announcement TrueEarth US Washington for XP11 - SNEAK PEEK VIDEO!

[FireRx]

in regards to seasonal changes that is not the answer I was looking for. 

[Jack Sawyer]

Just now saw this. Epic and day one buy!

[xianghengyi1995@163.com]

18 hours ago, FireRx said:

in regards to seasonal changes that is not the answer I was looking for. 

You can try to follow Xenviro1.10.

[Dadtom65]

Hi guys. Nearly bought the Dreskie, know that’s not spelt right but you will know who I mean, the Seattle Airports by you know who for the upcoming True Earth PNW but I thought I had better wait until I find out if they are compatible with the said Scenery, does anyone know if that’s the case. Perhaps one of the developers could let us know. Thanks Derek.

[twsimfan]

Now that is impressive! Far more so than I expected and I knew you guys would do a great job of it. The Seattle area is good enough that I will have to ditch the DD Seattle City & Airports and I didn't expect that. Although I never had any doubt that your Seattle would have much better frame rates than DD's.  But the truly impressive part is the 3 to 5 second glimpse of Tacoma downtown & port... just seeing that much qualifies as the best treatment Tacoma has received in any FS scenery I've ever seen. Go way back to the days of FU3 and for the technology of that time it was fairly good... but that was an entirely different era.

 

The area around KTIW looked a bit strange to me but then I haven't been up there for a while now so I will admit this criticism may not be valid. Probably isn't. It would be nice to get a glimpse of Gig Harbor and the Narrows Bridges.

 

I'd like to see how you deal with the area around Grand Coulee Dam... no FS scenery to date has done justice to that area. I'll cross my fingers that TEW (TrueEarth Washington or whatever your going to call this product) is the first.

 

Now I have to figure out how to remove DD's Seattle.

 

PS - I do now intend to purchase this for XP-11 but when you release this for AFS2 is when I will really get excited!

 

[John Venema]

 

Grand Coulee Dam is there as a bespoke 3D model. You’ll be very pleased with the contents of the region.

 

KTIW looks great, I was flying over it today to take some snaps of the Narrows Bridge and it’s all as it should be.

[downscc]

I've stayed away from XPlane because it lacks seasons.  I like real world weather and seasons.

I have every Orbx product except the S GB TE because of this, and it looks like I will continued to be disappointed by the decision to stick to single season in your future TE products.... I mean really disappointed.  Otherwise I love my Orbx world in Prepar3D, especially the places I've been and lived like PNW and both CA's, and I've lived in Germany too and been to the Netherlands.  The extra realism using the Orbx products adds much enjoyment to my simulation experience..... but no seasons?  I don't get it.

[John Venema]

I’m sorry about your disappointment over lack of seasons, but we have landclass based regions to cater for that. It’s just not practical to do for anything larger than the Netherlands I’m afraid; such is the realty of large products such as these. We have more LC based regions planned and in production so all is not lost.

 

FWIW in my 40 years of using flight sims I have only really ever flown in summer, in good weather and in scenic areas. Preferably with nice cumulus puffy clouds with a lovely layer of cirrus up high. It’s a simulator, so it allows me to  s-i-m-u-l-a-t-e  ideal conditions for flying, so honestly I could care less about night time, rain, fog, snow or seasons. When I rent a C172 in real-life at EGHR Goodwood (my local), it’s usually in summer, on a nice day, not too windy, no rain and with just enough clouds to cast lovely ground shadows. Just like in the sim, actually.  

 

But that’s just me

 

[KVSandleben]

39 minutes ago, downscc said:

but no seasons?  I don't get it.

 

What is not to get? Take the disk space one of those photoreal regions needs and quadruple it. That would be the amount of diskspace you need for seasonal textures.

[Jon Clarke]

I have to agree with JV regarding seasons. I find them overrated. Bear with me ! You pay for a really good piece of scenery like a TEGB where meticulous detail has been worked on to colour match etc, then you blanket all that in white to represent hard winter snow. You don't need TEGB for seasons. You can use default XP GB scenery or GB Pro by Orbx' Tonywob, and use the winter mod available as freeware. Voila..you have a snow covered GB, or anywhere else in the world that has snow.

I admit TE Washington will be a different scenario because it actually snows a lot in that region in winter. However, again meticulous detail is being added to PNW and it is best viewed in spring/summer (not a lot of difference). So fly TE Washington in spring/summer and revert to default PNW region with the seasons mod for winter flying.

