Best Flight Simulator?

[Topper]

Originally Posted by exupery

Just finished installing X Plane regional North America and I am really enjoying it so far. Don't even have joystick hooked up yet. Seems to work fine.Have a lot of learning to do but having used early versions of Microsoft FS on low memory computers and now with X plane installed on a new IMAC that has 8 gigs of ram (my old mac mini had 512 megs) and a terabyte of storage it is a delight.

Good to hear. Enjoy!

[rockabillyjim]

Has anyone run xplane 9 or 10 on a MacBook with retina display 15inch? I'm looking to make the pc to mac transition as pc's just crash on me all the time. I want a laptop and seem to think I should get the cheaper retina 15 inch model.

[MisterKeeks]

Originally Posted by rockabillyjim

Has anyone run xplane 9 or 10 on a MacBook with retina display 15inch? I'm looking to make the pc to mac transition as pc's just crash on me all the time. I want a laptop and seem to think I should get the cheaper retina 15 inch model.

Are you wondering about the performance of XPlane? I can run XPlane 9 on a computer with 1/4th the power of the retina, so you should be ok with 9 or 10 on the 15 Retina.

[rockabillyjim]

Yeah I was wondering about the rendering levels and scenery density on high settings(died it lag?)

[MisterKeeks]

Originally Posted by rockabillyjim

Yeah I was wondering about the rendering levels and scenery density on high settings(died it lag?)

No, it didn't lag. I will install the demo for 10 on a MBP and let you know how it works there.

[rockabillyjim]

Cool thanks

[exupery]

The second day of using X plane has also been entertaining and informative. However, I really need to get a joystick or yoke. One thing (among others) that I question is the visibility of the instruments in the cockpit view when in the 747. The simulation of the yoke is obscuring the vital instruments I need to view. Any way of changing that?

Also, (and I guess this must relate to rendering level), I had expected to see more actual realism in the landscape although the moving traffic and trains, etc. are fascinating.

[exupery]

I don't know what I did but all of a sudden I have an un obscured view of the 747 instrument panel.

[Topper]

Originally Posted by exupery

TAlso, (and I guess this must relate to rendering level), I had expected to see more actual realism in the landscape although the moving traffic and trains, etc. are fascinating.

Yes, some (most?) of your expectations will not be met.
You'll need to study the X-Plane 10 manual. Take a look at the keyboard shortcuts.
The X-Plane forum has a lot of good answers

One of the hardest things is to get the rendering right.
Most people start with the greatest rendering and work down.
It should be done the exact opposite way. Start with the lowest rendering and work your way up.
Rendering is covered in the X-Plane manual and there is very good discussion about it in the X-Plane forum.
For example:
It is suggested to start turning down the following parameters:
- number of objects (massive impact to FPS)
- number of cars to off, there has been known issues with car rendering that have considerable impact to FPS
- world detail distance. Again considerable impact to FPS
- antialiasing to 2x
- anisotropic filtering to 2x or 4x
- cloud detail to 10% perhaps

[exupery]

Originally Posted by exupery

I don't know what I did but all of a sudden I have an un obscured view of the 747 instrument panel.

Found that all I had to do was click on the yoke to toggle it off and on.

Some of the rendering of sunset near LA in the 747 above the clouds is excellent. The response to the controls and the smoothness of flight is good and that is what concerns me most so I would say I am pretty happy so far.

Next issue is a joystick and/or yoke. Hate to spend a lot but am not seeing much out there for my iMac. Certainly not in the Apple store-ditto Best Buy, Staples and Radio Shack. Might have to get it online. Somewhere I read that the Logitech model which is for the PC also works on the mac but I have my doubts. ($30).

[Huntn]

Maybe one day the yoke on Boeings will really be gone.

[exupery]

What a great flight sim! Love it. And still just fumbling with a mouse only.

[Solomani]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Maybe one day the yoke on Boeings will really be gone.

Please don't tell me they will be replaced by Siri voice control....

[Macman45]

I thought i'd post a heads up here...For all those running the 64 Bit BETA version of X-Plane 10, the GM release is imminent, I'm hoping by the weekend. Highly recommended.

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by Solomani

Please don't tell me they will be replaced by Siri voice control....

