P3D v4 - Dead to me. :|

Soooo annoyed that P3D v4 finally gets 64bit and pretty much ignores VR! Yes it works, but user experience is poor at best from all the reviews I have read.

Compared to Aerofly FS2 it's a one horse race for me. Once navigation (FMS) is completed and a larger globe is available, the FS2 Sim will likely take the crown.
With ORBX stuff on the horizon, it's looking good!

I've not fired up P3D v3 since I got FS2 - and given the $$$ I have pumped into P3D / Aerosoft / ORBX / A2A and countless other addons, that kind of says it all.

im using flyinside on p3dv4... its perfect @@

Hey @Archie - I just set down at Everett Field in the stock Maule in VR. I’m running P3D 4.1 with the latest version of FlyInside for it. (The FlyInside for P3D 4.1 is a separate version/product though so you get to pay again even if you have other FlyInside versions.) The built-in VR support is OK but FlyInside for 4.1 is really good too. Still have to stay Aerofly FS2 has the best VR support of all, but FSX/P3D has a lot of things to offer too.

I’ve been out of regular flight simming since I started building my motion sim and somewhere in there FSX-SE decided to stop working on my system. I’d tried an early version of P3D but liked FSX better. Now with FSX not working and not really wanting to spend time troubleshooting a sim that is EOL anyway, my wife got me P3D 4.1 Academic for Christmas. Over the last week I’ve been installing it, getting my ORBX sceneries redownloaded and installed, and getting the planes that would transfer redownloaded and installed. I just now was able to test it out.

It works great (really great!) and I’m so glad I gave it another shot. There’s a lot that’s even better than FSX and if the gods are smiling, we'll have higher res VR sometime after Monday and maybe Nvidia will announce Ampere with HBM2 and somewhere between 2x and 4x over Pascal.

Still getting things sorted out, but lots of scenery already available (and already bought in my case), lots of planes, multiplayer with JoinFS and the built-in multiplayer, and really good VR support with FlyInside for P3D 4.1.

Thanks for the update @Zed - I've been thinking about getting (upgrading to) P3D v4.1, but to be honest I find it so hard to play correctly in VR. Even with Touch support via LEAP it's still hit and miss. I guess that is where FS2 fills the void in that it's a gorgeous Sim and I can just "Fly". Yeah, I miss the realism of flying around my local field (YWOL) but I find P3D takes so long to actually do anything now...

As a side note, CAP2 has a great feature where your "gaze" highlights the switches as you move your head around and so long as the "dot" is on the switch, then you can adjust it. Simple things like that that really help immersion in VR.

I'm so disappointed that P3D has not taken VR to the next level given how long it's been the "go to" Sim on a PC.

I guess I'm a VR snob now... If a game does not have it natively I don't buy it.

F1 2017 for example.. No VR... Seriously.. WTF??

Today I did a long flight from Bowerman to Seattle and up to Orcas and Friday in the A2A Texan. I run with Orbx sceneries and it was really relaxing cruising up and watching the clouds go by. I used to do those kinds of flights, group flights, etc, all the time but building my rig just took up so much time. Now I can do it again and it was just so cool. Had I been up on what group flights were going on I could have tagged along with those guys. I've been getting more and more buttons and switches set up again on my stick and that makes it really easy to do cockpit tasks even without fumbling for the mouse. But yeah - it does load a little slow.

@Archie - I know what you mean about Aerofly. It's beautiful and just works extremely well in VR. I have been flying that a lot too but the one thing that holds me back is lack of air traffic and no multiplayer. @Spit40 and I have been taking up planes in DCS in multiplayer when we can but it would be much better in something like the Bucker in Aerofly.

I was just saying I was very pleasantly surprised by P3D 4.1. I was back in the 2.x version before and did all my flying in FSX as P3D didn't have much to offer back then. It sure does now and FlyInside really makes it sweet. The stock VR is passable but FlyInside is still a must have in my opinion. Luckily all my scenery just transferred right over but I lost a fair number of good planes that had to stay behind. Hopefully a few more will get P3D 4.x updates. I miss my A2A Cub.

But right with you on Aerofly. When they get multiplayer going we should go for a group flight. I've seen a number of us from here on the AFS2 boards now. We could have a respectable group! Or, maybe not so respectable but large.

Interesting...

I did a quick Google and found this which was a good read: http://www.ontheglideslope.net/2017/01/21/why-i-switched-to-x-plane-11/

I've pumped $$$ into ORBX and P3D which make me reluctant to jump ship, but I'm also of the mindset that neither will be getting my money soon again. I'll check XP11 once I get some free time. I see there it a "Try It" feature.

