Aerosoft launch SIMStarter NG

[mutley 4,487]

 

SIMstarter NG - Most simmers are flying different aircraft in different scenarios and locations. The problem is that each of these combinations needs another simulator configuration to get the best performance, reduce the probability of Out Of Memory errors and show the scenery at its best. SIMstarter NG solves that problem, using profiles that set the simulator just as you want it.

 

SIMstarter NG has a "Flight Control Center" to create these profiles and configuration sets. Another benefit of NG is, that you stay in control of your configuration because SIMstarter NG handles your configuration (a copy of it). With every simulator start you will have a nice and clean simulator configuration. In addition, almost any setting can be changed using a nice interface so you do not need to edit config files.NG also has a Livery Manager which allows you to import aircraft liveries by click or show all your installed add-on airports in Google Earth.

 

 

NG allows you to create profiles for your simulator with different settings. For example, you can create a profile for VFR flights in one region with a lot of eye candy and another for your IFR flights with less autogen objects, a different scenery and so on. In addition, NG includes a lot of other helpful tools to manage your simulator configuration.

 

SIMstarter NG is the next generation of the older freeware tool SIMstarter. SIMstarter NG allows you to create 99.999 profiles for different scenarios, configurations, scenery settings, running different programs etc.. Each profile can be combined with each configuration set which makes NG much more flexible to use and much more comfortable. Nearly 90% of the old code of SIMstarter has been ewritten. SIMstarter was based on FSX and then expanded to FSX-SE and PREPAR3D but it was never intended to work with different simulators. NG was developed from the ground up to be compatible with FSX and PREPAR3D.

 

For a full feature list and more information view the product page here

 

[Jess-b 420]

Bought mine last night. It's an absolute must have!

[J G 927]

I have used the free version of this product for some time.  Is there a lot of difference between the two.  If so, in what areas?

 

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

there are differences in functionality; NG has new features and functions that didn't exists prior,

it is a complete new code from the ground up, support and update are now native part of SimStarter,
all platform are now fully supported (lets not forget there are 3 more expected to come out later this year),

 

 

[Dean33 29]

I bought it yesterday too and am pretty impressed.

Couple of glitches (my errors) which I sorted out.

The developer is very 'hands on' and open to suggestions.

Early days but I can see myself using this all the time.

'Clean Desk' is a great concept that closes programmes already running.  So, before I load P3D currently I have to close two or three and then open ASN.  This does it all as part of the launch of Simstarter.

Dean

[Jess-b 420]

I'll be reviewing simstarter NG, so if you can wait, I should have some answers.

Jess B

[Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142]

Thanks for the heads-up, Joe.   

  

 

@JG

 

I asked myself exactly the same question, John. So here's a minority report.....    

 

The Aerosoft page says this:

 

"SIMstarter NG is based on the well-known SIMstarter ... the following changes have been made to create SIMstarter NG:

 

General: New beautiful GUI

General: Platform supports FSX, FSX-SE, P3Dv2.4, P3Dv2.5, P3Dv3 and P3Dv3.1

General: More flexibility because each configuration set can be used in one ore multiple profiles

General: Added dialog if you want to close the simulator if its running

General: All dialogs follow the same user interface logic

General: Use of FSX/FSX-SE/PREPAR3D in parallel

General: Assign Configuration Sets directly to a profile (very useful)

General: Add, Copy, Rename and Delete profiles and Configuration Sets

SceneryManager: Reworked Editor. Let you edit everything scenery related.

SceneryManager: Colored overview for a better overview

SceneryManager: Moving one or multiple sceneries below another entry (very useful)

SceneryManager: Export an overview of all sceneries to a HTML page

SimObjects: Reminder if new SimObjects are found

SimObjects: Fully compatible with P3Dv3 now

LiveryManager: Improved performance

LiveryManager: Import library to import liveries to a repository. Makes it very easy to import new liveries.

LiveryManager: Source directory can be defined now

Profiles: Use different FSUIPC.ini files

Profiles: Load a FlightPlan

Profiles: Startposition improved dialog performance

Profiles: Autodetect changes on a aircraft.cfg and reload aircraft cache

Profiles: New SplashScreens

Profiles: SplashScreens will work for P3Dv3 as well

Profiles: New Start Screen

Profiles: METAR / TAF dialog

RunManager: New interface

RunManager: Select Affinity for each program

RunManager: Wait to start a program until the simulator has been loaded

XML-Manager: Complete reworked interface allows you to manage all DLL.XML and EXE.XML settings.

