1Wolf

Regardless of price... I'm looking for the candidate that will have less anomalies (airfields on pillars and in basins), and good support and service. Also important to me is ease of install and the ability to easily activate or deactivate it. Less complicated, well documented, and easy to activate/deactivate in my FSX install is a good thing. Price is a secondary to these issues to me. Even if its an absolutely terrific deal I'm looking for something that I can set and forget. Whichever has the least probability of running into pillars all over is important to me. If it comes with a tool to fix it and I only need to use that tool once in a blue moon, then that is fine. But if I'm running into alot of airports not being displayed properly and having to spend an inordinate amount of time fixing things...then that is no good. I'm a novice FSX user, so I'm not too sure what the best route is when it comes to the ability to activate/deactivate the terrain mesh at will...but I'm guessing it has something to do with the Scenery options in FSX. So, in a nutshell. If a product costs $69 more but it more likely to meet my criteria...then that is ok. If it costs $69 more and its less likely to meet my criteria and is going to give me headaches, then I'd rather steer clear of that.

I recently got a Saitek Pro-Flight Cessna Yoke. So far, I'm kind of evaluating it to determine whether its a keeper or it should go back. Initially, in FSX I noticed it was always pulling left. I went to the Controls section of FSX and examined the controllers properties and it showed the cursor was left of center. So, I calibrated it within FSX. Initially, for THAT flight, it didn't make a difference at all. However, once I left FSX back to Windows and then re-started FSX...it seemed like my yoke was properly centered in FSX. Once I was done in FSX, I went back to windows and clicked on the Properties for the Yoke, and examined the axis in Windows 7. The Roll Axis (Ailerons) showed the red line still to the left of center by several notches (About a half inch on my screen). Is this a common thing that is easily taken care of within FSX? Or did I receive a defective Yoke and I should be boxing it up and sending it back while I still can? Thanks!

I was hoping to get some recommendations for some more realistic ATC packages that would best fit my uses. I pretty much stick to GA VFR/IFR flights...both short local area flights and longer cross country flights. I don't tend to do much airliner "heavy" stuff. Realism is the most important. I prefer the real human voices instead of the pieced together robotic-sounding voices. But if the majority of you recommend one of the packages with robot voices then thats a small sacrifice for realism. Simpler to setup and use instead of a humongous manual would be a good thing too! I understand there are services out there like PilotsEdge..and eventually I may utilize though as well. But right now I'm looking for an automated solution that will available any time, any where, and without any sort of subscription. Thanks!

Update to my previous post (Edit feature isn't working, my apologies): I found the Avsim post that described the OpusFSX Turbulence: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/393578-turbulence/

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong as I'm a new user to OpusFSX... But I could swear that I remember reading somewhere that Opus didn't actually model or inject any turbulence at all? I seem to remember reading that in the right conditions they "simulated" turbulence with a camera effect...but it was really just a camera trick instead of being actual injected turbulence like you might experience with the Default FSX weather and the turbulence on...or other weather engines. I also seem to remember reading that OpusFSX planned to add turbulence in the future. The above might be old info, or it might be just rumor or what not. I can't seem to find where I read it to quote it here. If the above IS true though, maybe that would explain the problem users are having with turbulence, Opus, and Accu-Feel? I don't currently own Accu-Feel but am likely going to purchase it in the next day or so. By my understanding, Accu-Feel only enhances the turbulence that is already there and injected. So if the turbulence isn't inject...then there isn't much to enhance? Once again, please bear in mind that I'm new to Opus so maybe I'm way off base here. Just trying to help.

Wow. Great info so far. Thank you very much! The user opinions mean more to me than anything I can read because its always best to hear what folks who are actually using it say. Even better if someone happened to have used both. My understanding is that FSGlobal Ultimate has improved considerably from FSGlobal 2008. I read a review here on Avsim of FSGlobal Ultimate, and that review included a "interview" with the creator who explained alot of stuff. One of those things he explained was the way the numbers can be "fudged" for the resolution data. You might want to check that out. Its interesting, if nothing else. However, what I'd really like to find is a review comparing FSGlobal Ultimate with FSGenesis.

