NEW - Which add-ons?

Hello there,

 

Now that I have some free time I've decided to dedicate some time to FSX Steam, it's been on the list for many years.

 

I've just bought the Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS Hotas + Track IR 5 + the book Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots: Real World Training by Jeff Van West.

 

I've downloaded FreeMeshX Global 2.0 but I don't know which other add-ons I should install.

 

So far I have on the list Orbx FTX global, Rex4, DX10 Scenery Fixer and Terra Emergence Project. Are they compatible? Makes sense to install all 4?

 

What other add-ons do you recommend? For things like clouds, water, airport, etc

 

I know some people have spent a lot of money, my intention is to spend some money over time (no more than 500$) and to have decent graphics and experience

overall.

 

I also know they sell local airports, scenarios, countries textures etc but at the moment I'm more interested in general/global add-ons.

 

Best regards.

You are asking a question to which there is probably an infinite number of answers!!!!! :D

 

But here's my personal recommendation, for what it is worth:

 

It is very, very easy to spend a lot of money on payware stuff, but take a good look around before you spend you hard-earned cash and see if maybe freeware alternatives are available. You already got FreeMesh, so you know what to look for. A lot will also depend on whether you want to fly world-wide or locally somewhere.

 

Personally, I don't use ORBX, and I don't use DX10 either (in FSX, DX10 is a preview only). But I would recommend the Ultimate Terrain series, it works fine with FreeMesh. Most of the rest of my scenery is freeware from the download library here and some other sites, like the BlueSky photoscenery for parts of the U.S. available here:

 

http://www.blueskyscenery.com/download.html

 

South American photoscenery is available here:

 

https://boliviaescenariosfsxp3d.blogspot.com/

 

North African, Spanish and Portuguese photosceneries are available here:

 

http://www.airhispania.com/phpBB3/index.php?sid=cdcdb9efb4ed689374e527ec868437b3

 

Undoubtedly, other forum participants can come up with more interesting links.

 

Have fun -

 

Jorgen

I'd say the main add-on would have to be a decent weather engine. You mention Rex so that'll cover that, but you also mention clouds. Well, I use Active Sky 2016 with the companion product Active Sky Cloud Art. What happens is that AS16 will work with AS16 Cloud Art to create some great cloud visuals as you fly. I never saw a thick overcast cloud layer before while I flew over it until I started using AS16 and Cloud Art. Plus it renders some nice fog and what have you. I've never tried Rex, so that too may be a great weather engine and perhaps between the two there are pros and cons. What I can tell you though is that if you plan on going full blown realism with a PMDG 737 or some other PMDG plane, the weather radar works with AS16 for accurate cloud/storm prediction in the Sim. I don't think it will work right with Rex.

 

 

Something else you might want, though not everyone may not, is Helitraffic 2009. By default, FSX does not have AI flying helicopters around you. With this add-on you will have that providing the airport you're flying to or other airports near you have helipads. It's a really nice add-on and quite simple in how it works.

 

Since you're new to FSX, I have to ask you. You didn't make the mistake of installing FSX to the programs folder, did you? If so, you really need to have the following path: C:\steam\FSX. Reason being is because in Vista and above to Win 10 the programs folder is emulated and protected so it will play hell with add-ons and everything else.

 

Outside of that you may want to go to World of AI and MAIW to add AI planes to your Sim so that you're not alone up there. But a lot of the flight plans are only made for FS2004 so you have to convert them to FSX format using AIFP which can be downloaded here in the library. The FS2004 flight plans will work in FSX, but if you mix FSX and FS2004 flight plans, only FS2004 flight plans will work. If you start adding realistic airlines and what have you, I would rename the default AI flight plans file so you're not see fake made up airlines occupy the skies and airports. I have to look on my desktop at what that file name is now. If you start adding AI, you should get in the habit of updating the airports from here in the library you fly from and to so that you have adequate parking spaces for all of the AI.

 

There are many, many other things you should know about, but I'll leave that to others. Check the sticky here in this subforum on improving your FSX.cfg file. And I really wouldn't mess with DX10 even though you can use that add-on to make things work. Through my reading it's been a source of issues and I just keep DX10 disabled and not mess with it at all.

 

Speaking of books, check out this website full of free Sim books. https://www.flightsimbooks.com/

 

Good luck, have fun and learn away. You're about to embark on a hobby that may keep you wanting to fly for at least an hour everyday. Side affects may include a nagging wife/girl friend. LOL :pilot:

Edited April 7, 2019 by CRJ_simpilot

+1 to Active Sky and the Cloud Art. They work perfectly.

 

Jorgen

Thank you for your answers, much appreciated.

