Above pics: on approach to KLAS 25R with trees and roads at max and traffic set to Siberia plus UrbanMAXX Extreme.

Edited January 18, 201313 yr by FIVE-BY-FIVE
Images removed. Far exceeded 400KB weight limits. Please repost with proper weights. Thanks.

Great pics! Some decent city skylines beginning to get built. Have to ask though - do you find UrbanMAXX makes much of a difference?

Great pics! Some decent city skylines beginning to get built. Have to ask though - do you find UrbanMAXX makes much of a difference?

even without urbanmaxx, xp10 is beautiful.

_{Los Angeles with Max Autogen}

Edited January 18, 201313 yr by FIVE-BY-FIVE
Images removed. Far exceed 400KB weight limits. Please repost with proper weights. Thanks.

Los Angeles with Max Autogen

 

Looks like you're flying over a magnified computer chip!

Looks like you're flying over a magnified computer chip!

i'm not good at taking pics, but you get the idea. the KLAS pics above are clearer.

Looks like you're flying over a magnified computer chip!

 

This is a well known problem with how X-plane creates scenery in a grid like fashion. However most US cities are for the most part built on a grid. If there were a few landmarks, parks and skyscapers it would probably help reduce it's exaggerated appearance. Still though, it's definitely a lot better than it was :-)

This is a well known problem with how X-plane creates scenery in a grid like fashion. However most US cities are for the most part built on a grid. If there were a few landmarks, parks and skyscapers it would probably help reduce it's exaggerated appearance. Still though, it's definitely a lot better than it was :-)

 

True about the landmarks. Also, even though a lot has been added to the autogen library, it's still pretty repetitive. That said, more is on the way and you're absolutely right about it looking better than it used to. As far as how X-Plane creates scenery in a grid, the autogen is placed according to the road layout. As you said, most US cities are laid out like grids, so naturally, the buildings will follow. If you look at European cities in XP, you'll see a more organic layout of the buildings.

 

Now trees are bit of a different story. In forested areas, you can see those grid patterns you mention. A varied topography hides it pretty well, but in flat expanses of forests, it's one of those things that once you notice it, you can't "un-notice" it.

The buildings look good but the autogen is wrong for LA and Vegas. Plausable Vegas does not cut it.

True about the landmarks. Also, even though a lot has been added to the autogen library, it's still pretty repetitive. That said, more is on the way and you're absolutely right about it looking better than it used to. As far as how X-Plane creates scenery in a grid, the autogen is placed according to the road layout. As you said, most US cities are laid out like grids, so naturally, the buildings will follow. If you look at European cities in XP, you'll see a more organic layout of the buildings.

 

It's similar with the cities in Australia as well, majority of them are built in a more organic layout with circular roads rather than grids. The screenshots still look really nice with max detail now but they still have that hint of places that look like they could been built in SimCity 4.

This is a well known problem with how X-plane creates scenery in a grid like fashion.

 

My comment came more from the sunlight/specular reflections than the actual city layout... but when you combine those two together you're flying in an Intel commercial.

 

Any other time of day and it wouldn't have looked as artificial, I think.

 

-Greg

This for me is the big one.

When I fly in the sim I want to feel like I have gone somewhere.

The plausible is good, and the autogen is the best I have seen in any sim yet.

But when San Diego looks the same as Phoenix looks the Same as Las Vegas looks the same as Chicago looks the same as xxxx- I don't get the feeling I flew anywhere-which is why I took up flying.

 

I actually care nothing about seasons, atc, but I'd like to feel that when I fly from point a to point b that I arrived at a different location...Or a different computer chip

This for me is the big one.

When I fly in the sim I want to feel like I have gone somewhere.

The plausible is good, and the autogen is the best I have seen in any sim yet.

But when San Diego looks the same as Phoenix looks the Same as Las Vegas looks the same as Chicago looks the same as xxxx- I don't get the feeling I few anywhere-which is why I took up flying.

 

I actually care nothing about seasons, atc, but I'd like to feel that when I fly from point a to point b that I arrived at a different location...

 

Ditto, except ATC/AI is important to me as well, since I like to fly Heavy Medal!!!

This for me is the big one.

When I fly in the sim I want to feel like I have gone somewhere.

The plausible is good, and the autogen is the best I have seen in any sim yet.

But when San Diego looks the same as Phoenix looks the Same as Las Vegas looks the same as Chicago looks the same as xxxx- I don't get the feeling I flew anywhere-which is why I took up flying.

 

Exactly how I feel Geofa.

Having installed the freeware files ‘Plausible CBD 1.4’ and ‘Seattle 2.0’ (which complement each other), Seattle looks amazing, a real sense of character about it. All this from a handful of landmark buildings that have been produced as freeware (apart from the few that were included by default). Now if Laminar could just create even a few landmark buildings for major US and world cities, the excitement of arriving at a new destination could be reproduced and a sense of geography given to surrounding areas and towns that are just generic. Suspension of disbelief is critical in my opinion. I know for some users it is just about the physics and systems but for me, and I feel for many, we want the feeling of arriving and travelling somewhere else as well. At the moment, we don’t have that and whilst some amazing freeware work is being done, it will take years before the few ultra-high quality freeware (or for that matter payware) developers that exist (no disrespect to the very good work of others) get around to creating such landmarks. In fact at this rate, we will not see it until X-Plane 11.

 

Why don’t Laminar create a US and regional landmarks series of packages that we can even purchase as extras. It would generate revenue, and in the greater scheme of things, I think would be cost effective. I am no expert at scenery design but even as a small team, I don’t believe this would take too long if done in digestible chunks. They could even outsource the work. I think there are plenty of talented Xplane devolopers that would take on the challenge especially if paid for it.

 

I still don’t understand why Aerosoft cities are not being done for this every reason. Pretty easy money in my opinion. All that’s needed is a simple conversion and adjustment.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

2 things would be a tremendous improvement over the current autogen:

 

1. Region specific architecture. It can be generic, but generic for its location. Seeing Jim Walter Homes models in old world Europe is jarring.

 

2. Just 1 or 2 signature landmarks in major cities would do wonders. The Gateway to the West in St. Louis. The Sears Tower in Chicago. The Space Needle. Eiffel Tower. Big Ben. Tokyo Tower, and so on. Just one, two, maybe three unique landmarks would do wonders. Roll it out in stages, if they have to. Say, pick 10 cities per beta release and add something specific to it for example.