GEX is very solid

Default FSX textures => A sharp stick poked into your eye

GEX textures => Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

 

As a quick, massive area improvement over the default textures, GEX is excellent but not perfect.

GEX, I wouldnt fly without it

 

+2

 

However, I wish that they offered a tool for all the regions that you could actually modify the colors and sharpness like they did with GE Pro. I like the GEX products overall, but would love to have a bit more contol over the sharpness and coloring for both day and night. I loved in GE Pro that you could modify the night textures to make them as dark or as light as you wanted. That the only thing I dont like about the FSX version. I know you could do it yourself, but it seems like it would be a huge task figuring out which textures are which.

Default FSX textures => A sharp stick poked into your eye

GEX textures => Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

 

As a quick, massive area improvement over the default textures, GEX is excellent but not perfect.

 

+1. The program replaces your default textures. It's an upgrade.

Hello

 

Where to start

The Good:

They have cleverly managed to avoid the repeating textures at altitude that plague the default set, that in itself must have took a lot of work.

 

The Bad:

Truly awful colouration of the textures, the green tones used are not even close.

The field system used looks more like medieval Europe, does not play well with UTX roads as the rural roads are drawn into the textures and tend to stop and start randomly.

 

Ground Environment II for FS2004 was a truly outstanding product years ahead of its time with features that we have not seen since.

 

GEX-USA was also very well done and a true upgrade from the default.

 

Then for reasons known only to the GEX team and probably due to the involvement of Nick Needham they decided that Europe would look better covered in dodgy green carpet tiles cut up in random patterns.

 

I once read a thread in the GEX forum where someone was trying to tell Mr Needham that the colours were a bit off in GEX-EU.

Mr Needhams reply was that they were mastered on his mega expensive monitor setup calibrated with the best hardware calibration tool on the planet and if the poor unfortunate user wanted the colours correct he should spend $400 on a decent calibration tool.

 

My thoughts at the time, given as I was also thinking that the colours were a bit off was the maybe Nick would have been better served mastering these on a consumer level LCD monitor that most normal folks could afford, LOL

Truly awful colouration of the textures, the green tones used are not even close.

The field system used looks more like medieval Europe, does not play well with UTX roads as the rural roads are drawn into the textures and tend to stop and start randomly.

 

I agree the colours in the first release of GEX EU were not good, but they have improved enormously with each update (another one on the way).

 

As for colour calibration - I think it's reasonable that developers should start from a known point, rather than pick any old monitor from the local store. I have no problem adjusting my video (no expensive tool necessary) so the graphics are to my taste. I have found that by doing that and also running the ShadeFSX program, I get excellent colours in GEX on my system.

 

It's also true that the field system depicted is not accurate for all parts of Europe, but I think it's a fair compromise. As for the UTX roads - they are going to trample all over whatever underlying scenery you use with it, be it FSX default, GEX or whatever. Personally I turn them off.

Actually I was just looking at the latest pre-release GEX EU update screenshots and in some of the rural views the fields look anything but medieval. A lot more than the colouring has changed. I suggest those who looked at the initial release and wrote it off might like to take another look.

I own all GEX products and I like it, it's an improvement over default, for sure. I don't like photoscenery because usually something is lacking there.. AG, night textures,... and one GEX product (EU, NA, AM,..) usually covers a whole continent so you get a lot for the money. The only thing that bothers me with GEX Eu is green color.. it's a bit too bright for my taste but you know, nothing's perfect.

My only problem I have with GEX Europe, was that I lost the 'River Humber' and the humber bridge was on the land. I disabled GEX europe and all was well.

 

Apart from that I thought it did a good job.

My only problem I have with GEX Europe, was that I lost the 'River Humber' and the humber bridge was on the land. I disabled GEX europe and all was well.

 

Apart from that I thought it did a good job.

That's odd. I have GEX EU and I fly over the Humber and Humber Bridge all the time. What other products do you have ? I use UTX, FSGenesis mesh, and SceneryTech / Xclass landclass.

 

GEX is only a texture replacement product. It shouldn't have an effect on other features.

Hi Dick

 

I have UTX also, Hmmm strange why it happens here

 

Having just completed a complete reinstall, phew! I will re order my scenery lib and see what happens

Here's my scenery order:

 

Object libs

RTMM(return to misty moorings)

addon scenery

FTX

UT

I think it gets a bad wrap. It's massively better than the default textures, offers seasonal and day/night changes and that's all it purports to be. The fact that it's being improved all the time is a bonus.

It's impossible for GEX to make a river/estuary disappear nor can it remove a bridge. GEX replaces textures with different textures and it's associated autogen placed on top of it. Think of GEX as a different repaint for your favourite aircraft, a repaint can't change the shape of the aircraft as it's just wrapped around the model, like a table cloth on a table.

 

UTX on the other hand could quite easily do this, UTX redefines the landclass i.e. defines what default or GEX textures are used in a specific location. UTX also changes coastlines (the table shape) to be more true to real life, adds more vector roads (lines drawn on top of the table cloth) than supplied by Microsoft and the roads are placed in a more accurate position, they also add more extruded bridges, i.e. not fancy custom built 3D objects made to look like real life shaped bridges like the Humber bridge.

Resolved the issue by 'cycling' FXT central, now have humber bridge back.

Im using Scenery Tech Landclass, UTX , GEX, world wide coverage and am very satisfied with the resutls I have achieved. I can fly anywhere in the world and have excellent visuals and performance

For my older rig another improvement was using the Automated Tweaking Tool and implemting the other tweaks and tips that others have been updating and brought to light. Thanks.

When I did my last UTX install I got a messsage box which I hadnt seen before, said something like, " A 3rd Party program has added 4096 high res textures, UTX have added files to support this".

I never get the blurries, FSX is running smooth, and my visuals are better then I have ever expected.

 

http://www.4shared.com/photo/UEpIG9ac/2012-5-31_19-4-36-781.html

 

 

 

edit: added a link to a couple of screenies