Western PA (Pittsburgh mainly) scenery? Recommendations?

[Jonathan Johnson]

I've heard that some of the payware scenery can affect various airports, and have a negative affect on vatsim playing. I don't know if this is true, but haven't had any success in searching about this. Mainly looking for scenery for the Pittsburgh region (my hometown). I am planning to get scenery for some of the areas I travel to the most, but wanted to start with Pittsburgh itself since I'm constantly flying to/from the region. I've seen mega scenery earth, but am clueless when it comes to scenery..

[Trent Hopkinson]

The negative effect of looking awesome

 

I don't often fly to airports that I haven't got *Some* kind of scenery addons for, but I recently enough put this video up on my channel

 

Default (ish - I have an AFCAD to put the new runway in) scenery for departure (from seattle)

Payware addon for arrival (into KSFO)

 

Also FTX North California region.

 

 

FSX was created in 2006. There are some airports that literally don't exist in FSX, because the airport was constructed after 2006. VTBS is my best known example (Bangkok's newer airport).

 

Many runways have been constructed at airports since 2006 too. The southernmost runway at KATL Atlanta (Rwy 29). The western most runway at KSEA Seattle. 18R "Polderbann" runway at EHAM Amsterdam, Runway 34 at UNNT Novosibirsk, 26L at RJBB Kansai in Japan to name a few. If you don't update your scenery before you go there, you may be asked to land on a runway that - in your default scenery simulator - is a forest. or in the middle of Osaka Bay under the water.

 

Far from having a negitave effect if you update your scenery. You'll have trouble if you don't update in many circomestances, up to and including the entire absence of some airports. I believe RJBE Kobe airport in japan is literally nothing other than water in default FSX.

 

as in all the reclaimed land the airport sits on was literally "the ocean" in 2006, and if you tried to go there, the ATC would clear you to land, but there wouldn't even be land for you to land on, nevermind runways.

 

 

 

If I don't have payware scenery for a location I'm intending to fly to for a Vatsim event, I usually head to http://www.freewarescenery.com/fsx.html to check out what free options exist.

Some freeware options are AWESOME, others are fairly basic. But if you're only visiting once, then maybe splashing out $20 for a payware is a bit much

[Jonathan Johnson]

I did spill out money for some. Mainly flytampa boston since I'm always flying the NE region of Vatsim. I flew out of memphis on default scenery with no issues.. I had just heard that it can mess with ILS approaches.. like the aircraft does not line up properly with the runway (the runway being a few feet away or something crazy like that). But so far with the very little payware I have it works great. Though a few nights ago I flew out of boston and really almost regretted it.. there was so much bad weather I couldn't even see a few feet in front of me.. I just guessed as to where the turnoff to runway 33L was

[Trent Hopkinson]

II had just heard that it can mess with ILS approaches.. like the aircraft does not line up properly with the runway (the runway being a few feet away or something crazy like that).

 

Only on badly made scenery. Properly made scenery will have the ILS in the correct location on the runway.

 

Some sceneries aren't aligned with the default, so "other people" will see you (and you them) offset, but that's the case on default scenery with different simulators, and with Xplane 11, P3D, FSX, FS9, Aerowinx PSX users all on Vatsim... that is a little unavoidable. But your own aircraft will be landing on the runway you see, even if other people appear to land on gr[Mod - Happy Thoughts] etc.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Ah okay that makes sense. I looked around a lot for scenery (payware and non payware) for pittsburgh, but ended up just going with Mega Scenery earth's Pittsburgh.. Just waiting to hear back from them as the download link I received did not work (I got the PDF docomeents and installer, but not the scenery files themselves). I don't think there's much in the way of scenery for my location (unlike aiports like KBOS, KLAX, KLAS, etc... the larger airports), though I absolutely love Pittsburgh. I think it has one of the best layouts of an airport (and it's not just a biased thing since I live here lol ).

[Rick Rump]

Oh how I wish our dear x-shaped terminal had scenery. That being said, REX's Airport Textures do help make things nice (Though it certainly does not match the outside, the lack of circular windows being the biggest haha).

[Jonathan Johnson]

I ended up getting MSE's Photo real Pittsburgh, and it looks outstanding!! Obviously at low altitudes it starts to lose it's charm but I figured that going into it.

 

I also got night environment Pennsylvania. It looks absolutely gorgeous with the photo real pittsburgh, but it's a huuuuuuge hit on my FPS. I'm actually shocked my computer took that hit (going from 25 FPS down to 10-15 FPS.. terrible .

 

I think it's about time for me to upgrade my processor... currently running an AMD Phenom II x4 (3.4 Ghz) with 8GB DDR3 ram... I have a 1060 GTX graphics card so I just highly doubt that it's the reason my FPS is tanking...