Hi all,We have put together our beta team and we are preparing our first beta run at this time. We are expecting to release AS2004 on or around December 15, 2003.For our preliminary product info page including features, screenshots and pricing plans, go to http://www.hifisim.com/activesky2004.htm.Here are a few screenshots!http://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss1.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss2.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss3.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss4.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss5.jpgEnjoy!-Damian

Damian,Looking forward to get ActiveSky2! Just a question. I read the price information you posted in the ActiveSky

Hi Edmundo,You'll want to leave your wxRE installation alone until after you install the new AS2 upgrade version. Then you can uninstall anything wxRE related. Hope that helps!-Damian

This looks great and I sure am in the line, waiting to buy this one.One question though.Right now, I am running the version 1.91 on a networked pc.Can I do the same with version 2...?and please, don't tell me that I can't....Luc 'Glaudrung' BrusselmansBelgium

Hi Luc,Yes you can run AS2 via WideFS...However, the radar module is a .dll that will normally be run on the FS computer... It does not require much overhead (most of the work is done inside AS2 standalone .exe). You COULD (I think!) also run the radar module via wideview if you want the radar on a different display. I'll have some beta testers try that scenario...-Damian

No..... you didn't make my day here... you made my whole weekend (and some in the fututer too I guess)The previous version was great value so I am convinced you did (again) a great job on version 2.0Really looking forward to get my hands on it.Luc 'Glaudrung' BrusselmansBelgium

Thanks Luc I'm sure you'll be very pleased!Here are some more screenshots!http://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss6.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss7.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2shots/ss8.jpg[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

Great news!But, I take it that if I have not received an e-mail from you, I am not on the beta team.....oh well, would have liked to help, but maybe next time...can't wait for this, it sound's great.Steve ParkKSDF

Hi guys,I was currently using Active Sky 1.91 for my real weather but have stopped using it because of the pop up clouds that I could not seem to get rid of. The clouds just appearing and disappearing out of nowhere.I mostly fly in Western Canada.I have read some of the suggestions on what to check or uncheck, and flew a bit more, but just got exhausted trying to correct this issue for me.My alternative was to use FS2004 Real weather, which if you deleted the temp folder and cleared the weather before you downloaded real weather,everything seemed OK. The weather for me was not that far off because I use a real weather sight to check current weather and cloud cover along my route. Another thing I like about FS2004's weather was the clouds stay put and no appearing and disappearing out of nowhere. Although no overcast.Do not get me wrong here, I am as exited as the next guy to purchase Active Sky 2 and I no I will be purchasing this product because it will be more acurate than FS2004'S weather and it has a lot of great features I am looking forward to, But I am scared I will have to deal with these issues all over again.Damian, can you give me some feedback on this, or get the beta testers to see if they can see the cloud pop up issue along their flights.Again I am really looking forward to your product and I do appreciate all the hard work you have done.Regards,Vincent

Vincent,You know this is a big issue with many users and I am sure we will know if it is resolved as soon as we begin. Watch the forum here for updates, as I know you will!Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Support

Hello,I bought ActiveSky 1.9. at end of August as it was advertised to work with FS2004, but I couldn't ever use it due to the rapid weather/wind changes. I complained about this, but your support asked me to wait for the upgrade, what I did.As much as I appreciate your little upgrade price reduction, this now adds up to more than 40$ in a short time. Is there maybe any solution planned for those that bought 1.9 after FS2004 was released ?Mike

What does AS2 offer over FS9 real weather, or FSMeteo? One thing I would pay for is a solution to the defective way FS handles visibility layers in mountainous areas. Unless AS2 offers better perf than FS9 weather, or more interesting weather at the same perf hit as FS9 weather I can't see paying. I DID enjoy ActiveSky in FS2002, but when I look at the screen shots I see scenes I'm seeing with default weather, so what's the real diff?Noel

Hi Noel..That question comes up all the time..Read the list of features and think of how they can help make your weather more realistic. Check out the main FS forum, I just posted a lengthy response there (heck, check all the forums, I answer this one very often!).If you are wondering why the cloud visuals are no different, that is because this is FS, using the FS weather system. There are no new "cloud textures" here, just a VERY different way of depicting them. If after reading the list of features, you don't see how it can help you, then you probably ARE better off not getting it. This is aimed at realism enthusiasts. If you are only looking for pretty graphics, DO NOT GET AS2 (well, the radar is sort of pretty). If you want more realism with tons of options and enhanced weather control, then you won't be disappointed.Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyhttp://www.hifisim.comhttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2betateam.jpg

Hi Vincent...Well, I've been test flying all day (all month really!). Not one cloud "pop up" issue. The new design simply prevents this type of problem, which is attributed to global weather and FS2002 routines.Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyhttp://www.hifisim.comhttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2betateam.jpg

Hi Mike,I think there was a communication problem here. AS 1.9 works fine with FS2004, just like any other weather add-on or default FS real weather that was designed for FS2002. AS2 is a new can of worms, made for FS2004, getting rid of many of the FS2004 problems that not even MS could solve... We did that by making the program EXCUSIVELY for it. All processes are designed to get the best out of FS2004.I can't comment on your purchasing timing other than to say that sorry FS2004 has wx transition issues! We had to build a NEW product to "get around" them. There is no way to make wxRE do the same thing.Damian ClarkHiFi Simulation SoftwareDeveloper of ActiveSkyhttp://www.hifisim.comhttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2betateam.jpg