X-Enviro is OUT

[Manny Ortiz 12]

Is out and I can't wait to try it! 

[cptCaptain 122]

Where to buy? Can't find it in the org store

[Mochi 82]

It comes up even in the search box but here is the direct link -

 

http://store.x-plane.org/xEnviro_p_551.html 

[captain420 3,099]

$70 is a bit steep, that costs more than most 3rd party aircrafts. I already own SkyMaxx Pro v3, and v4 is right around the corner, so I'm sure there will be more spending for v3 to v4 owners. How does xEnviro compare to SkyMaxx Pro. Would like to see reviews and hear about it more before I decide.

[Mochi 82]

$70 is a bit steep. I already own SkyMaxx Pro v3, and v4 is right around the corner, so I'm sure there will be more spending for v3 to v4 owners. How does xEnviro compare to SkyMaxx Pro. Would like to see reviews and hear about it more before I decide.

 

I am in same boat as you but stumped up the $70 .. I am mad indeed, but I had used xenviro back when it was available for XP10 32bit and saw great coding ability from those devs. I am flying a short sector and am liking what I see so far. I am using it in XP11 so there are going to be some bugs there but no show stopper encountered yet. It is on par with the many youtube videos posted, it really looks very promising.

 

It has transformed the weather depiction for sure but whether its a $70 transformation and/or better than SMP will be debated for many months ahead... 

[wiler 394]

ill wait till more feedback comes out and videos. the promo video didnt make me say thats a $70 addon. maybe its because ive been using active sky for a long time and its almost half the price. 

[Murmur 3,940]

I read it only allows real time real weather. You cannot set manual weather. If this is true, it's a big limitation for a 70$ product, even if it looks VERY good.

[klamal 282]

Can anyone that has used AS16 in P3D comment on how this compares? For me, this is the number one and most important reason as to why I stay with P3D. If/when XP can duplicate or improve upon AS16 weather, I would re-install XP10 and even buy XP11!

[pilot83 387]

Asmall comparison current Metar at LPMA Madeira METAR: LPMA 030230Z 26011KT 230V300 9000 BKN013 FEW016CB 19/12 Q1002 RERA

http://en.allmetsat.com/metar-taf/africa.php?icao=LPMA

 

default real weather xp11

image ru

 

x enviro real weather 

windows screen capture

[Samaritano 303]

$70 LOL. The good thing is that I don't have to buy. Will patiently wait for whatever the Laminar Research team have planned.

[avgaskoolaid 292]

Can anyone that has used AS16 in P3D comment on how this compares? For me, this is the number one and most important reason as to why I stay with P3D. If/when XP can duplicate or improve upon AS16 weather, I would re-install XP10 and even buy XP11!

To address this and the people who are comparing it to SMP v3 or v4. The default weather, even with SMP, always looks incredibly fake. I'm sure that anyone can notice that the clouds look far too puffy, like cotton balls, do not fade properly with distance, do not have suitable variety, and do not 'bend into the sky', for lack of a better term, like we see in P3D or in real life- it just looks like the clouds are seperate obects that are rendering on their own, and are not "part" of the sky. And, of course, there's those awful sudden changes. Even with the preliminary SMP v4 screenshots, they seem to have kept this way of rendering clouds.

 

xEnviro is totally, entirely different. To my eye, as someone who was a regular user of ASN in P3D and who flies in real life, xEnviro just looks so, so much more real. The clouds don't just look like clouds, they look like an actual weather system. They fade into the distance like they should and have the correct shape and color. Combine that with the new precipitation effects, the dynamic sky colors (which SMP doesn't have), City lights reflecting on clouds (not present in SMP either), guaranteed cross compatibility between XP10 and XP11 with once license, the real possibility of seasonal textures in the future, and the overall visuals that are in a different league from SMP and default XP, and I'd say it's absolutely worth the price. It put a big smile on my face the first time I loaded it up. SMP essentially just dolls up the default XP weather, xEnvrio seems to have tossed out the default altogether. 

 

To answer your question more directly (referencing ASN, but I have used the AS16 demo and feel that this still applies), xEnviro is not as nice as Active Sky. The main thing missing is the ability to set your own weather or use historical data, and the overall superior 'look' of the weather we see in MSFS. Still, xEnviro is much, much closer to the level of AS than SMP v3 is (and I think v4 will be).

[mwilk 1,100]

$70 LOL. The good thing is that I don't have to buy. Will patiently wait for whatever the Laminar Research team have planned.

While I'll agree that $70 is pretty steep, it will be a 3rd party developer that improves XP11 weather. LR's weather engine is what it is and it's not likely that we're going to see any appreciable improvements.

[klamal 282]

To answer your question more directly (referencing ASN, but I have used the AS16 demo and feel that this still applies), xEnviro is not as nice as Active Sky. The main thing missing is the ability to set your own weather or use historical data, and the overall superior 'look' of the weather we see in MSFS. Still, xEnviro is much, much closer to the level of AS than SMP v3 is (and I think v4 will be).

 

So with all due respect to those that like to set their own weather and/or use historical, I could care less about those features . I just want as realistic as possible of a representation of real world weather and how that interacts with an aircraft as it flies through the weather. So if manually setting weather and historical weather are the only reasons why this is not as good as Active Sky, then that has me very interested! If the Active Sky weather experience can now be had in XP, I'll be giving it another go.

[avgaskoolaid 292]

If the Active Sky weather experience can now be had in XP, I'll be giving it another go.

Careful... at least visually, it's still not 100% up to what AS delivers. But yes, in terms of how the weather interacts with the plane, visuals, and all other aspects it's miles ahead of other offerings.   Good to hear you'll be trying it out! Be sure to watch the developer's livestreams and videos, and maybe sit back a few days for others to share their screenshots and opinions... spending $70 and being disappointed would be no fun. But personally, I'm not disappointed at all,

 

It's really amazing to see so much interest in XPlane lately with all the great new releases. It must be an early Christmas miracle  :smile:

[rjack1282 315]

 

 

There is a disappointing lack of cumulus clouds however...at least so far