Is Xplane11 worth to buy it in 2021?

[NewGeorgeXCI]

I started to play Flight Simulation in the Summer 2020 when MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR came to Steam. Well, after 2200 hours gameplay^^and I am still happy even the Update SU5 made a lot of problems, I thinking of the XPLANE11 is it still woth it to buy it?
Cause 60 Euro not less not much money but enough to think about to buy it... Can someone recommend ne this game and what mods I need to play Xplane11 like the FlightSim?

I would like to know YES OR NO that Xplane has the same feature in MSFS2020?
1. live weather?
2. custom airports in the xplane11 package?
3. Supports Razer Controller (xbox) Controller?
4. free airplane mods like the A320?

SO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND ME THE XPLANE 11 IN THE YEAR 2021?

[Maki Nishikino]

I use MSFS, XP and P3D. They all have their pros and cons.

1 - Yes, but not exactly the same and you may want something better. I use Active Sky (in both XP and P3D), they're very good. You may also want something that changes the clouds, in P3D there is Cloud Art by HiFi and Sky Force by REX and a few others. In XP there is a bunch both freeware and payware. Enhanced Skyscapes by BiologicalNanobot gives you MSFS like clouds.

2 - Like the handcrafted ones in MSFS? No, however many, many out there both freeware and payware (which MSFS has also). I will say there are two custom demos, not sure the extent of them as I don't use them. There is also the gateway system where the community updates, fixes and adds airports however they use stock library objects.

3 - It supports Xbox controllers, don't use one personally though.

4 - Yes, the Zibo 737 mod is pretty good however I'm not much of a user of it myself. I'm more into the high-end GA addons out there.

Something to note is unlike MSFS both P3D and XP require quite a bit from you to get it up to speed. What addons / mods are needed can't be answered straightforward, what is it that you want to achieve? Are you going for a MSFS-esque look? It's going to require a lot from you. For example you're going to want to get Orbx TrueEarth and / or Ortho scenery, World2XP, ect.

As I mentioned at first I use MSFS, XP and P3D currently, I have a ton of time in all of them put together with tons of addons. Would I buy XP11 again at full price given that XP12 is announced and MSFS is now out there? No, and personally I will probably not get XP12 nor P3Dv6 (if the latter will even be a thing) however on sale I would as it's still a pretty solid sim with foreseeable support that is both freeware and payware which will keep XP11 relevant.

[NewGeorgeXCI]

Originally posted by Maki Nishikino:

I use MSFS, XP and P3D. They all have their pros and cons.

1 - Yes, but not exactly the same and you may want something better. I use Active Sky (in both XP and P3D), they're very good. You may also want something that changes the clouds, in P3D there is Cloud Art by HiFi and Sky Force by REX and a few others. In XP there is a bunch both freeware and payware. Enhanced Skyscapes by BiologicalNanobot gives you MSFS like clouds.

2 - Like the handcrafted ones in MSFS? No, however many, many out there both freeware and payware (which MSFS has also). I will say there are two custom demos, not sure the extent of them as I don't use them. There is also the gateway system where the community updates, fixes and adds airports however they use stock library objects.

3 - It supports Xbox controllers, don't use one personally though.

4 - Yes, the Zibo 737 mod is pretty good however I'm not much of a user of it myself. I'm more into the high-end GA addons out there.

Something to note is unlike MSFS both P3D and XP require quite a bit from you to get it up to speed. What addons / mods are needed can't be answered straightforward, what is it that you want to achieve? Are you going for a MSFS-esque look? It's going to require a lot from you. For example you're going to want to get Orbx TrueEarth and / or Ortho scenery, World2XP, ect.

As I mentioned at first I use MSFS, XP and P3D currently, I have a ton of time in all of them put together with tons of addons. Would I buy XP11 again at full price given that XP12 is announced and MSFS is now out there? No, and personally I will probably not get XP12 nor P3Dv6 (if the latter will even be a thing) however on sale I would as it's still a pretty solid sim with foreseeable support that is both freeware and payware which will keep XP11 relevant.

Thank you much for ur long answer and you right I think MSFS is the future

[Maki Nishikino]

Originally posted by NewGeorgeXCI:

Thank you much for ur long answer and you right I think MSFS is the future

Please note I am not saying that XP11 simply isn't worth it (it is a really good sim). It's just it's pretty much reached EOL when it comes to development and XP12 is coming. In contrast MSFS is becoming the the cat's pajamas and preliminary release notes for SU6 are out.

Addons are the lifeblood of these sims and they're being pumped out like mad for MSFS. Heck, even iniBuilds (XP addon developer) is bringing their A310 to MSFS. There is a ton of money to be made for addon developers in MSFS. Expect far, far more addons in MSFS than XP12.

If you do find XP11 on sale I would say go ahead and get it, just be prepared to invest in bringing it up to speed as bone stock it's pretty miserable. Note that you don't have to spend anything to make XP look good, a ton of quality freeware does exist.

