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I'll admit, I went into this review a mite pessimistic. I have never been a great fan of photoreal packages. They have always fallen short of what I hoped for; the textures hardly hold up to scrutiny, the objects are often sparse and poorly placed, and besides, they are always huge downloads. Did VFR London conform to this mold? We're about to find out...
As always the 1.3 GB download from the Aerosoft web site went smoothly; the installer required your order number and account email address. The installer gave some options; in addition to "FSX London 3D" and 2.4m Photographic Scenery, which are selected by default, you can choose to install 1m or 60 cm scenery and the night lighting at 2.4 m/pixel. You can choose which you would like to install depending on how much space you have, but I would recommend checking all of the options for optimum performance. Additionally, I would highly recommend the night lighting, and I'd say it is worth the space. On my computer, disk space isn't really an issue, so I decided to install all of them. The manual is up to Aerosoft's usual standard of readability, and it provided some useful information about configuring your hardware to maximize performance and enjoyment of the product.
Upon my first flight, I booted up in the default JetRanger and was somewhat anxious to see just how this would perform. However, my fears were groundless; like all Aerosoft products, the performance was just superb. I enjoyed perfectly smooth flights when flying all but the most demanding aircraft. Honestly, the first time I flew here I couldn't have cared less about crashing into buildings; I flew low over the rooftops, marveling at the crisp textures and profusion of objects and was quite aware of a growing conviction that this add-on was much more than I anticipated.
The photoreal textures are naturally very important as they are the foundation of this add-on. Overall, the quality was rather above the normal standard, but when viewed from a low angle the textures deteriorate into a blurry mess of sludge. Essentially every land texture for the simulator will do this, but it was more noticeable in this package when looking over the area not covered by objects. However, the photoreal texture quality is universally high quality. Usually when I flew here, I couldn't bear to raise my viewpoint up to the horizon as the landscape which was passing below is just too fascinating. The textures looked best from straight down, and I could see parks, streets, railroads, and water masks in great detail. As a matter of fact, the quality of these textures simply accentuates how well the objects are placed.
The water masks add a lot to this add-on as the Thames would just look lurid in FSX's usual bright blue color. The entire mass of the river is a sludgy, muddy greenish-grey, which probably will encourage some of the tales about how dirty the Thames is. There are some really great details to be seen in this water mask, such as swirls of silt thrown around after the water has passed through the Battersea Power Station turbines. This isn't an actual effect, just a texture on the water.
The objects defy any elaborate description; they are simply beautiful! All right, this isn't universal, but where it counts, they are of superb quality. Structures such as the HSBC and Citigroup skyscrapers dominate the waterfront, while Aerosoft's usual modeling quality is apparent in the Millennium Wheel, Millennium Dome, and the other outstanding structures around the scenery. As you go further away from the river and into the untidy mess of streets, the texture quality does decline, but hardly to a point where they are even comparable with default objects.
For that matter, the placement of objects is generally very nicely done. There are rows of houses which line the streets, as well as trees which are placed where they are in real life, so that shadows show up next to the trees. Next to the Thames, the objects may have some trouble, such as floating off the ground, but this won't affect you unless you are down under the bridges (which you should probably try some time just for fun).
The night lighting of this package is less impressive than the daytime effects, but still has merits. The highways and roads stand out from the dark landscape as they are illuminated by the car lights. The buildings themselves are striking and not a one (that I noticed) is dark. The skyscrapers are particularly eye-catching with their rows and rows of windows which are all lit up by a soft blue glow. As far as nighttime scenery goes, it doesn't stand out to me, but the things which make the daytime scenery so stunning are also in evidence here.
Aerosoft seems to have a knack for throwing in more things than they need to, and London City Airport is a great example of this. I would be happy with the London package alone, and I consider the London City Airport to be the crown jewel of this royal collection. The airport and its 4500 foot runway are beautifully portrayed with all sorts of goodies and eye candy. The runway and taxiways are marked by 3D lights which cast a blue circle of light around themselves. The runway itself is stunning and is a mass of skidmarks. The control tower is nicely modeled with a visible and high quality interior. The runway and taxiways are even lifted up a few feet off the water on a platform. The airport as a whole represents great attention to detail, from the array of 3D lights preceding the runway to the section of taxiway which extends over the water, and the overall crisp texture quality which is the hallmark of this whole package!
I am converted! This package is stunningly superior to any photographic scenery, no, any scenery at all! Once you have experienced this package, you will never, ever want to go back.
Though the scenery covers a fairly small area in objects, that 120 square kilometers of insane detail is enough to keep you entertained for ages, and I can happily say that I find something new every time I fly here. I don't care if you live in London, go there often, or have not had much to do with the city in the past, this add-on will revolutionize your simming experience and has created the standard by which all ensuing sceneries should be judged. The profusion of objects and the outstanding texture quality speak for themselves, and I can only hope that you enjoy this product as much as I have.
Kevin Glover
kevin.glover@hotmail.com
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After the review was completed, Aerosoft released a v1.10 update to London X. Registered owners can get the update from Aerosoft's support page.
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