Hello all. I'm looking for some photorealistic scenery add-ons for the UK for FSX. I mainly want this to aid VFR navigation at low levels (2000 feet, etc.) My first inclination was to go for the traditional GEX/UTX pairing, as this was the popular choice, but then others tell me it isn't a huge improvement for the UK. Anybody got any suggestions as to what I should go for? One other suggestion was UK2000 - thoughts? I'm quite happy to invest in payware, but if there's any good freeware around then even better!

 

Oh, and whilst you're here, any thoughts on the UK2000 airports packs, too?

 

Thanks very much!

There's a company called Horizon Simulations which you can check it out here. I don't have the product so I can't say anything about it.

Be warned, Horizon GenX Scenery does not work with the FSX default map. The result is that no scenery background is visible in the map.

 

As far as I am aware this hasn't been fixed and there are plans to do so.

Those addons are by far the most expensive for FSX imo. Covering basically a very small area costing a small fortune, then you need two for one area, and then you need more areas. It's a business model like no other.

The next thing coming is probably Citiscapes UK lol.

 

But you get what you pay for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D9f084oOP4

Looks like some simmers are planning to fly to the Olympics this summer! :Party:

I have the older version of GenX with VFR airfields and Scotflight (without Sat scenery in Scotland or Ireland).

 

It worked and looked nice, but stuttered, was slow, and has no map (but then there's G-Plan). And to buy all GenX areas, and to add trees and airfields, well, that's seriously expensive. Oh, and it's flat.

 

And then I discovered ORBX and I've only flown in the NW of the USA since. You can really fly VFR with it using US sectional maps from Skyvector.com (or G-Plan).

 

And then I discovered ORBX are planning to do the UK.

 

So my advice would be to wait for ORBX UK (but that's going to be a long wait), and/or possibly buy older GenX DVD's if you must. I know you asked for sat scenery, but honestly, I'm so impressed with ORBX that it's really a whole new world. A revelation. A treat.

My opinion is that photo sat scenery doesn't perform as well or look as good as other (ORBX) solutions.

 

GenX (all areas) plus all the necessary airfield and tree addons is an expensive but viable solution, and the only one for the UK (except for excellent scenery areas created by Earth Simulations, though these aren't photographic in that sense, they are still totally immersive and very accurate).

 

The US doesn't fit the bill, of course not, but if the poster hadn't yet tried ORBX, then that would be something. Just suggesting the possibility of an alternative.

 

Having flown GA in the UK (RW & FS), I'm OK not flying around its virtual skies any longer when (my) GenX is so slow, lacklustre, and flat.

 

Out of GenX or the VFR UK scenery, having owned both (albeit first generation), I'd go with GenX, but my days of 2D photorealistic scenery are over - it's very nice to explore new and exciting flying areas.

If you want UK photographic scenery you have two sources - Just Flight and Horizon. If you really want this scenery you'll just have to pay for it.

Seems like a couple of replies have gone missing - I have Horizon GenX and Treescapes plus quite a few of the payware UK2000 airports and they make for a very realistic combination. Far better than the default or even GEX Europe. Yes the towns and cities can seem a bit flat but for the most part it's very impressive.

Horizon Genx scenery is the only way to go in the UK. I have had all three bersions of this software. I can fly over my house here in cardiff. One pposter said and this made me laugh, that the scenery doesnt work with FSX autogen, and it aint going to be fixed. This is an issue with FSX and its design not the other way around. The guys at Horizon tried all sorts of ways to get around this back in the day but couldn't becuase of the fact that the terrain point data in FSX was so bad. Gen X does give you a more accurate terrain mesh ergo the default autogen wont work becuase for the most part it will be below ground.

 

There are some outstanding autogen scenery packs that have been developed over the years that do work with the Horizon photoscenery one of the really good ones is the Cardiff landmarks pack available from AVSIM.

 

Also as an observation I have flown over parts of Wales in hot air balloons and in light aircraft (real world) and once you get above 2500-3000ft the country side below tends to look a little flat.

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&cp=12&gs_id=12&xhr=t&q=Snowdon+FSX&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&wrapid=tljp1334915602110022&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GDKRT6XUOoLE8gPjwczLBA&biw=1466&bih=744&sei=IDKRT8DUOoa_8gOmvYmHBA

 

A number of images on the link above are of gen x scenery mostly in the Snowdon area. Should give youa good idea of what it looks like. It's what it looks like on my system.

 

Wycliffe

Anyone who wants default autogen to work with photoscenery must be a nutcase.

 

On a side note, Earth Simulations are working on a project called AutoGenesis. The intention with this is to create a product that will cover the entire UK with realistic autogen (buildings, trees, and quite possibly other stuff). Default autogen is totally useless for the task, because it would simply be a massive number of trees and buildings randomly scattered across the photorealistic landscape. None of them would match the photographic footprint, and therefore it would look a complete mess. IMO, default autogen looks rubbish anyway, so it's no great loss.

 

 

I would tend to agree with you Word Not Allowed. It certainly is an expensive bundle! But the product is marketed towards 'hardcore VFR' simmers with particular interest in flying in the UK (I guess mainly people living in the UK but that's an assumption).

 

It is certainly a very expensive set of products when considered as general add-ons, but I live in the UK, and I fly is the sim and in the real world, mainly VFR in the UK, so the relative value for money for me, (of a product that looks so great and gives such a realistic depiction of what I see in the ground when flying in the UK), is very high.

 

If I didn't live in the UK and it wasn't the place I fly 90% of the time in FSX, I certainly wouldn't pay the ticket price. Same as I wouldn't pay for a similar package in say the US, unless it was an area that really interested me.

 

 

 

This is correct I'm afraid. It does not play nicely with the default map. ... all navaids, airports etc are still displayed but the coastline disappears in chunks. It's a PITA but has never prevented me from flying in the scenery.

 

Doesn't look as good as scenery from orbx. I would wait until they bring out their uk scenery, should be hitting this year.

Doesn't look as good as scenery from orbx.

 

But the Orbx will not be as accurate, important to those of us who live here.

 

 

But the Orbx will not be as accurate, important to those of us who live here.

 

But orbx just set up a uk team based in the uk? Check the official orbx forums, they will be hiring up to 20 people.

Buy photo scenery if that's what you want. I'm only suggesting that an alternative is on its way (a long way off, but then again, flight simmers are used to long waits).

No disrespect or unnecessarily laboured points intended, simply put, I'm not going to go back to photo scenery now that I've sampled something that IMHO is better and cheaper (but then again, we can't expect any more ORBX sales). Yes, photo scenery can look good, and probably better with trees, but there is IMO no depth of field present.

Good luck with your choice. You won't be disappointed with GenX if that's the way you're going to go, that is, until ORBX release their eagerly anticipated rendition of UK scenery.