R.I.P. Active Sky Evolution

[Baron Fritz]

There is bad news for those of us who had been using Evolution. After all these years of providing decent weather for FS9, Hi Fi has decided to pull the plug on Evolution. This right from the horses mouth...

"Unfortunately due to mandatory required network efficiency updates and cost management, older products prior to AS2016 have been retired and online access to these products have had to be disabled.
 Offline access will continue to be available and unaffected.  
 Here is a link to our public News Announcement regarding this on our website with more detailed information.
 https://hifisimtech.com/network-changes-and-online-availability/
 Please see our various recent-generation and current-generation products to continue using Active Sky.  
 https://hifisimtech.com/#pricingtable
 Thank you for your support and we appreciate your understanding."

And there you have it.

... Active Sky useres are officialy SOL.

 

 
 

[Mowgli22]

It is indeed a sad day.

[Barkingside]

I thought AS65 was done several years ago, Did you use something special to activated it as with me it just went to a snowstorm every time. 

[JSMR]

5 hours ago, Baron Fritz said:

 

"Unfortunately due to mandatory required network efficiency updates and cost management, older products prior to AS2016 have been retired and online access to these products have had to be disabled.
 

 

Trying to figure out what that means. 

Quote

Recent and current-generation products including AS16, ASCA, ASP4, ASP3D, ASXP and ASXP12 will continue with full network availability.

These all do what exactly? These guys always had a zillion different wx/cloud programs for some reason. 

 

Quote

"Unfortunately due to mandatory required network efficiency updates and cost management, older products prior to AS2016 have been retired and online access to these products have had to be disabled.

Well no wonder with so many programs seemingly doing the same thing. 
 

[JSMR]

2 hours ago, 3Green said:

I'm still using AS65 using metar and upper wind data from NOAA, so I'll be good until NOAA shuts down.

 

I was a AS65 user many many years ago. I always thought it was the best WX program in FS2004. I miss it. 

[caphavoc]

2 hours ago, Barkingside said:

... Did you use something special to {sic] activate[d] it ...

 

I too would be most interested in a detailed step-by-step guide for d/ling and activating said NOAA METAR.  I've tried in the past, but must be missing an important step (or three) ...

 

Regards,

Dorian

[JSkorna]

5 hours ago, Barkingside said:

I thought AS65 was done several years ago, Did you use something special to activated it as with me it just went to a snowstorm every time. 

Real time weather was done years ago. Historical weather still works.

[JSkorna]

3 hours ago, JSMR said:

Trying to figure out what that means. 

It means that server performance was broken and needed a fix.

3 hours ago, JSMR said:

These all do what exactly? These guys always had a zillion different wx/cloud programs for some reason. 

 

Lets see: AS16 was a weather program for FSX.

 

ASCA was a stand alone environmental texture program for FSX.

 

ASP4 was a weather program for P3D version 4.

 

ASP3D was a weather program for P3D v4 and v5

ASXP was a weather program for XP11.

 

ASXP12 was a weather program for XP 12

3 hours ago, JSMR said:

Well no wonder with so many programs seemingly doing the same thing. 
 

Well, they realized that much of the flight sim community had moved on from 20 years ago and new and updated programs needed to be developed for new and updated flight sims. Not everyone lives in the past.

[Baron Fritz]

There is no doubt that the demise of Active Sky Evolution will leave a sizeable gap in the in the flight sim world of many of us. I had been a very satisfied user for many years and, even though  the end was inevitable, I still was somewhat miffed now that the axe has finaly fallen.

However, being a seriously dedicated simmer, I undertook an intensive "emergency" web search for a suitable replacement; out of a group of several worthy contenders, FS Global Real Weather emerged victorious. I was somewhat reluctant to purchase at first, there is no trial version: but it as it is highly rated, I took a chance.Its available at PILOTS for 29.99 EUR. There are four different versions, the one supporting FS2004 is the first one on the list.

 

https://www.pilots.shop/Cms/Ui/Pages/Products/MainPage.aspx?id=253b8b5c-0a91-4935-8d01-b3c70aee6034

FS Global Real Weather FSX P3D XP10/11
FS9/FSX/P3Dv1/P3Dv2/P3Dv3/XP10 - Download
 

While granted, its still very early, I am impressed so far. The Global Real Weather seems to be as good, if not better than Evolution......

 

[Kogut]

What's better, FSGRW or FS Real WX? Only one thing that I know the fsrealwx shows thunderstorm in all CB clouds, even if the TS isn't in metar. 

[Skywatcher12]

Woops! I accidently deleted my post for anyone who read the original. I'll write another here. Have some of it still saved to clipboard for easy copy/paste.

ASE is the single most important add-on for FS9 above all others. Don't forget it also did great FSX weather.
I don't like how many developers handle things and their customers. I really expected HiFi to shut down ASE long ago. HiFi should be commended for continuing their product for so long and were still unofficially supporting the product well beyond any period you could honestly expect them too.

I'm not going to be negative on the official end of ASE. I say thank you to the developers.

I also have FSGRW but it's not even close to ASE imo.
 

[johnhinson]

Although I have used Active Sky Evolution for years, I also have FS Global here and funnily enough I fired that up the other day for comparison.

