Project A

[NoLonger]

4 hours ago, caaront said:

This will be my hop in and fly vfr, low and slow or fast. I cannot wait to get it going, most likely early afternoon tomorrow.

 

Sometimes I care less about systems, I just want to fly, with pretty stuff to see, and smoothness, and I am positive this will fit the bill.

 

 

Well, it's funny: I expected this to be my low and slow sim, because of the kind of scenery and because the planes are quite simple so GA planes, being 'simple' in real life too, come closer to a real life experience than one of the airliners, which are all pretty basic and obviously miss more functionality. But I've been flying the Airbus almost exclusively...! Even though its systems are basic and (I have to say) sometimes wrong, I figured out how to handle it and it has managed modes (including automated speeds, etc.) and the basics I need to fly it. But I also found the scenery shines at higher altitudes (where the total lack of 3D stuff can't really be noticed). Besides, I never ever in my life experienced an Airbus with such smoothness. Obviously because the systems are basic but it no matter what, all the Airbusses I've flown in other sims gave me flights that were lacking smoothness. I simply LOVE being able to fly an Airbus with utterly smooth performance now! The last days my cruising altitude has come down to a not too realistic FL100 to FL150 because at that altitude I can see the mountains better... seeing them pass by smooooooooooothly is so great...!!! Somehow thanks to the smoothness and of course the photoreal everything seems quite realistic. (Well, until I have to land... I just can't get used to those flat cities... I try to avoid flying over big cities.)

 

Anyway, I also love the 'hop in' aspect of AFS2: you are flying within seconds. Awesome. Changing planes or location or whatever setting is also done in no time. Such a relief. I am of course curious to see what will happen to the speed of AFS2 when deeper systems are being added and more complex scenery. What I am MOST curious about is where the first Orbx 100 GB region will be located... 

[HiFlyer]

8 hours ago, John Venema said:

I use a bluetooth Xbox One controller which has 14 assignable buttons. I program it to do everything I need to do including flaps, throttle, pedals, trim, change time of day, undercarriage, camera views etc and this allows me to stay inside VR the entire time. The AFS2 menus are already mapped to the Xbox One Select, D-pad and A buttons so even changing location, weather, aircraft, settings, is all done without leaving VR.

 

It's definitely one of the most well thought out VR interfaces.

 

Now see, I was actually afraid to mention the Xbox controller because to some that just screams "game" and is kind of sacrilegious in flight sims. 

 

[DesertPilot]

2 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

Now see, I was actually afraid to mention the Xbox controller because to some that just screams "game" and is kind of sacrilegious in flight sims. 

 

The XBox controller is also my primary flight controller, mostly for comfort and convenience.   Along with a Saitek throttle quadrant.

 

[Jack Sawyer]

On 1/9/2017 at 4:17 AM, Ken Hall said:

that should work ok Jack maybe get a 1080 but not necessary.

Hi Ken.  I have been following this thread for a long time.  Perhaps you can answer a question I have.

If you're wearing the Rift or whatever VR system you have is it possible to use, by feel, sight unseen, the Saitek yoke and throttle?  I get the feeling when reading these posts that when you're in VR you do not have access to hardware?  I'm confused.  I'd like to try this and maybe get a VR.

[John Venema]

3 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

 

Now see, I was actually afraid to mention the Xbox controller because to some that just screams "game" and is kind of sacrilegious in flight sims. 

 

 

The P3D development team uses Xbox One controllers, as did the Microsoft team and I know many other devs do. There is nothing to be embarrassed about it - you have 14 assignable buttons and two analog sticks, just about the perfect controller for FS development (slew mode has its own map for instance, makes it a breeze to move with cm accuracy over scenery).  Add wireless bluetooth and once you learn the buttons, you never need to take the VR headset off again.

[pipeorgan]

Yes get a rift, you will not be dissipointed  provided your pc is up to it.

 

Using AeroflyFS2 in VR will actually feel like a different sim compared to using it with a desktop screen There is really no comparison except that the menus interface is the same.The main difference with the rift is that you are very much part of the scene looking out whereas with a desk top screen you are out of the scene looking in. I fly a small ga aircraft in real life and am amazed with the feeling in VR, everything appears real size and so true it actually feels real.

 

What is astonishing is the quality of the aircrafts and cockpits, some of the textures are so breathtaking you can actually feel them. All this is with default aircraft remember so we are in for a real treat when other aircraft  developers and Orbx join in to make the VR world as real as possible.