Thanks. Well, I think I've decided that I'd like to pick up Terrain Mesh. Now the only question is whether to go with FSGlobal Ultimate or FSGenesis. I've read good things about both. However, how true this actually is I don't know because I'm only repeating what I've read....but I've read that FSGlobal Ultimate is a good choice and gets good reviews but also seems to have more issues. However, the do include that tool for you to fix them. On the flipside, I've also read that FSGenesis actually is a bit more mature of a product and they've gone to the trouble to fix alot of the issues. However, they don't provide a means for you to fix any issues you encounter and are not fixing them with the frequency that they once were. So any information that anyone has regarding FSGlobal Ultimate vs. FSGenesis would be helpful.

I'm new to using OpusFSX and one advantage I'll add to the above is that its simple and straight forward. The learning curve seems much lower. The documentation was short, to the point, and straight forward. You can use as much or as little of it as you want to (I haven't started messing with the head movement in the camera's or any of the camera functionality yet...just the weather). I followed the instructions and it just plain worked. The developer responses and support for the product that I've read here, and elsewhere...appears to be top knotch. It seems like the developer is coming up with updates really really fast and they are responsive to customer feedback. So far, I've found a few issues with it...but I don't know enough yet about using it to be able to tell if its me making mistakes, or its the product. Alot of the time the surface winds reported by ATIS at the airport I'm at differ quite a bit from what was generated. That might be normal though, or it might be that I forgot to select a checkbox or radio button somewhere. If it keeps happening I'll post for some help and maybe someone can sort me out. So far I have to say I really like it though. It handles weather updates very painlessly, I hardly notice its updating. I'm not sure how or if it handles winds aloft though yet...but I'm still learning. I've used it with both the HDEv2 Textures (which looked REALLY nice) and the REXE+OD textures. So far, so good.

Currently my FSX is setup with UTX, GEX, & REX/OpusFSX.... I'm wondering what your thoughts are on Terrain Mesh for elevation data? Would you recommend Terrain Mesh to add to my list of add-ons as well? If so...what type would you recommend? I've been reading about FSGlobal Ultimate and FSGenesis and I'm on the fence whether I should get Terrain Mesh or not, and if so...which one. Some of the stuff I read makes it sound like its very very important. Other stuff I read makes it sound like its more trouble than its worth and it can really screw up your airports and some of the features. Alot of the threads here I was reading were many months, or even more than a year old so I thought I'd get your opinions and advice.

Well...looks like you called it right Richard. Just as an update, I got REXE+ installed and it worked fine. I only had an opportunity to use it a few times and experiment a bit. I just let it set the textures on its own based on its weather engine, it looked pretty close to what I saw out the window. The updates during flight weren't awful or anything, but they did certainly drop the FPS into the low teens for a few seconds. No big deal, but noticeable. Then I decided to upgrade to their Overdrive, followed the instructions on their website, and once upgraded to Overdrive it no longer downloads weather any more. Texture part works fine. The weather part...not so much. I put up a support request on their site and I'll see what comes from it. So, looks like it was lucky I actually had several weather packages...lol. So next I decided to give OpusFSX a spin. I'm kind of glad REX broke on me...because I really like OpusFSX. Sometimes "Keep it Simple Stupid" is the rule of the day and OpusFSX is simple, elegant, and it seems to work well. I've only done some little local flights in my virtual "practice area" near my home and it seemed to me that OpusFSX did a real good job of simulating what I was seeing out the window. I'm new to weather packages so I certainly can't speak with much authority...but judging by whether something works out of the box and works reliably...my hat is off to them. The weather updates during flight were painless and hardly noticeable. The only problem I've seen so far is that the surface winds reported by ATIS at the airport were pretty far off from the winds that were generated at that airport in FSX. I'm not sure if thats a common thing, a rare thing, or maybe its even my fault and I didn't set something right. Aside from that, so far so good though. I tried it with both the REX textures and the free HDEv2 Textures. Both were nice. I'll take your advice and give AS2012 a shot next. Maybe by then I'll be able to get my REXE+OD fixed and see how that works for me.

Thanks KingGhidorah, Thanks for going back in and posting that information... I'm really glad you did because I do believe I'm experiencing this 'stiction' problem you describe as well. At the moment, I'm still on the fence on whether I'm going to keep this yoke or not. I've got 2 yokes...an old CH Products Flight Sim Yoke I got back in 2005 and this new Saitek/Cessna Pro Flight. I wish I could leave them alone in a room together, maybe some wine and soft music, let them breed and then use their offspring I like the "feel" and the performance of the CH Products Yoke head and shoulders above the Saitek/Cessna. But I really like the utility, the features, the programming, and the way the Saitek/Cessna attaches to the desk.

