved course (with an instructor), even placing a Level-D Full Flight Simulator in your backyard won’t get you far. I hope that wasn’t the intention.
So you’re saying the terrain is “fake” for much of the world in XP 12 where custom scenery isn’t used? Custom scenery typically covers a small percentage of the entire world. However, I want to be able to go to any random location in the world and I want the plane to react to the contours of the ground, including objects placed on the ground procedurally - I don’t want to rely on custom scenery for it. I just ran a test on MSFS 2024 in the desert in a random location that I picked:
The small boulder (or large rock) has been placed on the ground procedurally by MSFS 2024. You can see the left wheel of the XCub react to the small boulder (large rock) placed on the ground. And I can go to any random location in the world, and the XCub will behave like this to objects placed procedurally on the ground, although it seems the object needs to be of a specific size before the object has an impact. Note that I picked a random desert in the world, I didn’t install some custom scenery for this test beforehand, I just looked for a random desert with rocks and tested it.
Not having procedurally generated terrain for the entire world is a big minus when it comes to ground physics. That in my books, is a big minus for XP 12 and a big plus for MSFS 2024, if MSFS 2024 has procedurally generated terrain with rocks and boulders, and XP 12 does not and relies on custom scenery for it (because I can pick any random part of the world in MSFS 2024 and I know the ground physics will be good because of the procedurally generated terrain across the world).
Well said! Fake bumps is a simplistic solution and I have to say, is a much inferior solution. As per my video above, the XCub’s left wheel is reacting to the small boulder placed on the ground and we can do this anywhere in the world in MSFS 2024 without having to use custom scenery.
I will gladly go with the more advanced solution that MSFS 2024 is using as my video above demonstrates.
The lighting in MSFS is the winner for sure like the whole world engine vs the competition, but I agree , an option to tune the visual / atmospheric / rendering would be great.
For example the color saturation could be one aspect.
Certainly the Asobo Engine behind MSFS has powerful and similar features to the dynamic sky module I am using for my project (in UE) but making it available outside the Engine’s “Editor” (i.e in MSFS graphic settings) would require custom development I believe. But perhaps, and I am not sure at all, this tool might be possible to include in Dev Mode and presets saved for the sim. Just guessing…
Well, I have both. It’s quite clear that MSFS 2024 was made with console players in mind: a screwed-up UX, a cloud platform. It would be better if there were two separate versions for console and PC because sooner or later, it will become quite obvious that you can’t keep both parties happy. We have console players and PC players, often hardcore simmers who have invested quite a lot. And knowing Asobo, they will end up dumbing everything down to make console players happy. Because well, that’s where the money is.
Meanwhile, X-Plane is a multiplatform sim that couldn’t care less about consoles and such. People here have been criticising X-Plane, but it’s been thriving.
And last but not least, I own a MAFS 2024 Aviator edition. For what? To test an early alpha release? I tried a couple of IFR flights; out of ~10, I was able to complete only one.
. Additionally, in order to log hours on a simulator you must follow an approved course (with an instructor), even placing a Level-D Full Flight Simulator in your backyard won’t get you far. I hope that wasn’t the intention.