 

My conclusions were that both had their advantages. ASE seems slow to load (initially) and is lumbered with a huge clunky interface packed with features I will never need, whereas FSG chugs away quietly and unobtrusively. I couldn't see a lot different with the weather depiction.

 

What I do like about FSG is that it resets the AI after loading a flight, making sure the correct runways are in use for the weather concerned. What I don't like about it is that (for me, anyway) it also frequently resets AI levels to zero at the same time! Still searching for a solution to that little annoyance . . .

 

The only other weather programme for FS2004 I know of is FS Meteo. I think we have to accept that few developers can justify developing for such an old simulator but those other than ASE have proved that theirs work with almost everything except perhaps the latest P3D variety so it seems to me there may be a hidden motive with the AS variations not doing so.

 

John

 

 

[JSMR]

12 hours ago, JSkorna said:

 

Well, they realized that much of the flight sim community had moved on from 20 years ago and new and updated programs needed to be developed for new and updated flight sims. Not everyone lives in the past.

So they’re only making it available for MSFS?  The only new and updated ‘simulator’? (Many I know don’t regard it as a true flight simulator like many other sims, fs2004 etc.)

 

If only all other former FS2004 developers would give their add-ons away for free. I’ve emailed many over the last year or so and none want to as they say they’re still making making money on FS2004 products. Go figure…

[JSMR]

FSG works for me. I can’t compare as I never used ASE. I did have AS6.5 which I really enjoyed. But, FSG does the job. Has plenty of historical weather options which I like. 
 

[JSkorna]

2 hours ago, JSMR said:

So they’re only making it available for MSFS?  The only new and updated ‘simulator’? (Many I know don’t regard it as a true flight simulator like many other sims, fs2004 etc.)

 

If only all other former FS2004 developers would give their add-ons away for free. I’ve emailed many over the last year or so and none want to as they say they’re still making making money on FS2004 products. Go figure…

No, reading is fundamental. They still support FSX, FSXSE, P3D V4, P3D V5, XP11, and XP12. And there has not been any mention for MSFS support, just the discontinuing support of a dinosaur flight sim. 

[PhrogPhlyer]

16 hours ago, JSkorna said:

Not everyone lives in the past.

Maybe it's not living in the past. Perhaps it is being comfortable with what they already have. Or looking at personal economics and deciding not to spend for yet another flight sim program. Or even wishing to help support those who have invested countless hours into one of the legacy versions (FSX, 2004, 2002, etc.). Watch the online user list occasionally and one will notice how much activity occurs on ALL versions of the various flight sim programs. We are all here for the same thing, or at least I hope we are, to have fun sim flying. I personally enjoy watching all the great efforts and creations through the various versions, even as I "live in the past" with FSX.

[Skywatcher12]

Just a reminder, if you have downloaded weather files there is no RIP or sadness required. The loss of the online aspect means little and there are clear benefits to using historical weather.
I downloaded weather for every hour of an entire year plus more! Love my weather! I have gigabytes of it!
I simply load the correct weather file for the nearest hour I'm flying in the virtual world. You can then have weather static or you can let AS shift the weather to predicted weather during your flight or you can even load another weather file if you wish. Offline means you can also avoid popping clouds. The only thing you really lose is having real time weather as it is right at this moment and honestly, who cares!

FS9 is the best flight sim no matter how grumpy some people get about our happiness and I make sure it can be run forever. A good weather add-on for it is the most critical of all.

Long live FS9 and Active Sky!

[JSkorna]

Mark gets it but for the others:

 

"Memories
Light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memories
Of the way we were"

 

"Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?"

[caphavoc]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Jim.

 

Dorian

 

[jgf]

On 4/22/2023 at 3:52 PM, 3Green said:

.....
I'm still using AS65 using metar and upper wind data from NOAA, so I'll be good until NOAA shuts down.

.....

 

 

 

 

Oh no!  Recently I asked here if there was still any functionality to AS6.5 and was told it was basically useless now.  So I deleted it.

[jgf]

FWIW, on several recommendations I tried the vaunted FSGlobal.  After six weeks of nothing but :

 

I deleted it also.

[JSMR]

You paid for FSGRW and could never download weather for it? 
 

[Skywatcher12]

2 hours ago, JSkorna said:

Mark gets it but for the others:

 

"Memories
Light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memories
Of the way we were"

 

"Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?"

Never knew you had a sense of humor Jim. Impressed!  

[Skywatcher12]

24 minutes ago, jgf said:

FWIW, on several recommendations I tried the vaunted FSGlobal.  After six weeks of nothing but :

 

I deleted it also.

 

Yeah, that's a major issue for many people and they have never fixed it. They throw it back on the user and their connection. It works for me but their connection is certainly inconsistent at times.
The product does have some great reviews but how many of those people only use FSGRW and have never used ASE.

[Skywatcher12]

34 minutes ago, jgf said:

Oh no!  Recently I asked here if there was still any functionality to AS6.5 and was told it was basically useless now.  So I deleted it.

Get it back. You absolutely want to hold onto it. Works perfectly, just needs to be fed weather files.