I told myself I wouldn't buy anything else for XP11 and P3Dv4/v5 and all of my money would go towards MSFS. I've retracted that promise to myself due to the fact that the Airfoilabs Cessna 172 NG is coming out. I have their Current 172 and it's quite good (way, way better than the stock 172 that comes with XP).

[Mysterious Drone]

NO, go with MSFS. Out of the box you get EVERYTHING.

[Maki Nishikino]

Just noticed there are a couple addon airports (I guess you could call lite versions) in there that are stock.

Faro
Paris Orly
Nice Cote d Azur
Heathrow
Paderborn-Lippstadt
Frankfurt

[ZeroReady]

MSFS does not have the flight dynamics and aircraft quality that XP11 has. There I said it. If you want a sim that looks good out of the box and nothing more then get MFSF. If you want study level sims that give you a good idea of what the actual aircraft feels like and you have the cash to burn, get XP11.

[Tjitah]

Originally posted by Maki Nishikino:

As I mentioned at first I use MSFS, XP and P3D currently, I have a ton of time in all of them put together with tons of addons. Would I buy XP11 again at full price given that XP12 is announced and MSFS is now out there? No, and personally I will probably not get XP12 nor P3Dv6 (if the latter will even be a thing) however on sale I would as it's still a pretty solid sim with foreseeable support that is both freeware and payware which will keep XP11 relevant.

Great answer Maki and thanks for the pointer to the freeware "Enhanced Skyscapes". I downloaded it and will see what it looks like later.

I also have FSX, P3D (v3 and v4) and MSFS and totally agree with you - I will not buy XP11 now. Will rather wait to see what XP12 looks like, and even then not sure I will even buy that. While XP11 was a nice sim as a "placeholder" MSFS is so revolutionary that I'm struggling to play XP11 now, it looks so cartoonish by comparison to MSFS. I didn't even bother with P3Dv5 and probably won't with P3Dv6 either.

[Fred da Matta]

yes

[Maki Nishikino]

Originally posted by Tjitah:

Originally posted by Maki Nishikino:

As I mentioned at first I use MSFS, XP and P3D currently, I have a ton of time in all of them put together with tons of addons. Would I buy XP11 again at full price given that XP12 is announced and MSFS is now out there? No, and personally I will probably not get XP12 nor P3Dv6 (if the latter will even be a thing) however on sale I would as it's still a pretty solid sim with foreseeable support that is both freeware and payware which will keep XP11 relevant.

Great answer Maki and thanks for the pointer to the freeware "Enhanced Skyscapes". I downloaded it and will see what it looks like later.

I also have FSX, P3D (v3 and v4) and MSFS and totally agree with you - I will not buy XP11 now. Will rather wait to see what XP12 looks like, and even then not sure I will even buy that. While XP11 was a nice sim as a "placeholder" MSFS is so revolutionary that I'm struggling to play XP11 now, it looks so cartoonish by comparison to MSFS. I didn't even bother with P3Dv5 and probably won't with P3Dv6 either.

Yeah, MSFS just needs time. If you take a look at the roadmap for MSFS, the patchnotes for SU6, what is cooking addon wise (Check out FSElite and Threshold to stay on top of this), the massive amount of addons out there freeware wise already it's just hard to justify spending $60 on XP at this point when the Standard Edition of MSFS is also $60.

Like I said I have a massive amount of addons for all of the big three so I've made them a whole better than they are stock. There is no way I could enjoy sims stock. I have the Airfoillabs and SimCoders Cessna 172, the one that comes stock can't hold a candle to these two addons and they're very good using my PFC Cessna yoke. I'm really excited for Airfoillabs to release their next generation of the 172 and I have that same excitement for some addons coming to MSFS. It will more than likely be my final purchase for XP.

While I personally will probably not be getting XP12 it will be very interesting to see their release product, they have to answer to the competition which is in this case MSFS.

Again there is nothing wrong with getting XP11 however at this point in XP11s life I would only get it if it was on sale and be very cautious if you decided to actually throw money into it. Many third-party developers may drop development and support for XP11 addons not long after when XP12 comes out.

[raykeattch]

I use XPlane and MSFS. I personally wouldn't buy XP11 because XP12 has been announced and that will be a day 1 purchase by me. The fact many of us still use XP11 when MSFS was released over a year ago should tell you all you need to know.

[Maki Nishikino]

Originally posted by raykeattch:

The fact many of us still use XP11 when MSFS was released over a year ago should tell you all you need to know.

You can bet your bottom dollar that once a lot more addons from renowned developers start dropping MSFS is going to gain a ton of popularity. XP has never held the reins when it comes to addons however this is temporarily the case. You can already see quite a lot of what is coming addon wise for MSFS.

