The main advantages with FTX Global as I see are:

 

-Price - the entire world for $90. With GEX each region is $35 - $45 which adds up to more

 

-Prepar3D compatibility - while Flight1 is openly hostile to Prepar3D, OrbX fully support the new sim

 

-Should blend perfectly with FTX regions

 

-OrbX have promised future (payware) landclass additions which will require this base pack

 

Edited to replace UTX with GEX where applicable. Remind me to not write anything until I've had my morning coffee   :lol:

 

 

Very good points Jimmi.   A lot of compelling reasons to buy in.    I guess the purchasing decision is a little harder for those like me, who've already invested in all the GEX regions.         There's no doubt that FTXG is superior overall (even if a little subtle in some screenshots) but another $90 is considerable to a struggling mature student like me :lol:

Some of the Global areas actually look really bad...far worse than GEX in some cases. Although in some cases, it looks way better. It seems to vary a lot based on location. Overall, definitely not worth 90 bucks. No add-on is, IMO, no matter what it is. For one product, that is expensive!

 

I think with OpenLC, Global will be the clear winner over GEX, but not if the price remains as is.

Amen.     And you'll have to outlay the 90 bucks plus the cost of OpenLC to really rival the GEX package at this stage.      Orbx seems to be trying to ride on the glory of their past releases instead of truly innovating this time around.  

 

 

-Prepar3D compatibility - while Flight1 is openly hostile to Prepar3D, OrbX fully support the new sim

 

Oh F1 is not hostile towards P3D, not at all.    But if you want 'official' P3D product compatibility with Flight 1 addons you purchased for FSX, you're gonna fork over some cash to buy entirely new versions instead of upgrade patches.     :mad:

Amen.     And you'll have to outlay the 90 bucks plus the cost of OpenLC to really rival the GEX package at this stage.      Orbx seems to be trying to ride on the glory of their past releases instead of truly innovating this time around.  

 

 

 

Oh F1 is not hostile towards P3D, not at all.    But if you want 'official' P3D product compatibility with Flight 1 addons you purchased for FSX, you're gonna fork over some cash to buy entirely new versions instead of upgrade patches.     :mad:

 

Ok, how about you add the costs for all GEX-Regions together. Lets see what that price will be.

Oh F1 is not hostile towards P3D, not at all.    But if you want 'official' P3D product compatibility with Flight 1 addons you purchased for FSX, you're gonna fork over some cash to buy entirely new versions instead of upgrade patches.     :mad:

 

I would say they're pretty hostile:

http://www.flightsim.ee/news/2013/on-flight1s-new-policy-and-on-the-most-bizzare-customer-weve-ever-had

 

It's not just about "official" support, either. Their newer aircraft releases include a special built-in check that will disable the entire VC if it detects you're running it in P3D. I'm perfectly fine with developers not officially supporting P3D, however deliberately blocking the sim is a totally different thing.

Please guys, let's try to keep this thread on topic  :smile:

 

 

Looks like you have autogen on the lowest setting.

Actually I had it set to Normal as that's what I mostly use when flying airliners. 

 

Overall I like FTX Global way better than GEX. Of course it isn't perfect in all areas as the GEX desertish look fits some areas better than more green FTX Global look but that's a problem with all texture addons as same textures are used in different areas that in reality have very different vegetation. I open OpenLC packs will eventually fix that. 

I'm confused. If you buy all GEX regions doesn't it add up more then FTX?

I'm confused. If you buy all GEX regions doesn't it add up more then FTX?

Yea it does, but most people don't fly all over the world. Personally I have never flown in Asia, Africa, Russia, the Middle East or South America for example, I fly in NA and Europe mainly.

For those regions I have detailed addon scenery.

 

So if ppl are looking for textures that fill the gaps in their preferred continent(s), they are probably only interested in quality.

 

I'm probably gonna buy this sooner or later, just comparing screenshots now.

Ah Ok. Personally I fly jets long-haul all over the world. I will be doing a world tour on the PMDG 777. I will most likely do a US tour on the FSlabs Airbus as well.

In the first screen shots of Mogadishu GEX was way superior to FTX!

In the first screen shots of Mogadishu GEX was way superior to FTX!

 

Not really seeing that.

 

FTXG's city tiles are much, much clearer and the desert tiles have a much less grainy look and more natural coloring.

 

What gives the impression of looking better is we assume that Mogadishu should be a blank desert with dusty roads. It's not.

 

Looking at pictures of Mogadishu, it seems the deep green mixed in with the desert is actually realistic and the city having green tress is as well.

 

Bit grainy but it's one of the view that showed the north part of the city.

 

Thanks for posting these comparison shots for GEX and FTX Global. Actually, there is more of a difference between the two than I was expecting. Both are using the same resolution textures, but they seem to interpret colours and contrast in a more varied manner than what I was imagining.

Thanks a lot for starting this thread and posting these images!

 

Being a GEX/UTX user with both these products covering all the areas where I do my flying I don't think I'll get FTX Global...at least not at this point.

 

In a way I feel a little bit disappointed since I've been looking forward to this release after all very nice looking teasers on YouTube etc but paying $90 for something that only in some areas will be a real improvement over what I already got I can't justify that cost to myself but will follow this thread with great interest and maybe something will be said/shown that will change my mind.

Yeah I'm not really seeing where the $90 price tag comes into play here. It looks good and all, but it doesn't seem like the life-altering, FS11-esque upgrade I was hoping for. I think at this point we've basically hit the peak graphical level FSX's engine can provide and now it basically comes down to style. $90 is a lot and I'll save that for PMDG's 777. 

Yeah I'm not really seeing where the $90 price tag comes into play here. It looks good and all, but it doesn't seem like the life-altering, FS11-esque upgrade I was hoping for. I think at this point we've basically hit the peak graphical level FSX's engine can provide and now it basically comes down to style. $90 is a lot and I'll save that for PMDG's 777. 

 

It's not life-altering, but it's a big difference and it's not just the textures. Autogen density and placement are a big part of the look (something the shots in this thread just don't show). I was worried after seeing this thread last night as well but I got it and can confirm it's really good and head and shoulders better then default.

 

And remember, this isn't meant to replace GEX technicaly, it's meant to replace the default. And it does that very, very well. I personally find it much better then GEX everywhere I've looked (NA mostly right now) but that's to each his own. The fact that they do the entire world for almost half of what GEX does the entire world for should speak to the price (although I'd love for it to be $20 just like everyone else).

 

Here's some other comparison shot threads that tell the story better IMO. I took some of KABQ and KJAN in J van E's thread and posted them as well.

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/414481-some-fsx-default-ftx-global-comparisons/#entry2725940

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/414465-ftx-global-around-milwaukee-including-night-shots/

 

And the night environment is a revolution on it's own and it's not just the lighting, it's the textures as well. The entire globe gets this treatment. Cities finally don't look like a bright, blurry mess at night. If you want to see a comprison go look in my second link to the UTX-non Global night shots I posted at the bottom of the thread.

 

Snapped this one at KLAS if you want to go compare