NZFF

Can't remember how I found this, but it looks damn impressive! Especially the water around NZAA!
Looks like Xplane might slowly be creeping up to overtake FS as my preferred sim

http://www.xpjets.com/scenery/auckland/

Thanks for sharing the X-Plane shots. It is very interesting to see how the 'competition' is developing. Comparing the latest add-ons for the major airports produced by companies such as Aerosoft, my view is that FSX still has an advantage, just looks a little more 'real'.

Nice shots and good to compare.

Smooth landings.

That aerial view of NZAA sure makes a good screenshot - X-plane has come a long way.
One of these days...

Peppermint wrote:

QUOTE (Peppermint @ Mar 7 2008, 05:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can't remember how I found this, but it looks damn impressive! Especially the water around NZAA!
Looks like Xplane might slowly be creeping up to overtake FS as my preferred sim

http://www.xpjets.com/scenery/auckland/

NOPE ... I ll stick with FS9/FSX ... ..... .......... ......... other looks bloody orrible ..... no close ups ..

I tried X-Plane demo for sometime but it just never felt "right". I guess its hard to change from something you know so well, but there were a few unrealistic things which put me off it altogether.

However! It has great potential! It can run on half the system FSX can, but it "could" still be just as good looking if there was a big fanbase and decent addons were released. Lets not forget FS9 and FSX don't exactly look great by default. If they would just tweak the handling of the planes. I'm not saying the flight dynamics are wrong, but the control sensitivity and range certaintly are, and it looks like you cannot change that beyond a certain point.

Funny - those screenshots are of buildings plus photo-scenery in the now ancient X-Plane Version 7. In other words, it's two versions ago (2004-ish). We're up to X-Plane 9 now (came out of beta today and into release-candidate stage), with full reflective water, and so much more! Interestingly, X-Plane 9 is 100% compatible with scenery that old - I still use this very version of Auckland, but I was thinking about converting it to X-Plane 9 so the airport ground textures could be (much) updated to the new standard and can use the more accurate X-Plane 9 mesh data. I'll post some close-ups tomorrow Ian. Remember, it is four year old scenery!

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Mar 7 2008, 10:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

NOPE ... I ll stick with FS9/FSX ... ..... .......... ......... other looks bloody orrible ..... no close ups ..

As promised - albeit a week late, here are some close-ups of Auckland Airport. Remember, this is three to four year old version 7 scenery, running in version 9. The water is a version 9 feature, but everything else is old school.

I want a freeware NZAA that looks that good in FS9!

Well except for the airbirdges.
I love how the whole thing is in proportion etc. and the use of photo textures!