announcement Netherlands TrueEarth for FSX and P3Dv1,2,3 delayed indefinitely

[John Venema]

Hello all,

 

After much effort to try and minimise OOMs with the Netherlands TrueEarth product running on 32-bit FSX and P3Dv1,2,3 we have decided to put the release on hold for now and instead focus on the AFS2 and XP11 versions.

 

Whilst Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Hague run fine on default GA aircraft, once you add any complex GA and airliners to the mix the memory management can't cope with the number of objects to display, even after we reduced the large cities substantially.

 

We have not yet abandoned all hope, but we don't want to waste too much resources on what is proving to be a difficult problem to overcome. For users of FSX and P3D 32-bit, please accept my apologies for this; we have to re-think the design process for 4GB addressable (3GB useable) memory platforms before we commit to making TrueEarth series available for them.

 

We would encourage customers to seriously consider the transition to a 64-bit platform which the majority of our users have already done.

 

Please note we still intend to provide 32-bit support for all future airport releases where they are released for FSX/P3D initially.

[Dadtom65]

Thank you John for letting everybody know about this and perhaps it will help people as you say to make the final choice to go to a 64 bit flight sim system. I’m glad I did in the end and yes I know we all love FSX and people can still use it as they will. Derek.

[kilby]

Thank you for letting us know.

[Sundancer]

Unfortunately...but understandable.....

-Fred-

[gregmorin]

Very understandable!

 

Greg

[DTH]

Even tho I'm an AFS2 (VR) user and this is good news for me but I hope that users that have 32s are able to upgrade their systems and/or that ORBXwill someday will be able to build true earth for them.

[Kim Sibbritt]

Very sad to hear.

I have purchased every single product that Orbx has produced,but it seems this might be the first nail in the coffin for FSX.
I have spent a huge amount over the years on my FSX,plus all the fixes & corrections to get it running smoothly, & simply cant afford to start all over again with a new sim.

It seems inevitable all scenery makers will stop making product for FSX & the old P3D eventually.
I understand they need to sell to the greatest market.

Just wish I'd gotten into flightsiming later,& never started with FSX.

Kim.

 

[bvdboomen]

1 hour ago, Sibbritt said:

I have spent a huge amount over the years on my FSX,plus all the fixes & corrections to get it running smoothly, & simply cant afford to start all over again with a new sim.

This was always my thought too and I could not see me spending so much time to get again what I've had in FSX.

 

But finally, last december I just did it and rebuilt a new simming environment on my old FSX computer. It ran remarkably well. Then I took the plunge and bought an new rig to get the full potential of p3d 64-bit. You cannot fly all the planes and scenery at once so building a new sim is a process which slowly evolves. I still have planes and scenery not installed yet because I'm not done yet with what I've installed.

 

I agree with you that it's a lot of work but it's worth it.

 

[Sante Sottile]

To be honest, I don't think there's any reason to stay on a 32-bit platform. 64-bit is the future and I agree, the resources required to make complex products work in older platforms, isn't worth it. 

 

Thanks for the awesome products!

[ThePilot777]

4 hours ago, John Venema said:

For users of FSX and P3D 32-bit, please accept my apologies for this

 Accepted

[Sundancer]

59 minutes ago, Tino said:

To be honest, I don't think there's any reason to stay on a 32-bit platform. 64-bit is the future and I agree, the resources required to make complex products work in older platforms, isn't worth it. 

 

Thanks for the awesome products!

 

Hello Tino,

 

Indeed, a 64-bit simulator is the future, but the reasons for staying at a 32-bit may be many.

There are many enthousiastic flightsimmers who spent years and years to setup a smooth running FSX environment with lots of good working add-ons without OOM's, but simply don't have the energy to start again building a 64-bit simulator....... I am one of them!

 

Am I too old to migrate to 64-bit.....don't know, maybe....maybe not.

Do I enjoy my FSX sim......absolute YES

Am I complaining about NL TE not available for FSX.....NO

Do I have the time, energy and the inspiration to start again.....NO, definitively NOT.

 

That might be SOME valid reasons to stick to good old FSX.

 

I can understand the motivation to put the development to hold, no problem at all.....there is still so much to explore in FSX with all the beautiful sceneries not beeing TE.

Thanks Orbx for continuation the regular development dedicated for FSX as well.

 

Best regards Fred

[NoLonger]

3 hours ago, Sibbritt said:

simply cant afford to start all over again with a new sim.

 

Well, you don't have to start ALL over again, you know. All your Orbx addons can be upgraded to P3D v4 for free. A lot of planes will also work for free. So will quite a few enhancement products. So you don't have to start from scratch again! Yes, it will cost money but not as much as you have spend up to now on FSX. I am sure you also own a lot of addons you don't even use anymore: no need to update those too.

