great improvement over ASE! if only there can be true overcast..

[singaporeairlines 0]

hello hifi team,great job on AS 2012! i am enjoying it much better then ASE :) flying with DWC is a pleasure now with all weather settings in FSUIPC off. if there is only 1 aspect of the software that i hope will see some improvement, it is regarding the depiction of an overcast cloud layer. with the cloud coverage density in my fsx settings set to full right, i can still see some "holes" in an overcast cloud layer when i fly above it, as seen in the image below. also, when i fly above fog, i can see the ground clearly.. is this a fsx limitation?

[kjng 0]

hello hifi team,great job on AS 2012! i am enjoying it much better then ASE :) flying with DWC is a pleasure now with all weather settings in FSUIPC off. if there is only 1 aspect of the software that i hope will see some improvement, it is regarding the depiction of an overcast cloud layer. with the cloud coverage density in my fsx settings set to full right, i can still see some "holes" in an overcast cloud layer when i fly above it, as seen in the image below. also, when i fly above fog, i can see the ground clearly.. is this a fsx limitation?

I love the holes, they make it much more "real"

[Chris Willis 8]

Hi,Try this: there is a setting in FSX.cfg called CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY (the sliders set between one and eight) Set it to 12 if you want better overcast, remember that any other change to the cfg file will reset it to a max of eight.

[Driftdown 1]

Would there be a way to create a small application, like "Texture Max Load editor" that keeps the TML at the value we want, to launch a service that would keep it at 12 ?

[jordanal 70]

To my knowledge, there is no utility yet for the Cloud Densitiy variable. But, starting with KLAX v2, the FlightSim Dreamteam engine automatically checks and sets the 'Texture Max Load' variable to 4096 thoughout the entire FSX session, even if you edit the built-in FSX display settings and save it. This occurs as long as the "Install HD textures" checkbox is filled on the FSDT config panel. It's the first utility to do this throughout the FSX session, not just before. They have a Python script engine that runs in the background that allows low-level customizations like this.

[FlyingAxx 2]

Hi,Try this: there is a setting in FSX.cfg called CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY (the sliders set between one and eight) Set it to 12 if you want better overcast, remember that any other change to the cfg file will reset it to a max of eight.

Chris, I read about this setting in the PMDG NGX forum and applied it. However, I got nice overcast conditions when taking off in Le Mans (FR), the satellite photos looked promising as the conditions in Rennes (FR) as well, with light rain at both ends. My first impression was, that HiFi did it, but when passing FL070 the ground became visible, the sky cleared and the landing conditions are quite contradicting to the report.

[denver69 0]

Going to 12 helped me allot but there still seems to be a lack of coverage and layers sometimes, I have max layers set to 8.

[aceridgey 330]

12 would kill the fps muchos?

[peroni 541]

...also, when i fly above fog, i can see the ground clearly.. is this a fsx limitation?

Oh noooo, this is my major gripe with ASE and I was hoping this new version fixed that.

[HiFly 16]

I have tried several different scenarios to get a true Overcast BELOW the aircraft. It seems the values of the clouds in the Metar tho correctly represented in the Gui and on the Map are not being correctly translated by the graphics in FSX. And it can't be FSX because I can create a true Overcast in FSX if I enter the condition manually. Stratus alone in FSX however does not produce solid overcast unless a CU or CB Overcast layer is set just above it - Then it covers the ground and is totally immersive when you climb thru it. Seems the problem is greater now with As2012, however. I get great looking dark overcast skies from below when on the ground but as I climb it is though it is just a light fog and there is no opaqueness to the cloud cover. Great with Cu but not with St and seems that Overcast in the metar is displayed as Broken and Broken as Scattered when sent to FSX depiction by AS2012. Is there a setting for this or can it be remedied with an upgrade or fix? Grey overcast days are common in the North this time of year and when you fly through that overcast it is TOTALLY Opaque and it TOTALLY obscures the ground below! I encourage the developers to either come up with a work-around or a fix so that we can all enjoy the realism of this very common wx phenomenon.

[Zachiii 0]

I have always be frustrated that I cannot depict low overcasts for approaches, i.e. 200'.The only true wx approach restrictions is visibility which can be accurately adjusted down to zero-zero.Does any know if approach overcasts have been improved in AS2012?Thanks,

[Damian Clark 1,257]

It is a documented issue with FSX and low cumulus cloud layers which depends on the terrain in the area. We have noted that variable/mountainous terrain provides better visuals, while flat terrain provides apparent incorrect reduction of opacity of layers (it should be opposite, for better terrain blending when clouds intersect ground).Stratus clouds are not subject to the same issue, and increase your stratus occurrence percentage and/or using stratocumulus simulation may significantly improve your results with low overcast layers.

[FlyingAxx 2]

It is a documented issue with FSX and low cumulus cloud layers which depends on the terrain in the area. We have noted that variable/mountainous terrain provides better visuals, while flat terrain provides apparent incorrect reduction of opacity of layers (it should be opposite, for better terrain blending when clouds intersect ground).Stratus clouds are not subject to the same issue, and increase your stratus occurrence percentage and/or using stratocumulus simulation may significantly improve your results with low overcast layers.

Demian,I just made a flight between EDDH and EDDL where I should had overcast skies during the whole flight according to wx reports of AS2012. In fact I've had light rain in Hamburg and some glowing clouds because of the sun - on ground. Just after taking off everything disappeared and when passing Finkenwerder (river Elbe) I did not see any cloud around, absolutely frustrating. AS2012 is running on the same machine, BTW.I tried to follow any advice giving in the forum (and I have to add the PMDG NGX one here as well) but no avail. I have to say that I never experienced such a difference between reported weather and simulated conditions before. I actually landed in CAVOK conditions rather than having any clouds. As it seems, all settings I'm trying are pointing into the wrong direction. Could you please give me advice?

[HiFly 16]

When ASE first came out they had the same problem with winds and temps. The pressure, visibility and cloud cover would be in agreement but the winds and temps were not even close. Damian fixed this with his updates. Now after 2 more flights, it is obvious that 1) AS2012 is not communicating correctly to FSX about clouds. Everything else seems to match the metars. 2) setting a range doesn't seem to work at all for cloud cover. I too just completed a flight along the Eastern US corridor which at the time was exhibiting heavy thunderstorms with metars showing up to 5 layers of Overcast and broken clouds - some stratus, some cumulus. The map in AS2012 did show an "area" of coverage but during the flight everything was CAVOK except when I passed over an airport then there were clouds in about a 5 nm radius. I paused out of FSX and into AS2012 selecting the closest airport to current position and set a 100 nm coverage area and the refreshed the program before returning to FSX. I waiting until it re-depicted the weather and then went to outside view. Nothing had changed: still just small clumps of broken cloud around the airports but CAVOK in between. Rather than continue in frustration, I reset my FSX default textures and am going back to ASE until Damian can fix the issue.