Yes, that’s Laminar’s latest pre-release rendering of a nightscape in XP10 just above, and hopefully an auspicious occasion in the making too as we gear up for Robert Arts’ coverage of FsWeekend in Lelystad today.
Robert will be on hand roaming the floor taking notes and sending in the good bits while waiting for the main event, Austin’s unveiling of XP10 to the crowds gathered to see this milestone achievement!
Here’s how this is going to work on our end. With this post up now, we’re simply going to add to it as the day progresses. As we get information in we’ll just add it to the post you’re reading now, and when Robert gets in tonight and does some image processing we’ll add his bigger images and full report, as well as any other material we get in during the day.
So…
Already the lines are forming…
…as vendors meet and greet.
So check back in with us during your day from time to time…because we’ll be getting the information up as it comes in! Chip & Simon
1000 hrs EST New video here: http://youtu.be/ZmlYsd9wpMM
1140 hrs EST News flash from Robert: PMDG has both their 737NGx and 747/400 for X-Plane 10 on display in beta form. More to come as Robert reports in. (update: read Roberts report for the real scoop here)
***** UPDATE *****
Watch this video, listen very, VERY carefully to the comments about PMDG.
***** UPDATE *****
1500 HRS: Robert Arts files this report:
“Austin starts his presentation ten minutes early, in an already full room, with tens of people attending. In the first part of his speech he emphasizes X-Plane 10 has to look plausible, not 100% realistic. Orthophoto’s are not good enough. In his opinion you need high res textures with plausibly arranged roads and cities. XP10 will ship on 8 Dual-layer DVD’s.
“XP10 will work on every computer that runs XP9, but maybe on minimum settings. There isn’t a computer made at this moment that can run XP10 with all the settings at maximum. Because of code optimization XP10 could run smoother than XP9 on the same computer. XP10 is optimised for multi-core processors. He talks about how more cores work, how more tasks can be handled by XP10. It looks like the amount of cores is more important than available VRAM.
“Today is the birthday for XP10. This morning Austin saw for the first time a complete working product, with all elements finally in place. We are seeing version 10 Beta 7. Only the area around KSEA and Seattle is demonstrated today.
“The interface is still the same; Austin replied to a question from the audience that the interface will be changed in the future, and because he is the only one who seems to like it. The menus have many more options now, however, and I’ve seen the settings, weather and malfunctions menus. Also, every aircraft, plug-in and scenery developed for XP9 will work in 10.
“The scenery looked very good. The movement of shadows was demonstrated, as well as the new clouds and the night lightning. All of these are beautiful, but more important very realistic looking. Also the roads look very “plausible”. Also, on the motorway signs the names of the developers are incorporated, a small Easter egg. I also noted that aircraft generate much more smoke and visible vortexes, and all aircraft made with Planemaker will now automatically show wingflex.
“The European version of X-Plane will be distributed by Aerosoft, which will include some of its airports. Which airports and how many hasn’t been decided yet, but it has to fit on the 8 DVD’s. Aerosoft will convert a number of their scenery files and aircraft to X-plane. Austin also reports that PMDG received a beta of X-Plane 10 two days ago and is considering converting their gorgeous 737 and 747 to X-plane.
“XP10 will be shipped with the same default aircraft as XP9, though most have been updated, and will include the new 747 (passenger and NASA), X-15, Beech Baron, F-22 and Space Shuttle. Demonstrated were the 747, 777 (the XP9 version) and Bell 206; after the main presentation the Raptor and Viggen were shown. Austin mentioned Nils’ Hurricane as possibly being included as the sole warbird.
“Austin also talked about the roadmap for X-plane 10′s future development. Version 10.0 will be the first version with the plausible surface environment, weather and ATC operations, and optimised for multicore computers. This should be distributed before Christmas, but I didn’t hear a guarantee. Version 10.1 will be the major bug fix and frame rate enhancer. The beta Austin used crashed several times, and according to him because of memory errors caused by the use of the multiple cores. This problem will probably not be solved before the first release! 10.2 will be an artistic improvement, aimed at regional diversity. In later updates there will be more improvements and new features, like a new FMC and seasonal differences.
“After the demonstration (and during the crashes) there was time for asking questions. The AI ATC currently will not respond to weather or to emergencies (if this is ever available, thank your correspondent for making this suggestion!). The ATC looks good, but it now looks like a non-controlled airport where every pilot is doing whatever he wants. But still, this is a great improvement over the empty skies of X-plane 9. Another question was if the waterways in XP will ever be more realistically modeled. Although Austin hasn’t seen the finished product yet, he made clear that waterways had their attention during the development of 10. Another person asked if roads are good enough for making long drives. Austin confirmed this and said it’s long been desired and that “X-Auto” is now finally a realistic possibility.