I'm still hoping to work on my "Heave Tractor Seat" but home improvements are taking all my time at the moment. I've not played on the SIM for Months (and that makes me sad!)

@Zed - I hear you on "Solo fly" in Aerofly.

I just pretend it's a post-Zombie Apocolypse and I have the planet to myself....

Ok... this is just plane *cough* cool.

@noorbeast - Is it best to get the Steam Version?

I recall Steam FSX was "hamstrung" so want to make sure, if I do take plunge, I'm not locked in to some half-rate version of it.

Thanks.

Ok... so the reviews on X-Plane 11 are gradually getting worse on Steam, seems you need a beefy GFX card (1080ti) to get much from the game, so given the $$$ I have invested in ORBX and P3D, I bought P3D V4.1 on Jan 15th.

Installed it, went for a few flights around YWOL (ORBX scenery) with Flyinside installed. Landed. Requested a refund on the 16th.

I understand that ORBX is the hog here. If I fly around a standard scenery airport, VR is fine, but I PAID for scenery and want to use it in VR. Aerofly has ORBX scenery and it's flawless.

I'm not sure what I'm most frustrated about, the fact that VR is just so frame rate limited (even with Flyinside) or that by using VR I've spoiled my Flight Sim experience. (I used to fly the Airbus from cold and dark all the time when using TrackIR. Not possible in VR)

I installed Innsbruck DLC for Aerofly FS2 and WOW!!! What an amazing scenery and buttery smooth in VR.
(Just needs a Helicopter and for them to release some UK / AU scenery!)

Maybe P3D V5 will bring something new.....

Ok... I took the plunge and purchased Xplane-11 from the refund I got back from P3D.

First impression was it was very smooth in VR. Granted I only flew around my local field but the VR experience was very good.

Then.. I took your advice @noorbeast and installed Ortho4XP and got my head around tiles and overlays and the various zoom levels and..well... WOW!!! 9.4GB later in Photorealistic textures (ZL19) and traffic and lights and it's just incredible. I can actually navigate by site and land VFR using standard GA landmarks. It's quite amazing the difference and no hit on FPS as you are only flying over a "canvas", not Autogen.

Thanks for the advice! I'm hooked on flight sims again and I've not even setup Motion yet!!

EDIT: I'll post some pictures over the weekend.

Oh... and using the touch controllers to bring a Boeing 737-800 up from Cold and Dark is just awesome. I still use the HOTAS for flight controls as it's not quite there yet in VR, but being able to flick switches and turn knobs is quite amazing.

I can't wait till they bring out a VR glove....

I've been smashing x-plane.org this week to get some freeware Mesh and use OrthoXP.
I'm staggered by the community around x-plane. Some of the Free stuff is better than payware in other platforms.

I'm a total convert now. Like you @noorbeast - Xplane is my go to Sim now.

I find I am actually flying everywhere at dawn or dusk just because the lighting of the streets and surrounds is incredible. In VR it's complete immersion and even on my ageing GTX970, it's silky smooth. I use HDR and High Textures, but all the "ground surface" where I fly is OrthoXP Level 19 (HD Bing maps), giving an awesome feel and look to the sim from around 500feet and above.

I also use "Oculus Tray Tool" to turn off ASW and set my supersampling to 1.2. (Above 1.2 gives me jitter)

I'm also running the Oculus Core 2.0 Beta. If you own a Rift - you need to opt into this - The "home" is awesome now.

Here is a video of me playing with the "time of day" as I come into my local field (YWOL) in an MD-80. Video does not do VR justice as it's a bit dark. (Skip to 7:00 for Final Approach. )

I use both prepar3d v4.2 and xplane 11. I prefer p3d ... the scenarios are more beautiful, more varieties, flyinside works better (I use LIVE and LEAP MOTION for control with hands) xp11 I do not give luck. always have a problem, now it is closing alone when the VR is triggered, I do not know why. The scenarios are weak, the streets strange ... opcases legal aircraft, none in the PMDG style. It can take both quietly, value is quite reasonable ... but things like water, clouds (rex skyforce 3d is a spectacle to the part) are infinitely more beautiful in v4.2. A pity not to have left the GAMEVIBE for him ... there are more people using fsx and p3d than xplane.

Another thumbs-up on SkyForce. When I fly solo in P3D, I check the map for weather and fly where it looks the most interesting. It adds so much to the experience it’s not funny. Realistic clouds, real-world weather, turbulence, motion, and VR just does it for me. And the increase in smoothness in 4.2 just caps the experience.