So there's been a lot of speculation about Prepared v3, but we finally have a confirmed release date of 30th September 2015 and a solid feature list, here's some highlights:

- Cube map render added to system enabling real-time reflections on objects - sunset prettiness on the fuselage!
- Improved memory management reducing overall VAS usage and spikes - It won't stop OOM's but will make then less likely
- Unused terrain detail textures no longer loaded - Part of the improvement in performance and reduced VAS usage.
- Optimised texture unloading during loads
- Optimised particle system by better utilizing GPU and system resources by reducing CPU side work, supporting indirect draw calls, and improving sorting algorithms
- Full avatar support in scenario creation. For example, the avatar can be referenced by other objects and can be given waypoints. - Start at home, drive to the airport, get in your plane and fly. Literally.
- Updated HDR to increase default brightness and enhance colour clarity
- Added modifiable saturation effect to HDR enabling greater customization of visual appearance
- Overall shader optimisations for increased performance
- It still maintains backwards compatibility
- Menu system performance and appearance improved
- Fixed controller/joystick dropping issues with Windows 8.1
- Platform now supports SpeedTree models which are high quality 3D trees, with wind animations and smooth LOD transitions

The full list is at http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningCenter/what_is_new/new_v30.html

The question is, is that enough for you to upgrade? The VAS/OOM improvements sound pretty substantial.

Looks promising!
No discounts however for existing users. Looks like everything will have to be reinstalled too.
Not sure I can quite justify the cost at the moment

Hi all,

I always have a problem with this:

"Prepar3D is not to be used, offered, sold or distributed through markets or channels for use as a personal/consumer entertainment product"

Can I, with all honesty, argue that I am within this category:  "Training, Instruction, Simulation, Learning"

No I cannot!

I have been simming for many years now and I do consider myself as a 'hardcore simmer', I do like to try to simulate flying, planning etc as best as I can.  However; do I consider this as training?  No I do not I have been a lecturer, retired now, for some twenty years and I think I grasp the intention and meaning of Training, instruction, simulation, and learning.  Clearly I will not buy this product until I am legally able to, moreover I do use flight simulation as personal entertainment, for it is my hobby.  I also believe the vast majority of  simmers, like me, hardcore or otherwise, fall into the personal entertainment category too; clearly, we would therefore directly contravene the manufacture's license agreement if we did use their product.

Taking Ben's point about cost etc $200; way outside of this pensioner's purchasing power! 

Cheers
Steve

Lack of PMDG Jetstream 41 support kills P3D for me at the moment; I understand that PMDG have it on their list of things to do, but it's at the bottom. When that happens, I might get an SSD and make the switch.

If you have stable and fluid setup you may as well remain with FSX until some gamechanging feature appears, but unfortunately that's not the case for me; OOMs, endless tweaking to get some decent fluidity and rubbish framerates caused by poor optimisations are starting to get a little tiresome and really put me off flying sometimes.

I was skeptical at first about P3D V3.   Not crazy about the pricing structure.
After seeing FroogleSims latest youtube video about P3d I am won over.   
Significant changes to VAS usage.   Not to mention all the things you can
already do with P3D such as HDR, bloom, etc.   


The labeling P3D as a professional software not for "home use" is complete
rubbish.  This is basically for marketing so that P3D can be can be used in
professional simulators such as Redbird.   It is a certified product  and the time
can be logged per the FAA.


In short, they know simmers are going to buy the product.   
Heck, one simmer in particular Rob A. provided significant feedback.
They also relied on the flight sim community for feedback as well.
So don't sweat the marketing.   


Lucky for me, I never purchased P3D.   So in a few weeks when patches
are released, might finally take the plunge.


B.

Quote from: Bill Ant on Oct 01, 2015 19:13

The labeling P3D as a professional software not for "home use" is complete
rubbish.  This is basically for marketing so that P3D can be can be used in
professional simulators such as Redbird.   It is a certified product  and the time
can be logged per the FAA.

In short, they know simmers are going to buy the product.   
Heck, one simmer in particular Rob A. provided significant feedback.
They also relied on the flight sim community for feedback as well.
So don't sweat the marketing.   

B.

My other VA have only just started allowing P3D to be used.  The management of that VA spent some considerable time in negotiations with the P3D legal team to ensure that there would be no legal repercussions for the VA.  What I can tell is that their legal team take this issue extremely serious, for you to suggest that their terms of use and licensing is 'complete rubbish' is extremely dangerous.  We can only wait to see what happens in the future for this sim but I strongly believe that, that future doesn't include hobbyist flight sim enthusiasts.


Steve

Steve,

Unless I am incorrect, they relied on flight simmers for some of the development?
So I can not stand by their tactic of now trying to intimidate simmers away from the product.   

Anyway, I understand your point that there are dangers, I just do not like how they are marketing this. 


B. 

Quote from: Bill Ant on Oct 02, 2015 18:03
Steve,

Unless I am incorrect, they relied on flight simmers for some of the development?
So I can not stand by their tactic of now trying to intimidate simmers away from the product.   
B.

I too believe that they have, and continue to, use flight sim hobbyists, as beta tester, for the development of their product.   I too dislike their 'marketing strategy'.  I understand why some developers originally stated that they wouldn't support them but then made a 'U'turn - money - pure and simple.  However what I cannot comprehend is; why did our community support a developer that clearly states that we are not wanted?  What should have transpired is that we boycotted them until their policy towards us changed!  We should have kept our money, and not helped them with the development of their product (by becoming beta testers),  that would have made them at the very least think, I'm sure. 

