Dovetails Flight School

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

So what do you think about Dovetails new simulator Flight School? We are eager to learn what you make of it.

[pmb 139]

According to official Dovetail statements, DFs is explicitly not for most of those around on the Aerosoft forums being used to fly other simulators like FSX/Prepar3d/X-Plane. This said, neither me nor you  are in the target group, but perhaps the 1 % absolute beginners around here.

 

I bought it for two reasons: First, as I was curious to get a preview onto the DT full simulator due at the end of this year. Second, to support a new approach into flight simulation.

 

Franky said, I found it a real disappointment. I can live with the limited number of planes and being only GA (I mostly fly GA anyway), I can live with missing systems for now (no dark and cold start), and can live with my Saitek panels not being supported. I am pretty sure these will be added to the full simulator. However, the disappointment is with the graphics. Don't beginners deserve a nice view out of the cockpit? Colors are horrible, cockpit shadows antialiasing is terrible and the scenery with airports cut out of the surrounding looks bad as well. I know this is FSX inheritance of the landclass approach which P3D sports as well, however both  have enough hand-crafter scenery available to enjoy. However, a new simulator started in 2016 should have definitely deserved something better - even more if it's made to fascinate beginners! 

 

Contrary to the elements named above and in view of the amount of work ahead of Dovetail, I am afraid, they will consider the base rendering engine essentially done -  I still don't hope so.

 

I bought this in parallel with AeroflyFS2. Given this is an Early Access title, it's all but ready, too. It lacks autogen or OSM based buildings, AI planes, Saitek panels support etc. However, this is an alternative approach, and I think IPACS has done a very good job of laying the base. I just can enjoy the view out of the cockpit, which, in my opinion, looks much closer to the real thing than in DFs.

 

As far as I know IPACS is going to have a SDK ready soon and will approach 3rd party developers. You can certainly count on me should it come to buy Aerosoft made AeroflyFS2 addons. There's a whole European world waiting to be conquered.

 

Kind regards, Michael

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

We are talking to IPACS, it is indeed a very promising platform.

[PatrickZ 300]

Looking at Dovetails Flight School it somehow reminds me of Microsoft Flight. That was by far not the success they hoped for, and I think Flight School is going to suffer the same fate. It's just not it.

[pmb 139]

Patrick, this argument has something, although DFs has the whole world covered (at least more or less) while one of the main issues with MS Flight was the limited initial region. On the other hand, while I didn't log many hours in MS Flight, I recall I found it graphically more appealing and balanced than Flight School. And this was 4 years ago...

 

Kind regards, Michael

[Griffin78 116]

7 hours ago, Mathijs Kok said:

So what do you think about Dovetails new simulator Flight School? We are eager to learn what you make of it.

 

I haven't tried it myself yet. It is very limited but that has always been the plan and they have been very open about it so I don't think it is something one can complain about.  I think this is more of a

test/prototype (or a beta if you wish) for the full scale simulator which will arrive later this year. So I don't think it is wise to draw too many conclusions from it. The main simulator will be the interesting one

which I don't think will be revolutionary but more of an evolutionary flightsim.

 

Ground/water/sky textures can always be replaced, add-on aircrafts and aiports can be bought/installed etc. The main importance for me is how it works "under the hood",

Is everything working as planned, can it handle heavy load without OOM (it can, I've seen reports of simmers putting it under 6-7GB of Ram usage) and that kind of things.

[PatrickZ 300]

3 hours ago, pmb said:

Patrick, this argument has something, although DFs has the whole world covered (at least more or less) while one of the main issues with MS Flight was the limited initial region. On the other hand, while I didn't log many hours in MS Flight, I recall I found it graphically more appealing and balanced than Flight School. And this was 4 years ago...

 

Kind regards, Michael

 

Of course there are differences, I never said it was the same. I only said it reminded me.

 

I realise of course that this is a stepping stone to a full new FS version, but before that a lot of work has to be done. Maybe Dovetail can team-up with Lockheed Martin and step into P3D development. Then Dovetail can publish it for the home market (entertainment licence) and LM can publish it for the professional market. Then they can each publish it under a different name and maybe a little different look and feel but under the hood it will be the same product. That would make it easy for add-on developers as well.

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

Won't happen.

 

See the changes to P3d V3.3.3. Almost all for the professional customers.