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SvalbardPublisher: AerosoftReview Author: Stuart McGregorSuggested Price: $49.99/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.png /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_1.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_2.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_3.jpgIf you have ever wanted to know whatit is like to visit the Arctic Circle, Svalbard may be for you. Thescenery pack being reviewed in this article is a package of fiveairfields specifically for X-Plane 11 and is designed by thewell-known Aerosoft design team. The Svalbard archipelago is sovereignto Norway and it is about midway between continental Norway and theNorth Pole, so you may see Santa Claus while you are there... Theislands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, andfrom 10° to 35° east longitude, so if you are looking forsomewhere just that little bit different this is worth a look. Thescenery pack not only gives you the airfields but also the surroundingterrain, which I understand to be missing from the base X-Plane world.The version I reviewed was 1.02 which has had a few corrections fromthe original release. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_4.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_5.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_6.jpgPurchase, Download, Documentation And InstallationThis scenery pack retails at $45.99, which on the face of things,does seem a little steep, however as I mentioned, you do get fivedifferent airfields, so actually it is not a bad deal in my view. Thedownload is a whopping 2.9 GB, and at a download speed of 3 MB/sec, ittook me a good 15 minutes or so to download, so be aware this is amonster if your download speed is a little slow. The descriptionprovided over atwww.fspilot.comgives the usual level of detail of what you get for your money as wellas the prerequisite system requirements, all pretty standard stuff forpayware scenery. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_7.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_8.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_9.jpgAs far as the installation goes, well I have to be honest and saythat I struggled with this, which is a little embarrassing. Over theyears I have come across all sorts of add-ons, aircraft, plug-ins,scenery, etc., however this is the first time that I started to getreally frustrated with things. In the download, I was faced with two folders, one with a customlivery for Carenado's B200 and a video clip, and a second folder withall the scenery elements. As I don't have the B200 in my hangar I wasunable to comment on this, however a nice touch if you happen to haveit. I really liked the real-life flight video to Svalbard and watchingthe flight crew explain some of the tricks of the trade when flying inthat part of the world. What I found really fascinating was just howmuch manual adjustment the captain was having to make to the flightcontrols on his final approach...amazing...worth a watch. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_10.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_11.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_12.jpgBut back to the installation. Reading the instructions which tookme a while to find as they are located in one of the scenery folders(ENSB), it should have been really simple, however I found it to bemore complicated than that. The short manual provided is in German andEnglish, that I found a little lacking on the installation front if Iam entirely honest. My frustration led me to contact the Aerosoft helpteam for advice, and even after their reply, which I should mentionedwas very quick, I still struggled with getting the Winter MOD featureto work with the installer. Eventually I gave up and just manuallyinstalled the files and hey presto! Snow! To be honest it wasn'tthat hard in the end of the day for anyone familiar with X-Plane's filestructures, just means you have to keep over-writing files if you wantto change between the seasons. Why I was unable to get the MOD tool towork I am not entirely sure, and there is every possibility it was myown incompetence, but as I said, generally I know my Custom SceneryFolder from my Root Folder... /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_13.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_14.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_15.jpgOne last positive comment on the manual before moving on, and thatis to highlight the descriptions of the individual airfields as theseare nicely done and provide a little background on each of theairfields such as aircraft types, high level maps of the area andpossible flight paths. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_31.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_32.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_33.jpgSystem PerformanceMy assessment of Svalbard was using X-Plane 11.11 andCarenado's DO-228. I thought this would be a good choice as accordingto Aerosoft's literature, this is one of the aircraft that flies tothese locations. It certainly does fit well with the terrainprovided. My system consists of an Intel i7 5820K 3.3 GHz CPU(overclocked to 4.0 GHz), GTX1080Ti 11 GB GPU and 32 GB of Kingston RAMat its core, and throughout my tests I was getting excellent framerates and generally in the 30 - 50 range. All very smooth when on theground and in the air. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_16.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_17.