Previously I'd been using an old CH Products Flight Yoke I had. It was pretty old and beat up, worked ok, but was a pain to attach to my desk. So for xmas the wife got me the Saitek Cessna Pro-Flight yoke. Its a very nice yoke, has a far superior means of connecting it to my desk which works flawlessly, has a flat top to it so I can even set my keyboard on it, has nice software for programming it, and has a full range of left/right motion. However....it has these really noticeable "detents" in both the elevator travel and aileron travel. As you move the ailerons or elevators through their full range of travel you really notice those detents. In addition, the springs on the Yoke seem very weak which seems to make the detents even more noticeable. I've got quite a few hours Cessnas and there are no "detents" and this feeling of "detents" in the travel when there shouldn't be is killing me. Instead of a smooth range of travel, it tends to 'stick' on that detent either moving the ailerons or elevators which makes for very erratic flight control...especially on approach. You ease the yoke forward for a small correction, it hits that detent and then 'snaps' out of it causing you to overcorrect. Then you pull back to correct and it starts to correct your pitch just fine, until that yoke hits the detent again, snaps out of it, and then overcorrects the opposite direction. This causes a sort of porpoising through the air. I was wondering what others with this Yoke felt about this, especially if you fly or have flown in real life as well? Did you get used to the yoke? Or is there some sort of modification that folks do to somehow remove those detents? That would be great if it was the later and if you happen to have a link to some sort of "how to" document that would be terrific. I really like the yoke but I'm having a hard time controlling the aircraft with it.

Probably an easy question for the veteran FSX folks... I've got UTX USA & Canada and I understand what that does for the most part from the manual and reading here. I also have GEX North America and I pretty much understand that, again from the manual and reading here. I have 2 questions I was hoping someone could shine some light on: 1) I have REXE+ and I notice that it has water textures, Runway textures, road textures, etc. How do those play with the GEX stuff? Does that mean that those ground textures from REX and GEX both do the same thing? Which is better to use? 2) From time to time I also see FSGlobal 2010 mentioned but I'm not quite sure what that does compared to UTX? If you already have UTX for a region is FSGlobal 2010 redundant? Is it that FSGlobal 2010 is most useful in areas that are more rural...like say..parts of Central and South America so that someone would use the UTX regions in more populated areas and the FSGlobal would be helpful in the less populated regions. Am I understanding that correctly? Do alot of people still use FSGlobal 2010? Thanks!

Thanks Scott & Richard. Guess you really like AS2012 Richard...lol. I love the cat...thats awesome.

I've been reading here that there are several people that use multiple weather programs (REX Essential Plus, OpusFSX, ActiveSky 2012) as well as some who use little parts of the 3 such as combining the REX Textures to be used with OpusFSX, the ActiveSky textures to be used with OpusFSX, as well as a third party freeware set of textures that I've read is very good but I'm not quite sure if I should try or not. I've never installed one of the above AddOns into FSX before and was hoping I could get some instructions/advice on using all 3 (Of course, I'm not referring to all 3 simultaneously, but switching between them to try them out as I wish). I've got all 3 of the aforementioned AddOns (REX Essential Plus, OpusFSX, and ActiveSky 2012) and was wondering what the best method to install all 3 is? Which should I install first? Are there any pitfalls I should be aware of? Are there any tricks to it? How do you choose to use the textures of either REX, ActiveSky, or that freeware one that I hear raved about (I'm sorry, but I can't think of the name of it right now) with OpusFSX? Is there any special steps or process involved in switching between them so that during one session I'm using say...OpusFSX with REX textures and then switching so that the next session I'm using REX....and then some other time another session where I'm using ActiveSky? Please forgive me if the answers to these are in the doc for any of the above packages. The doc is a really long read and its quite a bit to take in and understand. However I'd like to learn and goof around with all 3 packages but am just not sure on how to go about installing them or switching between them once I get them installed. Thanks!

