NZSI Question

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Postby Kahu » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:49 am

Just a question asking the guys that already have VLC and have bought NZSI,how are you finding NZSI? has anyone reverted back to VLC.

Still undecided if to buy NZSI yet because I really like VLC, its just the shelter belts that I find annoying because the ground textures dont line up with them and I see in NZSI they do(even thou they may not be accurately placed)

Can I conclude that VLC is accurate and NZSI is more pretty?
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Postby Ian Warren » Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:01 am

Kahu wrote:
QUOTE (Kahu @ Mar 1 2012,11:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just a question asking the guys that already have VLC and have bought NZSI,how are you finding NZSI? has anyone reverted back to VLC.

VLC is good , but I really love the NZSI textures .. one thing VLC could'nt get fixed . NZSI has many addon issues but they are gradually getting done , pity about VLC but i would be buying the NZNI .

I would buy the NZSI and think you would be pleased , give us a final base package to build on .
Last edited by Ian Warren on Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby gojozoom » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:17 pm

Does NZSI have all those airstrips that VLC does?
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Postby Ian Warren » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:22 pm

gojozoom wrote:
QUOTE (gojozoom @ Mar 1 2012,1:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Does NZSI have all those airstrips that VLC does?

They say they are there , maybe if not something that could be adjusted to suit keeping VLC alive .
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Postby Timmo » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:37 pm

Kahu wrote:
QUOTE (Kahu @ Mar 1 2012,11:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just a question asking the guys that already have VLC and have bought NZSI,how are you finding NZSI? has anyone reverted back to VLC.

Still undecided if to buy NZSI yet because I really like VLC, its just the shelter belts that I find annoying because the ground textures dont line up with them and I see in NZSI they do(even thou they may not be accurately placed)

Can I conclude that VLC is accurate and NZSI is more pretty?


I've started having a rethink of the landclass for the next VLC patch and one of things that will be happening is separation of the shelterbelts and airstrips from the main landclass data- This will allow more choice and better ability to tweak these parts in the future without large patch downloads.
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Postby Adamski » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:52 pm

Kahu wrote:
QUOTE (Kahu @ Mar 1 2012,11:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Can I conclude that VLC is accurate and NZSI is more pretty?

I think that's *roughly* how it is. That said, neither is *that* accurate (it's all about performance trade-offs, really). However - I find NZSI does a better job of "suspension of belief", creating what I'd "expect to see". Reality can be pretty ugly at times laugh.gif

The "downer" for me (albeit a small one), with VLC, is the way it treats the boundaries between landclasses ... all sort of "hard -edge" with little blending or blurring. I don't care if the shape of that bush area is realistic if the way it looks/blends with surrounding grass areas looks a crude. You know ... the strange "wavy" boundaries that we see.

I get the impression that many of of our home-grown scenery designers are treating NZSI as "here to stay" and putting a lot of effort into making their work compatible (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em) - so I'd say NZSI+VLC+whatever is the way forward.
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Postby toprob » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:16 pm

Adamski wrote:
QUOTE (Adamski @ Mar 1 2012,3:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I get the impression that many of of our home-grown scenery designers are treating NZSI as "here to stay" and putting a lot of effort into making their work compatible (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em) - so I'd say NZSI+VLC+whatever is the way forward.


I don't think there was any doubt that NZSI is here to stay, but really it is not possible to join 'em, without actually, well, joining them. My customers have made if pretty clear that they want my stuff to work with NZSI, but this is always going to be a compromise -- only Orbx can make Orbx scenery, whereas anyone can make VLC scenery.

I'd love to be able to develop stuff for an 'open' NZSI, but that's never going to happen. If half my customers make the switch, then I need to do the work to make it all work together, but at best I can only work around the locked nature of NZSI/NZNI.