 

I could write pages on the joys of flying in VR except to say wow this is something else, it really has to be experienced to be believed:)

 

 

[BaronKen]

I use an Xbox One controller, and it works great... no reason not to consider it.

[caaront]

Woo Hoo! It's finally at 80% and saying it needs 3.8 hours to finish, nope 14.5 hours, oh 8.7 hours, okay, now it's back to 3 hours, no, now it needs 5 hours...

 

Going to go eat and do laundry.

 

It will be worth the wait, lol.

[NoLonger]

40 minutes ago, caaront said:

Woo Hoo! It's finally at 80% and saying it needs 3.8 hours to finish, nope 14.5 hours, oh 8.7 hours, okay, now it's back to 3 hours, no, now it needs 5 hours...

 

Going to go eat and do laundry.

 

It will be worth the wait, lol.

 

LOL

[NoLonger]

1 hour ago, pipeorgan said:

Yes get a rift, you will not be dissipointed  provided your pc is up to it.

 

Using AeroflyFS2 in VR will actually feel like a different sim compared to using it with a desktop screen There is really no comparison except that the menus interface is the same.The main difference with the rift is that you are very much part of the scene looking out whereas with a desk top screen you are out of the scene looking in. I fly a small ga aircraft in real life and am amazed with the feeling in VR, everything appears real size and so true it actually feels real.

 

What is astonishing is the quality of the aircrafts and cockpits, some of the textures are so breathtaking you can actually feel them. All this is with default aircraft remember so we are in for a real treat when other aircraft  developers and Orbx join in to make the VR world as real as possible.

 

I could write pages on the joys of flying in VR except to say wow this is something else, it really has to be experienced to be believed:)

 

 

 

You are making it very hard NOT to buy a Rift now... My current PC however is only just keeping the fps at 120 in certain circumstances... I think I need a new GPU first (I have a GTX780 now) but a 1080 costs as much as the Rift does... First world problems.

[Ken Hall]

4 hours ago, Jack Sawyer said:

Hi Ken.  I have been following this thread for a long time.  Perhaps you can answer a question I have.

If you're wearing the Rift or whatever VR system you have is it possible to use, by feel, sight unseen, the Saitek yoke and throttle?  I get the feeling when reading these posts that when you're in VR you do not have access to hardware?  I'm confused.  I'd like to try this and maybe get a VR.

Flying VR you only need set up essential controls, I use flaps landing gear trim and i know where these buttons are on my joystick no need to jump our to look at the keyboard, you can program as many functions as you can remember but I keep it simple, I fly mostly short 30 min flights as VR is quite taxing, your brain will work harder than you think, reminds me of when I was learning to fly, an hour of ccts practicing landings and my brain was fried. But hell this is what we want ,RIGHT, to feel all the pressure of flying an aircraft, on the plus side, your landings will improve as having a 3D view to judge things is how it should be.

cheers

Ken

[pipeorgan]

1 hour ago, J van E said:

 

You are making it very hard NOT to buy a Rift now... My current PC however is only just keeping the fps at 120 in certain circumstances... I think I need a new GPU first (I have a GTX780 now) but a 1080 costs as much as the Rift does... First world problems.

 

Yes the problem is always cash but with a 1080, which I would very much like myself, the rift with AerofltFF2 would rock and roll

 

 I very much hope that you will find a way as your always very interesting and informative posts will then be taken to  another level

 

 

[caaront]

Well, I love it, but on a 55" HDTV screen the AA is a little wavy, but figure a 24" monitor, even at 1080 will look very good.

[HiFlyer]

1 hour ago, caaront said:

Well, I love it, but on a 55" HDTV screen the AA is a little wavy, but figure a 24" monitor, even at 1080 will look very good.

 

You'll find that Nvidia control panel AA settings work well. I suggest Using "enhance the application setting" with 4X for starters.

[caaront]

Will try, thanks.

[Jon Clarke]

Would one of you kindly consider giving, not lending, me about £2000 please so I can join in the fun. I will need a 4K monitor, a 1080 GPU, and a VR set please. I will of course buy my own XBox controller !

Many thanks

[NoLonger]

10 hours ago, pipeorgan said:

 

 I very much hope that you will find a way as your always very interesting and informative posts will then be taken to  another level

 

 

 

Haha, thank you. We'll see... 

 

58 minutes ago, jjaycee1 said:

Would one of you kindly consider giving, not lending, me about £2000 please so I can join in the fun. I will need a 4K monitor, a 1080 GPU, and a VR set please. I will of course buy my own XBox controller !