Cheers
Steve

   

In fairness to LM they've had these restrictions placed on them by MS; I think they've taken a deliberately loose interpretation of academic and professional to make it accessible to the core fan base, I suspect they'd say it was for all if they were allowed to. The alternative is they start asking for everyone's credentials and lock most of the fans out.

However, I am concerned they might get stricter when Dovetail release their new sim.

Chris,


I did not know about the restrictions from MS.   My feeling off hand was that they were more concerned with FAA certification.   Still remember talking to a pilot
from a flight school who was snobby about his flight sim trainer "Redbird" being certified.   Even though their is no difference that I know of that makes the handing
of aircraft (flight wise) any better in P3d vs. FSX.   For more realistic flight performance you have to go to X plane.

[/size][size=78%]My assumption is that the FAA does not want to authorize a flight sim that is used by pc pilots.  Its the impression[/size]
not the reality.   


Anyway, good conversation.   Will purchase V3 this winter.   It just looks to good at this point.
Already purchased two A2a aircraft for P3d.


B.

I'm surprised, Bill, you didn't know that MS and LM, agreed that LM would not sell the product to 'hobbyists' at the time they,MS, had MS flight, we know what happened to that,  but clearly that would have been seen to jeopardise the sale of MS's own product.   You might find this of interest:


"Even Lockheed's marketing of Prepar3D to the education market is still in its infancy; don't look for it on Amazon.com, in Apple's iPad app store or on the shelf at Best Buy. It is available only from Lockheed at[prepar3d.com and only to educators, students, pilots and others who can demonstrate it will be used as part of some type of formal educational or air-training program.
Lockheed says it has no plans to go beyond that. One of its main goals, actually, is for Prepar3D to draw high-school and college students into careers in engineering, so they can fill the huge number of jobs that U.S. baby boomers are expected to vacate as they choose to retire in coming years.
"We are not in this to go into the consumer marketplace," said Chester Kennedy, vice president of engineering for Lockheed Martin Global Training & Logistics, the corporation's Orlando-based simulation unit. "That is something we'll leave to Microsoft. Our focus will remain on our core markets: our military customers and other flight-training customers."
Lockheed's effort to sell its flight-sim software to educators makes sense as an "offshoot" of its work in developing military training-simulation systems, said Janet Tinoco, a business professor atEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical Universityin Daytona Beach.
"It's not moving away from defense; it is complementary to what they've done in the past," she said. "But I really don't see Lockheed Martin selling directly to consumers. That does not fit with their overall culture and makeup. They'll stay with a business-to-business approach, which is a better fit for them."
see here for the whole article: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-04-10/business/os-lockheed-retail-flight-simulator-20120410_1_simulation-software-flight-sim-flight-simulator

Chris, I'm sure MS would like to see your interpretation of this matter;  just in case we have forgotten who LM are and what their business actually is click on the link below:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com

Do they look like they would even think about flightsimmers nah I don't think so!  What they are thinking about is growing market that is UAVs and the Military application of the product.  When you say: 'The alternative is they start asking for everyone's credentials and lock most of the fans out'     They would argue the door was never unlocked,  it has never been made available to the general flightsim community (see above article), they should have never bought the product in the first place!  Steve

LM's business is making a seriously delayed and overbudget F35  I agree with everything Steve and Bill have said; of course LM can't be seen to be selling to "entertainment consumers" because their shareholders (and possibly US government and FAA) wouldn't like it. And as pointed out, it could violate their agreement with MS too.

But to continue Steve's analogy, whilst the door isn't unlocked LM have placed the key on a highly-visible hook right next to that door, although they never talk about it. One day they might put that key elsewhere. It's for the individual to decide if they're happy using that key for now.

All this uncertainty isn't healthy for the future of consumer flight simulation or the community; right now there are 3 (FSX, FSX:SE and P3Dv3, or 4 if you include FS9) related platforms that developers are trying to accommodate, then there is the third way in the shape of Xplane 10, and Dovetail's sim in-development too (I think that could be based around MS Flight). FSX is obviously getting creaky but there's no clear upgrade path. To further complicate matters, most of us have a fair bit invested in addon content that we would like to retain the use of in future simulators.

---

For the record I would like to say that until expressly stated otherwise Intercity Airways has no official view on the use of Lockheed Martin's Prepar3d (P3D) software and thus any opinions expressed on that subject are purely personal. Intercity Airways systems may be advertised as compatible with P3D, but that does not infer nor assure that all such usage would be within the scope of P3D's licence agreement; it remains the user's responsibility to ensure they comply with the licence agreement for the version of P3D they are using. Intercity Airways will not enter in to discussion of, nor can it provide advice on, the legalities surrounding use of P3D.

Whilst we are happy for technical aspects and user experience of P3D to be discussed within these forums, we would prefer it if everyone could refrain from further discussing in-depth legal issues surrounding P3D's use. We don't want to come across as draconian and heavy handed because this is a friendly forum for us to discuss our hobby, but I think most viewpoints have already been aired and this is not the place for any legal discussions; there is a risk it will cause tempers to flare and there could be legal implications for the myself and Chris.