Hi, in FS2002 i never bothered with weather because it just didn't seem real enough. Now i've heard about what FS2004 can do, what exactly will wxRE 1.9 do to enhance it? I don't mean all the Utilities and everything , but will it actually change the look/behaviour of the sky? and how? Also, can you describe how your enhanced turbulence works. I have LAGO's Air File Pro which is quite cool but does wxRE overlap features or add new one's and can i run both together (do i even need to)?Thanks, Mark

Hi Mark,wxRE enhances the processing and depiction of real-world weather data. FS2004's weather source and logic processing of the data is somewhat limited as you may have noticed. The data is usually old and many areas in the world don't even have data. wxRE thus makes your skies more accurate. The clouds and visuals either way will be from FS2K4's new weather engine and will look the same. The one difference is that wxRE is based on FS2002's GLOBAL weather model, which does not support areas of different weather (clouds to west, clear to east). Fortunately FS2004's new weather smoothing keeps track of the weather changes from wxRE and provides these non-global effects, but this is limited. If you are interested in running in OFFLINE mode, which at times (when the internet is unstable) can be a requirement, FS2004 does not support this, wxRE does. wxRE also has TAF processing which gives you more realistic weather over time.The turbulence processing in wxRE is based on the stability of the air and wind trends, and given the nature of real-world METAR data, tends to give you a more accurate picture of turbulence aloft. This also uses FS2K4's new turbulence effect, which is much improved over 2K2.If you are looking for better looking visuals, wxRE isn't a huge improvement over 2K4..(for that you'll have to wait for ActiveSky 2, which is a ways out) but if you require more realistic depiction of real conditions and more management/options of your weather environment then wxRE will deliver :)-Damian[table border=0" cellspacing="30" cellpadding="0][tr][td align = "left"]Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyThe next-generation weather environment simulation for FS2002!http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky[/td][td]http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg][/td][/tr][/table://http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/ima...[/tr][/table

Ok, thank You. Definitely one to consider. I'll see what my budget is when i've got FS2004!

One Question I have.If i buy version 1.9 now will i have to pay for an upgrade to version 2 when it comes out...?

"The one difference is that wxRE is based on FS2002's GLOBAL weather model, which does not support areas of different weather (clouds to west, clear to east). "im confused !?does that mean that FS2004 + Active Sky SUPPORTS different weather (clouds to west, clear to east) ???

Claudius,No, ActiveSKy wxRE does not support this different weather because it uses a GLOBAL model where the wx for the entire world is set the same and changes when you transition to different areas. What FS2K4 does is draw "trailing" weather when wxRE controls it... An example: Using wxRE and 2k4 say you depart an airport with storms and head north to a clear area. At first you will see storms all around you.. as you head north, wxRE's cloud transitions will slowly reduce the clouds to clear one octa at a time. This transition takes for example, 30 minutes. FS remembers that you WERE in storms and now its clear, so it leaves some storm clouds to the south and some thinning clouds to connect to the clear.-Damian[table border=0" cellspacing="30" cellpadding="0][tr][td align = "left"]Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyThe next-generation weather environment simulation for FS2002!http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky[/td][td]http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg][/td][/tr][/table://http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/ima...[/tr][/table

Hi,Version 2 is a different product, a few months at least away, and it will not be free..-Damian[table border=0" cellspacing="30" cellpadding="0][tr][td align = "left"]Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyThe next-generation weather environment simulation for FS2002!http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky[/td][td]http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg][/td][/tr][/table://http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/ima...[/tr][/table

Ok, sounds good! But let's reverse it now. Let's say you're leaving in clear weather, heading north into storms. Will you be able to see the storm clouds ahead of you to the north and fly "into them" so to speak? Or will the environment gradually transform into the storm clouds like it does in FS2002.I have already purchased wxRE for FS2002 and am a very satisfied customer, but would like to know if it's truely needed for FS2004's new wx engine.ThanksChris HanniganAmericanAirlines Virtualhttp://www.aavirtual.com

Hi Chris,FS2002 effect when going IN to weather. This is the drawback of GLOBAL weather based systems (all of them). The next generation of weather add-on will be LOCAL weather based (ActiveSky2).Is wxRE is needed for FS2K4's engine.. well, yes, if you want accurate wx or OFFLINE capability, wake turb simulation, vatsim capability, enhanced turbulence, and all the other features wxRE offers. The GLOBAL issue is there but IMO the pros beat the cons... It's nice to see different weather as you look around but is not so nice to fly into clear skies and unrestricted vis when it is supposed to be down to minimums (common FS2k4 real weather gripe).-Damian[table border=0" cellspacing="30" cellpadding="0][tr][td align = "left"]Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyThe next-generation weather environment simulation for FS2002!http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky[/td][td]http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg][/td][/tr][/table://http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/ima...[/tr][/table

Hey Damian,So does that mean that with the standard 2004 wx you will see CBs in the distance but w ActiveSky it will be more like 2002 and change w no warning?I really like the distant weather in 2004..I hope I have this wrong about ActiveSky.If I do, you'll have a purchase from me tonight!Thanks!Walt

Sorry Walt but you have it right. The transition is slow, but it is a global transition just as in FS02. But on the other hand weather is at most 1 hour old. Default weather has been known to be 10 hours behind.Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Support

Wow thats too bad.. I think at this point I'd like to keep my ability to see wx from a distance.Ahh oh well I hope active sky 2 will address this...Thanks!

Sorry if I've missed this, but what kind of price are current registered users of wxRE looking at to upgrade to ActiveSky 2?Chris HanniganAmericanAirlines Virtualhttp://www.aavirtual.com/