Many thanks

 

Whenever I win the lottery I will send you a PM.  However, if you really want to go the VR way you don't need a 4K monitor (you will be using the Rift all the time) and the Rift comes with an XBox controller already...  

[Jon Clarke]

Thanks JvE, your info has saved me the cost of a XBox controller. Now I am on a roll !!

 So the "giving" amount has decreased by several hundreds of ££££s. Maybe that will encourage more potential donors 

[aero-3fsx]

1 hour ago, jjaycee1 said:

Would one of you kindly consider giving, not lending, me about £2000 please so I can join in the fun. I will need a 4K monitor, a 1080 GPU, and a VR set please. I will of course buy my own XBox controller !

Many thanks

I am sure Mark Zuckerberg would love the publicity of giving away an Oculus Rift to a flight sim enthusiast

Just take this article into consideration so you can minimise surveillance

http://www.roadtovr.com/virtual-reality-augmented-reality-privacy-policies-voices-of-vr-sarah-downey/

[caaront]

I am loving Aerofly FS 2, and got motivated to go buy a 27" monitor (1080p, I am poor guys, LOL) because I was beginning to wonder if the details would be clearer on it up close than they they are on a 55"HDTV up close.

 

(Please don't say I should have gotten a 4K monitor, I know they remove the need for AA settings and such, but I have a GTX 670 GPU, and would have not been happy quite yet.

 

I want to have the rift one day also, but for either direction I do not have the funds, and will not for some time.

 

A new GPU, a new 4K monitor, then the rift cost, it is impossible to even think of 4K or VR right now.)

 

They are, it was a good buy, I just need to get used to seeing things smaller now.

 

But there are already benefits, some huge.

 

I miss the large size VC, but also realized though that sitting 2'-3' away from the 55" screen was messing with my eyes, and the smaller screen looks more detailed and crisp.

 

Aerofly FS 2, P3D, and X-plane all look great, there is still some waviness from AA and such but it is much less pronounced.

 

My biggest plus right now is that I am finally using Track IR 5 like it was meant to be used.

 

To use it properly the T-IR camera needs to be slightly above you head/hat with track clip, but I have had it 2' above my head 2'-3' feet away.

 

That caused it to be very wacky at times, including not zooming straight in or out as you moved forward and backward, it would go wonky, it was the same for tilting you head to the side, etc...

 

Well, it is perfectly set up now and when centered it stays there and all movements are nice and the way they should be.

 

The greatest plus, later on is after the wife and I get a new place we will have the TV free to watch, and will be able to use it on our new cabinet/stand/fireplace.

[Darryl Wightman]

I can vouch for the quality of the VC when using a UHD 4K monitor (Acer CB280HK) with an nVidia 970. Compared to the best I have with P3D or FSX the gauges are as clear as I have ever seen in a sim. Even these aging eyes can see the numbers!

[caaront]

This is my go to VFR sim right now, and I fly 99.999% VFR flights.

 

I will still get FTX Lowi on day for for P3D.

[HiFlyer]

To J van E: You might consider posting your tutorial somewhere on this forum as well.

[caaront]

I am excited by this sim, more than any other, I can hardly wait to experience FTX in it.

[NoLonger]

3 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

To J van E: You might consider posting your tutorial somewhere on this forum as well.

 

 

Done!

 

[caaront]

I can't wait to post shots and videos of AF FS 2

[wolfko]

 

Thanks guys for your replies and advice re. controllers. 

[Speedbird 48]

Very nice! Shame project X was cancelled

[HiFlyer]

13 days since I ordered my prescription VR lenses from VRLenslabs and it still just says "processing" 

 

10 more looooooong, slow days, I will give them before I start considering making some international calls! 

[Eric McFarlin]

What Iam curious about is, if Project A is supposed to support 64 bit, Is the current Project A that staff members are downloading in 64 bit ?  Is it for XPlane as I believe that is the only platform that is in beta or marketing a 64 bit platform ? P3d hasn't yet however their SDK has been released to developers. 

Amazing screenshots by the way.  I'm looking for more realistic building for my sim. However not looking forward to the added cost of either buying new scenery or upgrade pricing to get to 64 bit.....

[HiFlyer]

Aerofly FS 2, also known as Project A, is completely 64bit. 

[wolfko]

44 minutes ago, Eric McFarlin said:

What Iam curious about is, if Project A is supposed to support 64 bit, Is the current Project A that staff members are downloading in 64 bit ?  Is it for XPlane as I believe that is the only platform that is in beta or marketing a 64 bit platform ? P3d hasn't yet however their SDK has been released to developers. 

