Russ White Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Let me start off by stating that although I have purchased many add-ons for FSX in the constant pursuit of flight simulation perfection, no other scenery update comes close to FTX. I even have photo scenery by Horizon simulations for my country (England) and I have to say I find FTX to be far superior. I am at the point now where I don’t even fly outside of the AU BLUE area any more, as I am just too disappointed by what I see out the window! Now comes my question…You guys behind FTX have approached this project from a very logical stand point. That is, to create area specific autogen scenery based on aerial photography of each region. However, to create world coverage in FSX to that level of detail will take dozens and dozens of region pack releases, and with 2 to 3 months between each pack release, that means it will take several years to complete! That is all well and good on it’s own, as I don’t mind waiting for quality, however, Microsoft wont be waiting, and in the time it takes several years to pass by, we will no doubt be seeing Flight Simulator 11 and 12! With their own payware scenery! With technology advancing as fast as it is today, are you guys not going to be overtaken by the continual development of the flight simulator franchise? The problem I can see is that although I love FTX, will I still want to be buying region packs for FSX in 3 years time when I could have flight simulator 12 installed? That would be like someone releasing scenery packs today, for flight simulator 2002! Would just like to hear some thoughts on that Russ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 A logical and well thought out question Russ. Firstly, don't expect to see FS12 in three years' time. FS11 *may* be here by 2010 at the earliest, and Orbx has a close ongoing dialog with ACES and will be aware of the requirements to move FTX to the FS11 platform. At this point, we don't know how complex the move will be, but we don't envisage a dramatic move away from the current Olsen Landclass system which has been in use since FS98 (I think). Of course that's purely speculative but I can assure you the tech we have in FTX will apply to FS11/12 and beyond. We have stated from the outset that the FTX approach is a 5-year project, and yes, we'd love to be able to offer dozens of region packs today to cover many areas of the world, but the reality is that this level of immersion and our committed approach to realistic VFR environments make each region pack a labour of love to produce. Australia will be complete by Sept/Oct this year and we'll also have PNW USA done by year's end. Where the franchise will to move to beyond that is still a matter for some market research. Like any company, Orbx is here to try and make a small profit to allow for expansion, and it will be some time before the revenue we earn from sales begin to pay our bills, perhaps not until half-way through next year. I would simply enjoy FTX with the current FS10 platform today, and rest in the knowledge that you're experiencing the best that the current engine can produce *today*. Nothing is future proof, but Orbx is certainly not going to be a "one version wonder" Hope that answers your question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Great answer John. I and everyone else who has bought your product are behind you 100% and we all know you will not let us down. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Hall Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 I must admit to thinking the same thing, How are these guys gonna get it all done. I'm lucky that I live in AU BLUE 1st cab of the rank so to speak(maybe I should buy a lottery ticket). I think what John has said makes sense,just enjoy what we have now, I am looking forward to Gold and all the FTX releases and as my world expands I Know I will get a realistic representetion of it. Each area is created separately and with love and enthusiasm, thats why it's so much better than the slapped together boring textures of the default FSX stuff. This is early days yet but my gut feeling is that Orbx has set the bar for scenery at a level that has sent the rest of the industry into catchup mode. If and when FS11 arives it will need to be light years ahead of FSX before I will give up what FSX and ORBX and FEX/REX are giving me now. So just enjoy the unveiling and as each new region opens up explore it until the next region comes along. It's pretty great always having another Region (part of the world ) to look forward to, so why rush. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Kman, You missed your chance, someone has already won the 40 million lotto... I am pretty pleased too that for once a top shelf addon has focused on AU first and not just AFTER they have done the world. Its also great to see FTX products pulling people from all over the world to fly in the virtual Australian skies. Cheers, Butch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ White Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 Thanks for taking the time to answer my question John, it is great to hear that you are planning portability to future FS releases! FTX is such a great idea and has been executed so well, that i would hate to see it get left behind, Keep up your fantastic work. One thing that did supprise me in your post John, was that you dont expect to start making a profit until well into next year!! How are you guys coping at the moment? All the best, Russ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Meiklejohn Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 How are you guys coping at the moment? John's seeking donations - his whips are wearing out (it's our calloused