“The presentation was done on a Windows computer that belonged to Aerosoft.
“At the end of the presentation Tom Kyler gave a small presentation of the KSEA scenery on a Mac Book. His presentation lasted more than a hour and kept a lot of people amazed. Also, most people present were not current users of X-Plane.
+++++
Here is a short video Robert took of XP10 night OPS. Turn down your room lights and prepare to turn up the volume, then click this link.
Nice! I’m really excited for the news!!
M: too bad you couldn’t go back there for this one!
Thanks for the Flightgear pic!
You’re welcome!
I’ll come here every hours to check it out !
Not much coming in right now, so I assume the presentation is about to happen…
Roger ! Stay alarmed !
Yes, with ten cups of coffee on board already I can assure you that staying alarmed is NO PROBLEM!
Wasn’t the presentation supposed to be a few hours ago (at least according to this: http://msmvps.com/blogs/arnogerretsen/archive/2011/10/29/fsweekend-presentations.aspx)? What’s the hold up?
Unless it lasted longer, yes, it should be done. We’re waiting for Robert to check in. Sorry, we can’t control that.
Yes, I’m french, live in french, it’s 5:42 PM here, it shoulds have passed for a while now..
He just reported in. PMDG is showing their 737NGx and 744 in beta form for XP10. No wi-fi so he has to rely on text, which is quite expensive to the US, so we may have to wait until he gets back home for a longer write up. We’ll get whatever he sends in posted immediately.
no wifi…that would explain why there’s practically nothing at all on the internet from the convention
PMDG coming to x-plane! That is HUGE news!!! So I guess I will have to buy the 737 twice!
what is PMDG? Ha sorry. Sounds great
go to precisionmanuals.com and take a look at their 737 for FSX. Best thing I have ever seen
Will do! Thanks for the link. Will thes planes be default or available upon release.
Chris, not enough information on hand to speculate yet. Converting an ACF is NOT like converting a scenery file, however. What we WOULD expect to find, now that XP10 has gone public, is for many more MsFS developers to announce their intentions to migrate to XP. The next few weeks ought to be quite interesting, as the FsX market will react to PMDG making a move.
Definitely not default. But whatever it costs (~$70 in FSX) it’s worth it.
sorry, didn’t catch the joke
Yes, I’ve some secret info about Aerosoft will not only doing or converting Scenery for X-Plane.. but shhh.. it’s a secret for now
Ah…the Airbus? Of the Huey?
I think your blog is going to be THE place to hang out for the next couple of days Chip…not that it wasn’t already of course! Pmdg to x-plane? Could this really be true? Only time will tell. Keep us all updated.
Rhydian
PS Really enjoyed your interview with Tom Kyler. Great questions.
@Rhydian: I know, I know… I saw that text from Robert and all that coffee hit at once! It was like seeing my very first Playboy magazine! PMDG in XP? Aerosoft allegedly working on converting the A320 to XP? Holy guacamole! Who will need FsX anymore? Once the word on XP’s clearly superior flight model filters out there’s going to be a stampede of developers running to XP…and all the guys who’ve mastered the XP flight development paradigm are suddenly going to be very much in demand! We’ll do our best to keep up with the information that’s doubtless about to explode, and thanks for checking in with us. C
PMDG going X-Plane? Really? OMG! That’s fantastic news! You know most of the serious FSX users are PMDG fans. That’s can bring a lot of people to X-Plane.
LOL! If it is true, (oh God let it be true) then I think it’s going to cause a bit of a ruckus over at PMDG’s AVsim website too! Keep drinking that coffee!
@Rhy.: absolutely true…the word I keep thinking about is synergy. Like tripping dominoes. If PMDG does in fact make the move then all the big names will have to re-think their position re: XP. An emerging market with a huge, enthusiastic base starving for quality releases? In this economy? Only the truly daft will ignore the XP market once 10 is up and running. And if the FsX crowd can move on from the whole either / or mentality and see that having both platforms isn’t a deadly sin…well…watch out! I think the flight model in XP will be a huge draw, so will ease of use once people get past the obvious differences between the two, but Austin’s plausible world and global illumination will in the end WOW people and bring ‘em in…but yes, exactly, a big name like PMDG is going to make a lot of people sit up and take notice. Only after 15 cups of coffee can one craft such interminable run-on sentences, too.