Simples.

 For P3D flyers you have all the US landclass addons which will give you seasons. Use TE Washington for spring/summer flying and enjoy viewing the excellent details of topography, meticulous tree, autogen, objects, POI's placement, and colour matching work that Orbx has spent six figures in obtaining and working on.

[kevinfirth]

8 hours ago, jjaycee1 said:

I have to agree with JV regarding seasons. I find them overrated. Bear with me ! You pay for a really good piece of scenery like a TEGB where meticulous detail has been worked on to colour match etc, then you blanket all that in white to represent hard winter snow. You don't need TEGB for seasons. You can use default XP GB scenery or GB Pro by Orbx' Tonywob, and use the winter mod available as freeware. Voila..you have a snow covered GB, or anywhere else in the world that has snow.

I admit TE Washington will be a different scenario because it actually snows a lot in that region in winter. However, again meticulous detail is being added to PNW and it is best viewed in spring/summer (not a lot of difference). So fly TE Washington in spring/summer and revert to default PNW region with the seasons mod for winter flying.

Simples.

 For P3D flyers you have all the US landclass addons which will give you seasons. Use TE Washington for spring/summer flying and enjoy viewing the excellent details of topography, meticulous tree, autogen, objects, POI's placement, and colour matching work that Orbx has spent six figures in obtaining and working on.

Slight problem, I cannot use landclass because it is so obviously not real.  Call me autistic :) I dont need hard winter that much in the Uk because it is hardly ever that snowy here.  But spring and autumn and winter generally are very different.  Id like to be able to have that.  Just because JV doesnt sim that way shouldnt mean the rest if us are disenfranchised.  I'll happliy pay a premium for them.  (just requires Orbx to compile the already corrected base imagery again with a different palette). If bandwidth costs are a problem I'll happily pay a nominal amount every time I download them as well.    Maybe there'd be limited uptake, i dont know, but for a very small outlay in dev time, it WOULD be possible to make seasons available for those who wanted them, in a way that didnt compromise financial bandwidth viability.  I dont understand the myopic insistence that summer is fine by itself - it just isnt for some of us.  

[John Venema]

Kevin, your barrow has been well and truly pushed ad infinitum, so please give it up now. Any further seasons posts will be moderated, and since we are in the XP11 announcement topic, it’s totally not relevant anyway.

[kevinfirth]

20 minutes ago, John Venema said:

Kevin, your barrow has been well and truly pushed ad infinitum, so please give it up now. Any further seasons posts will be moderated, and since we are in the XP11 announcement topic, it’s totally not relevant anyway.

 

ok my apologies, I was articulating my opinion (could have been more calmly written I admit, sorry) to a fellow user but point duly noted!

 

On topic, what has been previewed looks excellent (think I already said that earlier in the thread?), almost enough to tempt even me into trying XP...whether I do or not I'll still buy it for P3D when released because seasons or not, TE is some of the best 'out of the box' scenery solutions out there.  I cant help wanting it to be even better

 

PS I am actually on the AS somewhere, so please bear that in mind a little when it comes to my posts? thx

[John Venema]

XP11 is a small Investment. Perhaps consider buying it to check it out?

[twsimfan]

On 4/23/2019 at 4:04 PM, John Venema said:

 

Grand Coulee Dam is there as a bespoke 3D model. You’ll be very pleased with the contents of the region.

 

KTIW looks great, I was flying over it today to take some snaps of the Narrows Bridge and it’s all as it should be.

 

The model does look good and keep in mind that my wife worked as a telephone operator in an office behind that right powerhouse for about 18 months so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. But the truth of the matter is that the model of the dam was never the problem. It always seems to get placed poorly. Usually sitting on top of the scenery with the ends not surrounded by the rock of the canyon as it must be. It has been quite a while but I believe that was also the case with the ORBX version from.... hmmm... I think it was RMN or Rocky Mountain North? But as I recall you guys did do a fair job on the little airport just outside Electric City in that scenery 3W7. You say I will be pleased so I'm willing to bet that you are correct.

 

I'd love to see those pics of the bridges.

 

I appreciate the reply.

 

 

[kevinfirth]

8 hours ago, John Venema said:

XP11 is a small Investment. Perhaps consider buying it to check it out?

Yeah, I'm just afraid you'll get the other half of my salary then. I barely have time for one sim I'm afraid is the unfortunate reality though...