I do agree that both Orbx and VLC are worthwhile, and it is easy enough to have both installed -- try it for a few months, and see how you go. You might find that one gets binned, or you might keep both and switch to suit the flight.
Last edited by toprob on Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Timmo » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:38 pm

Adamski wrote:
QUOTE (Adamski @ Mar 1 2012,3:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The "downer" for me (albeit a small one), with VLC, is the way it treats the boundaries between landclasses ... all sort of "hard -edge" with little blending or blurring. I don't care if the shape of that bush area is realistic if the way it looks/blends with surrounding grass areas looks a crude. You know ... the strange "wavy" boundaries that we see.


I have had many thoughts about this and can see some ways around it (i.e. textured lines around the relevant polygons) but it always comes back to the issue of distributing modified core files that must reside in the FSX installation directory (ie. terrain.cfg) There are real issues around this as each developer has/wants different tweaks to this file but only one file can be present (unlike updated files that can reside in an addon scenery folder) and appending new lines is not really workable either. Orbx seem to have taken a 'brute force' approach to this by providing their replacement terrain.cfg and making everyone else fit their rules, especially in a geographically small area like New Zealand: If, for example, someone else (i.e. VLC) released a modified terrain.cfg file to enhance certain parts of the scenery, it would require disabling of the Orbx version and/or a 'switch' when leaving one area and entering the next...which kinda sux.
Last edited by Timmo on Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Adamski » Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:28 pm

Timmo wrote:
QUOTE (Timmo @ Mar 1 2012,4:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I have had many thoughts about this and can see some ways around it (i.e. textured lines around the relevant polygons)

Can a polygon sit over the top of another polygon? Or would there be a real performance hit? I'm thinking that you create a new polygon/class/texture that's (for example) a "blend" of grass/bush. Place that, then a slightly smaller "bush" polygon over the top of that one, revealing a pseudo-transition around the edges. Would that (new) texture affect the way default FSX terrain/scenery works - or could it just be additional?

I really haven't a clue what I'm talking about, but I'm hoping you might laugh.gif
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Postby Kahu » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:29 pm

Thanks for the reply's, I think I will buy and give NZSI a try, since I mainly fly military heavy's and fast movers, accurate terrain is not so important compared to "pretty looking" terrain.

I do get cheap thrills from people flow etc. biggrin.gif
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Postby Ian Warren » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:37 pm

The one handy point from me , Your Working on Wigram , I better send you the photo file off Christchurch if you don't already have , but also will have the updated AGN given you a better journey around Wiggy and the CHCH area smile.gif
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Postby Skysurfer » Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:44 pm

Ian Warren wrote:
QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Mar 1 2012,9:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The one handy point from me , Your Working on Wigram , I better send you the photo file off Christchurch if you don't already have , but also will have the updated AGN given you a better journey around Wiggy and the CHCH area smile.gif


excellent.. I am having issues with Snowmans CHC and photo CHCHX (placed below CHC but above NZSI) etc and the NZSI scenery (runway is sunk below fround level), Should the photoreal be lowest priority or above NZSI mesh?

Am running VLC for Nth Island in conjunction with NZSI and have no probs (hopefully Robin will merge Marlborough soon). Only prob is scenery load time with both, OK when transiting in a/c below 70-80knots but my 1GB graphics slows up when doing the jet transition at low level which is to be expected!

Overall I will be sticking with NZSI but looking forward to somehow getting the VLC landout airstrips back over the top and someone sorting out a more realistic Omarama! have received no reply from ORBX about removing the vegetation and trees that don't exist and putting modern gliders onthe field rather than those 1960's style wood and fabric vintage gliders they have put there. And don't get me started about their log cabins complete with smoke in high summer!
Last edited by Skysurfer on Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Ian Warren » Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:55 pm

Skysurfer wrote:
QUOTE (Skysurfer @ Apr 20 2012,12:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
excellent.. I am having issues with Snowmans CHC and photo CHCHX (placed below CHC but above NZSI) etc and the NZSI scenery (runway is sunk below fround level), Should the photoreal be lowest priority or above NZSI mesh?