Chip, I agree. I love having both x-plane and fsx in my iMac. But the truth is that I use FSX for the NGX, Xtraffic and Radar Contact (ATC)… I think we can check all of these in x-plane 10!
Nomad, yes! When you consider it’s an integrated solution and will updated as a whole, XP10 seems like it will be the more workable solution over time.
@ Chip :
You’ll see when the time is come !
True, Huey, unless I go blind from too much coffee.
@ Chip
I totally agree with you about there being more than one platforms in the market. I’ve never quite understood this ‘fanboy’ culture. We’re such a small, niche market we can’t afford to dismiss competition. There is nothing wrong with firing FSX one day and X-plane the next. What happens when the coffee wears off? I’d start on the Red Bull next…apparently it gives you wings!
Naaaa. Mexican food. Refried beans. Works wonders, and keeps the neighbors busy for hours looking for gas leaks.
Not Huey especially, where did you heard that ? I really dont hope the Aerosoft Huey will be converted, the shape is totally false, the nose is oversized, and a convertion will make a quickly made flight model. I really waiting for DreamFoil decide to do a Huey one day
@Huey: where did I hear this? SWAG.
Really ? does they make an official announcement ?
No. Never.
PMDG is one from the left field, we never saw that coming at all…that really changes the game!
Yes I’m up in Aussie and already taking the coffee hits….
PMDG don’t have a beta of their products for X-plane, but they have received a copy of X-plane 10 beta two days ago, “they are looking to it and working on that” of converting their 737 and 747 to X-plane. So no guarantees, but a step in the right direction!
I’m sorry for the initial confusion, a problem of using text messaging…
LOL. The news is all over the place! The org, avsim, etc!
Robert’s report has been posted!
PMDG planes look amazing, but that price per plane OUCH!!
I’ve added a second video in the post, where there is discussion about PMDG in the presentation…Look for the red UPDATE banners…
Great report Robert! Thanks for doing this.
It will be interesting to observe if msfs 3rd party (johnny come lately) developers will offer their add-ons cross-platform. ayk, x-plane is populated with a large % of both mac and linux users.
Just a thought, thanx for the great coverage.
donbach
@Donbach: XP10 ought to generate too large a market to ignore, especially in trying economic times. The next few weeks ought to be interesting!!!
Yeah thank’s Robert it was great to have someone on the ground to do an exclusive report.
Impressed with the night lighting for sure but a little worried about the crashing issues, not much time left for a fix before a xmas release !
Cheers….Kev.
Between the lines Austin said that those crash issues won’t be solved for the X-mas release, but in the 10.1 release. If they are gonna make it, than from today with only the Seattle area covered, they have to get the whole world within six weeks, to have some time over for burning the disks and distributing them! So no, 10.0 won’t be stable.
The problems of today were with switching aircraft and rapidly altering settings. Austin said when settings are changed with small steps everything would work ok.
Will I buy 10.0? Hell yes, after what I saw today I want to try it out. To discover how it works on my computer (in this case luckily with only two cores) and to see how the flight experience and the sceneries will be enhanced. If it doesn’t work, then I will use 9.x till 10.1 comes out.
Great report, sadly disappointed at another non concrete release. “should be before Christmas”, the dev blog is August said it will be available by/on Christmas. Ahh jeez not another delay
cool to see that his mentioning of seasonal textures and enhancements is planned, yet in terms of water the mention of making Island tropical turquoise water was not stated . I wonder how long will be between patch updates, it would suck to wait many more months
Nobody asked about that, but I expect if it isn’t in 10.0 you won’t see it before 10.3. The question about waterways was in particular about waterfalls and the experience in the grand canyon. They are now working with more precise data from various sources, but that has nothing to do with the colour of the sea.
I hope you’re right, chip, I truly do.
cheers,
donbach
Great report Robert thanks, I think what is important here is the continuing roadmap, “like a new FMC and seasonal differences” is a great step forward, built in “Wingflex” into Planemaker is another great step forward (no excuses now guys, sorry), “aircraft generate much more smoke and visible vortexes” is a great addition, Although the default Aircraft have been updated I hope B777 is in there, that is a black hole right now for XP, I did expect a few (two) new aircraft with the release, so that is a disappointment.
Will the Euro version cost more?…..
yes I agree, I thought there would be new ones, or new helos. The new 747 and such do not count since they have been included before “type wise) hopefully the non fancy looking planes demoed by Javier over 1 yr ago! are updated somewhat for v-10 appearance wise & not the painted cockpit black windows and 1994 appearance .. which basically counteracts all of v-10
New types will be the NASA 747 which can carry the shuttle and the Beech Baron and maybe the Hurricane.