 

2 minutes ago, Sundancer said:

simply don't have the energy to start again building a 64-bit simulator

 

Well, you make it sound as if it is a huge undertaking... Imho it's not. It's more or less like doing a reinstall of FSX. You just have to get used to some new options and to the fact that tweaks aren't needed anymore. And that things look a lot better. You may have to download new installers for various addons and pay some upgrade fees (or in some cases by the addon all over again... yeah, shame on them...) but you'd also have to do that for an FSX reinstall.

 

Anyway, I am happy the focus or Orbx will now be on the Aerofly (and XP) versions of TrueEarth!!!

[John Venema]

If you do intend to move to P3Dv4 please don’t delete your installation FSX and the installed Orbx products. Once P3Dv4 is installed, FTX Central will automatically copy all your Orbx addons from your FSX directory and only download the extra files needed fo P3Dv4. This will save hundreds of hours of downloading.

[POM]

Just to put things into perspective:

Roughly the same time has passed since the FS95 release to FSX release as from the FSX release to today.

(looking at it it was 10 years from 95 to FSX and almost 12 from FSX to today...)

Do you realize just how far the sim was being pushed? What did you expect to happen? That you will buy one sim and than play it  for life while getting better and better addons? This is software, FSX is ancient and the things developers like ORBX did with it are beyond impressive, but there is just no way it can keep up wit more modern sims.

Imagine if someone was complaining in 2006 that FSX addons would not work in this sim 

Ridiculous, right?

[JimNZ]

Would it be worth completing the 64bit version anyway. I presume not but not being a computer buff in any way shape or form thought I'd ask anyway.

Thanks JV, I'll be looking forward to AFS2.

Regards Jim.

[styckx]

It was bound to come to this at some point.

 

How much do you sacrifice before the vision of what you intended the product to be becomes so overly neutered it might as well be a different product entirely.    Kudos to John for realizing this despite the risk of some flack..  Those who might get mad.. You would've been more mad if John decided to push out an inferior product but marketed the same (or similarly) as the more superior product.. 

 

Seriously.. It took a lot of balls to admit this and delay the product.. John just earned a boat load more respect in my book for manning up and admitting to that they hit a wall..  There are a lot of developers who would have put sales before just being honest and shoved the product out anyway..   You don't see this often in the `gaming world'... Much credit to John for being transparent. 

[Christopher Low]

I still use P3D v3.4 at the moment, but I feel that "cut down" versions of TrueEarth products for 32bit flight simulators are a waste of time and resources. When I decide that the time is right to start purchasing TrueEarth scenery packages, I will be upgrading to the 64bit version of P3D.

[NoLonger]

10 hours ago, JimNZ said:

Would it be worth completing the 64bit version anyway. I presume not but not being a computer buff in any way shape or form thought I'd ask anyway.

Thanks JV, I'll be looking forward to AFS2.

Regards Jim.

 

You can't create a 64bit version for a 32bit sim. It's not a matter of it being worth it or not: it's simply impossible. For now TrueEarth will be a 64bit only addon so it will only work (or be made to work) with 64bit sims (P3D v4, XP11, AFS2).

 

BTW Imho it is nice of John to not abandon all hope but I think it would be wiser to simply say it won't happen. It would be a waste of resources. There always is a limit to supporting old software when new software is available and I think we have reached that limit now. (Well, as far as TrueEarth is concerned, of course. Landclass regions and airport addons will still be made for FSX and 32 bit P3D versions.) You can't progress into the future without leaving (some of the) past behind.

[Nick Cooper]

Hello,

this product is not "64 bit" neither is it "32 bit", scenery is scenery and subject to 

certain conditions works in FSX and across all four versions of P3D.

The problem is as explained above:

 

Quote

OOMs with the Netherlands TrueEarth product running on 32-bit FSX and P3Dv1,2,3

 

[kevinfirth]

20 hours ago, John Venema said:

After much effort to try and minimise OOMs with the Netherlands TrueEarth product running on 32-bit FSX and P3Dv1,2,3 we have decided to put the release on hold for now and instead focus on the AFS2 and XP11 versions.

Whilst technically FSX and early P3D versions can still display the same autogen, they simply weren't designed to accommodate something this extensive on anything above very localised areas within the addressable memory space.  This is a fair call by Orbx, can't say they haven't tried, but as JV says now is the time to switch to v4 if you haven't already

[John Hargreaves]

For those worried about starting from scratch with 64bit sims, it's not such a big deal, as most of the things that you had to faff around with to get good performance (OOMs etc) just work right out of the box. Newer graphics engines make use of newer processors and GPUs, so multithreading etc gives better performance anyway, so all that time spent squeezing an extra 1.5fps isn't necessary.

