Andrew Hunter-Graham

So good! Ever since starting out with Flight Simulation just over 10 years ago I have longed to see Mount Hotham Airport recreated in detail. It is such a unique spot, a little hidden away and so unique! I can't thank Mark/Milo enough for turning his talent and skills to this Aussie Airport and delivering an absolute beauty! So grateful ☺️ I just did a quick morning RNAV approach in the Caravan 😁

The above post aside, I had a Nvidia Driver update yesterday after a shocking few days of this issue popping up frequently. Safe to say, it hasn't returned!... at this stage.

The FSX/P3D to MSFS conversion rate isn't great at this stage, a lot has changed, developers move on. I believe the standard is that those airports/airfields essentially need to be rebuilt from scratch to make use of all that MSFS has to offer. There is quite a good freeware version of Milford Sound over on Flight Sim.TO, you should probably check it out! I get it, its hard not to notice that in some areas it seems that FS development has gone backwards, but over time it seems to be heading in the right direction. Way back then was seemingly a time where developers spent far more time enhancing the air-side and surrounding scenery over interior designing an airport terminal.....

Yeah, I had this pop up for the first time yesterday... It forced the sim to shut, but I restarted it without it reoccurring.

There is hardly a better way to see the stunning work in @Orbx's YMEN and Melbourne Cityscape than in this little beauty. VH-PDV of Melbourne Helicopters is a regular over Suburbs of Melbourne and the CBD. To have it's home hangar at Essendon Airport represented is pretty special and makes for a great screenshot. This little Guimbal Cabri G2 is an absolute joy to fly about and explore in!

A shallow depth of field is often used to separate a subject or object from the rest of it's environment, but yes it certainly can be used to obliterate an unsightly background if that's your motive or you don't have your head around composition ... If you are selling an individual object out of a wider scenery, it kind of makes sense... When it comes to flight simulator scenery though a single object doesn't make the scenery. Yes the individual objects matter, but what matters more is how those objects are placed in relation to other objects and how they combine to create an immersive scenery. In my observations of Air to Air Photographers, Aerial photographers/cinematographers, even Architectural and Landscape photographers over the years, depth of field is rarely, if ever used... It's most common in portraiture and macro photography. Yes, some of the aviation Vloggers use shallow depth of field here and there for Video B-roll, but they are telling a story that spans minutes and rarely does it define the core story line where a crisp and clear image engages the viewer. I think flight simulation promotional material is a combination of Aerial photography and Architectural photography (sometimes landscape photography) for scenery; for aircraft it is Aviation Photography and Air to Air photography. I work as a product photographer, clients don't want shallow depth of field obscuring parts of their product, they want sharpness and detail from front to back.

So great to see the comparison images @Orbx, really appreciate the transparency of what the product does and how it compares to default!

@FILOU In image 18 and 27, is that snow on the ground?

It's an interesting topic to discuss, but we just need to be mindful for the topic not to become a bashing fest of @Orbx because the discussion will not last. Things change as the years go by. Seemingly a lot has changed since the heydays of Orbx being a leader in scenery development and improvement for FSX and P3D. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I do feel that things have changed and I cant say it hasn't been on my mind in recent times. Two points to consider: 1) Ambitions as a company can and do change or split in two (in house development and partnership) There are positives and negatives to this. 2) Highly productive talent and experience coming and going, it's inevitable, but has a dramatic impact. At times it is hugely positive, other times it comes as a huge loss and has a negative impact. On a product such as Ketchikan (PAKT) and even Juneau (PAJN) for MSFS I think transparency is key. Both were originally developed for FSX/P3D by Russ White, from memory he is no longer developing for flight simulation, which is a big loss to the community! I don't think he is the only one to move on. So I imagine there are serious limitations around these products in MSFS, without the original developer passionately going to the ends of the world and back to achieve insane quality. It feels like the "Throwback classics range" has come out of nowhere. What is it, what should the community expect, why is Orbx going down this path, is it something that the community wants and can respect or does it do more harm than good? MSFS FSX/P3D I think there is immense pressure right now and no doubt it is a substantial challenge to manage. Historically Orbx has built a lot of trust and respect over the years, giving them a brilliant reputation within the flight sim community. It's not impossible to become too reliant on that and loose sight of what the community still values. In saying that, a lot of what we see in scenery development today has been spurred on by the high standard that Orbx sets. MSFS is so incredibly young, in the scheme of what Orbx has achieved over so many years with other simulators.

Wow! Thanks for sharing @merlinux! I landed there last night in darkness after a flight from CZST in a King Air... All before the discussion around the Mesh and the inclusion of PAJN So interesting how the ILS is offset because of the hill and mountains around it!

Couldn't agree more! I feel that the marketing around the Mesh product itself seems to have been a bit lax, then the addition of PAJN, well that would make for some great marketing opportunities. Historically Orbx has had a brilliant reputation within the flight sim community and the products virtually sell themselves... But, you can't be dropping the ball when there is just so much more competition in this MSFS environment and when the base simulator appears so good and is essentially competing with you! Honestly, I'm still looking to be convinced that this Mesh product is going to substantially improve upon the default experience. I'm sure that will change, as the days go by and the community gets stuck into it. I'm seeing a number of the Alaskan airports quickly being developed by other developers, once they are done to a high standard... there is hardly the need to develop another version.

@merlinux I was partially confused by the description of Juneau being included with the Mesh... So PAJN has in fact been converted over or rebuilt for MSFS and then been included as part of the Mesh release? I have been flying around Alaska for the past week after seeing some of the Angle of Attack content on Youtube, such amazing scenery in MSFS! Hopefully the Mesh takes the landscape to the next level.

@jimmi5150 As has always been the case, the demand and heavy cash flow is throughout the US and EU. With so much hype from those dense geographic areas I imagine they want to get their work in front of the newbies early. Even the Aussie YouTubers are hooked on the US and EU areas... It's a bit sad, but I'm sure we'll get some love at some stage as well as NZ!

This is one that I know of, have a scroll through. All are probably a significant update if you only have the default. Lawrence is doing some nice work for the Aussie airbases. https://flightsimdev.com/downloads/ Andrew