[JamesSR]

On 4/23/2019 at 3:17 PM, John Venema said:

FWIW in my 40 years of using flight sims I have only really ever flown in summer, in good weather and in scenic areas. Preferably with nice cumulus puffy clouds with a lovely layer of cirrus up high. It’s a simulator, so it allows me to  s-i-m-u-l-a-t-e  ideal conditions for flying, so honestly I could care less about night time, rain, fog, snow or seasons. When I rent a C172 in real-life at EGHR Goodwood (my local), it’s usually in summer, on a nice day, not too windy, no rain and with just enough clouds to cast lovely ground shadows. Just like in the sim, actually.  

 

But that’s just me

 

 

Hey John,

 

I thought I'd offer my perspective (for what it's worth) as an avid simmer and real-world private pilot. (I understand that this is a bit off topic, but since you offered your "FWIW - But that's just me" perspective, I thought it would be okay. )

 

I became a pilot about the same time I became a flight simmer. I've always used flight simulation as a supplement to my real-world flying. Winter in Northern California is one of my favorite seasons to fly in because of stable, dense air and great visibility. Aircraft performance is at its peak. Although in the real world I don't fly in marginal weather, I do fly at times in California, Oregon, and sometimes Washington area with snow on the ground. It's a breathtaking sight. Tahoe is a great example of seasonal flying with beautiful snowscapes in Winter and fall colors in Autumn.

 

Orbx landclass sceneries (I have all Orbx North American products for P3D) are an excellent and beautiful representation of these areas in all seasons, and they complement my real-world flying like no other. I use (and will continue to use) Prepar3D because of this feature and will not likely purchase True Earth products for P3D due to the lack of seasons.

 

Be that as it may, I cannot deny the shear beauty and realism of the True Earth products and do not want to miss out. My solution: I am also a fan of X-plane and use it consistently for specific training scenarios. I plan on using  X-plane as my True Earth simulator and already own and will continue to purchase all North American products for it.

 

My point: As you have stated in the past, John, the purchase of Orbx True Earth or Land Class products is not mutually exclusive. Whether one owns P3D, or X-Plane, or both, one can benefit from both TE and LC products and use them each as one desires for their own specific features/strengths. If one uses only X-Plane, then the choice is pretty simple. Either way, the financial commitment is not extreme.

 

Thanks for your ongoing commitment to flight simulation realism.

 

James

[paulk]

OK I give in.

 

I've been a loyal P3d V4 user and I love to fly in summer around the PNW in a float plane and explore.

 

I think now is the time to invest in a separate SSD for XP11 only (something else I need to learn - the grey cells are wearing out fast)

 

If I were to purchase a new SSD for XP11 only, it would be for Orbx True Earth products only. I have to say TE GB South doesn't seem as good on P3d compared to the XP11 screenshots.

 

So I ask the following question: If I purchase XP11 for Orbx TE Products only, which add on's do I require to make my scenery look as good as Johns screenshots?

 

Thanks to all who respond and I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking about this.

 

[david broome]

57 minutes ago, paulk said:

OK I give in.

 

I've been a loyal P3d V4 user and I love to fly in summer around the PNW in a float plane and explore.

 

I think now is the time to invest in a separate SSD for XP11 only (something else I need to learn - the grey cells are wearing out fast)

 

If I were to purchase a new SSD for XP11 only, it would be for Orbx True Earth products only. I have to say TE GB South doesn't seem as good on P3d compared to the XP11 screenshots.

 

So I ask the following question: If I purchase XP11 for Orbx TE Products only, which add on's do I require to make my scenery look as good as Johns screenshots?

 

Thanks to all who respond and I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking about this.

 

 

Straying a bit (lot) off topic but I would ensure you are happy with you stock install and any custom  scenery first, learn the ropes a bit before jumping in deep.

Remember that Xplane 11 is more demanding on hardware then P3d as well, ensure you have the horsepower required before adding any bells and whistles.

Once you have done that then open a thread on the Xplane forum and you will get all the support and advice you need.

[NoLonger]

9 hours ago, paulk said:

So I ask the following question: If I purchase XP11 for Orbx TE Products only, which add on's do I require to make my scenery look as good as Johns screenshots?

 

 

Check John's signature:

 

XP11.30 Addons:  xVision Beta4, ‘Impressive’ preset | Ultra Weather XP | XPRealistic Pro | ASXP

 

I personally don't own any of them and I do think Ultra Weather XP and ASXP are somehow the same kind of programs but from what I've read you will need xVision for the improved up graphics (afaik it's a shader addon like PTA for P3D). Ultra Weather and ASXP are (you probably guessed it) for the weather: I don't really know (but am curious to find out) where John's clouds come from (default? yet another addon?)

