Hi all,

I am new to the platform and hoping to get some knowledge from experienced users. I'm currently training to be a pilot and thought Xplane 12 would be a good training tool. However, I have been struggling with the initial setup.

I have purchased and downloaded on the steam app. I am currently using a mac. When I setup originally the world loaded and after trying to download custom scenery from the gateway for Ireland airports. I can't seem to get anything else other than a water world.

Has anyone experienced this before? I have downloaded the European DLC and there has been no change to the empty water worlds when I load up a map.

Any help would be great. Thanks guys! 

5 hours ago, GazFlyz said:

I have purchased and downloaded on the steam app. I am currently using a mac. When I setup originally the world loaded and after trying to download custom scenery from the gateway for Ireland airports. I can't seem to get anything else other than a water world.

You probably don't have the base default scenery installed. I have a PC but hopefully this will work for you as well. On your machine you would need find and run the "X-plane-12 installer" and select "Add or remove scenery." Hit continue until you see the globe and then you want the select "new scenery" for that area, in this case it would be either the UK or Europe or both. Select those areas and any others that are not highlighted in blue and hit continue and those scenery packages will be downloaded. Once that done you can go back and start your flight and you should see land and not water.

16 minutes ago, BobFS88 said:

On your machine you would need find and run the "X-plane-12 installer" and select "Add or remove scenery."

No.

He is using - as clearly stated - the Steam version. Here all scenery areas are handled as "DLC" - just like for other games where you can buy expansions to the base game. Running the "X-Plane 12 installer" can cause serious/fatal harm to your Steam X-Plane 12 installation.
Of course all scenery areas worldwide are "free" DLC for X-Plane, but they are not installed by default because some users have size concerns as to their harddisk storage and/or would like to fly in a single area only, anyway.

@GazFlyz You NEVER need to download any airports from the Scenery Gateway. The Scenery Gateway is ONLY of use for people that actively design and upload airports, never for the end user. All of the airports present there will be automatically added to all X-Plane user´s installations periodically - downloading stuff manually carries the risk of breaking the process, unless you really know what you are doing (which you apparently don´t 😉)

7 hours ago, GazFlyz said:

Hi all,

I am new to the platform and hoping to get some knowledge from experienced users. I'm currently training to be a pilot and thought Xplane 12 would be a good training tool. However, I have been struggling with the initial setup.

I have purchased and downloaded on the steam app. I am currently using a mac. When I setup originally the world loaded and after trying to download custom scenery from the gateway for Ireland airports. I can't seem to get anything else other than a water world.

Has anyone experienced this before? I have downloaded the European DLC and there has been no change to the empty water worlds when I load up a map.

Any help would be great. Thanks guys! 

I don't use Steam, but what @Litjan is saying makes sense.

If you're only seeing water, then the main scenery for the regional/Continental area you're loading into isn't installed.

Almost all the airports are installed by default, no Scenery gateway needed.

If there's a particular one you want a higher fidelity version, there are many on forums.x-plane.org. BUT they aren't necessary as there is already a generic airport included in the sim.

You probably want to contact Laminar Research (X-Plane) support directly to help with this.

Or uninstall/reinstall.

36 minutes ago, Litjan said:

Of course all scenery areas worldwide are "free" DLC for X-Plane, but they are not installed by default because some users have size concerns as to their harddisk storage and/or would like to fly in a single area only, anyway.

So the method for installing the free base scenery for europe or UK in the steam version is manage through Steam Xplane DLC as oppose to X-plane installer than I stand corrected. 👍

However, as you stated "but they are not installed by default" which is also true for direct download version of X Plane purchase from LR as well. Initially you have the US installed and he would have to add the other countries in his case UK or Europe because those area's are not initially install which hence have the water everywhere effect.

Steam just complicates things and occasionally adds an extra overhead of issues.

And please dont ask in the other forum why it now taking so long to load. I did, git but butt torn off.