13 hours ago, mryan75 said:

I actually think the payware TNCM is better, although I will say it's fantastic having a freeware version and I can totally understand people being satisfied with the Asobo version. I just love the Grand Case airport as well, which is included with the payware.

I heard many people say the same as you, but I really dont get it. 
The freeware option from MS is like miles ahead, the ground texture especially is exactly true to life, the 3d model and object are more detail. take a look at the jetway for exemple, the payware option uses the default jetway when the freeware uses the very same jetway model they use at SXM. The ground marking is also way better in the freeware option, in fact everything is better, the payware as been built with the early sdk and at a time when scenery dev for msfs was still very early and it shows.
I think the only reason why some people prefere it is because of the beachers saluting you on landing, it is funny I have to agree, but a part from that, I‘ve been to SXM multiple time since I’m Caribbean and I can safely say that MS and Gaya have done a remarkable job

5 hours ago, cyril972 said:

I heard many people say the same as you, but I really dont get it. 
The freeware option from MS is like miles ahead, the ground texture especially is exactly true to life, the 3d model and object are more detail. take a look at the jetway for exemple, the payware option uses the default jetway when the freeware uses the very same jetway model they use at SXM. The ground marking is also way better in the freeware option, in fact everything is better, the payware as been built with the early sdk and at a time when scenery dev for msfs was still very early and it shows.
I think the only reason why some people prefere it is because of the beachers saluting you on landing, it is funny I have to agree, but a part from that, I‘ve been to SXM multiple time since I’m Caribbean and I can safely say that MS and Gaya have done a remarkable job

I remember at one point there was a merge of the two TNCM's which was the best of both worlds.  But then at one point it wasn't working properly. 

I was very pleasantly surprised when I noticed that Gaya Simulations had developed a hand crafted version of TNCM for the 40th Anniversary Edition. The lack of people on the beach does not bother me at all.

7 hours ago, cyril972 said:

I heard many people say the same as you, but I really dont get it. 
The freeware option from MS is like miles ahead, the ground texture especially is exactly true to life, the 3d model and object are more detail. take a look at the jetway for exemple, the payware option uses the default jetway when the freeware uses the very same jetway model they use at SXM. The ground marking is also way better in the freeware option, in fact everything is better, the payware as been built with the early sdk and at a time when scenery dev for msfs was still very early and it shows.
I think the only reason why some people prefere it is because of the beachers saluting you on landing, it is funny I have to agree, but a part from that, I‘ve been to SXM multiple time since I’m Caribbean and I can safely say that MS and Gaya have done a remarkable job

Don't get me wrong, I think it's wonderful that there's a free version, but even aside from getting TFFG with the payware version, there are some noticable drawbacks to the free one. The Winair hangar is not even modeled for one. The beach bar is fully modelled in the payware version, only generically so in the free. And the terminal is much better in the payware.

I've also flown in and out of there more times in real life than I can count, including at the controls of an Islander.

I did a review of both:

 

 

Edited January 16, 20242 yr by mryan75

And I thought I remember seeing a release date for this at one point but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone know what it is?

16 minutes ago, mryan75 said:

And I thought I remember seeing a release date for this at one point but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone know what it is?

All we know is this month. World Updates usually release in the last 2 weeks.

Edited January 16, 20242 yr by Tuskin38

11 hours ago, mryan75 said:

And I actually just reread the transcript of the announcement, there are 7 bespoke airports. That’s awesome news!

All 7 are listed in the video

No VC Bird in Antigua which is a shame.

10 hours ago, cyril972 said:

I heard many people say the same as you, but I really dont get it. 
The freeware option from MS is like miles ahead, the ground texture especially is exactly true to life, the 3d model and object are more detail. take a look at the jetway for exemple, the payware option uses the default jetway when the freeware uses the very same jetway model they use at SXM. The ground marking is also way better in the freeware option, in fact everything is better, the payware as been built with the early sdk and at a time when scenery dev for msfs was still very early and it shows.
I think the only reason why some people prefere it is because of the beachers saluting you on landing, it is funny I have to agree, but a part from that, I‘ve been to SXM multiple time since I’m Caribbean and I can safely say that MS and Gaya have done a remarkable job

Yea we covered this long ago, people can judge for themselves both sceneries have their pros and cons.

 

1 hour ago, Quaere Verum said:

No VC Bird in Antigua which is a shame.

This has existed for two years as payware.

5 minutes ago, mryan75 said:

This has existed for two years as payware.

Yes but for those with limited purchasing ability for addons, the point is that it's a major Caribbean airport that may have been better included in the World Update, rather than something like MUCL or MTCA.

You would atleast expect to see better default Bimini coverage, the place is totally neglected visually, with terrible bluish sunken looking terrain. Like come on MS/Asobo, its just a hop skip jump down the Atlantic from Miami.
It looked like a strip of blocky low res island terrain right out of FSX.😒

Edited January 16, 20242 yr by blueshark747

Funny to see this old thread resurrected. 

Anyway, I don't expect from the WU what I can get from the 3PD i.e. the airports but what I cannot get from the little guys ; sat imagery, vector data, mesh, autogen  up to snuff. They are quite bad right now.

Like the Oceania WU, it doesn’t look like any photogrammetry is coming in this WU either.
 

Hopefully lots of coastal fixes and water masking as a Caribbean island without it is pretty bland but the water-masking seems to be happening slowly as time goes on rather than appearing in WUs. 

 

Either way I’m looking forwards to the Caribbean WU, hopefully sometime this month. 

They're improving how they're doing water masking and getting new imagery data just for shallow areas, they talk about it in 43:11