I have had FSX Deluxe for years but never had enough machine to really run it. Now that I have a fairly stout machine running triples, I have reloaded and find the graphics lacking. I have stumbled around in various forums and websites and see there seems to be a plethora of graphics goodies out there but the list is overwhelming. Price is also overwhelming, if I were to just go out and buy it all. Some of the sites have older threads talking about earlier versions of the packages that have likely been upgraded and are completely different animals today I would assume.Can someone direct me to a place where I can find answers as to which is better or if a combination is best. I would assume I am not the only one that has had this quandary. I have been to a few of the sites but they tend to look a little one sided if you will. I would really appreciate hearing from someone that has figured this out and maybe some recommendations about what to get and in which order.ThanksRick SASUS P6T Deluxe v2I7 920 3,8GhzEVGA GTX480sc @8006 Gig Corsair Dominator triple channelTH2Go deWin7 64

If you do a search you will find tons of answers. But if you are okay with just flying in a small area, FTX gives you everything you need, and OzX is free and scenery goes ontop of Orbx's stuff. Then buy fsgenesis mesh and you are done. But wander outside that area and you are going to want UTX and GEX. I run REX to install textures and Active Sky Advanced for the sending to fsx when running. Yes it is a lot of money to buy everything, but so worth it.

Whew! That's a tough question. You listed FTX vs UTX vs..etc and there is no "vs" - they are all PLUS. They all work together.In MY order of preference;ASX Weather generatorFEX or REX for clouds and various texturesGEX for ground texturesUTX for towns , roads, lights, varouus ground objectsFSGenesis for mesh and landclassthose are basics - then you get into the FTX and ORBYX products which are specific. And there are other products that cover small areas.Vic

Hi Rick - good luck with your new computer - sounds good. The best suggestion I could give you is to first try the free demo of Orbx FTX for Pacific Northwest PNW. Also, you could try their free demo for Australia. Both are fantastic but I'd suggest you start with PNW first. You can check out reviews ( www.avsim.com/pages/0410/FTX/PNW.htm ) here on Avsim to give you a better idea and get links to their site. FYI, I only fly in areas covered by Orbx - can't go back to default once I saw what it is like.Once you've tried the demos you could then try to compare what you've seen with reviews (here at Avsim) of other addons to see which will be best for you. Hope this helps. Howard

Thanks for the quick reply's guys. I have stumbled around a bit and I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff available. In some instances it looks like the order things are installed makes a difference in the final outcome. Is there a beginners guide to installing these packages or is strictly experimental. I hope its not the latter as that usually means uninstalls and re installs out the wazoo. Oh, are these the must have packs or are there others? I know there are specific plane and city/airport packs but I want to get this stuff done first, I think!ThanksRick S

Thanks for the quick reply's guys. I have stumbled around a bit and I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff available. In some instances it looks like the order things are installed makes a difference in the final outcome. Is there a beginners guide to installing these packages or is strictly experimental. I hope its not the latter as that usually means uninstalls and re installs out the wazoo. Oh, are these the must have packs or are there others? I know there are specific plane and city/airport packs but I want to get this stuff done first, I think!ThanksRick S

THIS is the definitive guide to FSX setup and tuning. In general, the Simforums hardwre and tech section is a great place for FSX setup and tuning advice.Good luck with tuning the rig!

THIS is the definitive guide to FSX setup and tuning. In general, the Simforums hardwre and tech section is a great place for FSX setup and tuning advice.Good luck with tuning the rig!

Thanks for the link, I have been looking through it for the past hour or so. Bet it takes a week two do all of the recommendations. Somebody spent a lot of time on those!Now that I know how to tune my machine I would still like some direction on the graphic mods.ThanksRick S

Whew! That's a tough question. You listed FTX vs UTX vs..etc and there is no "vs" - they are all PLUS. They all work together.In MY order of preference;ASX Weather generatorFEX or REX for clouds and various texturesGEX for ground texturesUTX for towns , roads, lights, varouus ground objectsFSGenesis for mesh and landclassthose are basics - then you get into the FTX and ORBYX products which are specific. And there are other products that cover small areas.Vic

Is that the order to load them VG?ThanksRick S

As someone else suggested, have a look at the Orbx FTX demo (either PNW or Australia). If you like flying in the (expanding) areas covered by Orbx, you may decide that their scenery offers the best options for autogen, ground textures and airport enhancements. You also mentioned OzX, which basically provides free enhancements to the Orbx sceneries.You can of course combine Orbx with something like Ultimate Terrain and/or FTX for ground scenery coverage outside of the Orbx areas, and many people around here swear by REX for skies and clouds.As for installing things, I wouldn't stress about it. Most of the programs you mentioned have robust install and config programs. Just pay attention to any install notes about compatibility with other scenery products.All that said, I'd suggest starting small. Try the Orbx demo, and have a look at screenshots and reviews for other products to help you understand their value and function. Don't buy and install a bunch of stuff at once, because it makes it harder to troubleshoot issues (and it ain't easy on the wallet, either).Congrats on the new machine. I'm hoping to do an upgrade in 2011.