Hook, I'm pretty much in the exact same situation as YankeeGolf above. I'm still pretty new to FSX, but in FS9 VFR Navigation in small GA Aircraft by Dead Reckoning and Pilotage was all that I ever did. I used to take great enjoyment out of "reliving" cross-country flights that I'd taken in a C172 in real life back when I was in flight training to see how close FS9 could come to what I'd really seen. It was back before GPS's were in such common use so I'd never actually flown with GPS. I learned to use the units in the flight sim and I wish I had those back when I was flying. It would have really taken some of the edge off that "Oh S***, what if I get lost?!?!?!" feeling. That sure would have beat fiddling with VOR's, a big map, and plotters in your lap trying to triangulate your position. Like YankeeGold, I've got all the Sectionals for the US (Well...most of them at least). The actual Sectionals though instead of an Atlas Format. None of those charts are current though and were purchased anywhere between sometime in the 80's and 90's through 2006. Areas that I do alot of local flight, I've got the Terminal Charts as well. We usually used those back when I used to fly as they had a much better depiction of landmarks. It used to be fun for me to see just how close FS9 with addons could come to what was really there. I'd go through the whole 9 yards. Plan the flight, choose landmarks, choose VOR's for a crosscheck, figure the times. I'd actually plan the flight in advance, and then just prior to my "simulated" flight I'd get the weather and set my weather program (ActiveSky at the time) to simulate that, do my final run of my figures, jot down my courses and times with the wind correction, and fly. I'd grab the time once I was airborne and, for me at least, it was great fun seeing how accurate (or inaccurate) the sim and weather effects were. It was alot of fun and kind of rewarding to arrive at a checkpoint when you expected you would, flying the course you calculated based on the winds. I'm sure some folks would find it horribly boring...but I liked it

I've got a fresh install of FSX sitting here in d:\FSX. Its clean. No Add Ons at all. Then I have this pile of AddOns waiting to be installed. I was wondering if maybe you guys might give me some advice on what order to install these in. I know I'm supposed to do UTX and patch that up before doing GEX...but beyond that I'm not sure. Any hints you have about installing any of it would be appreciated. Here is what I've got: UTX USA UTX Canada UTX Alaska UTX Tropical & Carribean GEX North America GEX Atlantic & Pacific Tropics REX Essential (I haven't downloaded Overdrive yet but I'm sure I will) OpusFSX ActiveSky 2012 I see that some folks use something called "FS Global 2010" or "FSGenesis" but I don't have anything like that and I'm not entirely sure what its for. Should I pick up something like that? What does it do? Or does the UTX stuff do the same thing? If you were to recommend that I pick up something like FS Global 2010 or FSGenesis, should it be installed before or after UTX? I was thinking I'd install in the order I listed them, but I've never installed AddOns into FSX before so I wanted to check and see if I'm doing this right. Also, I'm planning on picking up some ORBX scenery. Should those be installed last? ORBX/FTX NA Pacific Northwest ORBX/FTX NA Pacific Fjords ORBX/FTX NA Northern Rockies ORBX/FTX US Central Rockies Thanks!

Thats a great idea Clark. I never thought of adding the "pause" command to the mouse. I'm going to try that tonight.

Would anyone who had TrackIR4 and then upgraded to TrackIR5 (Referring to the actual hardware, not just the software) care to comment on whether the differences were worth it or what differences you noticed? I've had the TrackIR4 unit (using it with the TrackIR5 software) for years and I love it and it certainly gets its use between FSX and combat sims. I've been considering upgrading to TrackIR5 but just can't seem to decide whether I'd see a significant enough difference from TrackIR4 or not. I'd have to agree with ryanbatcund above, he had recommended that "Seth - Flight" profile to me in another thread and its working out great. I'd also have to agree with those that consider the TrackIR to be part of their "standard" flight sim gear. Yoke or Stick, throttle, pedals, and for me - TrackIR rates right up there with those. Now I'm just hoping that maybe someday Force Feedback makes some great strides in hardware, software, and implementation by vendors as well. It would be really nice if someday they could actually code for the correct feedback from an aircraft. It would be great if you could feel your pedals stiffen at speed, and then have the travel get long and mushy when you're slow on final with a boot full of rudder for the crosswind. Maybe someday force feedback will rate up there with TrackIR too.

I gave that one a shot last night and so far its working pretty good for me. Its still a little "jerky" for me though, but thats because my "Smoothing" in the global settings is still at the default 25. I've never messed with the defaults. I really like this profile if I turn on "Precision" mode though. It may lag just a very tiny bit behind my actual head movement but its really nice and smooth. I like it! What do you guys set your TrackIR5 Global Smoothing and Speed Settings to?

