medx421 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I fly 99% general aviation exclusively on the west coast. In that, I am well stocked with the regions and airports out west. With the current sale, the Global base, Vector, and Open LC NA combination is really hard to pass up. Can someone post a few screens with that specific product combination. It's a given that they will look far better than the default, but I need to know that they are $100 better for an area that I may not often fly. I'll evaluate any areas, but am most curious for areas such as Reno, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and the Southwest in general. Thank you in advance to any contributions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt McGee Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 I can post a few of Reno, Phoenix, & Albuquerque. I'll hop in the sim now and take a few screenshots. Should be able to post them in a few minutes. OK here are a few shots, summer season, 1200. I just took off at each airport and climbed to 10,000ft. Last one is at 30,000ft I tried to be consistent so you could try to replicate with default scenery. Sorry, it took a bit longer than I thought. Forgot about converting them all to .jpg and uploading to an image host. KRNO - Reno KPHX Poenix KABQ - Albuquerque KABQ at FL300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medx421 Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 Thank you so much for taking the time to do that Matt. The scenery definitely puts things where they should be. Can't say I've ever seen Reno so green (live relatively close), but overall definitely helps me mull through the decision. Thank you again. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt McGee Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 I agree about Reno. I've flown up and down J-5 at high altitude (FL340/FL350) many times and don't remember it being that green. Google maps shows quite a bit of green in town, but the surrounding hills seem more brown/tan. Orbx still looks better than default IMHO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwoodson Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Do you need to have Vector previously installed if you want Open LC? I would prefer to purchase the open LC packs without Vector... what u think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt McGee Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 3 hours ago, lwoodson said: Do you need to have Vector previously installed if you want Open LC? I would prefer to purchase the open LC packs without Vector... what u think? Short answer - You do NOT need FTX Global Vector. Long answer - Still No , but his is why. FSX/P3D scenery is made up of separate layers (mesh, land class, vector data, texture). These layers are stacked to build up the scenery that you see in the sim. FTX Global Vector is a replacement of the default vector data layer of FSX/P3D. FTX Global Base pack is a replacement of the default texture files. FTX Global OpenLC is a replacement of the default land class data layer. When you add FTX Global Open LC, you are just replacing the default land class layer. The default vector layer will still be placed on top of the stack. Errors in scenery can happen if the layers don't line up. (A river drawn through the middle of a town for instance.) I'll speculate that if land class locations are more accurate, they might line up better with vector data that is more accurate. (Vector and OpenLC are designed to work together, so a river might follow the edge of a town or forest more accurately.) On a side note, Vector happens to contain some airport elevation data. Why?? I think it is because Orbx collaborated with PILOTS to create FTX Global Vector. PILOTS also sells terrain mesh, including "FS Global 2010 FTX edition", which Orbx also promotes. So what's the problem? Most companies' add-on mesh, even the freeware, is more accurate than the FSX/P3D default mesh, so issues arise. Runways in FSX/P3D are flat and sit at a specific elevation. That elevation number is designed for the default mesh elevation at the airport location. Elevation issues arise (runways on plateaus or in trenches) when an airport's elevation number is different that the mesh elevation beneath it. Orbx/PILOTS identified a bunch of airports effected by the more accurate mesh data and came up with the Airport Elevation Correction tool to fix them. They bundled the elevation data and AEC tool into Vector. The "problem" is that not all the problem airports were identified, so you will still find plateaus/trenches on occasion. The good news is that you can manually flatten the ones that are not automatically fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic1 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Good post Matt, I think this question comes up often. Personally I just get as much ORBX as I can. I would recommend getting all the global products (Base, vector, open LC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 1 hour ago, magic1 said: Good post Matt, I think this question comes up often. Personally I just get as much ORBX as I can. I would recommend getting all the global products (Base, vector, open LC). That has been my strategy over the years as well magic1, I like your style....I'll have an Orbx Full FAT Region please, with some Global on the side, some OpenLC and Vector poured on top, and oh, I'll have a few of those Orbx airports for dessert please. You know what, better make it five...no....ten of those airports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Abernathy Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 8 hours ago, Sniper31 said: That has been my strategy over the years as well magic1, I like your style....I'll have an Orbx Full FAT Region please, with some Global on the side, some OpenLC and Vector poured on top, and oh, I'll have a few of those Orbx airports for dessert please. You know what, better make it five...no....ten of those airports. I see that packing up all your flight sim gear is taking a toll on you Sniper! LOL Great Orbx stuff coming out soon and I'm sure you're itching to get back into the virtual skies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 40 minutes ago, Rob Abernathy said: I see that packing up all your flight sim gear is taking a toll on you Sniper! LOL Great Orbx stuff coming out soon and I'm sure you're itching to get back into the virtual skies. What ever gave you that idea Rob... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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