I left FSX behind over a year ago, and it's quite liberating to make a fresh start; you can build up your collection of planes and scenery gradually and you get to try out new stuff all the time. I fondly remember some of the FSX planes and scenery combinations I had, but when you fly over Monterey Bay in VR in AFS2, you soon get over it.

[Benny]

18 hours ago, Sundancer said:

Am I too old to migrate to 64-bit.....don't know, maybe....maybe not.

Do I enjoy my FSX sim......absolute YES

Am I complaining about NL TE not available for FSX.....NO

Do I have the time, energy and the inspiration to start again.....NO, definitively NOT.

 

Hi Fred, if you want to upgrade for something simple, I mean easy to use, try AF2. It will run smooth on almost any rig. You just need a decent GPU.

It's the perfect solution for just having a blast and forget about OOM and lag. Just fly.

 

Ben

[Secret Sphere]

What a terrible thread. Full of people NOT using FSX or P3Dv.3 trying to force us off our fully working Sims.

 

[Nick Cooper]

Hello,

I have read the topic again, at its core is the announcement that the 32 bit

versions of FSX and P3D cannot be made to accommodate the Netherlands product.

I see nothing but helpful suggestions for customers who might nevertheless wish to

enjoy this product.

These forums are intolerant of comparative criticism of anything.

There is none here.

[Sundancer]

5 hours ago, Benny said:

 

Hi Fred, if you want to upgrade for something simple, I mean easy to use, try AF2. It will run smooth on almost any rig. You just need a decent GPU.

It's the perfect solution for just having a blast and forget about OOM and lag. Just fly.

 

Ben

 

Hi Ben

Thanks for your response, I will PM you soon....

-Fred-

[John Venema]

We’re getting 120FPS in the major cities in the current build of Netherlands TrueEarth for AFS2  

[anfield ace]

John, I take it this goes for True Earth England as well?

[John Venema]

Too early too tell regarding England, we have not begun work on that for P3D yet, we are focusing on the XP11 version at the moment.

[Benny]

18 hours ago, John Venema said:

We’re getting 120FPS in the major cities in the current build of Netherlands TrueEarth for AFS2  

 

I can't wait... didn't buy it for V4 but will for AF2

[Benny]

On 5/23/2018 at 9:29 AM, Secret Sphere said:

What a terrible thread. Full of people NOT using FSX or P3Dv.3 trying to force us off our fully working Sims.

 

 

Hi, no one is pushing no one. We are as a community trying to find solutions for folks with older rig or other that are scarred to move to a new sim.

And trust me I was one of them last year, I was a faithful FSX box simmer,. but life is life and a lot of folks are tired of OOM so the move to a 64 bit platform with be mandatory with time.

 

For now there is 3 big players, V4, Xplane and AF2.

 

They are all good but different, but the most advance graphic engine is AF2, it is the smoothest by far. It's easy to set and there is NO complex setting or adjustment.

 

No it won't please some hardcore simmer (for now) but it's a tron of fun for a ridiculous price (with even all DLC).

 

Remember that not all have a high end rig or/and love to multiple adjustment that V4 and Xplane offer. It's just another sim platform.

 

So yes it's normal to share something that you like and involve ORBX.

If they had a trial, they would sell way more. 

 

Have a good day

Ben 

[DTH]

I love and fly AF2 in VR but they are just starting out and there is not very much DLC out there.  I have looked at others.  They seem to take a long time to load AF2 does not.  The last few days I have been looking over the FSX and a second sim to have.  It has a lot of DLC in Steam. and a lot of free and payware here on this site.  The sim is old but it still runs and with fly inside I can still fly inside VR.  So those that love it use it and do not give up on it.  I read a post some time ago I do not remember on what board but it was said that most people have more than one sim.  I have only been around less then a mouth and have a lot to learn  But I do agree you can never have too many on something that you love. 

 

[NoLonger]

3 hours ago, DTH said:

So those that love it use it and do not give up on it. 

 

Those people also don't give up on it because they have hundreds if not thousands of dollars invested in it. If you are just starting out I think going for FSX is a very bad choice... Every dime you spend on it is money thrown away imho. You'd better invest in P3D (or XP) because they have a brighter future, even though they (specially P3D) are based on old tech. And if you don't do it for the money do it for all the hassle that switching from FSX to P3D will bring you. Because FSX is going down faster and faster and you will switch one day anyway.

[Nick Cooper]

Not far from your post is a complaint that there is negative comparison in this topic.

So far, there has been none, now there is.

Thanks to the contributors.