Also looking at scenery addons so thanks for the help you already provided !...... Is there a Program where you can make your own or add in scenery you chose to build up a area of your choice ?

ADE is an excellent (and free) program that lets you modify or build airports, but you can also do a certain amount of scenery in the same area -- one piece that I did was over 10 miles from the airport, and 5,000+ feet higher, as well, in the same .bgl as the airport mods I did. There are other programs out there, but I'm not familiar with them.

I'll disagree with Jorgen about ORBX. UT is pretty good, but it doesn't do anything for textures, and it's only in the US (or Canada too). FTX global is worldwide, which helps. If you don't do FTX Vectors, then UT is not a bad idea anyway, since it does get roads, railroads, rivers, etc. corrected and added, but Vectors does that world wide.

 

Personally, Since getting all of the ORBX North American regions, I fly outside those regions very seldom, since I get spoiled having aircraft and people, along with dumpsters, light poles, tool boxes, vehicles and other scenery objects, plus improved mesh throughout the region; even some of the smaller, non-paved airports have sloped runways. On occasion you'll even find farm implements in the fields and deer, cattle, horses, etc.

 

ORBX has a free demo of the Olympic Peninsula (Washington) available that lets you explore just how well it suits you.

 

All that being said, you'll probably want to pick up things a little here, a little there and explore what you have before getting too much stuff installed.

ORBX stuff really make FSX... alive, especially if you're a GA planes pilot.

Using LC, Global, lib, all FTX regions, many freeware and payware add-on airports.

(We become some kind of addic..!). Like Larry wrote, it's eye-candy.

You can find a lot of freeware sceneries on their website. You could "see" what it looks like.

Steve's DXfixer not only fix weirdos (like square halo from lights) that we get on DX10 but

is also a great soft for fine-tuning reflexion, transparency shadow, and fix shadow in cockpit.

ADE is an excellent (and free) program that lets you modify or build airports, but you can also do a certain amount of scenery in the same area -- one piece that I did was over 10 miles from the airport, and 5,000+ feet higher, as well, in the same .bgl as the airport mods I did. There are other programs out there, but I'm not familiar with them.

 

Got ADE, Airport Design Editor que'd up ready to download. My delay is waiting for my new DVD's of FSX. Recently decided to move FSX to my new laptop and go all in with FSX. Over the years I lost my originals and had no luck moving the program over without the DVD's. Should be here in a few days. SO excited ! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ORBX stuff really make FSX... alive, especially if you're a GA planes pilot.

Using LC, Global, lib, all FTX regions, many freeware and payware add-on airports.

(We become some kind of addic..!). Like Larry wrote, it's eye-candy.

You can find a lot of freeware sceneries on their website. You could "see" what it looks like.

Steve's DXfixer not only fix weirdos (like square halo from lights) that we get on DX10 but

is also a great soft for fine-tuning reflexion, transparency shadow, and fix shadow in cockpit.

 

THANKS !!!!! Same deal, I have it que'd ready for download.... Cant wait !

FSX-RWT : FSX Real World Training Missions Package

 

If you are interested by Jeff Van West book, with the permission of Jeff and Wiley I just finished to

Re-Package the additional material that you find on Wiley Web site. If enough peoples are interested I will try to submit it to the Library. Otherwise you can always contact me. The package is a freeware.

 

Following is a quick summary of the missions that were created using the book flight exercises:

 

Objectives:

- FSX Mission Category - Real World Training : Over 100 Flight Missions .

Target Audience:

- "FSX For Pilots - Real World Training" book's Readers.

 

FSX Mission Briefing Center:

- Bonus chapters; Charts; Color Art; Web Sites References.

All the files have been grouped into a new FSX Mission Category: Real World Training.

 

Under the FSX Mission panel, this new category provides the following access:

* Over 100 Flights exercises from the book:

- BEGINNER: covers Chapter 2 thru Chapter 9.

- INTERMEDIATE: covers Chapter 10 thru Chapter 14.

- ADVANCED: covers Chapter 15 thru Chapter 19.

- EXPERT : covers Chapter 20 thru Chapter 26, plus the two Bonus Chapters.

The Aircraft Kneeboard, presents appropriates charts from the book.

 

From each of the individual FSX Mission Briefing Center you have access to:

* Quick intro to the mission describing what the exercise or mission is?

* Reference to the Kindle book location for each mission

* Access to the corresponding Color Arts (Figures) from the book.

* Access to the corresponding charts from the book.

* Accces to the two Bonus Chapters and five Appendices

* FSX-RWT Airports List.

 

These FSX Real World Training Missions are not self-sufficient and required the reading of:

"Microsoft Flight Simulator X for Pilots - Real World Training Book", from Wiley,

to fully understand the What?, Why? and How? of the missions.

 

Gilbert