So, I think photoreal scenery would be the next great addition to my simming ... and from what I have read MSE v2 is about the best out there right now. Unlike scenery for a specific airport, it also strikes me that it is the type of addition that you want as much coverage as possible ... even including those "fly-over states" which you would not normally worry about because you aren't departing or arriving.

 

With a $10-$40 per state pricing structure, to cover the US (when it's all completed), at best you're looking at spending $500 and at worst $2000 (with the reality obviously a number somewhere in-between). I went back and ran the numbers, and over the past ten years I have spent $1500 on flight sim addons. To potentially spend that same amount over again on photoreal scenery for the US is disconcerting. My question to those of you who are using MSE v2: is it really worth that much money? Does it really add that much immersion to your simming experience?

 

Thanks,

~Shaun O'Neil

Just a personal view....whatever our hobby may be, Sim, Photography, Star Gazing, Golf or Scuba Diving. It is going to cost money. If it is your passion then I don't think the amount of money comes into the equation. We will all find a way to fulfill our passion. The fulfillment will only be measured by the amount of cash we can each afford and over a predetermined period of time.

 

For the lucky few it is all at once or over a short period of time. For the majority it is a gradual labour of aquisition over a period of time to suit the individual wallet. End game is pretty much the same in either case.

My question to those of you who are using MSE v2: is it really worth that much money? Does it really add that much immersion to your simming experience?

 

Why only ask those who are using MSE v2? It's always interesting to hear both sides imho. ^_^ To me photoreal isn't worth 10 dollars, let alone 2000... You don't have seasons and it only looks good from one angle (unless you are flying high in which case it does look better obviously). I would like photoreal if it had 3D buildings and well placed (!) autogen on it. But I like flying above snow every now and then: with photoreal it's always the same summer's day you will see and that's very limiting. But hey, that's my personal opinion of course.

 

What kind of planes do you fly? GA or airliners?

 

P.S. I do own photoreal scenery so I'm not talking about something I have no experience with. ^_^ I do not own MSE though but from what I've seen, I think I can say it has the same disadvantages over the scenery I own. But don't just take my words in it because there are plenty of people who LOVE photoreal and specially MSE v2.

Shaun,

 

Using FS Earth Tiles you can make your own photo scenery for free!

Hey guys,

 

I introduced myself over in the Hangar Chat section but I'll just say hi to you guys in here too. I am 10 hours into my PPL, and I exclusively use FSX for flying over 'the real world' via photoscenery, and in aircraft that I fly in real life, either from the flight school I attend at Moncton, or from the fleet of GA aircraft that my hubby get's to fly, via the company he works for.

 

I would say that the MegaScenery 2 stuff is absolutely the best photoscenery about. I could never fly in a flight sim over anything generic or randomly generated - I just don't get how this can be considered a sim, if you're flying over a field, where in real life a row of condos would be! ....... for me, it's got to be photoscenery, flying over whats there in real life.

 

@ Jskorna, having tried for days with my husband to make good photoscenery using the method you're describing, or using something I think called "Tile Proxy", I would politely revise your suggestion and say that "it is easy to make crappy looking photoscenery".

 

The MegaScenery stuff is a work of art compared to any photoscenery we tried to make.

 

And I personally find it great value. When you fly GA over it, it takes a LONG time to cover all of a state! ..... and you can spend just $10 and see quite a bit of Rhode Island or Delaware, before investing in the bigger states.

 

I would not be using flight sims as part of my procedural practice for my PPL, if products like MegaScenery did not exist.

 

:smile:

 

H.

Currently they have 23 states available at a total cost so far of $690. So when all is said and done we're talking $1400+. This for a product that for all 50 states was originally $260 and included a 2TB external disk drive. I realize the problem the developer had with the supply of the drives, but this pricing is far over the top IMHO. I also know he couldn't be making a decent profit, and was probably just covering cost at that price, so double the original price would have been more of an appropriate price for a product like this, but close to 5X the cost? That's just too rich for my blood!! I do wish him luck though!!!

That is a lot of cash, you're right! ....... I guess I never thought of buying everything.... I mean even if they don't do Alaska or Hawaii and just the lower 48, that's still 48 wide area scenery packages. Sure buying 48 scenery packages of any type for flight sim is going to set you back some serious $$$s ?

You can get a lot of the western states in photoreal from Blue Sky Scenery. It doesn't cost anything, although if you like the product a donation would be appropriate. I can't speak to the quality, but the website looks good and there are youtube vids to look at. Download an area and give it a try. Post your results here and/or the fabulous screen shot gallery.

 

http://www.blueskyscenery.com/

Hi Helen welcome to AVSIM, hope you enjoy your stay. :wink:

I got the Sim Savvy scenery just before he sold out. As I understand it, the difference between Sim Savvy ad MSE is the MSE has water masking. Apparently the guy doing Sim Savvy did not know how to do water masking.

 

With Sim Savvy some states, like Florida, look pretty awful. Californial looks OK when viewed from the sea. But most inland states are fine.

 

As I understand it, the Sim Savvy scenery did not sell well at $300. I am curious if jacking up the price by a factor of five to ten will increase sales. It seems counterintuitive.

 

IMHO, while the scenery looks better than GEX, it does not look $1500 to $2000 better. The photoscenery probably loks best over places like Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona. Except for the Great Salt Lake, which looks awful without water masking.

