1 hour ago, HiFlyer said:

Love the video!! Thank you for the input, this and turbulence has been a major focus of ours. As you can see the "morphing" is the result of our weather stations trying to give you the most updated information as you fly. The unfortunate part of this is the limitations brought on by MSFS. We would love for the weather you fly through to stay put and the weather ahead to change as you fly, that is something we are trying to work around but is proving to be difficult. I appreciate everyone's criticism, without it, we are unable to continue to grow.

We believe that the only other weather program didn't bring enough fidelity into the way weather was being depicted, that is why we began development, we are small, "no name" but we are an active team who is passionate about this hobby and will stop at nothing to bring the best quality product to the market.

7 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

From my perspective, based on my own experience using this product and what is demonstrated in the video, MSFS 2024 remains the superior solution when it comes to smooth weather transitions and minimizing cloud morphing. While MSFS 2024 certainly has its shortcomings, ActiveSky also provides numerous configuration options and workarounds that can effectively mitigate many of those limitations.

In contrast, the claims made regarding smooth transitions in StartaWx are not supported by the footage presented. Visible cloud morphing and transition artifacts can be observed at several points throughout the video, including approximately 1:45, 3:18, 4:16, 4:55, 6:25, and 7:56. These examples clearly demonstrate that weather and cloud transitions remain noticeable rather than seamless. Additionally, the persistent and often exaggerated turbulence depicted throughout the presentation further detracts from the realism of the experience.

Unfortunately, based on the solutions currently available and the various approaches attempted by third-party developers, I remain skeptical that a truly effective weather engine can be achieved under the present limitations. Unless Asobo provides broader access to the weather API and related atmospheric systems, developers will continue to face significant restrictions that prevent them from delivering a product capable of fully overcoming these shortcomings.

6 hours ago, Strata Sim Designs said:

turbulence has been a major focus of ours

If turbulence "has been a major focus," I would encourage adding a slider or another way to adjust its strength, as in MSFS or Active Sky. That will help a lot and also improve the product. Right now, it needs lots of love, the way it is. 

I'm a huge advocate of Active Sky. Use it in P3dv5.4 always. DID use it in MSFS2024...however, for the past month I've been using MSFS real weather, and I'm extremely pleased with the weather and especially the cloud formations. In my humble opinion, I'm staying with the built in weather that MSFS provides. I'll bet it even gets better as we go along.

Until Asobo releases the weather API for add-on developers, any weather injector for MSFS is destined to be a mere clone of Active Sky and any other injector that already exists, even if it promises otherwise.

My biggest complaint about Active Sky (and all weather injectors) is regarding the clouds. The clouds injected by AS are almost all flat, pancake-like clouds. They may even look realistic from the ground in some situations, but at cruising altitude, it's very disappointing to see a ring of flat clouds below you. The thick 3D cumulus clouds injected by the simulator's live weather may not be very realistic at times, but they definitely give the wow look I've never seen from AS-injected weather and stand out quite a bit in storms.

Today, I definitely prefer using the sim live weather over any injector (I use Active Sky in passive mode for effects only) and I will continue to use it until the weather API is released or some developer, by some miracle, manages to bypass the main limitations on injected weather.

Edited Thursday at 01:37 AM2 days by edu2703

16 hours ago, LRBS said:

If turbulence "has been a major focus," I would encourage adding a slider or another way to adjust its strength, as in MSFS or Active Sky. That will help a lot and also improve the product. Right now, it needs lots of love, the way it is. 

There is, Look in settings :)

16 hours ago, LRBS said:

From my perspective, based on my own experience using this product and what is demonstrated in the video, MSFS 2024 remains the superior solution when it comes to smooth weather transitions and minimizing cloud morphing. While MSFS 2024 certainly has its shortcomings, ActiveSky also provides numerous configuration options and workarounds that can effectively mitigate many of those limitations.

In contrast, the claims made regarding smooth transitions in StartaWx are not supported by the footage presented. Visible cloud morphing and transition artifacts can be observed at several points throughout the video, including approximately 1:45, 3:18, 4:16, 4:55, 6:25, and 7:56. These examples clearly demonstrate that weather and cloud transitions remain noticeable rather than seamless. Additionally, the persistent and often exaggerated turbulence depicted throughout the presentation further detracts from the realism of the experience.