DiffManager: Assign changes to every SimulatorConfiguration Set

CleanDesk Manager: Define programs that should be stopped at the beginning of the simulator session and restarted if simulator is closed (good idea for programs that are not need for your simulator)

Logbook: Complete new logbook of all user changes. You’ve done a change to the configuration and don’t know anymore? No problem for the logbook!"

 

Ohhhhhh Kay. So to me it looks like —

 

* the old freebie version of SimStarter

 

* plus some elements of the old Alacrity freebie ("CleanDesk Manager"  <sigh>  )

 

* with a heavy helping of some elements of the TweakFS scenery freebie

 

* with further hefty borrowings from the TweakFS XML toolbox freebie

 

* not to mention yet another implementation of FSUIPC's profiles

 

TBH, I can do without a "beautiful"  (?)  GUI, and new Splash Screens. And since I only vly one sim, multi-sim support isn't useful in my case.

 

So do I really need to pay €15 for this (I ask myself)? No disrespect to those who have already bought it and whose needs are evidently different to mine, but all in all I reckon I'll await Jess's review before I decide.    

 

Just my 2ȼ / YMMV, and all that jazz.     

 

Cheers,

 

bruce

a.k.a. brian747

 

 

 

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

So do I really need to pay €15 for this (I ask myself)?

 

you don't reaaaaaly need it

 

you can do allot of these things manually; or use the old build,

still in any way you look at it Simstarter in any flavor makes life so much easier even for a single platform!

 

one could still just say Thank you for the freeware edition and supporting it for free all these years (in the form of supporting NG ),

 

[wain 879]

Will look into this...may wait for your review though Jess..

[mutley 4,487]

My   ...

 

I looked at how much the complete version cost me via PayPal and it was a measly £12 or so. That is the same as a cheap round at the pub and I will get performance and functionality updates for the foreseeable future as well.

 

I have been using this application free for a while now and to be honest, I am only happy to give the developer a token of my appreciation.

 

So keep an eye out for Jess' review, but I am already converted!

Joe

[J G 927]

I use SimStarter as my main interface into FSX and have been using it for some time now.

 

The main issue that I have with the free version is with the Livery Manager.  This feature allows you to show or hide liveries from the FSX start menu.  It works well on the face of it but fails with AI.  For example: I don't fly civil aviation, only military. So I choose to hide the default aircraft as I never use them. Livery manage lets me do this easily, but then I start getting black AI aircraft in my flights.  The only way I can rectify this issue is to unhide the default aircraft. 

 

I don't know if this issue has been addressed in the payware version, but unless it has I won't be buying it.  I agree with Joe's sentiment on contributing to the developer for his hard work, but as things stand I will continue looking for an alternative which doesn't have the problem with the default liveries. 

[MyPC8MyBrain 273]

i don't think there is an alternative to John,

SimStarter is on a bracket of its own out there!

 

i am pretty sure if you post this as an issue/bug in NG; it will get fixed!

as a commercial product now Aerosoft is committed and so is the Developer behind NG!

[J G 927]

I have just reinstalled Simstarter NG and have a big issue with.

 

The install went well and ended normally.  However when I started it I was taken to the select FS screen and asked to nominate a sim to use from a dropdown box. The only issue is that there is nothing in the box.

 

Has anyone had this issue before?

[brett 2,284]

Did you delete the old freeware version before installing the payware one?

[J G 927]

I have solved this one.  

 

I was using a version of NG that was produced before v3.3 was released.  The install program seems to look for FSX or P3D installs but the P3D installs are also looked for by version.

 

FSX wasn't found as I had not installed it. I had installed P3D v3.3 only, and the version of NG I installed was the one I downloaded before P3D v3.3 was around. Therefore it found no FSX and no P3D as it had not been updated to look for v3.3 

 

I found this out by looking at the install lod that is generated in the log subdirectory of the installed NG.

 

I uninstalled NG and then downloaded an up to date version which worked just fine.

[brett 2,284]

Glad to hear you squared it away.