ESP SDK / FSX SDK: just a license's story?

Question

As far as I could see, ESP SDK is very same as FSX SDK excluding licence point of view.
Is there any hope to have an improuvement of ESP SDK on the land aspect without thinking of plane simulation?

I was thinking about forget a little to fly in order to drive or walk using the same scenery configuration.

Answer 1

Thanks for the question Mathieu!

Microsoft ESP is the technology behind the Flight Simulator product. Due to this, the two share the immersive simulation engine, entire realistic world, high fidelity realism and many other aspects that have made Flight Simulator the success it is. A major difference today is the fact the Microsoft ESP is the first commercial-level simulation platform offered from Microsoft. This means that solutions, add-ons, missions or any other content built for Microsoft ESP can be sold by 3rd parties and used in a commercial setting.
As the ESP platform evolves, you may see features and support for other scenarios beyond aviation such as high-fidelity ground simulation, etc. With the current version, commercial aviation training solutions is a main target.

Answer 2

Todd is totally correct.

However, there actually are some improvements to the ESP SDK over the FSX SDK.  For instance, for the first time we've released the format of the flight model aerodynamic coefficients and the compiler for building the required runtime binaries.  We've also re-designed and updated the documentation, and released a few new samples for the SimConnect API.

In all honesty we also may have released some components in the ESP SDK that still contain references to Flight Simulator, but going forward the  SDK will be vastly improved and expanded upon.

Answer 3

What is the minimum configuration for me to utilize the ESP SDK and evaluate ESP 1.0 capabilities?  Do I need:

• Microsoft ESP SDK - License & software assurance - 1 PC ?
• Microsoft ESP Client - ( v. 1.0 ) - media ?
• Microsoft ESP Client - ( v. 1.0 ) - license ?
• Other ?

Also, since it's a 1.0 release, and there doesn't seem to be a Demo version, and I'm just evaluating at this point, can I get a single copy (no volume pricing minimum)?

Thanks
Don

Answer 4

Hey Don,

If you have an MSDN subscription, you can download the 3 ISOs for the client install and the ISO for the SDK install and evaluate them that way.

Tim

---

http://beatlesblog.spaces.live.com/

Answer 5

Tim
 
Thanks.  Is that included in all subscription levels?

Don

Answer 6

Hey Don,

Yes, that should be included in all subscription levels.  Its only available as a download item though, if you receive DVD media for most things every month (well, the updates every month anyway), these won't be included in those shipments.

Tim

---

http://beatlesblog.spaces.live.com/

Answer 7

Hello,

I am a little bit lost between ESP vs FS SDK licences. The EULA of the FS SDK indicates that it can't be used in a production environment.

I would like to develope (and commercialize) some add-ons for FSX, may I purchase an ESP SDK licence for this purpuse ?

Is the terrain ESP SDK fully compliant with FSX ?

Thanks a lot.

Fabien