garymbuska wrote:Hello everyone I am new to this area of the forum and want to know if some one could explain the differences between the Professional License and the Academic License with out writing a book about it. I do not under stand why one version is $200.00 and the other roughly $50.00 is the cheaper version not a full fledged version or what.
I can not make heads or tails at the site where you purchase this from.
Thanks in advance.
As has been said, there is no significant difference between the two.
If you have a flying school, they want you to use the
Professional, or
Professional Plus License.
The
Academic License is to be used in a private (home) setting, and is only to be used by those who will "learn" something
(Anything really. They are intentionally vague about what you learn). This one is not to be confused with those learning in a structured setting, such as a flight school.
Personally, I learn something every time that I use Prepar3d. I could even say that I find "learning" to be entertaining. But Prepar3d , of course, is not to be used for "Entertainment" purposes.
What to do, what to do.....Seriously, I'd suggest waiting until either Steam comes out with a really good 64bit flight simulator,
OR Prepar3d
V4 comes out, assuming that it too is a 64bit version.
Imagine buying Prepar3d
V3 now, and a 64bit
v4 comes out in 6 to 9 months, or even 12 months from now.
On the other hand, I don't think that $60 is too much for a good simulator, and Prepar3d V3.x is certainly good.
Looking at it another way, when I lived in New York, and then Boston, I used to go to orchestral concerts & plays. I though the money very well spent.
Sixty dollars isn't all that much if you go to a "good" restaurant either. And you know what happens to
that food the next day. Talk about high priced s#*t!
The way that I see it,
Prepar3d V3.x is somewhat better than
FSX overall. And in a few areas it's much better.
Go ahead and buy the "
Academic" license version,
BUT with the understanding that within a year, or possibly longer, you may want to buy a new
V4.x version that might be incompatible with many of your add-ons.
(For what it's worth (VERY little at this point), I've read that Orbx/FTX THINKS that their scenery MAY be useable with a 64bit Prepar3d. Time will tell.)