Hi,I have just built myself a new PC and started to install FS9 from scratch and have been thinking about what to include this time when it comes to the visuals since FS9 on my old PC became a little bit messy with all different freeware add-on mesh and textures I installed.For that reason I thought to myself that maybe this time I should stick to as few add-on's as possible but of course I still want the visuals as good looking as possible, especially now when I have a new and fast PC that can hopefully handle it but still with a good framrate.So...now I hope you guys can give me some good advice what I should go for. My wish is to find products that cover the whole world and not just parts of it since I like to fly all over the world. Also I need same clarification if I got this right...is it true that the mesh is the elevation (that will make the mountains etc more close to their real world counterparts) and that the texture is the "carpet" on top of the mesh that gives you a better looking surface? Anyway that is how I understood it and I have found a couple of products for this that I'm thinking of buying but with your experiences and good advice.For the mesh I have found Abacus - World Extreme Landscapes and FS Global Terrain Mesh, don't know which one is better and maybe there's even more yet better alternatives?And for the textures I have been thinking about Ground Environment Professional which seems to be the nr1 in it's field?Any advice would be highly appreciated!!

Hi,I would go with FSgenesis mesh with GEpro textures..... then add Ultimate terrain USA/Canada/Europe depending where you fly more...or how deep your pockets are.....Then top the whole thing off with Active Sky 6.... You virtual world will look a whole lot better with all these installed.Paul

Thanks!Does FSgenesis have a product that cover the whole world?

Don't forget a good Landclass. Telling you where the cities are and where the farmlands are and where the forests are.1. Yeah... I think, If there is a finer granularity of mesh for the world (better then the default in FSX), that would be a good addon.2. A good texture. If F1 Ground envrioment Pro for FSX improves on FSX sure... that would be good.3. We would also need good Landclass for each continent and countries.But what would really be good is like what Aerosoft scenery germany 4 provides. They mix all (1,2,3) as well as good pototextures and objects like bridges and buildings and all VFR man made objects thrown in, in all the rights spots.... Manny

Hi,Yes FSGenesis does cover the whole planet.... in varying LOD ( detail ) levels.... some of it is free, most you have to pay for......Ultimate terrain includes landclass.One thing to consider is... do you really want to be spending big bucks on FS9 when FS10 is so close?Maybe you won't upgrade... but I guess most people do. How many here are running FS2002- despite many saying they weren't going to upgrade.Paul

Thanks for your comments Paul!Yes, I'm sure I will upgrade to FSX but I don't think that will happen any time soon since it will probably be quite some time before FSX becomes a stable product supported both by all add-on hardware and software you like to use.First I thought maybe I should wait upgrading my computer until there are Directx 10 compatible graphics cards for example but then I decided I will most probably spend between 6-12 months more with FS9 until that is going to happen.Will have another look at FSGenesis offerings, checked their site yesterday but couldn't find any product covering the whole world which I think would be nice instead of having to install numerous different packages to get a world-wide coverage.

Hi Paul,When you suggest to first install GEPro textures and then add Ultimate terrain on top of that, does that mean that Ultimate terrain is better looking/more detailed than GEPro?

>Hi Paul,>>When you suggest to first install GEPro textures and then add>Ultimate terrain on top of that, does that mean that Ultimate>terrain is better looking/more detailed than GEPro?UT is landclass (showing rivers, lakes, shorelines, roads, raillines, golf courses and more over definition).GE Pro is a texture enhancement.Both are must haves in my opinion.

Hello As far as i know, Abacus - World Extreme Landscapes is FSGenesis mesh repackaged.

Hi Richard,FsGenesis cover the whole world, but with various products... look at the download sizes to get an idea why. I don't know too much about the other "all in one" product.... but i own some fsgenesis stuff and its good.. any quirks such as spikes etc are sorted out.OK, so the mesh is your wire framework...on top of that lay the generic textures.... GEpro in my case.... landclass defines which texture goes where. Ultimate terrain is a landclass and more importantly ( subjective opinion ) it then lays detail ON TOP of the generic textures... roads. It also has all the coastlines/lakes/rivers accurate too.ASv6 adds the cloud/sky textures and improved weather depiction. It also interoperates with gepro to choose appropriate ground textures for your cloud coverage... so the ground textures look dull in overcast or bright in CAVOK conditions etc.Having said all that, I still stick with the idea that I wouldn't spend that much money on FS9 right now. I am excited for what FSX will allow the addon developers to create... and that involves more money....Paul

Found another product over at simmarket.com called MYWORLD2004 - WORLD LANDCLASS 2005 EDITION - is this an alternative to UT? It has a nice price and covers the whole world from what I understand.

OK, that's interesting and maybe would be a good option then since it covers the whole world. Will try to find out some more info on this and if it's possible to find the product somewhere here in Sweden since I belive it only exists in a boxed version considering the huge size.

Thanks alot Paul for your great and easy-to-understand explanation!

HI Webmaximus,I think your best value nowadays is the whole world on six DVDs from FSG. It beats every other package available in terms of coverage, terrain mesh resolution, and refinement. You can get each of them individually, or all at once with a signficant bundle discount.http://www.fsgenesis.com/Merchant2/merchan...egory_Code=DVD9-------Justinhttp://www.fsgenesis.netHigh Quality Scenery for FS200x

Hi Justin and thanks for your reply!Three questions:1. What is this World Buffer Terrain DVD, what is it for?2. If I'm not mistaken by the info on your site, if I would buy all four mesh packages (North America, Mexico & South America, Europe & Africa, Asia & Pacific) I would get all those packages + the World Buffer Terrain DVD for a 45% off total which would be about $50?3. Is it possible for me to download all these packages or do I have to order them on DVD and if yes, what is the estimated delivery time to Sweden? ...Just read at your site about something called Galaxy Membership, does that mean I have to spend additional $ on that kind of membership to be able to download the packages above? I sure hope not since I also read this at your first page"We offer . . .. . . immediate downloads on all products, a choice of manually-installed .zip files or auto-installers, optional CDs shipped postage-paid worldwide within 24 hours, accept all major credit cards and PayPal, as well as US checks through mail orders."Would appreciate a clarification here :-)