FSX Availablility Update

[VRS Varmint]

Dear friends,

Due to continuing technical issues in our FSX development, we are expecting a delayed release of the FSX version until late January 2010. We are making steady progress, and expect to enter a short beta within the next 2 weeks. However we will not rush the project to make a Christmas deadline. Those of you who own the FS9 version know we take care of our customers, and in return we hope you'll understand that some things just can't be rushed.

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The FSX version is now available for preorder. We will send another announcement when the FSX version is actually shipping (expect March).

Pricing and Discounts:

MSRP: $49.95 US.

• New customers who preorder will receive a 15% discount off the retail price.
• Existing FS9 customers will receive a 25% preorder discount!

[AirBadger]

Thanks for the update, I bought the FS9 version but I'm eagerly awaiting the FSX version and I know the wait'll be worth it. It looks amazing so far... especially that HUD!

-Alex

[ESzczesniak]

Glad to hear the update. As with everyone, I want this sooner rather than later. However, I'm just glad to hear it's in a terms of months, maybe a year. Seems like so many other projects like this (*cough* airsimmer) are in a perpetual development and have little hope on the horizon.

[Thunderbird]

Thanks for the update, Keep up the good work, glad to hear it's only delayed a month, can't wait for the release
P/S: I wonder if it will have a damage model something like in Lock On

[raymond]

Thanks for the update.

I much much prefer waiting for a very good plane rather than having bugs then many updates.

Deadlines are the enemy of quality. Glad you will not keep a Xmas deadline: wise decision indeed.

Raymond

[gregone]

Thanks for keeping us imformed , and as many before me have said, dont rush it. get all the bugs before you release it and I am sure you will have another winner on your hands. Cheers Greg

[SUBS17]

Thanks for the update just take your time.

[Matt_B]

Great shots, Jon! Just got a quick question relating to the self-shadowing of the aircraft. I know it's not something you can't manipulate or correct, but why does FSX make shadows over the aircraft surfaces have jaggy edges instead of smooth, like the shadow of the aircraft on the ground?

Edit: changed can manipulate to can't manipulate...

[VRS Varmint]

Great shots, Jon! Just got a quick question relating to the self-shadowing of the aircraft. I know it's not something you can't manipulate or correct, but why does FSX make shadows over the aircraft surfaces have jaggy edges instead of smooth, like the shadow of the aircraft on the ground?

Edit: changed can manipulate to can't manipulate...

Well first off, I'm no graphics programmer, but I do know that self-shadowing and the aircraft/ground shadows are apples and oranges. There are certainly many self-shadowing algorithms that support antialiasing, but apparently MS chose to go with a "hardwired" performance option. I don't have a whitepaper on either of them, but the vanilla aircraft shadows are almost certainly not per-pixel like the self-shadowing, so they can treat those like any other object in the scene (i.e. antialiased). I think they're just simplified versions of the aircraft mesh which are transformed by having their verticies projected into a single plane. The self-shadowing is quite a bit different having to operate at the shader/pixel level.

[Matt_B]

So in a nutshell, it seems like it's a limitation of FSX then? Pity, cos it would look great if those shadows looked as sharp as the ones we see of the aircraft on the ground.

[BOOM]

Screens look incredible!!! We all know she is well worth the wait!! Cheers and thanks very much for the update!!!

[AirBadger]

Have you guys looked at the landing lights of the Lotus L-39 and considered doing something like that for the FSX version?

-Alex

[VRS Varmint]

Have you guys looked at the landing lights of the Lotus L-39 and considered doing something like that for the FSX version?

-Alex

Already done. And yes they'll light up anything in the beam including trees and structures. Not exactly rocket science

[delta9857]

Awesome!

[AirBadger]

This is going to be an amazing add-on.

-Alex