43 replies to this topic

[Mumbles]

Found this...LM will now let you buy Prepar3D for $49.99

http://www.prepar3d....par3d-academic/

Thoughts?

[Cortez]

What is the difference between this and FSX?
They sound the same when I read about it...

[Buziel-411_RED]

Cortez, on Mar 25 2012, 03:05 PM, said:

What is the difference between this and FSX?
They sound the same when I read about it...

Quote

Lockheed Martin continuously evolves Prepar3D to maintain its place as a front runner in the modeling and simulation marketplace. The latest features and functions available in Prepar3D include:

New user interface – Users now have a Windows 7 compatible drag n' drop interface with customizable settings. Quickly create and save your favorite missions.
Multiple monitor settings saved – Users can quickly save panel and scenery window locations across multiple monitors with flight files. Prepar3D remembers the settings upon restarting a flight and restarting Prepar3D.
Internet multi-player capability – Users across the globe can collaborate with others within the Prepar3D environment to train for their missions or tasks.
Multi-channel capability – Users can harness the power of this new feature to operate Prepar3D with multiple computers creating a more expansive viewing capability all the way up to 360 degrees field of view.
Sensor camera options – Users can experience night vision and infrared sensor camera options to enhance military mission or night flying training.
Realistic scenery – Millions of square kilometers of the earth have been checked and upgraded to accurately represent the urban environment. High resolution 12 cm content added for specific locations.
Higher quality graphics – Users will experience higher quality graphics such as more realistic rainy or snowy weather with the modernized shader model 3.0. Also offered for higher quality graphics are increased texture limits which can be set as high as 4096 x 4096.
Underwater environments – Users can take their simulation experience underwater with submarines and the U.S. Geological Survey's coastal bathymetry.
Enhanced developer toolset – Developers can use the Prepar3D environment to create new training solutions for the most modern platforms. To aid in rapid development, Prepar3D is now compatible with Windows 7 and Visual Studio 2010; it offers a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) user interface, an external simulator capability that provides enhanced control of the simulation code, new code samples updated in the Software Development Kit (SDK) documentation and support for the latest 3DStudio Max tools. Developers can also create a richer user experience with higher resolution terrain by taking advantage of the increased texture limits.
Expanded Hardware Controls – Users, especially fighter pilots, can now train with realistic hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS).

It is also being updated, and in the future, they intend to incorporate 64bit support, make better use of the GPU, and if I recall correctly, maybe better use of multi-core?

[Cortez]

So pretty much you can go underwater? lol

[AirFranceSST]

I'm also confused about what Prepar3D really is...

Edited by AirFranceSST, 25 March 2012 - 07:44 PM.

[_BD6_]

Everything fsx should have been. Lockheed now has the source code of fsx.. so they can improve upon it etc..

There will be a new vatsim client for prepar3d soon I hear.

[Buziel-411_RED]

Cortez, on Mar 25 2012, 07:16 PM, said:

So pretty much you can go underwater? lol

AirFranceSST, on Mar 25 2012, 07:44 PM, said:

I'm also confused about what Prepar3D really is...

Um... did you not read my post? The information was pulled directly from their website.

[cyvr]

So I just purchased this and loaded it up on my new machine (i-7 2600k, gtx580, ssd, 8gb of ram, win7 64bit) and i'm impressed. It's much smoother and crisper than FSX. The ground textures look amazing the overall scenery looks great. I'm going to play around with some more and do some comparisons with FSX.

[Peter797]

cyvr, on Mar 25 2012, 09:53 PM, said:

So I just purchased this and loaded it up on my new machine (i-7 2600k, gtx580, ssd, 8gb of ram, win7 64bit) and i'm impressed. It's much smoother and crisper than FSX. The ground textures look amazing the overall scenery looks great. I'm going to play around with some more and do some comparisons with FSX.

Is it more stable...?

[-Dexter]

cyvr, on Mar 25 2012, 09:53 PM, said:

So I just purchased this and loaded it up on my new machine (i-7 2600k, gtx580, ssd, 8gb of ram, win7 64bit) and i'm impressed. It's much smoother and crisper than FSX. The ground textures look amazing the overall scenery looks great. I'm going to play around with some more and do some comparisons with FSX.

