Just notice few moment ago,point is free for REX user.http://www.realenvir...-rex-essential/

Looks good!Hopefully released this year, and I assume this just goes over the top of previous installations?!

I'm wondering how essential REX will be when I purchase Active Sky 2012 for it's reduced ASE price?

Me too - now getting confused about what I'll want to use for weather/textures

I'll stick with the new AS2012

When friends fall out...For years, ASE and REX were required add ons to make FS what it could be. Both were comfortable doing wjhat they did and both made reasonable improvements over the years but no real breakthroughs. Now ASE is taking on REX on the graphics front and REX is taking on ASE with a weather engine - bloody marvelous! Let us hope that their competition raises the bar for everybody. But could I politely suggest to anybody feeling the urge to express their brand loyalty loud and proud, please resist. Buy both products (they are not exactly expensive), that way, both companies will have the resources to make their product even better! And guess who wins this competition? You do!Honestly, for a six year old product, the future for FSX has never looked better!

Buy both products (they are not exactly expensive), that way, both companies will have the resources to make their product even better!

Actually, 60 euro (almost 80$) for Active Sky 2012 makes it one of the most expensive addonds for FSX. Even though I use ASE (previously ASA) and REX combo from the day one and I'm very happy with it, I don't plan to upgrade Active Sky, especially seeing another free update to REX.

Actually, 60 euro (almost 80$) for Active Sky 2012 makes it one of the most expensive addonds for FSX. Even though I use ASE (previously ASA) and REX combo from the day one and I'm very happy with it, I don't plan to upgrade Active Sky, especially seeing another free update to REX.

I agree.I was tempted seen the ASE 2012 weekend offer. But when I think back i think it's a good idea to wait and see.REX has wonderful textures and according to the list of improvements in the weather engine they claim, i guess it will be something closer and...free.I also use REX+ASE, so far waiting for REX Essential.

When you use AS2012 and process a flight plan, you are prompted to install textures based on the current weather. It then gives you the option of selecting textures automatically (from it's whole library) or optionally from snapshots.When you use ASE it can only install textures from snapshots you have created previously after loading different sets of REX textures into the sim. ASE can't choose from the whole REX library.Therefore I would think that AS2012 would be able to choose a more accurate selection of textures and be far more random than using the ASE/REX combination.Please correct me if I'm wrong :)

When friends fall out...For years, ASE and REX were required add ons to make FS what it could be. Both were comfortable doing wjhat they did and both made reasonable improvements over the years but no real breakthroughs. Now ASE is taking on REX on the graphics front and REX is taking on ASE with a weather engine - bloody marvelous! Let us hope that their competition raises the bar for everybody. But could I politely suggest to anybody feeling the urge to express their brand loyalty loud and proud, please resist. Buy both products (they are not exactly expensive), that way, both companies will have the resources to make their product even better! And guess who wins this competition? You do!Honestly, for a six year old product, the future for FSX has never looked better!

thats the trouble you cant use as2012 and rex weather engine at the same time you can use rex textures and use ase weather engine like i do, so thats the choice people got to make, where iam waiting for the rex weather essential pack to come out which will make it to par with as2012 and at least rex has made it a free update for rex users, and i believe rex has the better textures around and at the moment ase has the better weather programne but thats soon to change

I agree on all counts, Peter & Paul. I was a little sad when I saw the big move. In fact, yesterday when I installed AS12, I wasn't so sure. There were many moments I thought that Tim and Kevin were teaming up to profit all around (relax you). Look at how the GUI looks near identical to REX. Sure, different colors, but wow, I was a little upset at the possibility of one taking from the other (still am). I was also sad because two of my favorite and most polite developers are both Tim and Kevin. I love their forums and their software.Anywho, I have said many times before that FSX actually depicts the textures better than anyone. I have a few hours in AS2012 and still nothing has compared to my Rex settings. Just the cool haze layer, but the one I saw for Essentials in much better (that I've seen anyway). I have proven this to many. Install your favorite Rex theme but choose a nice cloudy day with various layers, and run Rex wx. Then leave the theme and run just ASE or ASA (not sure about AS12). Finally try FSX. FSX wx is crap but sure seems to load the best textures every single time for me. Most of my videos actually I've now made it a point to set up my own weather and use FSX as the handler. People ask why my textures look like they do, well that's what I think is the reason.Now let's back up a tad and maybe you or someone can help me with understanding something. I do like you said and normally load REX textures and use ASE for the wx. I was hoping to do the same with AS12. I think it's still possible, but not if I were to choose it's option to "Depict" the weather and set the textures. Then again, the way I understand it, is all the textures have to have the same naming scheme, so a REX Cumulus of certain type will have the same name of AS12's, FSX's. Isn't that the case still? I want to be able to give AS12 a fair chance so this new install am not installing Rex at all for a while. At least not until Essentials is out and I've had enough time to try about 10 different combinations or more with AS12. Later though, I hope to still use both as I always have.