Thanks Jimmy, so you're saying that it doesn't really matter what is installed when. I thought I read somewhere that FTX should be loaded before UTX or maybe it was the other way around or maybe other program combination's. It's all so confusing!. I know I can't get it all, just want to load the right things, cheaper, first if that makes sense.I have to say that I am at a complete loss as to what to load. I guess Orbx FTX PNW first then OzX for scenery. Is that a good plan? Am I missing anything important?Hey, if I want load or tweak GPL or iRacing I wouldn't need much hand holding. This is alien to me at this point but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time.ThanksRick S.

Thanks Jimmy, so you're saying that it doesn't really matter what is installed when. I thought I read somewhere that FTX should be loaded before UTX or maybe it was the other way around or maybe other program combination's. It's all so confusing!. I know I can't get it all, just want to load the right things, cheaper, first if that makes sense.I have to say that I am at a complete loss as to what to load. I guess Orbx FTX PNW first then OzX for scenery. Is that a good plan? Am I missing anything important?Hey, if I want load or tweak GPL or iRacing I wouldn't need much hand holding. This is alien to me at this point but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time.ThanksRick S.

FTX will sit on top of any other ground textures or terrain package but for compatibility issues you can go to their forums and be sure. If you're getting OZx scenery first install FTX first and of course you should get OZx for any FTX regions you have I strongly recommend it (blatant advertising) for support click on the link in my signature.

Thanks Jimmy, so you're saying that it doesn't really matter what is installed when. I thought I read somewhere that FTX should be loaded before UTX or maybe it was the other way around or maybe other program combination's. It's all so confusing!. I know I can't get it all, just want to load the right things, cheaper, first if that makes sense.I have to say that I am at a complete loss as to what to load. I guess Orbx FTX PNW first then OzX for scenery. Is that a good plan? Am I missing anything important?Hey, if I want load or tweak GPL or iRacing I wouldn't need much hand holding. This is alien to me at this point but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time.

FSX has been out for a bunch of years and it's definitely a bit confusing trying to sort out your options. I've pretty much stuck with Orbx scenery products since it's one of those "once you've seen it, it's hard to settle for anything else" things. I don' use some of the sky/cloud enhancement products (such as REX) because my system is fairly old and I can't make the most of those hi-res textures.What kind of flying are you interested in? GA? Heavy iron? That would impact some of the recommendations.As I said, give the Orbx PNW demo a try. It's a very simple install, free, and will show you what's possible in FSX. It will also give you a sense of how your system performs with more complex scenery.Start small, and have fun.

Thanks Simmer & Jimmy. I will mostly fly GA but occasionally I like to crawl in the "Heavy Iron" as you call it. I am a complete novice to flying but I am starting to enjoy it, really frustrated to begin with. I like eye candy, complete lack of today, but have yet to add anything to the base FSX besides the updates to the sim itself and some tweaking for performance. I guess I thought that all of the packages discussed were in competition with each other, not continuous enhancements. I do plan on getting more content at some point but want to get the basics of terrain, infrastructure etc first. As I seem to keep repeating I thought there was a logical progression and wanted to be sure I didn't miss a step that would cause future problems and stress. "IT'S MINE AND I WANT IT NOW!" :wink:Rick S.

If you are doing GA flying then OrbX is the one to get... there's an awful lot of synergy when you combine Orbx built in terrain meshs, land class/textures/accurate autogen/ extended airports/seasonal variations.. Howevever the details maybe missed at 40,000 feet where it starts looking pretty much like the generic packages...

Is that the order to load them VG?ThanksRick S

No Rick, that's the order I would buy them in for overall use. Nothing against Orbx - I have the PNW and love it but it's specific and a small area. IMHO, you need general coverage like GEX and UTX and landclass like FSGenesis. Then you can get specific products like Orbx or specific airports and areas. There are several good posts by NickN in the Simforums area that you linked to for the guide that covers the order in wich to install and/or set up the products.PNW for example has an ON/OFF switch, if you will - you switch it OFF to install other products and then switch it back ON afterwards.UTX requires a specific order in the Scenery list - there is more on tghis in their support forum on Simforums.*GENERALLY* speaking - you want the landclass first (FSGenesis) then the ground textures (GEX) then cities , towns, etc (UTX) then specifics (PNW) individual airports, etc. This will give you the broadest coverage initially and dedicated areas later.ASE, FEX & REX relate to the weather experience but IMHO they make the whole package come together.check this out: http://www.simforums.com/forums/preferred-order-to-install-scenery_topic37582_post220981.html#220981Vic

This may not help very much given the expensive nature of all the acquisitions but I have all of products you have mentioned and they all do their part and enhance FSX. I couldn't live without them. I have FTX'S PNW and NRM and they are amazing but when I fly out of that area UTX and GEX do an amazing job. Basically from my exspeience FSX addons are like a blackhole once you get sucked in you are never heard from again.