Active Sky Evolution for FSX

[Kelvinr]

QUOTE (deeknow @ Jun 11 2011,5:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When you're flying in NZ though isnt the choice of a weather engine pretty much irrelevant, AFAIK there is no reliable NZ weather data source for a Sim engine right so if you fly mostly in NZ whats the point in splashing out on something like ASE. Surely you're better off going for the eye-candy and general improvement of weather representation of something like REX? Interested to hear what kiwi fliers think about this

Weather changes no matter where you are in the world doesn't it?

[Charl]

Here's 2c worth of experience:
I flew happily for years with default weather and tried all sorts of textures for sky and cloud.
Being FS9 I just max everything: visibility, cloud draw etc.
And it was Not Bad.

Then because many FS forums said AS was a must, on a whim I bought AS6.
First flight was Siberia in winter, and it permanently changed my approach to flying.
It just felt more...real.
Not sure exactly how it does it, but the weather engine is pretty complex, and creates incredibly complex visuals.
How do I know? Well that particular flight in Siberia returned 6 FPS
My computer eats FS9, so that was a bit of a surprise (although it hasn't happened since)



AS returns great, and realistic, weather patterns everywhere, in NZ too.
I would not fly without it underpinning all my custom cloud and sky textures.

I imagine FSX would benefit in the same way.

[deeknow]

QUOTE (Kelvinr @ Jun 12 2011,5:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Weather changes no matter where you are in the world doesn't it?

No, not in Hamilton, seems to be the same dreary weather all the time
The point is Kelvin, as you were saying earlier that .. "if I want to fly I will load up the sim and I get just that, a rainy day, I even compare with realworld flight information -- 99% accurate" .. so some folks like yourself do want accurate weather, but how can it be accurate (realistic sure) without more than a couple of weather stations feeding the data to the weather engine. AFAIK there are only a few for the whole of NZ that ASE and REX feed off? Can anyone confirm that?

[Ian Warren]

Dean , i have heard you can run both , but REX is all i need anyways .. some attributes may be with Active Sky , but never found anything really different .

[AlisterC]

@Charl (and @Sundayflyer).... I still use activesky 6.5 to this very day, too broke in the modern age to bother with an upgrade when good 'ol activesky oldie works great anyway. AS6.5 at least will work in FS9 and FSX no worries.
So Mr Sunday if you have that version, grab it out of the closet and taking it flying before heading down the path of something new? You might be ok with it.

Yes, I have issues with stations Dean.. something like NZWP, NZAA, NZRO (or is it TG), NZOH, NZWN, NZKI, NZCH, NZDN - that's about it. Queenstown and Nelson would be welcome additions.. Haven't been to Napier in a while, not sure if that is there.

[sundayflyer]

This has generated a good discussion... Thanks for all of your replies. I don't have any versions of Active Sky at present hence my enquiry. It maybe that I end up getting both ASE and REX... I read one post maybe REX.... read another post maybe ASE.....mmmmmmm
From what I can gather ASE would be a better weather engine than REX and would sort out the haze issues that the default FS cannot handle. I might try ASE with the default graphics first and see how that goes. The problem with reporting weather stations in NZ. Well there are only 3 NZAA NZWN NZCH (see my earlier post). as to how I use to handle that with an old version of Active Sky in FS9.
And then if you get all this on the go... can your computer handle it? Frame rates. For me without decent fps flight sims don't seem to work very well and you go off and find something else to do with your computer. And just when you think you have got it all sorted out along comes Flight... another new product from microsoft which starts us off all over again.
Cheers,
Daryl

[AndrewJamez]

In REX if you unclick "real Metar Visibility" it will turn of the stupid haze layer. ASE does do a better job of it though. I found REX weather engine to be pretty close to the weather I get in hamilton and the wind speed, direction and QNH always seem to be spot on with av metar. ASE seems to render more cloud types and layers etc but doesnt seem to get the wind speed right compared to REX weather but then ASE seems do have better turbulance etc.. so there is no clear winner. Also ASE takes and age and a half to load up v's REX weather is very quick. Thats my experience anyway, just thought I'd share.

[Kelvinr]

QUOTE (deeknow @ Jun 12 2011,6:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, not in Hamilton, seems to be the same dreary weather all the time
The point is Kelvin, as you were saying earlier that .. "if I want to fly I will load up the sim and I get just that, a rainy day, I even compare with realworld flight information -- 99% accurate" .. so some folks like yourself do want accurate weather, but how can it be accurate (realistic sure) without more than a couple of weather stations feeding the data to the weather engine. AFAIK there are only a few for the whole of NZ that ASE and REX feed off? Can anyone confirm that?

ASE has a feature where it uses an algorithm to "fill in the gaps" so to speak and where there is no station it has a couple of ways to do this. Not only can it do this, it has surface level and upper air level accuracy whereby you can choose between to types of weather depictions based on these two variables. I have flown IFR flights that require weather planning (well they all require weather planning) and using ASE I have been able to divert from storms and work with rough weather and still come out having the correct configurations for the aircraft when compensation is needed for weather factors i.e air temp/pressure to name a couple.

Anyway, this all depends on your purpose with FS. Do you just want to roam around the sky aimlessly regardless of weather conditions/accuracy OR do you want to have coordinated and well planned flights with precision approaches.

[deeknow]

Interesting, thanks Andrew and Kelvin, does help fill in the blanks between these two products.

QUOTE (Kelvinr @ Jun 13 2011,8:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Anyway, this all depends on your purpose with FS. Do you just want to roam around the sky aimlessly regardless of weather conditions/accuracy...

I doubt that fits the aim of anyone whose read this thread this far

[Ian Warren]

I think this is a do you want a Pink Mellow Puff or a White Mellow Puff and which one is sweeter . Biscuit and Choc or full Chocolate