The B777 was still the ugly XP9 version. And it looked even uglier in that high-res simulation. Maybe they are still working on it?
Nobody said anything about prices, but maybe they will make the amount of euros equal to dollars, so because you spent more you get more.
From the other side it is strange that the European customers get some of the nice Aerosoft sceneries, but the rest of the world doesn’t get anything extra. A reason would be that in 10.0 the world would be dominated by the default American buildings, so some nice scenery would compensate that. Then the Americans would be happy, the Europeans very happy, but the rest of the world?
But maybe they only wanted to say something about the European situation, while they have similar deals for the rest of the world. We have to wait and see!
I wonder how long it will be before someone piggybacks a B777 on top of the NASA 747…. my bet is a day…$10 bucks says it will happen.
I too was disappointed to hear about the 777 being the old version from X-plane 9. Personally, I think these sort of aircraft need to be either left out of version 10 or at least updated to fit in with the truly exceptional terrain and weather modelling. The interface (which actually I’m quite fond of to be honest) probably needs an update (I think I read somewhere that it may have a new lick of paint in another version of 10) as well as some of the showcase aircraft like the Viggen and any other incomplete looking aircraft that Austin has created in his spare time, like the mars space planes etc. X-plane 9 needs to shrug off some of this ‘incomplete’ feel. Version 10 is causing a genuine stur amongst the flight sim hobby and for good reason. I’ve been blown away by the demos from FSWeekend, it really is superb and like most I am very excited. But the software needs to keep the momentum going with a truly polished looking piece of software and i think with Aerosoft joining Austin and his team, I think this will be a reality.
It’s not often a truly groundbreaking piece of software come along in our hobby but the next few weeks is going to be an exciting time for many of us. I feel like a kid on Christmas day.
If everything is going like planned, you will be a kid at Christmas day, playing with XP10!
what also kind of sucks is the statement that this xp version will crash often, just like in a professional media presentation! so much for being a presentable product. Hmmm wait for 10.3 to even get it now ??
Was there any mention of price? What was the price when 9 was released? I know that the current $29 is lower than at launch.
I have heard and been told via info@xplane.org a few times that the price should be around 100
Nicolas said earlier today in the ORG shoutbox that he was expecting around $80 USD.
I’ll take $80, better than 100
Wow… 55 comments? That is the most I’ve ever seen. Great interview by the way.
Nicolas in the ORG shoutbox earlier today said around $80 USD
In europe, it’s 70 € Euros on Aerosoft online store ( about 95-100 dollars )
http://www.shop.aerosoft.com/eshop.php?action=article_detail&s_supplier_aid=11970&s_design=DEFAULT&shopfilter_category=Flight+Simulation&s_language=german
For $100.00 US that is a steal, I was expecting $125.00 to $150.00, That is more than affordable for the long time use you get out of it and the updates over the years, some friends buy 3 games a week and throw them away in a month or so…XP10 will last 3 years or more…and the rest.
Still some will still complain…..
another interesting point was the amount of FS simmers watching the demo, would have liked to here their comments…fly on the wall.
You can hear some of them on the first video, when the light falls on the truck. But I heard on various times their excitement, for new, but also for existing features. On the other hand some left the presentation early.
It was the first time I went to a FS meeting. I saw many people flying, mainly with Microsoft products. Overall their scenery was better looking than X-plane’s, but the aircraft were similar. They use a sim which isn’t further developed by Microsoft, so they must look out for alternatives. I think XP10 can be interesting for them, because it’s a major graphic improvement over 9.
I think it will come down to using X-plane and/or Prepar3d…
Robert, did you stop by the CRJ booth with Javier and Phillip? What was the reaction of the people stopping by? The CRJ is a great plane. In line with the PMDG but with a few things missing that I know they plan to add over time.
I was there for a short time, just before the XP10 presentation. I couldn’t talk to them, because they were busy, which says enough! They had a nice looking (analog) banner and of course their CRJ-200 with rain on the cockpit glass was a real eye catcher!
The same at the XPFR stand, they were also too busy demonstrating their products.
So overal I think X-plane caught a fair share of the attention.
There were also some shops and like you would expect, none with X-plane software. Even at the Aerosoft stand I couldn’t find it. Only at the CRJ booth, where you could buy their plane on DVD for € 30,-.
