Mac6737 Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 I had never heard of Orbx until a recent review on the FlightSim home page of FTXGlobal. So I bought it and am delighted, so far. Not only does everything look more real, but I suspect my frame rates have actually gotten higher. Here's my basic question: What is the relationship between FTXGlobalmand all the scenery packages I see on the Orbx website. There are a lot of them, and they ain't cheap. For instance, there's something called "openLC" (I think that stands for "land class") for many regions, some overlapping. There's North America. Then there's Northern California. You can't get freeware for Yosemite unless you have purchased Northern Cal. OK, but isn't Northern Cal in North America? (Rhetorical question.) It sure would be nice to have a link to a primer and explanation of what is, to me, a whole new world added to FSX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Hi Mac, and welcome to the forums and the world of Orbx. Yes, there is a link to a primer, but I can't find it at the moment. In short, as you go up from global to individual airports the details increase. These work in layers. Global replaces the standard FSX/P3D textures. Vector adds roads and shorelines, etc. Land class adds yet more, with towns and cities, roads and other detail. The combination of these is quite spectaculal. Regions are stand alone, and give an incredible flight sim experience. Try the free PNW demo. All airports are enhanced. Then there are freeware and payware airports that work inside regions or outside of them. You can use freeware without the accompanying region, but it will not integrate with the surroundings. Much freeware, like NA airports doesn't involve a region. This can be a bit pricey, but you can do this over time. Orbx does offer periodic sales, and since you posted this in the "Old Coots" forum I assume you are old enough to qualify for the 20% Senior Discount. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudger Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Hello Mac, here is a very good guide by Nick Cooper. Quote Hello, In a nutshell: Global products affect the whole world. FTX Global range FTX Global Base replaces the default textures. FTX Global Open LC products arrange those textures to best reflect the actual topography. FTX Global Vector corrects coastlines, inland water, roads, rivers and power lines. Open LC and Vector are both designed as accessories to Global Base and textures will look odd if combined with default textures. Mesh Mesh can be local, regional and global. Its purpose is to best reflect the elevation of the areas that it covers. FTX does NOT market a mesh product but regions and airports are made based on the standard of FS Global 2010. This product is marketed by a separate company, Pilot's. Mesh quality can vary, regardless of whether payware or freeware. Mesh is mesh but how well it is processed determines how good it looks in a simulator. FTX Regions FTX regions affect only the region that they cover. FTX regions apply all three of the Global features but only to the region, plus bespoke mesh to best reflect the elevation of that region. All default airports within that region are upgraded and there are points of interest added to their correct locations. Thousands of hours go into the making of a region and all anomalies in the default simulator are found and removed. No other products are required if a region is purchased but the improvements will be restricted to that region. FTX Airports FTX airports affect the airports and in most cases a considerable area around the airport, sometimes hundreds of square kilometers, are photo real with hand placed trees, buildings and points of interest. FTX airports are in the main designed to work inside the FTX region that they are in. They will work without the region but may not look as the developer intended them to. They are modeled to best reflect the actual airport, as seen and researched by the developer. They will contain bespoke buildings, mesh, textures, features and indeed everything needed to reflect what was there in the real world when the research was done. There are a few FTX airports that are presently not in a region. These are grouped in the Global range. They will work without the Global products but will not blend well with default textures. Regards, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc_Z Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 I knew there was one, but I couldn't remember where! (Just to keep the thread in Old Coots mode). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac6737 Posted July 20, 2018 Author Share Posted July 20, 2018 Thanks. We are making progress. But I seek clarity: 1. “FTX regions apply all 3 of the Global features” to the region in question. Those 3 are: Global Base, Global OpenLC and Global Vector. Yes? 2. I still don’t get the hierarchy of regions. If you buy OpenLC North America, why would you buy one of the smaller regions within North America, for the same price? For instance, OpenLC North America is $54 AUS, but so is Northern California. There must be a qualitative diff between the continents shown on the Global page and the lesser areas. So if I buy North America, what details in, say, San Francisco, will I miss out on? 3. Is there any problem with non-FTX add-ons that are already on my system? I have FSGenesis “mesh” for Queensland and Northern Andes. (I didn’t see any problem when I went to Queensland after installing Global base.) Can you install mesh on top of Global Base or on top of OpenLC areas? Is there any reason to do so? Well, that’s all I can think of for now. And yes, I suppose I would qualify for a senior discount. But that’s a joke, right? Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Hello Mac. to answer your questions: 1. No, all three features are textures, landclass and vector data. These are indeed applied globally by the three Global products but the textures, landclass and vector data found in regions are bespoke to that region. 2. The Global products may look a bit like the regions but upon closer examination, the regions contain much more. Every default airport in a region has been redeveloped to match the enhanced mesh that the region includes and where necessary, its layout size, shape and location have been corrected. Places of special interest are given special attention and where appropriate, photo inserts are placed with hand placed autogen and scenery objects to best reflect what is there in the real world. Most regions contain hundreds of points of interest made recognisable to the VFR flyer. There are three exceptions to these rules, the two Ireland products do not contain mesh and the current Australia product does not contain enhanced default airports. 