New dev blog post, with interesting insights and screenshots. Also, looks like they're doing a nice work with the SDK for 3rd parties:

https://developer.x-plane.com/2021/10/free-form-friday-lights-water-frost/

35 minutes ago, scotchegg said:

You have. Do you also know you’re in a minority, possibly of one, in thinking so?

Ive seen plenty of other pilots who have seen the world from 3000 feet say the same.

From above the smog the world just looks more silent hill than super mario.

I know a lot of people cant distinguish super mario from real life these days.

Edited October 29, 20214 yr by mSparks

56 minutes ago, mSparks said:

Ive seen plenty of other pilots who have seen the world from 3000 feet say the same.

From above the smog the world just looks more silent hill than super mario.

I know a lot of people cant distinguish super mario from real life these days.

I don’t doubt regular pilots have an understanding of world lighting that the rest of us lack. I highly doubt XP11’s PS2 generation lighting is the best at representing it, and you are the ONLY person I’ve seen say it beats MSFS, IL2, DCS etc.

1 hour ago, scotchegg said:

and you are the ONLY person I’ve seen say it beats MSFS, IL2, DCS etc.

I said superior.

Its superior because the lighting and visibility (except the ones I mentioned) are all tuned for realism.

Whereas all the games you are comparing it with are tuned to be visually pleasing with zero regard for aviation requirements.

1 hour ago, scotchegg said:

I don’t doubt regular pilots have an understanding of world lighting that the rest of us lack.

There is a test. Several in fact.

Heres a couple covering some of the minimum knowledge requirements before you are even allowed in a cockpit.

https://skybrary.aero/index.php/Visibility

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/atc_html/chap3_section_4.html

Edited October 30, 20214 yr by mSparks

7 minutes ago, mSparks said:

Its superior because the lighting and visibility (except the ones I mentioned) are all tuned for realism.

Can you give examples of how XP11’s lighting is tuned for realism in a way the other sims are not?

18 minutes ago, scotchegg said:

Can you give examples of how XP11’s lighting is tuned for realism in a way the other sims are not?

MVFR

It has accurate airport lighting

accurate RVR simulation

all high towers have red lights

powerline reflections

the cockpits of all the good planes have 100% working switch lighting, backlighting navigation lights and strobes which accurately represent a cockpit at night

lightning

literally everything that isnt flying cavok or flying into a storm to die.

Edited October 30, 20214 yr by mSparks

29 minutes ago, mSparks said:

MVFR

It has accurate airport lighting

accurate RVR simulation

all high towers have red lights

powerline reflections

the cockpits of all the good planes have 100% working switch lighting, backlighting navigation lights and strobes which accurately represent a cockpit at night

lightning

literally everything that isnt flying cavok or flying into a storm to die.

Ah, I think your criterion of superior lighting means ‘placed correctly’. And I think the majority of things on your list do exist in the other sims with the exception of power line reflections.

Sorry, no.

Edited October 30, 20214 yr by scotchegg

54 minutes ago, scotchegg said:

Ah, I think your criterion of superior lighting means ‘placed correctly’. And I think the majority of things on your list do exist in the other sims with the exception of power line reflections.

Sorry, no.

it means "works, represents real life, easy to develop for and not blatantly wrong or missing completely".

It doesn't mean over exaggerated ambient occlusion to make Mario and Luigi blush.

Can you give me an example of when a cold, cloudy windy and rainy day looked "nice" or made for a good photo/screenshot, which seems to be the alt-requirement these days.

54 minutes ago, scotchegg said:

And I think the majority of things on your list do exist in the other sims

The others have something/anything similar to these?

I tried DCS properly the first time the other week, not been that disappointed since I tried the day one demo of Orbx GB South.

Edited October 30, 20214 yr by mSparks

Looking good.

It's like being real hungry, and  having a big steak, and salad in front of you and can't touch it Petrony. Can't wait.!!!!!

When you are happy with what you have anything better will never dissapoint.

1 hour ago, mSparks said:

Can you give me an example of when a cold, cloudy windy and rainy day looked "nice" or made for a good photo/screenshot, which seems to be the alt-requirement these days.

Nonsense. Bad weather often makes for great screenshots. Your cynicism about the market just wanting rainbows probably says more about you than the market.

Not going to play the screenshots game with you either because a) a screenshot of one frame is not a great way to assess lighting in and of a dynamic environment and b) we all know how ‘unique’ your perception of even your own screenshots is. The last comparison you posted of the helicopters was a case in point. I showed that to most of my family and several colleagues and not one thought the XP one looked (or was lit) more real.

Again, I don’t doubt your sincerity for a second, but the framing of your minority opinion of the superiority of XP’s visuals over other sims you aren’t even familiar with as an empirical truth….nah.

10 hours ago, Murmur said:

New dev blog post, with interesting insights and screenshots. Also, looks like they're doing a nice work with the SDK for 3rd parties:

https://developer.x-plane.com/2021/10/free-form-friday-lights-water-frost/

And, for me, this means a LOT....

It's one of the main characteristics of the X-Plane platform - being opened and 3pd-friendly, even if they take time to implement stuff that users and 3pds ask for ... But at least they don't scare them away...

Regarding lighting, and in particular airport lighting specially in the vicinity of urban areas, XP has long been doing a good job comnpared to the competition, and actually the competition made it look even worst than before in it's last iteration. I know they mentioned it in their long TODO list, but as it is right now it's plain ridiculous, specially if you have had the chance to do night flying.

15 minutes ago, jcomm said:

And, for me, this means a LOT....

It's one of the main characteristics of the X-Plane platform - being opened and 3pd-friendly, even if they take time to implement stuff that users and 3pds ask for ... But at least they don't scare them away...

Regarding lighting, and in particular airport lighting specially in the vicinity of urban areas, XP has long been doing a good job comnpared to the competition, and actually the competition made it look even worst than before in it's last iteration. I know they mentioned it in their long TODO list, but as it is right now it's plain ridiculous, specially if you have had the chance to do night flying.

All I care is for those clouds they showed and the lighting , rest is good , just give me a great looking / feeling wx

7 hours ago, scotchegg said:

Nonsense. Bad weather often makes for great screenshots.

for example? (real world not game)

7 hours ago, scotchegg said:

Not going to play the screenshots game

One of the best places to grab real world screenshots is from videos of real world flights.

For example

or

or

xplane 11 does all those great, the others dont look remotely similar to either.

Edited October 30, 20214 yr by mSparks