Amazing screenshots by the way.  I'm looking for more realistic building for my sim. However not looking forward to the added cost of either buying new scenery or upgrade pricing to get to 64 bit.....

 

 

Have you read just one single post in this topic before posting? This reeks of trolling! 

[HiFlyer]

ipacs aerofly  [developer] 1 hour ago

 

[Official] Aerofly FS 2 further roadmap 2017

 

Dear Aerofly users,

As we begin to move into more of the advanced features,
that you are all looking forward to, we wanted to give you
an insight to what you can expect in the coming months.

We can assure you that we are quite busy here at IPACS studio,
working on some new exciting big features that are going to
take some time to get just right for you, so please be patient.

One of those new features is of course ATC, probably the most asked
feature so far. To understand why we need time for this,
please keep in mind that we want to do it right and that it
is also a very complex thing to implement, to say the least.
Due to the complexity of this topic we will split it up into
different sub projects. If possible we will try to let you
have a sneak preview on ATC, whenever we reach a milestone
that can be published without breaking any existing program
functionality. So stay tuned, we will keep you updated on ATC
as development progresses.

But don't worry, expect to see some smaller updates and new
and free content as well soon, like new airplanes, more regions
and of course more features.

We will also publish a new version of our SDK, that allows you
to create your own liveries for our stock aircraft. Anybody
with a good drawing program can then create her/his own repaint.

We thank you for your continued support while we work hard
to raise the bar for Aerofly FS 2 in 2017.

[Scott Harmes]

Sounds great!  Now I just need to clear some space, as my FSX/P3D/Aerofly FS2 HDD is nearly full .

 

Cheers,

[HiFlyer]

Aerofly FS 2 Update Version 2.0.1EA3.76

 

Community Announcements - ipacs Aerofly

 

Dear Aerofly users, 

After a longer break, here is another update. The main news is, that you may now use our freely available SDK for creating new liveries for the stock airplanes. We will add more templates in the future, for now you may create new liveries for the C172, B747, C90GTx, Learjet and the Pitts.

To get the SDK just register at this website:
https://www.aerofly.com/aerofly_fs_2/sdk/

 

Registration is free, all we require is a valid Email address so we can inform you when new a new update is out.

2017-02-10

• Improved interior textures for C90GTx and Learjet 45 
• Improved Learjet 45 displays and functionality
• Added Learjet 45 system pages
• Added an option to broadcast current flight position over LAN or Internet so it can be received by compatible apps like ForeFlight, iFlightPlaner and Sky Demon
• Improved HUD can be activated in any view and displays more values and 5 degree ticks for horizon and pitch
• Fixed Saitek panels show blanks for values that are not available in the current aircraft and therefore cannot be changed
• Added new functionality to the SDK. You may now create your own liveries for the C172, B747, C90GTx, LJ45 and the Pitts. More airplanes will be added in the future.

[HiFlyer]

Just a heads up: In regards to navigation apps, many seem to require fairly expensive subscriptions, or are iOS only. One free one that does work well with Aerofly is https://apps4av.com/avare-overview/

 

Be aware that AVARE requires a secondary app AVARE External i/o plugin to work correctly with your tablet, but once up and running seems to work well, and as advertised, Just tell it to look for X-Plane 10. If you don't already have one of the other suggested apps, this might be a way to go: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apps4av.avarehelper&hl=en

 

 

[raymar99]

An exhaustive and extensive review of Aerofly FS 2 was posted at Avsim.com, Saturday, February 18, 2017.  This is probably the most up-to-date information and screenshots available in one place.

 

You can read it here.

 

http://www.avsim.com/index.php/_/reviews/aircraft/review-aerofly-fs2-flight-simulator-r4002

[wolfko]

2 hours ago, raymar99 said:

An exhaustive and extensive review of Aerofly FS 2 was posted at Avsim.com, Saturday, February 18, 2017.  This is probably the most up-to-date information and screenshots available in one place.

 

You can read it here.

 

http://www.avsim.com/index.php/_/reviews/aircraft/review-aerofly-fs2-flight-simulator-r4002

 

Thanks a lot for this extensive review Ray! I assume Ray Marshall is aka raymar99. If not, many thanks for the heads up and the link anyway. 

 

[raymar99]

Thanks Wolfgang,

Yep, I'm the guy.  Thanks for taking the time to make the post.

 

Regards,

Ray

[BradB]

I just did my first flight in Aerofly FS2 last night , maybe not visually as impressive as P3D with Orbx scenery ; but the lighting was excellent along with the flight characteristics . It is great to see this new FS come to market .

 

 

Cheers

 

John