Unfortunately, based on the solutions currently available and the various approaches attempted by third-party developers, I remain skeptical that a truly effective weather engine can be achieved under the present limitations. Unless Asobo provides broader access to the weather API and related atmospheric systems, developers will continue to face significant restrictions that prevent them from delivering a product capable of fully overcoming these shortcomings.

And I completely understand where you're coming from, and I appreciate the detailed feedback. One thing I would point out is that many developers, including us, have had to work around limitations imposed by the current weather system. We've invested heavily in our own approach and have been able to achieve results that differ from other injectors. Obviously I'm a bit biased because I've spent a lot of time with the product, but I would encourage giving it a try before drawing any firm conclusions. If you'd like, I'd be happy to arrange a 15-minute trial key so you can see how it behaves firsthand.

Also, the video being referenced is from more than 15 releases ago. We iterate very actively and don't simply let issues sit. Naturally, comparisons to products that have been around for over a decade will invite skepticism, and I was skeptical myself before using StrataWx extensively over the last few months.

At the end of the day, competition is good for the community, and everyone benefits when developers continue pushing the technology forward. Even if our approaches differ, I genuinely appreciate the feedback and discussion.

Have a wonderful day!

TwoTone Murphy was showcasing it about an hour ago...I watched a bit and like how the weather rendered. He was on the ground and going thru the settings and it seemed robust. I left before he made any opinions, but he seemed to like it. He's on arrival now so he may have a final opinion on it after the flight (its 13:18z now as I type this).

2 hours ago, Strata Sim Designs said:

If you'd like, I'd be happy to arrange a 15-minute trial key so you can see how it behaves firsthand.

Thanks for the offer.

I purchased the product from Simmarket, and my findings are based on hands-on experience rather than speculation. 

13 minutes ago, Steve Dra said:

TwoTone Murphy was showcasing it about an hour ago...I watched a bit and like how the weather rendered. He was on the ground and going thru the settings and it seemed robust. I left before he made any opinions, but he seemed to like it. He's on arrival now so he may have a final opinion on it after the flight (its 13:18z now as I type this).

I'm curious myself.

What can't be ignored is that the same cloud transitions and morphing are still visible, even with ActiveSky, and they stand out quite clearly. The difference is that both MSFS 2020/2024 and ActiveSky provide ways to manage the overall experience, including adjustments for turbulence intensity.

At the moment, the turbulence effects in this software seem excessive and not particularly realistic. Even Asobo recognizes that users have different preferences and provides adjustment options. A simple turbulence slider from 0% to 100% would likely satisfy most users and make the cloud morphing much easier to accept while still allowing everyone to tailor the experience to their liking.

I'll pass. FS2024's default weather system already does a pretty good job. I'm not the kind of person who looks out the window and tries to compare the simulator's weather to real life - it's practically impossible to match it exactly anyway.

Double post ---- DELETE

Edited Thursday at 03:25 PM1 day by CarlosF

41 minutes ago, CarlosF said:

I'll pass. FS2024's default weather system already does a pretty good job. I'm not the kind of person who looks out the window and tries to compare the simulator's weather to real life - it's practically impossible to match it exactly anyway.

100% correct.

Some people are not familiar with what to expect to see, even though a wx report can show different scenarios. A perfect example is Touchdown Zone, Midpoint, or Rollout visibility. Forget about the window scenario.

If STRATAWX MSFS24 implemented a visibility slider, they would be well ahead of the competition.

My problem is that ASOBO in MSFS 2020/2024 failed to implement a slider for visibility values. They managed to address the turbulence reaction slider but missed this important feature, necessary for a simulator aiming for an "as real as it gets" scenario.

Edited Thursday at 04:38 PM1 day by LRBS
Correction about turbulence settings.

5 hours ago, Strata Sim Designs said:

There is, Look in settings :)

You are 100% correct.

In my previous version, when I uninstalled, it was not there.

After reinstalling, I found that setting, and I have to say that it is quite a "positive" improvement!

No complaints regarding that aspect.

9 hours ago, Strata Sim Designs said:

settings

Does anyone know how to get from REAL to save as default SMOOTH?

Any other changes work, while this does not stay in memory after a reboot.

Thanks.