NZFF

I've spent a heck of a lot of time in the simulator since release (or soon after, given the way it was rolled out), and I'm starting to figure out a few things which make it better, and also discovering the issues which make it annoying.

Today I've been trying to figure out the new LOD system for my scenery, as I couldn't get it to work at all. After a lot of tweaking and trying different things, I found that it came down to my lack of experience with Blender -- all my LODs were the same, because I hadn't 'applied' the decimate modifier. Now it works as I expected, so I'll be full steam ahead.

Except there are so many other things which don't work as they did in 2020. In 2020 you had the choice of removing the default frequencies when you created an airport, but I always chose not to -- most of the frequencies are correct, so why reinvent the wheel. However when I do the same thing at NZCH it still removed them, and putting them back doesn't work well. I'll figure it out, but it could just be a SDK bug. Other airports I've rebuilt with the 2024 SDK haven't caused this problem, thank goodness.

I've figured out how to use my avatar in 3rd person mode, so I've been travelling by foot most of the time. I did in fact earn an achievement today, '5K fun run', for travelling 5km on foot. Here I am sightseeing at NZCH, still wondering why my GA parking spaces don't keep out the riff-raff.



I did install GSX today, but I took it off again as it needs plenty of work. Still, I do miss it, as the default ground services are quite mediocre.

I also tried the Frame Generation mod, which seems to work as advertised. I had switched the sim settings to 1080p, which is not great, but I just don't think my system can cope with much more. However with Frame Gen I can get better performance, and at 1440p. I'll see if I can keep it on, but it's easy enough to switch off if it annoys me.

This afternoon I watched this video on Youtube, this real Airbus pilot flying the (default) iniBuilds A321 from NZAA to NZQN. Honestly, I did decide that the initial intro shot was a real video, but apparently not. The landing at QN is just stunning, and I don't think I've ever seen anything this real in 2020. Some little issues, or course, but overall a great advert for the new sim -- and the A321.

https://youtu.be/f2sbea_u1vg?si=DbqvT97SQVTb2tqM

I had my first CTD today, although it was probably a combination of things which I was trying -- my rough NZCH, the A321, and GSX. Removing GSX fixed it, though. After a couple of these CTDs though the sim wouldn't start at all, and the icon on my taskbar just disappeared. Luckily I'd seen this before in 2020, so I just went to the MS website, logged out, then opened the Xbox app and logged back in. Simple, but I can imagine that this would freak people out, it did the first time it happened to me.

I have yet to figure out how to reproduce 2020's nice asphalt textures, in 2024 they look rough sometimes. Still, sticking plenty of default objects around NZPP's Placemakers makes it a bit less noticeable. Placemakers here is my first attempt at the way that the likes of NZA use, rather than heaps of photo textures. I don't know if I like it, it makes everything too clean and computery, but I borrowed from NZA's book and shot it at dusk.


Checking out my handiwork:

As ever, there's a treasure trove of useful information in your post (thanks!). The XBox re-login thing is worth bringing up as my memory bank is "borked" [TM] and I'm bound to forget if it happens to me.

My current frustration is to try to get liveries for default 2024 aircraft to show up. Tried all sorts, but will probably wait and see if anyone else can figure it out. I know the location of the base aircraft is in Streamed Content, but all sorts of voodoo failed miserably.

As to the Blender ... it's utterly insane. I must have tried 20 times to do something in it and got nowhere. Its GUI is even worse than Asobo's!

Adamski wrote:As to the Blender ... it's utterly insane. I must have tried 20 times to do something in it and got nowhere. Its GUI is even worse than Asobo's!

That must be why I can't make any progress with the Inter Island Airways paint I am trying to do on Kristoff's Beech D18 C18S Twin Beech for AFS4

I've been enjoying it so far, bugs aside. The flight model is a definite improvement which was one of my big hopes. The only addon I've tried so far is the freeware FS2020 Ardmore scenery and it works well for me, I was able to just drag and drop it like before. AI traffic is a disaster zone at the moment, but hopefully they'll improve it like they did in FS2020. That said it never worked overly well in 2020 even after all the patching so that perhaps doesn't bode well. It's nice to see all the VFR GA traffic shows up in sim now, rather than just airliners and the occasional IFR training flight.

toprob wrote: I did in fact earn an achievement today, '5K fun run', for travelling 5km on foot.

online half-marathon some time anyone? along one of NZs runways perhaps? could be a world first

I did see a guy on youtube walk up Everest.

toprob wrote:I did see a guy on youtube walk up Everest.

brilliant !!! wonder if he got a pal to do an emergency helicopter evac from the top?

I took a Lama helo up there in MSFS 2020, no problem .
But this made me think a little - the interweb is a little coy about helicopters to Everest summit, what are the issues?
The weather of course, which could be spelled WEATHER.

But the queue at Everest summit is longer than the loo at Milford Sound, and just as constrained.
You would blow everyone off the mountain if you came in to Medevac, and I think that's the biggest reason they leave you there.

After that (grisly factoid) limbs freeze pretty quickly in awkward poses and it's all but impossible to cart the body down.
It's a junkyard of the worst description: 20 per year.

EDIT Back on topic: Robin, can one make scenery for '24 that will also work nicely in '20 version?

Charl wrote:Back on topic: Robin, can one make scenery for '24 that will also work nicely in '20 version?

Thanks for the vivid mental images....

When I said in another post that we need more NZ scenery, I really meant hey, get stuck in, everyone! I'm definitely retired....

I'm not too sure that I'll keep 2020, but I will look at this if/when I ever release anything for 2024. However by then I'd expect everyone here to have moved on:)