All developers no longer products for P3DV5

[villaloha]

Hello pilots!

Just learned that all developers now no longer will product add-ons for P3DV5. Only for MSFS and XPlane. I don't like MSFS/X Plane. P3D is awesome.

For example, KSLC and KMCI, both have already opened brand new Terminal but only for MSFS!!

Deeply disappointed!

HOPEFULLY, Lockheed Martin is working on new version to make it similar to MSFS, better landscape, more realistic buildings and such.

Villa

[Tamba765]

Tell us something we don't already know.

[Ray Proudfoot]

Fortunately there are large numbers of aircraft and airports available for P3D that will satisfy this user. How many aircraft do you need? I have five that I am proficient in flying. Most real world pilots only get to fly one or two.

And as I will never visit any airports other than a few in Britain how would I know if they were accurately modelled or not? Ignorance is bliss! 😁

[JorgenSA]

Villaloha,

You're talking about payware developers, and not all of them have stopped developing for P3D. Most of the larger ones have, yes - they go where the money is.

How about looking into freeware? They don't care about the money...

Jorgen

[Ray Proudfoot]

I would also add this. I’m perfectly happy flying into / out of default airports. With AIG Ai and GSX jetways they’re no longer ghost airports.

But the lack of parking positions in v5 compared to earlier versions means there aren’t enough for all AIG Ai to appear. Hopefully that problem will be addressed in v6.

[JorgenSA]

The lack of parking position can many times be taken care of by using 3rd party scenery and/or AFCADS. A lot of this is available as freeware.

Jorgen

[Ray Proudfoot]

I have lots of 3rd party airports. I haven’t bothered looking for replacement AFCADs for default airports. Where is the best source for these?

What I have done is this. Using my Microsoft Access skills I’ve created a database using the info in the g5.txt file produced by MakeRwys - a Pete Dowson utility.

Each entry is a parking position and its associated airport is included. I then enter an ICAO for my chosen airport and it shows the number of available parking positions. If there are enough I select that airport for a flight.

[JorgenSA]

3rd party airports and/or AFCADS I find mostly on AVSIM, flightsim.com and MAIW.

And AIG has made a utility that will let you convert FSX (and in some cases even FS9) AFCADs to P3D.

Jorgen

[Ray Proudfoot]

Won’t that utility put buildings in the wrong place? Also, runway designations change over time. I imagine many from FSX days are no longer correct.

[JorgenSA]

That utility will convert the AFCADs as they are in the original AFCAD, of course, for what it's worth.

Afterwards you can edit the converted file with ADE as you like.

Jorgen

[Ray Proudfoot]

Too much like hard work Jorgen! 😉. Especially with v6 not that far away! 😁

[PavlinS]

I am still on Prepar3D and honestly, I do not complain for no development. Well, would be nice to have OpenLC Asia, but somehow I already found other ways to improve it. Happy with what I have already.

[JorgenSA]

As far as I know, Orbx are still developing for P3D. But one problem that they have is that at least one of their developers are in the Ukraine...

Jorgen

[CargoSwiss]

Most of us have invested, ranging from a bit all the way to substantial, funds into P3D and add-ons. Especially sceneries.

I fly exclusively the PMDG747 and rely on add-on sceneries across the globe to enhance the default environment, add to that many other add-ons such as GSX, Ultimate Ground, Weather and other payware to make the experience more thrilling and demanding.
With this in mind, I too am concerned about the lack of morality which most developers are articulating, as to state that they follow the money.
Initially, they followed the money to XPlane and P3dvX ..... so logic (and Karma!) will eventually lead from MSFS to ??? dare I say P3dv6?

Switching to MSFS is not an option, neither is XPlane 11 (which I own) and I am unsure about XPlane 12 (as there is no good 747 except the 742).
What is left to do?

Why are we not using this as a challenge and business opportunity? Would it not be possible for the hardcore fans that force ourselves to stay, to opt for a pay-per-update program offered by 3rd party coders, who update the existing payware by other Devs?
If Aerosoft, whom I had a nasty exchange via DM with a well known rep of the company about their lack of update on their FRA airport scenery for P3dv5, do not want to update their products anymore, why can we not assign and pay someones else to step in, and simply update the scenery BGL et al files and provide the updates to a selective community. Yes, when buying the add-on, you do not own the rights to the code I know, but why could we not form an alliance, and where a group of knowledgeable coders take on this assignment? The group could get with the Devs to get their permission to simply release periodic updates to the sceneries - and only to those where a Dev has decided to discontinue the updates.
The coders get paid for their work, a small fee goes back to the Dev for allowing the coders to work on "their" propriatery files, and we as the users who have forked out quite some dough on the add-ons get our updated sceneries. Win-Win-Win.

I think this community is strong and determined enough to accomplish a lot, I would be happy to join in on a discussion on how to move this forward by taking up a role to talk to Devs, but I am not a coder or scenery artist ....

Just an idea ... what do YOU think?

[Daube]

To get money, you need customers, which P3D doesn't have (enough) anymore. Simple as that.
You mentioned something about "lack of morality" from the addon makers ? Are you serious ?
The developers didn't switch to MSFS and X-Plane by lack of morality; they switched because of the complete lack of income from the P3D market.
Truth behind your words above is that you would prefer these developers to die (or in the best case, go bankrupt) rather than switching to the other sims. A bit egoist from you, don't you think ?