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Midi Pyrenees Volume 1Publisher: France VFRReview Author: Nigel PorterSuggested Price: $36.95/images/fsc/wbicons/pilot-shop-buy.pngI have been an avid fan ofFrance VFR'sproducts for some years now, and I have a great deal of respect forwhat they do; like UK2000, they have created a small niche market, inthat they produce reasonably detailed products and sell them atsensible prices. /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image1.jpgLaurent Dupuey started France VFR products for FS2004 at a timewhen it was impossible to get good quality free photo scenery from anyinternet supplier, and they since then have done an excellent job. Asthe years have gone by they have progressed from offering photoscenery, to offering 3D photo scenery for the whole of France, whichhas the addition of 3D houses and objects (available for FSX, P3Dv3,and more recently for P3Dv4+). Laurent has always retained 100%control over his products, and this is true for both the DVD's and theservers where you can download their products; a trend now copied moreand more by other developers. He speaks excellent English and hasstrong opinions of where our hobby is heading over the next fewyears. It is probably France VFR, more than anything else that hasinfluenced my own move to using photo scenery instead of the stockMicrosoft offering, or certain inferior payware products. The Midi Pyrenees Volume 1 covers a portion of land mostly to thenorth and east of Toulouse. The most northerly airport incorporatedis Figeac, the most easterly is Millau, southerly Toulouse, and to thewest, Moissac. All in all, an area of roughly 70x70 miles and in aregion that has some pretty interesting scenery, especially in thenorth which backs onto the Auvergne region, renowned for itsvolcanoes. /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image2.jpg /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image3.jpgInstallationUpon payment, you have to download six zipped files, the first ofwhich requests a product code. After this has been entered, the otherfive install without issue; either into FSX or P3D. Note: France VFR arealso busy making products specifically for P3Dv4. This new version of the Midi Pyrenees is effectively an update oftheir earlier Photo HD scenery, and is easily distinguishable as allthe scenery is now basically 3D. This includes the addition ofthousands of houses and warehouses, millions of trees, plus aerialsand electricity lines. In effect, it takes the "flat" photo scenerywe all know of, and makes it much more realistic looking andimmersive. France VFR uses their own technology, "3D automation",which allows the densest and most realistic environment so far madefor FSX. It does not claim to represent precisely the land, but arealistic interpretation of the region, and I think it works quitewell. Flying In The SceneryOne of the most beautiful regions of France are the gorges of theTarn, so I based my first flight at Millau (Larsac) airport. I tookoff toward the Millau Viaduct and then descending over Millau, so asto follow the river through the gorges below the rim of thesurrounding land, and the experience was enormously improved over thestock scenery. If you follow the right set of gorges, it's possible to fly in anarc and virtually end up where you took off from. The way thatforests are now portrayed, plus the thousands of individual houses andfactory units, allow the simulation to have a far greater 3D effectthan before. If one flies at more than a thousand feet above groundlevel, the effect is most realistic and quite enthralling. One canspend hours simply bimbling along gawping at the outside as the worldpasses underneath. The second flight was from Toulouse Lasbordes Airport, over theregion to the north and east of the city. Here the land is nowherenear as spectacular as the Gorges as it is largely farmland, but againthe addition of the 3D autogen increased my level of interest.Toulouse itself was a jumble of buildings, as all cities are, but they(France VFR), have managed to some degree, to portray the character ofthe town. This includes notable areas such as the Cite de l'espace (atheme park based on space and the conquest of space) and whichfeatures several rockets, business parks, etc. All the airports in the region are portrayed with a variety ofbuildings and hangars, and even though their virtual depiction is notabsolute top drawer quality, they are perfectly adequate - after allif you want better, there may be an alternative available somewhere onthe net (freeware or payware). /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image4.jpg /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image5.jpgPerformanceWith frame rates capped at 35 on my ageing 3.4 GHz PC, I never sawthem dip below that number during testing. The minimum specs required(outlined in the manual) are very modest by modern standards, so anyreduction in performance caused by this product is minimal. /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image6.jpgDocumentationI was pleasantly surprised by the amount of documentation thataccompanies each region. You not only get installation instructions,as well as configuration advice, but you also get a technicalsupplement and FSX settings advice as well. If that was not enough,France VFR have also supplied all the airport approach plates for theairfields in the region, plus copies of the official VFR/IFR rules ofthe air (in both written English and French). There is also a very handy map showing low level controlledairspace; airways and reporting points to use when crossing fromFrance to other countries, and lastly a map of upper airspace showingall the airways, etc. Quite simply superb, which should make a fewother developers take note! /images/reviews/midipyre/t/image7.jpgConclusionHaving not used France VFR scenery for quite some time, it was likerevisiting an old friend to some degree. Compared to other recentlyreleased products which cover large country areas, this add-on isvastly superior in both quality and detail; however, in view of otherrecent new releases (which are making the flight sim world sit up andpay attention), it has to be said that this product is starting toshow its age a bit and is, technologically speaking, falling a bitbehind. Another aspect worth noting is that one is now able to downloadvirtually the whole of Europe in high quality photo scenery free ofcharge. Combine that with the amazing autogen available from varioussuppliers, both payware and freeware; quite where France VFR see theirfuture is difficult to say. I did try to make contact with them toask this very question via their email address, but sadly did notreceive a reply. Nevertheless, even with all the current competition in mind, FranceVFR have still managed to produce a solid product that will giveanyone with a passing interest of the area, many hours of enjoyment,and I think that their products will be installed on my simulator andmany others for many years to come. /images/reviews/midipyre/midi-pyrenees-volume-1.jpgNigel Porter Purchase France VFR - Midi Pyrenees Volume 1 for FSX/P3D