FTX Global and Megascenery Earth

[gpbarth 12]

I currently have 3 states of MSE installed - Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. HAve been flying around in them for awhile. And THEN...I decided to purchase FTX Global because of the great discount and the fact that it had a great freeware airport I wanted. Without a second thought, I downloaded and installed the ORBX system. And then that second thought hit me - what happens to my MSE scenery undre FTX Global? From what I've seen, I'll probably uninstall the MSE stuff because the ORBX choice looks better. But will ther be any conflict between FTX and MSE?

 

Just askin'...

[klamal 282]

No.  There will be no conflict.  If you have MSE stuff enabled, it will display regardless of whether you have Global or not.  So, you can leave MSE states enabled and you will see them when flying over those states.  When not over those states, you'll see Global textures.  So, they can co-exist fine.

[gpbarth 12]

Sounds good to me. What I am concerned about is seasonal changes, which do not happen with MSE. I think that, in the end, I*'ll probably end up canning the MSE for the better-looking and changing FTX Global scenery.

[klamal 282]

Sounds good to me. What I am concerned about is seasonal changes, which do not happen with MSE. I think that, in the end, I*'ll probably end up canning the MSE for the better-looking and changing FTX Global scenery.

Right.  If you want season changes, you're not going to get them with MSE.  They are frozen in time at the moment the satellite flew over that area, never to change again.  

[Pease_W 6]

Right.  If you want season changes, you're not going to get them with MSE.  They are frozen in time at the moment the satellite flew over that area, never to change again.  

 

It's not a satellite, but generally a twin engine airplane. And in the U.S. they try to fly after winter, but before the growing season gets too far along.

 

If you ever notice any banding in the scenery it is because the camera's view is not limitless. So the plane goes north, turns around and goes south on an adjacent path and repeats over and over. The imagery get's "stitched" together to make up larger areas.

[gpbarth 12]

I think they also use balloons - I've seen them being tracked by FlightAware, mostly over the UK, at altitudes like FL650. I can tell when the pictures were taken over my house by looking at the trees and the shadows and even the cars parked in the nearby parking lot. It was definitely pre-Spring. But it is fun flying low and slow, where I can fly over my toen, my house, and drop in on the neighboring airports. Including the MAAM at Reading!

 

I'll probably go to FTX Global fully before next winter rolls around. I want to see the seasons change on my sim flying.

[gpbarth 12]

Another stupid question - before un-installing MSE, should I turn this scenery off, will the FTX Global scenery features "take over?"  I'm kinda attached to flying around my neighborhood and seeing the familiar sights, but I love what Global is doing. I'd love to see this part of PA with Global before shutting down MSE.

 

Doable?

[klamal 282]

Another stupid question - before un-installing MSE, should I turn this scenery off, will the FTX Global scenery features "take over?"  I'm kinda attached to flying around my neighborhood and seeing the familiar sights, but I love what Global is doing. I'd love to see this part of PA with Global before shutting down MSE.

 

Doable?

Yes.  You don't have to actually un-install if you don't want to.  Just de-activate it in the scenery library.  You will then see Global textures instead of MSE.

[gpbarth 12]

I'm baaaaaaacckkkk! And boy, oh, boy, am I impressed! I don't know why it took so long to do this (in fact, money was one reason, and half-price tickled me the right way), but after flying around in MSE scenery for almost 2 years, my first flights with FTX Global just flipped me out big-time. Very first thing I did was install the freeware N America package and then turn off my MSE scenery. And when I loaded FSX, it took about 60% less time to load. I had no idea how MSE dogged down my system, and I only had 3 states.

 

BANG! I'm loaded up and decide to put my Turbine Duke at my local airport (69N - Slatington PA). Now, I'm very familiar with this little airport - been over there a lot trying to bum a ride with one of the locals - and although the buildings were quite a bit different, the entire scene was fantastic! Trees especially, and if the ORBX Trees improves on that, I'd be looking for the blue jays in the branches! Just off Runway 1 is the Lehigh Gap, through Blue Mountain, as you take off you fly right through that, and the scenery also took my breath away! I was looking out the windows more than watching the panel, and checked out the cars on 248 below, and the Lehigh River. The scenery might not be photographically correct, but the geography was spot-on. I flew a nice 40-miinute flight over to KRDG in Reading (the MAAM Museum, which would be a great payware airport for ORBX), one of the free ORBX add-ons, and shot an ILS on 13.

 

I can use the extra space on my 300 Gb hard drive, and so it's gonna be bye-bye to MSE. Not gonna look back. And one fo the things I'm really looking forward to is this winter. I lived for 66 years in Florida, and so MSE wasn't too hard to take - there is really no change of seasons in FL. But I can't wait to see the seasons change in FTX Global, and see those brilliant oranges, browns and yellows, and then the snow on the ground when it comes.

 

Thank you, ORBX! Can't wait to upgrade things as more of the North American scenery enhanbcements come online.