The debate of what sim is better is nothing new, it's not just something that popped up with the inception of MSFS but the XP folks seem to keep beating that drum thinking that XP is undeniably better forgetting that MSFS isn't FSX/P3D. Currently the flight model does need work, that I can agree on with peeps.

It's a fact though that the flight model is being improved and the way that MSFS handles flight models isn't the same as past iterations of the series. There is a lot more potential to be tapped out of the flight model in MSFS than there is in XP.

Throw on top of this areas that MSFS already dominates XP in (and will) such as the relatively ubiquitous beautiful scenery where you can open up TAC and sectional charts and use them (no longer do you have to use Orbx TrueEarth and / or Ortho and World2XP scenery) and G1000 NXi avionics with a goal of replicating a near 1:1 of the real thing and LR are really going to have their work cut out for them.

They need to find a way to pull in customers and the idea that XP is going to have a better flight model than MSFS simply isn't going to fly (excuse the pun) anymore. Again in the end addons are what really makes these sims shine and third-party developers are the ones that need to work with the flight model.

I've bought addons in XP that have absolutely terrible flight models and the stock aircraft aren't too stellar, it's the same deal in MSFS. Even in FSX/P3D addons exist such as those from A2A and MJC that have an excellent feel to them when you fly. Just trying to reinforce my point that the addons are what makes these sims great and in the long run MSFS is going to hold an edge just like it has in the past. Only this time around it's going to be a much bigger one.

Like I said it's going to be very interesting to see the release of XP12, LR knows that MSFS exists.

[Tjitah]

Originally posted by Maki Nishikino:

Again in the end addons are what really makes these sims shine and third-party developers are the ones that need to work with the flight model.

I've bought addons in XP that have absolutely terrible flight models and the stock aircraft aren't too stellar, it's the same deal in MSFS. Even in FSX/P3D addons exist such as those from A2A and MJC that have an excellent feel to them when you fly. Just trying to reinforce my point that the addons are what makes these sims great and in the long run MSFS is going to hold an edge just like it has in the past. Only this time around it's going to be a much bigger one.

And again, I have to agree with you Maki. I have probably ten times more (paid) aircraft add-ons for FSX/P3D than for XP11, simply because there are more on offer, at much better prices on average, and on sale more often. You'll struggle to find anything decent for XP11 under $20 even on sale, whereas for FSX/P3D it is not uncommon to see prices as low as $10-15 on sale, for decent aircraft. It looks like MSFS is shaping up to offer the same, if not even better value, as FSX/P3D.

Don't even get me started on the flight models. While most are pretty good in XP11, some of the port-overs from Carenado and Alabeo are a joke, to the extent that you have to buy add-ons (Reality Expansion Packs) for another $20, just to get credible handling. Ground handling in XP11 is also questionable; even in the lightest crosswind you'll go careening all over the place with tyres squealing. I used to fly a tail-dragger in real life and you have to do almost the exact opposite in XP11 than in real life when taking off or landing in a tail-dragger.

[squashplayer1]

Yes I recoomend XP 11 in 2021, definietly. It is the better sim for enthusiasts. Why? flight physics and overall depth are much better, It feels more real than MSFS (flying on rails...).

BUT one thing you need to know. If you want to have a real nice X-Plane, you will have to mod it with:

- Airports (many very good airports are free)
- Add-Ons (Better Pushback, Headshake, LiveTraffic ...),
- Ortho4XP satellite scenery (free, but you have to generate it, Europe takes 4 TB disk space)

I needed about 2 months to create my perfect X-Plane system and I absolutely love it. I rarely use MSFS, also because X-Plane has no microstutters.

[SpiritFire]

while it seems to always boil down to a vs msfs, which i own too btw.
theres lots of little things that can add up one way or another depending.
the msfs doesnt allow for importing of external fmc flightplans except in the before flight screen, or for a forced navigraph compliance in planes like the fly by wire 320.
thats a huge negative to me. i enjoy importing my flight plans like i always have.
i shouldnt have to change to simbrief to do it now.
zibo rocks over the flybywire, though yes its not the airbus.
msfs has turned into a ga only flight sim at present. its pretty. thats about it.
xplane can have imported ortho, but at a cost of space and time. ive done it. it looks nice though.
as mentioned the overall flight dynamics are better as well as the study aircraft thats been created.
my bravo quandrant works better with xplane than msfs. the switches are messed when trying to set them up with msfs, currently.
works flawlessly with xplane.
being able to move a window over like my gps and still be able to turn the knobs and control it is something basic msfs still hasnt been able to fix yet.

and hey.. can we say vulkan, linux and mac? complete unlogged in offline install and use?

honestly i find myself coming back to xplane time and time again. looking forward to the new one. hope i can still import my flight plans or ill still be using 11. =)

you could wait for 12. 11 is good though.

[Maki Nishikino]

Originally posted by SpiritFire:

...hope i can still import my flight plans or ill still be using 11. =)

I have no doubt that you will be able to do this with 12.