If your running ORBX NZSI , delete Snowmans CHC and photo CHCHX , all you need is the photo that covers this area .... http://nzff.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;#entry8306616 , the scenery is a WIP but you will be happy around the airports .. dry.gif
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Postby Charl » Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:58 pm

Sorry... can' t resist: Take off from NZAA, head to Wellington.
Don't stop there, just keep going.

John Lennon said it years ago, when asked how the Beatles found America: "Just turned left at Greenland" winkyy.gif
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Postby Ian Warren » Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:34 pm

Follow the Bugs s to speak .. never was a Beatles fan or fly's .. Spider's Ok biggrin.gif
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Postby toprob » Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:44 pm

Charl wrote:
QUOTE (Charl @ Apr 20 2012,1:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Sorry... can' t resist: Take off from NZAA, head to Wellington.
Don't stop there, just keep going.

John Lennon said it years ago, when asked how the Beatles found America: "Just turned left at Greenland" winkyy.gif


tongue.gif

Speaking of running out of fuel (because you didn't stop at Wellington) and crashing into Marlborough Sounds, I watched the Outward Bound thing on Prime last night, and was instantly transported back 35 years. Good to see that PC rules haven't ruined the experience in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.
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Postby Skysurfer » Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:57 pm

Ian Warren wrote:
QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Apr 19 2012,11:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
If your running ORBX NZSI , delete Snowmans CHC and photo CHCHX , all you need is the photo that covers this area .... http://nzff.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;#entry8306616 , the scenery is a WIP but you will be happy around the airports .. dry.gif


many txs for that tip.. guess we will see a new ChCh when the terminal is finally completed?
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Postby Sinz » Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:22 pm

Kahu wrote:
QUOTE (Kahu @ Mar 1 2012,10:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Just a question asking the guys that already have VLC and have bought NZSI,how are you finding NZSI? has anyone reverted back to VLC.

Still undecided if to buy NZSI yet because I really like VLC, its just the shelter belts that I find annoying because the ground textures dont line up with them and I see in NZSI they do(even thou they may not be accurately placed)

Can I conclude that VLC is accurate and NZSI is more pretty?


I'm new to the simulation. One of my first purchases was NZSI and I can't say Im dissappointed. I even went and bougt Aussie SP4 due the fact I was Impressed enough.
I have not bought any VLC addons, but from what I have seen from their Freeware they are pretty dam good. I just see things going a different way.
I won't be buying MS Flights expansions because I want a simulator not a game. Personally give me a Country (and within that country some really great airpots, creator2003) something I would buy.

If developers want a bigger customer base they need appeal to the mass not the individual.

Something MS Flight is trying to do but wont get it, because its not fast enough for the kids of today.
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Postby Ian Warren » Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:24 pm

Sinz wrote:
QUOTE (Sinz @ Apr 20 2012,11:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
If developers want a bigger customer base they need appeal to the mass not the individual.

Something MS Flight is trying to do but wont get it, because its not fast enough for the kids of today.

SINZ , once you have spend a few muncho's and see you area growing , you will be like everyone else .. you want more .. that's the flightsim nature ... New Zealand .. Developers there are more of us than their are sheep , simply take time to mature .. not manure cos we dont wont any scenery to stink . blink.gif .. Poooh .. STINK !
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Postby Sinz » Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:35 pm

toprob wrote:
QUOTE (toprob @ Apr 20 2012,2:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
tongue.gif

Speaking of running out of fuel (because you didn't stop at Wellington) and crashing into Marlborough Sounds, I watched the Outward Bound thing on Prime last night, and was instantly transported back 35 years. Good to see that PC rules haven't ruined the experience in one of the most beautiful parts of the country.


Hehehe

Wow freaky thing...Unsure how I got a reply on this post as at the time I was quoting on something completly different!!!!!
Censorship...Not just the Goverment!
Last edited by Sinz on Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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