Hi Frank,I'm going the other way round, having plonked myself at each of the VFR fields, to check. I'm now moving some of the UK fields into storage, which someone on the forum has beaten me to. In the case of the RAF stations I'll move all to storage, because they don't really interest me all that much. With Tony's versions, when the testing is completed I untick them in the scenery library.
Some of Tony's benefit from having models that Ted Andrews has created. They tend to be more realistic, whilst not hitting framerates. In a couple of cases I do actually prefer the VFR versions, I guess because the TM versions were his earlier efforts.
THE bit about Tony adjusting Default mesh is 100% bovine excrita. The background is that a few of the Horizon users are involved in the production of the payware airfields, or involved with the people directly involved. Tony's main objective is to provide alternative freeware coverage for all the UK airfields. Although he buys design software he never buys freeware scenery himself. His objective, understandably, can be seen to threaten the potential market for payware scenery. Firstly he was questioned, on the forum, about the accuracy of his placings. His reply was "it's freeware, so you are perfectly free not to use it". He was contacted by a chap, not Ted, who had made him a couple of models. He, in turn, had been approached by very irate people from the payware scene and told he was helping ruin things for them.
Since all of the airfield design programmes flatten the scenery, to accomodate a flat runway with which FSX can cope, the side effect is to place many fields on clifftop plateaux; the ones we all hate. What Tony does is to modify the edges of the flattened site, to eliminate the cliffs and give a gradual transition to the land at the immediate edges of the airfield. This has about as much to do with "adjusting the default mesh" as has the flattening of the airfield. The detractors have also omitted to mention that the Default mesh is no longer in play anyway, it's been replaced by Horizon's much more accurate mesh.
Apart from that, I don't receive anything from him, as each scenery develops, other than the scenery files and Autogen. I wouldn't know where to place a mesh modifying file if I was sent one. What is eventually published is just a bundled version of what he's been sending to testers, with an installer, for those who will only use auto installed scenery. Mike B will be able to confirm that your mesh will be just as Horizon intended.
Although the farm strips aren't in the same class as airfield sceneries, and aren't in direct competition with payware, I was approached to work on them in a colaborative way, by someone from the forum; not anyone from Horizon, I hasten to add. They were offering to iron out all the bumps. I explained that the "bumps" were the reason I'd done the things, so thanks but no thanks. The approach was, I'm convinced, because download numbers had shown it was an area that could be exploited commercially.
Last month I had a suggestion, from a quite different source, that I put 100 on a CD, which the chap would then market. I pointed out that I was only interested in freeware, so no thanks.
It's sad when the commercial folk try to increase their involvement but it's been happening for years.
Gerry Winskill Frank Turley wrote:
Gerry,I've got the download version, I got a fiver off because I'd previously bought the UK2000 FS9 offerings.After installation, my first task was to work my way through the add-on scenery folder noting the various other versions of the same fields, then removing them from the FSX library, and then finally moving them to a folder called "Replaced by UK2000 Vol2".I haven't got around to actually using the new ones yet!Incidentally, without wishing to cause an argument, somebody has said that TM's installation routine adjusts the default mesh without telling you. Don't suppose if you know if there's any truth in it?Frank T. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerry Winskill" <gwinsk@xxxxxxx> To: "JHB Restricted" <jhb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2009 8:18 AM Subject: [jhb] VFR Airfields Vol 2.I posted a heads up on the second volume of airfields from the GS stable, a couple of days ago. Despite misgivings, because the price has gone up significantly, I was persuaded to order it. I'm still wading through them and had located at about 50%. So far I'm underwhelmed. First stops were at the bigger ones; Stansted, Luton and East Midlands. The Terminals are little better than Default quality and not remotely comparable with those at his Xtreme, or even Freebie airports. The blurb mentions the use of Bespoke buildings but at many of the smaller fields the same hangers and other furniture are seen. In quite a few cases I recognise statics, lorries, etc, etc, because almost identical objects are used in my farm strips.... They are acceptable replacements for Default airfields but, where they overlap with Tony's output, or particularly with Paul's Birmingham, the GS versions are now in storage. Anyone else bought them? Gerry Winskill--------------------------------------------------------------------------------No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.comVersion: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.19/2247 - Release Date: 07/18/09 21:14:00