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_18.jpgLook And FeelWith a mixture of airports and heliports available, the scenerypack does offer good level of variation for the end user, and as withall Aerosoft products the quality is of a good standard. Thebuildings, ground textures and objects used are well textured, thelighting is realistic and the use of ortho photos makes a significantdifference to the appearance of each of the locations. There a fewanimated vehicles touring about the place just to bring a little bitof life to the proceedings, however for me the one thing that sadly ismissing is people. I do like to see people in scenery just to addthat final sense of reality. If you are not bothered by this then Iam sure you will be neither up for down, however for anyone else whodoes, just a heads up... /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_19.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_20.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_21.jpgEach of the sceneries are unique with their own level of detailsuch as container ships, loading docks, satellite dishes, buildings,vehicles. etc. and they are all well designed and look veryrealistic. In my opinion Aerosoft does a good solid job when creatingscenery, not always full of bells, whistles and eye candy that I haveseen in some other payware sceneries, but you won't go wrong if youwere to purchase this package. The feature that makes Svalbard standout, is the use of the winter textures, this really transforms thelandscape and you really can feel the cold blast of the Artic air ifyou were striding across the apron. You can almost taste and feel thecold crisp air in your lungs, fantastic! By changing the groundtextures, you go from the rugged barren mountain look with smatteringsof snow, to a full white landscape which is fabulous. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_22.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_23.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_24.jpgFlying the DO228 through the snow-capped mountains with the sun lowin the sky and a scattering of clouds was a wonderful experience. Thiswas my favorite part of the whole test, looking out the window andseeing the spectacular mountains below. If you are looking for scenerythat gets you completely away from the rat race, this is well worthconsidering. Even sitting in the back of the DO228 and looking out thewindow as the clouds hurtle by was so realistic in my opinion, Ireally felt like I was there and looking down on the real world. The description proved at the sales site also stated that thescenery is compatible with World Traffic 3, and I did try this out ina few of the locations. I was able to generate taxi routes with noissues, and I did observed the occasional aircraft coming and going asyou would in such a remote location. I appreciate that not everyonewill have this add-on, however if my experience is anything to go by,for those that do, you will be able to get it up and running prettyeasily as ground routes are provided. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_25.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_26.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_27.jpgFinal ThoughtsThe X-Plane 11 Svalbard package from Aerosoft is a nice piece ofwork, particularly if you are looking for remote locations to fly toand from. The quality of the work is up to their usual high standardand the use of ortho photos adds a new dimension to the scenery. Thefull package is perhaps a little bit pricey for some, however if liketo fly in regions like this, I am sure you will get your money's worthover time as there are a number of locations to visit and the sceneryis stunning. /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_28.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_29.jpg /images/reviews/svalbard/t/do228_30.jpgInstallation issues apart, I really enjoyed my time up near thearctic circle and the scenery really is beautiful with and withoutsnow, so I would give Svalbard some serious thought if you are lookingfor a new adventure. Who knows, you may see Santa Claus and his elvesif you are lucky... /images/notams/notams18/sval0316/sval0316.jpgStuart McGregor Purchase Aerosoft - Svalbard for X-Plane
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/images/notams/notams18/sval0316/sval0316.jpgChanges In Version 1.02 IncludeENSBFixed touchdown marking positionENSAFixed fps drop on runway 01Fixed runway lights positionOtherFixed CTD when using the XP MapAerosoft - Svalbard for X-Plane 11Svalbard is a highly realistic recreation of the Svalbard islandsfor X-Plane 11. The Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean issituated about midway between continental Norway and the NorthPole. The islands range from 74° to 81° northern latitude, north ofthe Polar Circle. This area isn't covered by the X-Plane defaultscenery. /images/notams/notams18/sval0316/svalbard1.jpgSo the scenery package Svalbard not only fills this gap in theX-Plane landcape but also includes all airports and heliports of thisregion: Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear (ENSB), Svea (ENSA), Ny Alesund(ENAS), Barentsburg (ENBA) and Pyramiden (ENPY). /images/notams/notams18/sval0316/svalbard2.jpgFeaturesHighly realistic recreation of the complete islands group of Svalbard with an area of about 61000km2.High resolution mesh with detailed coast lines and shapes of glaciersCustomized local terrain details where reasonable, a.e. in the surrounding of the airportsHigh detail models of all airport buildings and installations with customized objectsPhoto realistic generic ground texturesWinter season includedRealistic night time effectsCompatible with World Traffic 3Customized paintings of local airlines for several XPlane aircraft Purchase Aerosoft - Svalbard for X-Plane 11 /images/notams/notams18/sval0316/svalbard3.jpg