Now that's a thought... it's just that the primary reason to have a yoke has vanished. There must be something more to keep them. However some argue that having synced yokes allow each pilot to know what is going on with control input, versus unconnected joysticks.

[exupery]

Read up on using the radio and got some results but don't know how to respond (repeat commands). In flight simulator there was text you could click on but do I have to have a mike hooked up in X plane?

[exupery]

Have registered on the X plane user Forum (twice) and it seems to be the strangest and most unfriendly I have ever joined. Actually had to register twice, never received a confirmation email; every time I ask a question I am told "You do not have permission for that"

Would think that an X plane Forum would be the place to get information about which joystick, etc. would be best for the Mac. The author of X plane says it was designed on a Mac. Cannot contact anyone there because the form I have to fill out is entirely inapplicable. Anyone have any similar experience?

Enjoying the program, just not their Forum.

[in2tech]

Originally Posted by exupery

Have registered on the X plane user Forum (twice) and it seems to be the strangest and most unfriendly I have ever joined. Actually had to register twice, never received a confirmation email; every time I ask a question I am told "You do not have permission for that"

Would think that an X plane Forum would be the place to get information about which joystick, etc. would be best for the Mac. The author of X plane says it was designed on a Mac. Cannot contact anyone there because the form I have to fill out is entirely inapplicable. Anyone have any similar experience?

Enjoying the program, just not their Forum.

Is this where you are registering http://forums.x-plane.org ? I would say check your spam folder, maybe it got sent or put there! You want to register as they have all kinds of cool freeware add on's there! I have been downloading airports from there!

[denzaltrueman]

I am providing assistance in establishing up ANY journey sim on a desktop pc. Yes some individuals will buy the journey sim and this is what creates it value time however I am not pushing individuals into anything they don't want.

[adildacoolset]

Why are people knocking on a 5 year old thread?

This thread is so old, that at the time of writing, there wan't even an iPad and the iPhone wasn't even able to record video

[exupery]

Originally Posted by in2tech

Is this where you are registering http://forums.x-plane.org ? I would say check your spam folder, maybe it got sent or put there! You want to register as they have all kinds of cool freeware add on's there! I have been downloading airports from there!

Have checked my junk mail and can't see why I am not getting the confirmation. By the way, is there a general thread here regarding X plane where this stuff would be better suited? Really would like to ask some questions to determine if I am experiencing an occasional glitch or not doing something right. It such a complex program. Wish I could make the menu type larger...its pretty small for my comfort even though I have pretty good vision for my age. Also would like to delete some of my replay situations but don't see how.

[soulreaver99]

Tie Fighter
/thread

[in2tech]

Originally Posted by exupery

Have checked my junk mail and can't see why I am not getting the confirmation. By the way, is there a general thread here regarding X plane where this stuff would be better suited? Really would like to ask some questions to determine if I am experiencing an occasional glitch or not doing something right. It such a complex program. Wish I could make the menu type larger...its pretty small for my comfort even though I have pretty good vision for my age. Also would like to delete some of my replay situations but don't see how.

exupery,

I am not aware of a flight simulation forum only here. I doubt it since it's Mac Rumor forums I have just begun a new site and added a X-Plane and MSFS forum to it to further the discussion about the actual sims, and since I have been flying in FSX since 2009, but I am pretty new also to X-Plane and it appears most or all of us are using Mac's and also running flight sim's through OSX or Windows in bootcamp maybe we can all help each other out.

It's at www.techplushangout.com. Hope to see the flight simulation users over there, especially the ones of us that are new to X-Plane on our Mac's!

[Huntn]

Anyone doing World of Planes? I wonder how it compares to the flight sims of the 90s? I recently became a World of Tanks convert and would like to know how big the arenas are and how good are the flight models (from anyone who has played)?

[PracticalMac]

X-Plane maker Laminar also makes iPad apps for flying real airplanes.

Originally Posted by Huntn

Anyone doing World of Planes? I wonder how it compares to the flight sims of the 90s? I recently became a World of Tanks convert and would like to know how big the arenas are and how good are the flight models (from anyone who has played)?

PC only, based off of World of Tanks
Gaigin Entertainment has 4 flight combat sims under belt, there is one based on the old IL-2 Sturmovik engine with updated models and effects (Wings of Prey).

And there is Aces High.