[John Venema]

All you need is Ultra Weather XP (UWXP) v2.5 which now comes with new clouds, water, sky and now includes its post-process shaders and will likely be all you need

[paulk]

Thanks John

 

[Mike707]

14 hours ago, John Venema said:

All you need is Ultra Weather XP (UWXP) v2.5 which now comes with new clouds, water, sky and now includes its post-process shaders and will likely be all you need

I took a look at Ultra Weather XP v2.5 and it looks really good. I will certainly consider it as I am getting more into X-Plane.

[Jon Clarke]

19 hours ago, John Venema said:

All you need is Ultra Weather XP (UWXP) v2.5 which now comes with new clouds, water, sky and now includes its post-process shaders and will likely be all you need

 

@John Venema JV would you be good enough to clarify that you feel X-Vision is no longer required as UWXP 2.5 has the attributes to do what X-Vision does?

Can you enlighten us on what aspects of UWXP 2.5 relate to X-Vision and more importantly, how UWXP can be set up to not only to choose sky, water clouds options, but to utilise post process shaders to the same defined extent that is offered in X-Vision. I am not technically knowledgeable enough to understand how certain options in UWXP can replace X-Vision.

[tsb47]

This looks epic.  What is the music? 

[tsb47]

@John Venema This is Epic.  What is the music you used for the video?

[Tilpe]

Pour ma part, pendentif un court de temps, j'utilise un logiciel sur le forum xplane.org ( https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/) pour mes tuiles nord europe ou notheast Etats-Unis Ortho4xp en hiver. file / 51354-winterizer-un-outil-pour-orthophotos de neige / ) pour construire le pays de neige d'hiver Ortho4xp. Juste 500 Ko par tuile.

 

j'aime les produits P3D et XP d'Orbx, votre realEarth US Washington est très gentil

 

[John Venema]

Music was licensed from this site: https://artlist.io/song/7532/breathe

[MZee1960]

This scenery looks great in X-plane. 

 

I only wish there was a tweak to make VC's less dark in daytime, and to improve water textures. There seem to be so many plug-ins and addons  out there for XP11, makes life very complicated to know what to use, especially when coming from FSX/P3D. I almost wish there was a guide somewhere re XP11 tweaks. 

[paulk]

On 4/26/2019 at 11:41 AM, John Venema said:

All you need is Ultra Weather XP (UWXP) v2.5 which now comes with new clouds, water, sky and now includes its post-process shaders and will likely be all you need

Hi John

 

Just to update, in preparation for True Earth Washington, I've bought a new Samsung SSD 1TB and am in the process of downloading X Plane 11. You said above all you need is UWXP, does this mean X Vision is no longer required (I've read previous posts about it?).

 

Also are there any performance presets you would recommend installing or just X Plane 11 and UWXP?

 

Thanks.

[DocBird]

Wow, this is what I dreamt of when I bought FTX PNW eight years ago! FTX PNW was a terrific product and I had hundreds of hours of fun fine education  with it until I changed over to X-Plane. But now look were we (Orbx) have come to! Outstanding! I am curious to see how this will run on my PC in VR.

One question though:

It is my understanding that Orbx will not touch the XP-default-airports, strips, and seaplane basis, right? But does this also apply to the helipads especially those on rooftops? There are quite a lot of default rooftop helipads in that area. I didn’t go through the impressive long list of POI. So the question is: Did you (Orbx) model those buildings and the helipads?

[Traveller]

16 minutes ago, DocBird said:

 

One question though:

 

[...] But does this also apply to the helipads especially those on rooftops? There are quite a lot of default rooftop helipads in that area. I didn’t go through the impressive long list of POI. So the question is: Did you (Orbx) model those buildings and the helipads?[...]

 

 

 

A good question mate.
I speculate that this will depend on the interest of the team members in helicopters.
I see there are some developers sensitive to this niche of simmers taste. Others ignore it and support general aviation.
Anyway, we'll see ...

[tsb47]

On 5/3/2019 at 3:48 AM, John Venema said:

Music was licensed from this site: https://artlist.io/song/7532/breathe

Thanks, I really like that music - strange as that may seem....

[xflightest]

How do I turn off Drzewiecki Design Seattle Airports mesh so it will work with True Earth Washington?