Some of this hoopla is just ripe for some great satire. Daveduck, where are you when we need you? Your commentary on the exuberant promo material from the last xpfr conference was legendary!
Oh, Dave’s around, sharpening his skewers no doubt! We’ll need lots of Preparation H to take care of the wounds.
Sent from the dark side of the Moon.
Oh, where to start.
The Orwellian hammering on “plausibility” maybe. New backyard umbrellas but the same old FMC? (Please, Lord, at least let the autopilot turn in the correct initial direction.) The “in-joke” highway signs to Corvetteville and Just a Few Tweaks to Make Everything Perfect!!!berg that we’ve seen once and that’s already too often? Or maybe the sad fact that “Lego bricks” is now a phrase that’s the visual equivalent of chalk-on-a-blackboard.
May the multi-core crashing begin!
PXP: yes, but let’s take stock here. The umbrella wasn’t one of those red and blue Campari models, I’ve NOT seen even ONE BMW or Volvo station wagon or even a Hummer dealership. No Country Day Schools. No country clubs. No fondue restaurants next to a shiatsu massage parlor. I could go on. My point, and yours if I get your drift, is that this is a FLIGHT SIMULATOR. Still…we have a plausible roadmap to follow, don’t we? Down and Out in Paris and London…indeed.
Chip, u crack me up sometimes! “No fondue restaurants next to a shiatsu massage parlor”.
Dave, I don’t mind the in-joke signs at all, I tend to do that myself! It’s the author’s way of keeping sane.
Every one of our major scenery objects will have at least one little message to discover, it gives them a bit of character, and makes up for the hrs of tedium..
So, xp10 is all about scenery, but shipping with the same cack “default v9 aircraft, just updated.”
Cheers Austin, thanks a lot.
No “new” aircraft (okay, maybe Nils’ Hurricane) but no new helis???
I hope the scenery’s flyable…..
Basically if the plane hasn’t been redone by Javier it shouldn’t be included. The older planes which have been around since the time of Jesus need to go!
AGREED
What about the 172 and the storch/whatever it is, they’re pretty good. But other than that, I agree
I only saw the 406 from the outside and didn’t got a feeling it was upgraded. No other heli’s were mentioned, but only a few of the aircraft were.
Brett S has said several times on the .org that the helicopter physics would be improved in XP10. Austin did easily fly the 406. So assumably they have improved it, which can be the reason for rotorheads to upgrade! The two night movies were made while he was flying the 406.
In the first video of this blog, where you see Austin at the Aerosoft booth, he flies the 172 and says it’s unchanged.
ps love the mustache. that’s you off my xmas card list
My final BK117 livery, D-HECA, will be out this week. After that I’m quitting xplane. Sorry, but I’m done.
Hey Nicola, that is a shock! Do you completely stop heli flying in sims, or going to another platform?
The X-plane world at helicopter height looked so much nicer in 10 than in 9, you have to keep an eye on that! Maybe you have to wait for 10.2, when the world is more complete and regional diverse.
PMDG all the way, if this is true it will move XP to a whole new level.
Yes, would be good, but there are a few study sim planes out already, and of course xpjets and the IXEG 737 and sooner the SAAB340..
at least we see progress on the Ixeg 737, but the xp jets 777 would probably be ready earliest 2017 by the way things are going. Hope for the SAAB but it has been very slow and no info.
It would be nice if PMDG goes to x-plane but i thing the Ixeg 737 will be out sooner. Maybe in one year or so.
I will prob uninstall xplane from my pc and walk away. I’ve used xplane for 8 years and can’t stand fsx, so will just abandon flying. Even if I stick with v9, sooner or later v9 stuff WILL stop being supported by xp10, and then you’re stuck.
Yes, the scenery may look good from a helo, but that’s if your pc can handle it. Else you’ve a falling-over & temperamental version of v9, which you just paid another $100 for.
I’ve come to realise that xp10 is merely a scenery upgrade, a v9.90rc1, if you will, not anything worth really waiting over a year for.
While airport scenery did need redoing, buildings between airports are going to be out of sight at more than 5,000ft, so unless you’re landing or taking off, you won’t see them. But you WILL see the cack acf he left us with; the v9 default lot are an embarrassment. Novalogic were years ahead of this in 2002.
What were your wishes regarding to XP10?
No more empty airports – box ticked, sorta
Different and better default acf – sorely lacking.
I feel the 2 yrs waiting for xp10 we got short-changed. For scenery you won’t generally see unless you’re landing/taking off or if you like to skim trees.
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