Scenery quality in Microsoft's Flight Simulator franchise has improved drastically over the years. Even so, the default textures seem to always leave room for improvement.
Take your flight simming experience to the next level with one of these great scenery expansion packs for FSX.
1. Photoreal America -- Sim Savvy
Sim-Savvy's "Massive Scenery Collection" makes its debut with Photoreal America. And massive it is! The program includes photo-realistic scenery that spans the entire U.S. mainland--a whopping 400 GB worth of scenery.
Where does all this data come from? The USDA's National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), which takes 1 meter/pixel aerial photos every 2 years of continental U.S.
Don't have a 400 GB hard drive? Fear not, your purchase of Photoreal America includes a 1 TB external hard drive. The program comes pre-loaded on the hard drive and can run from it directly.
The software does come with a hefty price: $199 USD. Despite the significant price tag, this is still a worthwhile investment in the long run; you are entitled to free updates whenever they become available.
2. Ground Environment X USA & Canada -- Flight1
At $34.95, this add-on is an affordable alternative to Photoreal America. GEX replaces the default FSX scenery with striking 1024x1024 pixel images that have a 1 meter/pixel resolution.
Unlike Photoreal America, the GEX program includes night textures.
Flight simmers say that GEX's effect is subtle but noticeable. Barren white road lines are transformed into major expressways and interchanges flowing with traffic.
You will also see a more realistic "blending of seasons," compared to the default FSX scenery. Spring and fall textures mark a much more natural transition to winter and summer.
Despite the enhanced details, simmers say that frame rates aren't affected much.
3. Megascenery Bundle: Hawaii, Las Vegas, Reno -- PC Aviator
Previously released as three separate photoscenery programs, you can now get all three locales bundled together for under $20.
Megascenery Bundle fills the void left by Ground Environment X and Photoreal America, which do not include Hawaii. While you only get scenery for Ohau island, the photorealistic textures are amazing. View a few screenshots on the megascenery.com website and see for yourself. The ground looks exactly like what you'd see in real life--distinct neighborhoods, enclaves of homes, and major expressways with traffic.
Over 2,100 square miles of city landscape, rocky mountains, hilltops are included with the Las Vegas textures. The only drawback is the fact that the program doesn't add any of the 3D buildings on the Vegas Strip.
4. Megascenery X: Southern California -- PC Aviator
I live in Los Angeles, so I'm always excited to get my hands on the newest SoCal add-ons as soon as they hit the market. I was delighted by the scenery quality in Megascenery X. The level of detail is incredible. I was able to pick out my high school, my neighborhood, and even my house!
As with the Megascenery Bundle, this program does not add any 3D objects to are, but there are several other features that make up for this. The add-on scenery loads with better frame rates than the default scenery. Another cool feature:, you get night textures with this program. Most scenery expansion packs do not include night textures.
5. Manhattan X -- Aerosoft
Creating an elaborate virtual Manhattan is a daunting task. Even so, Aerosoft did a great job with this product.
The entire Manhattan Island is rendered in jaw-dropping detail. Not only is there tons of 3D automobile traffic, you'll also see the regularly scheduled Staten Island Ferry and something else that's typically absent from most flight sims--people!
Another great feature is the "sightseeing mission" where you tour the city in a helicopter. Beginning at the Wall Street heliport, the mission involves flying around the city with a co-pilot who doubles as a tour guide. With a thick Brooklyn accent, your tour-guide points out areas of interest and supplements the mission with interesting historical tidbits pertaining to the landmarks you encounter.
Reviewers report average frame rates between 15 and 35 FPS on an Intel Quad Core machine with 2 GB of RAM. Aerosoft explains (in the user manual) exactly how to modify the FSX display settings to help maximize performance.
Take your flight simming experience to the next level with one of these great scenery expansion packs for FSX.
1. Photoreal America -- Sim Savvy
Sim-Savvy's "Massive Scenery Collection" makes its debut with Photoreal America. And massive it is! The program includes photo-realistic scenery that spans the entire U.S. mainland--a whopping 400 GB worth of scenery.
Where does all this data come from? The USDA's National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), which takes 1 meter/pixel aerial photos every 2 years of continental U.S.
Don't have a 400 GB hard drive? Fear not, your purchase of Photoreal America includes a 1 TB external hard drive. The program comes pre-loaded on the hard drive and can run from it directly.
The software does come with a hefty price: $199 USD. Despite the significant price tag, this is still a worthwhile investment in the long run; you are entitled to free updates whenever they become available.
2. Ground Environment X USA & Canada -- Flight1
At $34.95, this add-on is an affordable alternative to Photoreal America. GEX replaces the default FSX scenery with striking 1024x1024 pixel images that have a 1 meter/pixel resolution.
Unlike Photoreal America, the GEX program includes night textures.
Flight simmers say that GEX's effect is subtle but noticeable. Barren white road lines are transformed into major expressways and interchanges flowing with traffic.
You will also see a more realistic "blending of seasons," compared to the default FSX scenery. Spring and fall textures mark a much more natural transition to winter and summer.
Despite the enhanced details, simmers say that frame rates aren't affected much.
3. Megascenery Bundle: Hawaii, Las Vegas, Reno -- PC Aviator
Previously released as three separate photoscenery programs, you can now get all three locales bundled together for under $20.
Megascenery Bundle fills the void left by Ground Environment X and Photoreal America, which do not include Hawaii. While you only get scenery for Ohau island, the photorealistic textures are amazing. View a few screenshots on the megascenery.com website and see for yourself. The ground looks exactly like what you'd see in real life--distinct neighborhoods, enclaves of homes, and major expressways with traffic.
Over 2,100 square miles of city landscape, rocky mountains, hilltops are included with the Las Vegas textures. The only drawback is the fact that the program doesn't add any of the 3D buildings on the Vegas Strip.
4. Megascenery X: Southern California -- PC Aviator
I live in Los Angeles, so I'm always excited to get my hands on the newest SoCal add-ons as soon as they hit the market. I was delighted by the scenery quality in Megascenery X. The level of detail is incredible. I was able to pick out my high school, my neighborhood, and even my house!
As with the Megascenery Bundle, this program does not add any 3D objects to are, but there are several other features that make up for this. The add-on scenery loads with better frame rates than the default scenery. Another cool feature:, you get night textures with this program. Most scenery expansion packs do not include night textures.
5. Manhattan X -- Aerosoft
Creating an elaborate virtual Manhattan is a daunting task. Even so, Aerosoft did a great job with this product.
The entire Manhattan Island is rendered in jaw-dropping detail. Not only is there tons of 3D automobile traffic, you'll also see the regularly scheduled Staten Island Ferry and something else that's typically absent from most flight sims--people!
Another great feature is the "sightseeing mission" where you tour the city in a helicopter. Beginning at the Wall Street heliport, the mission involves flying around the city with a co-pilot who doubles as a tour guide. With a thick Brooklyn accent, your tour-guide points out areas of interest and supplements the mission with interesting historical tidbits pertaining to the landmarks you encounter.
Reviewers report average frame rates between 15 and 35 FPS on an Intel Quad Core machine with 2 GB of RAM. Aerosoft explains (in the user manual) exactly how to modify the FSX display settings to help maximize performance.
About the Author:
If you're looking to get the most out of Manhattan X and all the other scenery programs in this review, you will need a powerful computer. With 8 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 460M graphics card, and a quad core processor, the Asus G73JW is one of the best gaming computers on the market. Check out the Asus G73JW review from shopguides.net. This article, 5 Great Scenery Expansion Packs for Flight Simulator X is available for free reprint.
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