You can get a lot of the western states in photoreal from Blue Sky Scenery. It doesn't cost anything, although if you like the product a donation would be appropriate. I can't speak to the quality, but the website looks good and there are youtube vids to look at. Download an area and give it a try. Post your results here and/or the fabulous screen shot gallery.

 

http://www.blueskyscenery.com/

 

Hi, I did download the Blue Sky stuff the very same day I picked up FSX at Walmart. It is difficult and awkward to say anything negative whatsoever about a product that someone is giving for free.... I mean that is an amazing thing to do. But I have to be honest and say that if we're talking solely about quality of imagery and realism, in my humble opinion there is no comparison between the Blue Sky stuff, and the MegaScenery stuff. I can't explain the technicalities, as I don't understand or know anything about them. I can only say that the MegaScenery stuff must have some sort of post-photographic processing or something going on, because they look so real and clear (above about 1200 anyway), whereas the Blue Sky stuff, although pretty good and incomparably better than using 'auto generated' random ground content, are not of the same quality; they are a touch grainy and the colours are a little off. But again, those comments are only relative to absolutely quality; when the cost is not factored.

 

For those who cannot perhaps afford the MegaScenery stuff, or don't want to spend their money on it, the Blue Sky stuff is awesome and still does the job!

I've seen some great looking photoscenery and some that look, well not so.... Yep, you'd be droppin' a pretty penny for all 50 but ask yourself would you really fly all 50 states even if you dropped 2K for the whole shebang? I mean, the world's a pretty big place. I've been simming since FS2002 and I still have many-many countries I haven't set foot on (or should I say been in their airspace!).

 

What I am getting at, I would think one would pick and choose a few of their favorite states be it where they live, or want to explore, etc. A few tips for those considering photoware - They are tons of freeware out there one can download and decide if it's what they like. I have about all the Hawaiian Islands in brilliant photoscenery with night textures and autogen and custom buildings.

 

Also, the first version of MegasceneryEarth is still out there and if you search around you can usually pick those up for 50% off. I picked them all up and save a few of those pretty pennies. While I am not a big fan of their version 2 (looks too flat for me below 2,000 feet with no buildings), many may find it to their taste.

 

However, I would drop $50 on just Alaska if they had the whole state!

this pricing is far over the top IMHO

 

Well, it depends how you look at it. If you want the entire US covered in MSE v2 quality then it will cost you a lot indeed. But it's not that the prices are over the top imho. A small Orbx airport covers just a few miles of ground and costs more then one of those MSE regions. If you wanted to have all US airports like that Orbx airport (providing they would offer them all) it would cost you something like er... a million dollars maybe? The fact that in total MSE costs a lot doesn't immediately mean it is overpriced. You simply aren't supposed to buy all of them but just the ones you like. And then the prices suddenly are really fair.

 

I've heard no one complain about the prices of Orbx regions. In fact most think they are rather cheap compared to the prices of their airport addons. Still, if you want to have the entire US in Orbx quality (again providing they would offer it all) it would cost you hundreds and hundreds and hundreds dollars also! See? You are simply looking at it the wrong way. ^_^

Well, it depends how you look at it. If you want the entire US covered in MSE v2 quality then it will cost you a lot indeed. But it's not that the prices are over the top imho. A small Orbx airport covers just a few miles of ground and costs more then one of those MSE regions. If you wanted to have all US airports like that Orbx airport (providing they would offer them all) it would cost you something like er... a million dollars maybe? The fact that in total MSE costs a lot doesn't immediately mean it is overpriced. You simply aren't supposed to buy all of them but just the ones you like. And then the prices suddenly are really fair.

 

I've heard no one complain about the prices of Orbx regions. In fact most think they are rather cheap compared to the prices of their airport addons. Still, if you want to have the entire US in Orbx quality (again providing they would offer it all) it would cost you hundreds and hundreds and hundreds dollars also! See? You are simply looking at it the wrong way. ^_^

 

Very, very true. That's exactly how I look at it. I've bought 6, and was absolutely ok with the cost, and felt it was fair. When they reach the west coast with the v2 versions, I'll have my eye on 5 more and that would be me done. All would be nice - but superfluous for most.

I got the Sim Savvy scenery just before he sold out. As I understand it, the difference between Sim Savvy ad MSE is the MSE has water masking. Apparently the guy doing Sim Savvy did not know how to do water masking.

 

With Sim Savvy some states, like Florida, look pretty awful. Californial looks OK when viewed from the sea. But most inland states are fine.

 

As I understand it, the Sim Savvy scenery did not sell well at $300. I am curious if jacking up the price by a factor of five to ten will increase sales. It seems counterintuitive.

 

IMHO, while the scenery looks better than GEX, it does not look $1500 to $2000 better. The photoscenery probably looks best over places like Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona. Except for the Great Salt Lake, which looks awful without water masking.

 

I also purchased Sim Savvy which is amazing. As far as i remember the creator of sim savvy has joined the megascenery team or is contributing in some way. Ii plan to buy the coastal states that have water masking to create a more fluid experience. i really like the way the inland states look without the water masking. the coast is distracting and large bodies of inland water also have blocks of default fs water where the photoscenery ends. All in all i still prefer it.