Interesting in trying X-Plane but

[Vantezzle]

What/how much would I have to buy/download to have an okay experience and world?
And should I try another sim too?
I'm fairly new to the genre, having only enjoyed MSFS2020 but want to try something else too, do you think I should?

[Stinger]

You'll need:
#1 A decent Gaming-PC (ideally with GeForce-Graphics card)
#2 A Joystick for ~40-50 bucks is sufficient. (I've got a T-Flight HOTAS-X. -Works fine since ~10 years.)
#3 X-Plane (there are free scenery-packages for all continents included)

X-Plane has got a great flight model for simulating general aviation planes; and is great to - well - actually learn how to fly a plane. (Which of course doesn't replace real world flight training; but it's an excellent exercise before you take flight lessons. -I can say that. ;) )
It looks ok out-of-the-box. Maybe not as good as MSFS2020 (since I didn't try MSFS yet), but good enough for a first try. -To make it look better there are several add-on librarys (search for "x-plane libraries") available.
If your machine is powerful you can easily upgrade your scenery for example via https://simheaven.com/ .
You'll find high resolution meshes at http://www.alpilotx.net/downloads/x-plane-11-hd-mesh-scenery-v4/ (highly recommended).
https://forums.x-plane.org is your friend! ;)

[webstermr]

As far as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 goes, let me share my experience. I am a long time X-Plane enthusiast and wanted to see what all the hype was about with MSFS 2020.

I signed up for the xBox subscription for their "first month for $1" deal just to try MSFS 2020 before deciding to buy it. The download and installation took hours despite having a very fast and powerful PC and a very fast internet connection. It consumed over 100 GB of hard drive space. Once installed, I was able to start a flight. The scenery and graphics were indeed stunning and I was able to navigate my way around my home town and find my own house. However, there is a caveat. Outside of major buildings in some (but not all) major cities, the scenery is basically auto-gen. While you can find your house, don't expect to see your house. What you will see is a generic house where your place is. Same with major buildings outside of major cities.

That itself isn't a big deal and MSFS 2020 does beat X-Plane on the scenery front. However, I don't fly flight simulators for the scenery. I want a realistic flight model and working aircraft systems. This is where X-Plane seriously beats MSFS 2020.

Comparing the Cessna 172 with G1000, you will notice, even with all the "assists" turned off, the MSFS version feels seriously over-powered and the handling seems way too smooth. The worst party though is that the MSFS implentation of the G1000 is so deficient and buggy that it barely works. If you are flying by hand then its fine. If you are trying to navigate by GPS or fly an autopiloted ILS or GPS approach, if it works at all, it is extremely wonky. The best attempt I made had the ILS guide me in for a landing several hundred feet to the right of the runway. I tried it at several major airports and the result was the same.

On top of that, you can't "pop out" the G1000 screens like you can in X-Plane and have to use them in full 3 cockpit view. The mouse controls used to control those screens were glitchy and cumbersome and highly frustrating to use.

In the end, I cancelled the subscription at the end of the first month and I will be sticking with X-Plane. I am hopeful that the next generation of X-Plane will provide enhanced scenery and graphics but as someone who flies these simulators for the realism, there is no contest for me. X-plane wins hands down.

[MagusLucidus]

I would recommend OrbX True Earth GB South Demo after buying X-Plane 11. Then if you want helicopter you should get free Hughes 500D.
https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/52938-hughes-500d/

[DesertFox]

Xplane 11 is a pretty awesome package without any payware, Payware makes it great of course. Like people said above far more realistic feeling than MSFS 2020. Check out x-plane.org for lots of freeware and payware.

[DesertFox]

If you like Bush planes check out the propstrikestudio.com
One of the airports is free and you can get a Bush mod Cessna.

[Licopolis]

Check restauravia.fr for french planes and gliders.

[SkyBee]

My opinions in a nutshell
MSFS2020: VFR Simulator, less accurate flight dynamics, less/no downloading VFR scenery.
XPlane 11: IFR Simulator, more accurate flight dynamics, more downloading VFR scenery

But (expanded nutshell):
-VFR: Flying with visual references (Visual Flight Rules)
-XPlane 11 can be a VFR Simulator if you're willing to invest time in downloading freeware scenery for the area(s) you fly to, or time and money for payware scenery.
-XPlane 11 undoubtedly has more aircraft freeware/payware addons.
-MSFS2020 is a great tool especially for those new Student Pilots who have to use landmarks and visual references to navigate, or for those experienced pilots that love flying VFR.
-MSFS2020, being a young simulator (the newest) will have (even more) freeware/payware planes in the future with better flight dynamics.

If you enjoyed MSFS2020, being new to the genre, and you'd like something in the sense of complex procedures (Instrument Flying, IFR, without visual references), XPlane 11 might be your thing.

[Aaron]

xplane best flight sim there is microsoft ruined there game when they decided to put black screen on crash

[Aaron]

NOTHING BEATS X PLANE 11 AS OF TODAY

[Aaron]

Originally posted by DesertFox:

Xplane 11 is a pretty awesome package without any payware, Payware makes it great of course. Like people said above far more realistic feeling than MSFS 2020. Check out x-plane.org for lots of freeware and payware.

DONT NEED ANYPAYWARE theres otn of free stuff i bought active sky though which is amust it simulaters wind sheer and turbelence and better clouds also i bought air hauler 2 WHICH MAKES XPLANE 10TIMES BETTER with pasengers and cargo

[Aaron]

Originally posted by webstermr:

As far as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 goes, let me share my experience. I am a long time X-Plane enthusiast and wanted to see what all the hype was about with MSFS 2020.

I signed up for the xBox subscription for their "first month for $1" deal just to try MSFS 2020 before deciding to buy it. The download and installation took hours despite having a very fast and powerful PC and a very fast internet connection. It consumed over 100 GB of hard drive space. Once installed, I was able to start a flight. The scenery and graphics were indeed stunning and I was able to navigate my way around my home town and find my own house. However, there is a caveat. Outside of major buildings in some (but not all) major cities, the scenery is basically auto-gen. While you can find your house, don't expect to see your house. What you will see is a generic house where your place is. Same with major buildings outside of major cities.

That itself isn't a big deal and MSFS 2020 does beat X-Plane on the scenery front. However, I don't fly flight simulators for the scenery. I want a realistic flight model and working aircraft systems. This is where X-Plane seriously beats MSFS 2020.

Comparing the Cessna 172 with G1000, you will notice, even with all the "assists" turned off, the MSFS version feels seriously over-powered and the handling seems way too smooth. The worst party though is that the MSFS implentation of the G1000 is so deficient and buggy that it barely works. If you are flying by hand then its fine. If you are trying to navigate by GPS or fly an autopiloted ILS or GPS approach, if it works at all, it is extremely wonky. The best attempt I made had the ILS guide me in for a landing several hundred feet to the right of the runway. I tried it at several major airports and the result was the same.

On top of that, you can't "pop out" the G1000 screens like you can in X-Plane and have to use them in full 3 cockpit view. The mouse controls used to control those screens were glitchy and cumbersome and highly frustrating to use.

In the end, I cancelled the subscription at the end of the first month and I will be sticking with X-Plane. I am hopeful that the next generation of X-Plane will provide enhanced scenery and graphics but as someone who flies these simulators for the realism, there is no contest for me. X-plane wins hands down.

it doesent beat it on anything

[BlackSteelDragon]

It for sure does on several scenery aspects. I wish X-Plane had a building and tree placement AI like MSFS does, I am sick of looking at a building/trees on the ortho scenery but no building or tree is represented.