backs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilTaylor Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 A logical and well thought out question Russ. Firstly, don't expect to see FS12 in three years' time. FS11 *may* be here by 2010 at the earliest, and Orbx has a close ongoing dialog with ACES and will be aware of the requirements to move FTX to the FS11 platform. At this point, we don't know how complex the move will be, but we don't envisage a dramatic move away from the current Olsen Landclass system which has been in use since FS98 (I think). Of course that's purely speculative but I can assure you the tech we have in FTX will apply to FS11/12 and beyond. We have stated from the outset that the FTX approach is a 5-year project, and yes, we'd love to be able to offer dozens of region packs today to cover many areas of the world, but the reality is that this level of immersion and our committed approach to realistic VFR environments make each region pack a labour of love to produce. Australia will be complete by Sept/Oct this year and we'll also have PNW USA done by year's end. Where the franchise will to move to beyond that is still a matter for some market research. Like any company, Orbx is here to try and make a small profit to allow for expansion, and it will be some time before the revenue we earn from sales begin to pay our bills, perhaps not until half-way through next year. I would simply enjoy FTX with the current FS10 platform today, and rest in the knowledge that you're experiencing the best that the current engine can produce *today*. Nothing is future proof, but Orbx is certainly not going to be a "one version wonder" Hope that answers your question? Let me affirm John's statement here as to timeframes for FS-vNext. The tsinsider web site states that Trains2 is due in 2009. FS11 is after that, and while John's guess of 2010 is not unreasonable how far after I cannot confirm except to say its after. That means FS11 is >18 months out but exactly how far past that is still unannounced. Happpy flying with FTX! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstyles Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Let me affirm John's statement here as to timeframes for FS-vNext. The tsinsider web site states that Trains2 is due in 2009. FS11 is after that, and while John's guess of 2010 is not unreasonable how far after I cannot confirm except to say its after. That means FS11 is >18 months out but exactly how far past that is still unannounced. Happpy flying with FTX! Gosh that's a long way off! If 2010 is the earliest can we expect FS11 to significantly raise the bar as far as visuals go? It seems that FSX promised that with DX10 but didn't really deliver (I'm taking about the fabled DX10 screenshot on the MS site). If Intel's Larabee turns out to be a big deal (i.e. real-time ray tracing), it would be a shame if FS11 missed the boat and we had to wait for FS12 to utilise such a big improvement in graphics. I'm hoping that FS11 team (core engine team?) is at least considering how to leverage such a radical advance as real time ray tracing. FSX supports both DX9 and DX10 render paths. Surely the FS11 core could support a ray traced render path (DX11?) as well as DX9 and DX10? BTW I really love FSX and FTX. Looking forward to TS2 and of course FS11 ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstyles Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 A logical and well thought out question Russ. Firstly, don't expect to see FS12 in three years' time. FS11 *may* be here by 2010 at the earliest, and Orbx has a close ongoing dialog with ACES and will be aware of the requirements to move FTX to the FS11 platform. At this point, we don't know how complex the move will be, but we don't envisage a dramatic move away from the current Olsen Landclass system which has been in use since FS98 (I think). Of course that's purely speculative but I can assure you the tech we have in FTX will apply to FS11/12 and beyond. We have stated from the outset that the FTX approach is a 5-year project, and yes, we'd love to be able to offer dozens of region packs today to cover many areas of the world, but the reality is that this level of immersion and our committed approach to realistic VFR environments make each region pack a labour of love to produce. Australia will be complete by Sept/Oct this year and we'll also have PNW USA done by year's end. Where the franchise will to move to beyond that is still a matter for some market research. Like any company, Orbx is here to try and make a small profit to allow for expansion, and it will be some time before the revenue we earn from sales begin to pay our bills, perhaps not until half-way through next year. I would simply enjoy FTX with the current FS10 platform today, and rest in the knowledge that you're experiencing the best that the current engine can produce *today*. Nothing is future proof, but Orbx is certainly not going to be a "one version wonder" Hope that answers your question? It's great that Phil Taylor frequents these forums. I think it show's that ACES realise FTX is a "best of breed" product for FSX. You must have big wish list for things you would like to seen FS11 regarding scenery development for example, * smaller autogen buildings (i think the houses are still too tall, apparently the height is a function of building area?) * smaller land class tiles * land class polygons that "blend" at the edges, like the way landclass tiles do. That you could define precisely shaped towns, parks etc that do not have the sharp edges that you see with FSX landclass polys. It would seem you could really influence ACES with regard to FS11. Also, if you release a FTX for TS2. I certainly will buy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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