I'm not sure who the builder is so I can't comment on that....however...just commenting on the parts.. +1 to everything Bartbear said. If you're planning to overclock that. Make sure the CPU is the K model so that its unlocked. If you can, bump the size of that SSD. 90 is pretty small. If you can...go at least 128...preferably 256. I can speak from experience when I say that the "Rat" series of mice is awful. Google that "RAT 7" and you'll see what I mean. They are neat because they look kinda cool, and they are extremely configurable, but alot of people are having trouble getting them to track correctly. Some folks have trouble finding a surface that it likes to track on. For others they just end up having strange quirky tracking issues. It has something to do with the Twin-Eye sensor they use. I picked one up a few months ago, and it was nothing but frustration until I exchanged it a few weeks later. I exchanged it for a Logitech G700 and never looked back. Thats one of the best mice I've ever had, you can use it wireless or wired, its got a clutch on the mousewheel to allow it to free spin for rapid scrolling, a ton of programmable buttons, onboard storage of profiles, and its been great. Overall, just based on the parts list...maybe its me but that looks a tad expensive for that list. If you have the option, and some of those peripherals are add-ons that aren't part of your package (Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, etc.), you might want to investigate whether you can get them cheaper by ordering them separately from your favorite online retailer (Amazon, Newegg, etc.). Sometimes you can save alot of money that way, and often get products that are better than those offered by the vendor. Other times, the vendor is passing discounts on to you and you won't be able to beat the prices. Its worth checking though.

Its possible you might have other issues with TrackIR4 or the TrackIR5 software. I've been using the TrackIR5 software with the TrackIR4 unit and the TrackClipPro for a very long time now and never had any issues that weren't related to a light-source behind me, or setup in whatever software I was using it with. Although, as a caveat, I will add that the TrackIR4 and the TrackClipPro are all plugged into a powered USB hub. I'd love to pick up the TrackIR5 unit, but at this point in time, it doesn't offer enough advantages over the TrackIR4 for me to justify the expense. I'd rather spend it on other goodies

Another +1 for staying with W7 x64. Nothing against Windows 8. I've read some articles and haven't had an opportunity to play with it much myself. There are some ways it may be better than Windows 7, some where it may be worse. The jury is still out. However, all new OS's have teething problems. Some of those problems take a while to come to the surface. Systems that are overclocked, and do alot of high end 3D gaming (Like Flight Sims) always seem to bring alot of these underlying issues to the surface. In my own opinion, its easy for me to install new video drivers, easy to "fix" or find workarounds for alot of things...but if the OS is causing you issues, they can often be difficult to track down and difficult to solve until Microsoft releases a service pack. Tracking down issues chews into valuable fun time! So I'd stick with whats stable and working for now. If Windows 8 turns out to be absolutely great, you can always pick up a copy and install it down the road.

Thanks guys. I'll give those a try. I found the "Flight" and "FPS" profiles by "Seth" in the TrackIR5 Profiles forum as you suggested. I think I'm looking at the right one....and its for Version 5 of the software so this might just be the ticket. I also THINK I've found the "Optimized Flight" one you mentioned. It doesn't say "Bogota", it says "Optimized Flight" by ******* Alviez. I found that in the Natural Point Community Profiles section for the TrackIR version 4 stuff. I'm not sure if its the right one but I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

I'm currently using the TrackIR4 camera and the TrackIR5 software. I'm new to FSX (Just started a few weeks ago) but have been using the TrackIR setup with other games for quite some time now. As you might imagine, FSX and its style of flying is quite a different animal from the combat sims I'm used to (More looking at gauges, pilotage, and enjoying scenery...less yanking and banking and dodging missiles ). As such, I'm having a hard time getting a good TrackIR profile setup the way I like it and I seem to have gotten to that point in tweaking that I've fiddled with it so much...that it all looks the same now and I think I'm starting to make it worse and not better. Its working correctly, no hardware or software issues, I'm just having a hard time getting the profile the way I want it. Either its too touchy and I have a hard time holding it still to see instruments, or if I slow it down...its lagging too much behind my head motion and I have to move my head too far. It seems to feel best so far, under the default "Smooth" profile but with keeping the "Precision" mode on ALL the time so that the smoothing is at 100. I was wondering if some of you grizzled veterans of FSX might have some FSX TrackIR5 profiles that you use that you might share? I figured that maybe I could try out some ones that other folks are happy with, use that as a starting point, and then tweak mine from there. Thanks!