Outerra!http://forum.avsim.n...ost__p__2302704Not that it replaces FLIGHT, no way, but it's nice to know it exists...Using the latest JSBsim platform, looks promissing, and you can register for $15 and get the C172 and BlackHawk!!!!

I have been following Outerra for years. Its an interesting base engine, but its still got a VERY LONG WAYS to go. They need real development support behind it to compete with the big boys.

Agreed. Terrain looks good but then I saw every tree was a forward facing tree and was immediately turned off. Forward facing objects are a huge pet peeve of mine. They are fine used correctly as medium distant objects in a corridor type game but not an open sandbox. I understand that it is alpha though and it could change.Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

What does forward facing mean in this context?

It's not a 3D object. It's a single poly 2D object that will always face the direction of the camera.In a easy to explain way: Draw a tree on a piece of paper that `looks' 3D, then cut it out, hold it up at someone and as they move left or right rotate your body accordingly so it's always facing them. That's a forward facing object.

Hi Guys and Gals,Incredibly interesting and exciting, but does not belong in Flight. As in a similiar post just made in FSX, I am moving it to Hangar Chat. Out of courtesy for those that did post their comments, I will leave a link here.Kind regards,

Isn't Flight using the same technique, although the tree looks a lot more 3D than their FSX counterparts. When I am on the ground and walk around a tree, I would see one plane disappear and the next at a different angle reappear.

MS Flight is using similar(ish) technique. Microsoft Flights trees instead of using just one texture plane are using two texture planes at opposing angles intersecting at the middle of each other and when the camera crosses the center line of one it fades out the plane and fades it back in facing the other way. Prevents the spinning tree effect and as you have said presents itself much better as the transition between planes is usually done just outside of your FOV, looks more 3D, and really unnoticeable unless you're on foot walking past them or specifically looking for the effect when flying. In Outerra I noticed within 20 seconds forests all rotating to follow my camera.Like I said.. I understand it's alpha and it's just a personal pet peeve of mine w/ the single plane forward facing objects.

It's not a 3D object. It's a single poly 2D object that will always face the direction of the camera.In a easy to explain way: Draw a tree on a piece of paper that `looks' 3D, then cut it out, hold it up at someone and as they move left or right rotate your body accordingly so it's always facing them. That's a forward facing object.

Sometimes called 'billboard' objects. It can be quite an effective technique when two (or more) are used crosswise, as styckx points out, or even just a single plane when seen from the ground and not too near, and it does save an awful lot of processing power & memory. The spinning effect is much more noticeable from above though.

Flight still uses the billboard effect on clouds. Its quite noticeable when flying above or below or even near a cloud. It just seems to move out of your way! Its un-avoidable since doing clouds any other way would be massivly hardware intensive.

I've noticed lately that there's at least a few people obviously abusing the "Rating System" to "punish" folks that for some reason they don't like...Be warned abusers, as I have a more bullets in my gun... :(

I've noticed lately that there's at least a few people obviously abusing the "Rating System" to "punish" folks that for some reason they don't like...Be warned abusers, as I have a more bullets in my gun... :(

Ooops!