Care to post up some screenshots?

[Cortez]

Buziel-411_RED, on Mar 25 2012, 06:48 PM, said:

Um... did you not read my post? The information was pulled directly from their website.

Sarcasm stud. Good to hear that it can be improved upon. If thats the case, well then I may just buy!

[E-Jet]

I read a few post's on the vatsim forums and appearently FS INN works for this.

[Peter797]

E-Jet, on Mar 25 2012, 11:47 PM, said:

I read a few post's on the vatsim forums and appearently FS INN works for this.

No word on Squawkbox?

[Mumbles]

Cortez, on Mar 25 2012, 01:05 PM, said:

What is the difference between this and FSX?
They sound the same when I read about it...

Let me simplify the longer post. It is FSX looks with FS9 performance. If there will be a vatsim client for prepar3D then I might get it.

The other thing coming out from a few ex aces team guys is this GNU thing which is well..amazing. They are taking out the flight dynamic limitations and everything. It uses the same tech that other RW trainers use.

http://forum.avsim.n...estpilot-forum/

[cyvr]

Peter797, on Mar 25 2012, 07:19 PM, said:

Is it more stable...?

Seems more stable, I've had a few crashes with FSX already but none so far with Prepar3D but I need to do some more flying to confirm.

I'll post screenshots shortly.

[Mumbles]

Here is a video for anybody interested.

http://www.prepar3d....layer-tutorial/

http://www.prepar3d..../release-video/

http://www.prepar3d....erience/images/

Edited by Mumbles, 26 March 2012 - 01:05 AM.

[_BD6_]

Peter797, on Mar 26 2012, 12:14 AM, said:

No word on Squawkbox?

A pilot from AvA (my VA) has confirmed squawkbox works on prepar3d.. what he did to achieve this i don't know.

[Cortez]

I like their slogan, who knows maybe this can become more mainstream.

[Mumbles]

I'm teetering on if I want to buy this. I've been reading and it seems like most everything works in P3D...

My biggest concern is the NGX and FSDT. I've read that people have the NGX working and that all the updated FSDT installers will detect if you ave P3d..sounds promising. We'll see.

[Clutch Cargo]

P3D is to become what we always wanted FSX to be.  It's not there yet but what's great is Lockheed Martin is actively working on it AND even more important are active in their forums and talking/responding to simmers.  For those who don't know, LM bought the code of Microsoft's ESP simming platform.  Though very similar to FSX it was targeted to the professional market.

So LM has been very aggressive to update, improve and expand Prepar3D (P3D), and thus have been making incremental updates to improve performance.  Already reports from simmers have shown better light and color rendition, less blurries, and smoother operation.  A lot of the improvements are "under the hood", so you may install it and think it looks just like FSX.   And even at this point the changes may be subtle.  

The big change many believe (and hope), will be for v2.0.  From what has been stated one may see the following improvements:

     - $49 license is now available for home "academic" use.  
     - Addition of menu options like a LOD slider that surpasses 4.5 miles radius!
     - Addition of Wide Screen Aspect option
     - Addition of Max Resolution slider that goes up to HD resolution of 4096x4096!!!!  Think ultra-high definition.
     - Menu option to keep sound from being muted with P3D losing focus to another window or program
     - Bugfixes
     - Continued performance and FS Code enhancements, v2.0 will support DX11!!!!
     - Continual announcements such as patch/upgrade contents and honest estimates for timelines for new releases

The biggest improvements will be when they make the program multi-core and GPU optimized.  That, they admit will take some time... heck, they only have over a million lines of code they need to optimise, ha!  But they are working on it, where FSX is dead in the water.

Simmers are discovering many of their FSX addons port over to P3D quite easily too.  Granted there will be some hiccups along the way but your investment in airports and airplanes can move with you should move over.  And many of the top-of-the-line
developers are throwing their support behind P3D.

So this could be Flightsim Next.

Hope that helps,

Clutch

Edited by Clutch Cargo, 31 March 2012 - 11:19 AM.