3.If those are your only two mesh products, you have nothing to worry about. There are four basic components of the simulator, mesh, textures, landclass and vector. Each performs a different task. Mesh determines the terrain elevation. Textures determine what it looks like. Landclass determines what you see at a given location. Vector control where the coasts, shorelines, roads, rivers, streams and power lines are. Senior discount does indeed exist. Look here for how to apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 Mac, As Nick states, you can apply for the senior discount, and once it is processed (perhaps a little time due to time zone difference) your discounted price will show when you log into your Orbx account. Just peruse the site without logging in and you will see the standard full price. I find your insinuation that I was "joking"...um...rather unpleasant. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence aldrich Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 He can't be any more than 30. Real old coots don't ask questions about details. Not enough time left normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac6737 Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 4 hours ago, Ken Q said: Mac, As Nick states, you can apply for the senior discount, and once it is processed (perhaps a little time due to time zone difference) your discounted price will show when you log into your Orbx account. Just peruse the site without logging in and you will see the standard full price. I find your insinuation that I was "joking"...um...rather unpleasant. Ken Sorry, I would never offend. (Well, almost never.) I found it hard to believe that any online commercial enterprise would ever accord me the deference that my worldly experience merits. But good for Orbx! As for Lawrence: I am a trifle over 30. But hey, I could be some 400-pound fat guy sitting in bed, hacking the DNC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Thank you, Mac. Apology accepted. You will find that Orbx has the best flight sim scenery products, and really at super reasonable prices. I think they are so good because they really love what they are doing. Also their commercial customers subsidize the rest of us. I don't know where you are located, and where you like to "fly", but wherever, there is great stuff, and phenominal challenges. I live on the east coast, USA, and like the New England and Mid Atlantic area, where there is KBID, KSNS, 2B2, 6B6 and KBHB as pay ware airports, and lots of great enhanced freeware airports. But every winter I "fly" west to enjoy PNW, NorCal, SoCal, and the two Rockies "regions". I have added some of the pay ware airports here, which really add to the realism. Try, for example, landing at L05, Kern Valley, from the west. Over a high mountain ridge into a deep valley, and the scenery is SO spectacular. There is just so much great stuff! Actually, I think Orbx prices are very reasonable, but then they do offer us "Old Coots" a nice discount. Then they do have sales, usually one near the end of the year, and one mid year. Occaisionally there will be other specials, like the recent 4th of July sale on North American products. In other words this is a company that has great products, and cares about its customers. The Forums are great too, many really interesting friends to meet. Again, try the free demos - it will give you some idea of what to expect. By the way, also try "Bob" and "walk around" some of this scenery. Depending on where you are, you'll be blown away. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac6737 Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 OK, I've applied for a senior discount. I've also learned that the Aussie $ has substantially devalued since I was in Australia (2013), making these products much easier to justify/rationalize. But just one more Q. Let's say you buy Global Vector (which seems worthwhile), then a region. The region is piled on top of Vector and Global Base. Then let's say you add an airport on top of that region. Wouldn't there have to be a dramatic loss of frame rate? Ken: I am in the Washington DC suburbs, but was born and raised in NYC. I am familiar with the North Shore (and Huntington), but tend to fly in far away places I have been to in real life. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Hello, the regions have their own Vector data and exclude the Global Vector data, again with the one exception of Australia. A control panel switch is included to remove the Global Vector files for Australia if the product is in use. Despite some others' belief to the contrary, as Global Vector is excluded, it does nothing to the regions, either in appearance or performance. A great deal of time and trouble is expended by the developers to maximise performance at their airfields and airports and you should not see a dramatic loss of frame rate due to adding one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 I guess you could say a region is "on top" of Global Base, but from a practical standpoint it doesn't work that way. What happens is all the scenery blends seamlessly. There will be less detail in the Global Base than in the region, but as you fly from the region to the base area outside the region, the transition is smooth and basically unnoticeable. Add an airport, and you get outstanding detail in the immediate area (how far varies) where, since you're especially down low, you really appreciate it. I have a pretty good system as noted in my signature, but have no issues with frame rates. Before I upgraded my FS computer, I noticed an improvement when I started to install Orbx products. As you noted, with the current exchange rate (currently US $0.74 to AUS $1.00) Orbx products are quite reasonable in the US, and with the Senior Discount, even better. I like to fly anywhere in the US, have all the US regions, and MANY of the airports. The free NA Airport pack is a great add-on (and it is FREE!). I do wish there were a few more enhanced airports mid continent, so there would be more Orbx places to stop on trans-continental flights. I usually fly the Perfect Flight Mooney Bravo (very similar to the default, but I find the sound and ground handling slightly better), and like flights of about 125 miles or less. I do not use the "Go to Airport" feature. If I want to go the Catalina Island (KAVX), I fly there, even if it takes me a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Mac, as you have noticed, the Old Coots are a treasure trove of information and a good-humored source of daily entertainment. Welcome to the clubhouse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzelle Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 17 hours ago, Mac6737 said: Sorry, I would never offend. (Well, almost never.) I found it hard to believe that any online commercial enterprise would ever accord me the deference that my worldly experience merits. But good for Orbx! As for Lawrence: I am a trifle over 30. But hey, I could be some 400-pound fat guy sitting in bed, hacking the DNC. I will allow half an upvote point for that quote in brackets. I would have allowed the full vote for "Well, hardly ever", but as you didn't quite quote Captain Corcoran correctly it stays at half a vote. Sorry, but a requirement for an Old Coot is a need for grammatical and accurate pedantry. Consider yourself admonished, my dear chap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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