OAHU for AFS2 in development - Share our excitement!

  • From around the world they are coming together. You know their names, but I cannot tell you who they are yet. They have one singular intent, to create a new area for AFS2, an area that will become a showcase for what is possible within this community. But, I cannot yet divulge the location of that area! When will it be released? Maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months. Will it be freeware or payware? Probably free! Will you enjoy it... Heck yes!

    Over the next few days (or weeks), as development picks up speed, I will share new screenshots. These will give you hints until we are ready to tell you more. If you guess the location, I will neither confirm nor deny it. Same with the names of the people involved!

    You will see beaches, mountains, and cities. You will see dense cultivation, custom design elements, and some animation. There will be airports too, maybe not as highly detailed as we'd like, but we need to strike a balance between giving you something in the not too distant future, and development time. But as I said in the title... The team is gathering. somewhere new is coming!

    Here's your first (deliberately ambiguous) screenshot.

    - Kenneth

  • I deleted yesterday's screenshot, it showed just a bit too much detail, and we want to keep you guessing a little longer. SO.. Here is your official preview screenshot #2. By the way, the team keeps adding more detail, so I would not like to guarantee a release date yet. But it is going to be fantastic.

  • Can I make a suggestion on the teasers. Since you are deliberately not giving much away in the images to hide the location, perhaps you can share descriptive teasers instead such as the kinds of content in the region, what will set it apart, what kind of detail will be included etc. Or smaller, visual teasers showing the level of detail or workmanship involved without showing full scenes masked by draw distance fog etc.?

  • Thank you for being so patient. It is time to reveal the location of the new scenery. It is OAHU, the commercial and strategic hub in the Hawaiian island chain.

    Over the next three days I will take you on a photographic tour around the coast of the island. We'll fly anti-clockwise, and each segment will include five screenshots. After we've done that, I will release new screenshots every day so, and those shots will begin to show you some of the incredible detail being included in the scenery by our world-class designers.

    Here's the important caveat. What you see is work in progress. New elements are being added to the files several times a day. We might re-design an airport that you see in the screenshots, or add new building textures, or incorporate many more new features before release. You are going to be looking over our shoulders at the evolving scenery. This means even we do not know when it will be released. The designers are literally feeding off each others' enthusiasm! New ideas are being suggested by the hour in our private forum. And you will get to share in the excitement.

    So, here is the first segment of your coastal tour. Each numbered commentary refers to the image beneath it.

    1. We have just taken off from Dillingham in the North of the island. We've made a 180 degree turn, and are beginning to proceed due west. The airport is operated by the US Army, and is also home to gliding operations on the island. In 2015, 95% of the flights from the airport were civilian.


    2. We have now turned South. That community over on the beach is Nanakuli, with an approximate population of around 12,000. 


    3. We're continuing South towards the oil refineries at Barbers Point.


    4. And now, we're heading East. You can still see the refineries, and also Kalaeloa (John Rodgers Field). Many people still think of it as NAS Barbers Point. At this point in scenery development we've included military aircraft on the ramp. Some old associations die hard, and some memories are worth keeping.


    5. Continuing along the South coast, we're passing Honolulu International Airport (PHNL). One of the 30 busiest airports in the USA, it handles more than 21 million passengers each year. In the distance is Ford Island. We'll feature that in future screenshots.

    OK, that's your first coastal tour segment. Expect another one tomorrow!

    We are incredibly excited about this in-development scenery. The level of detail is already stunning, and there is more to come. You are going to love it.

    Regards

    Kenneth

    Edited once, last by KJKsimmer (January 23, 2020 at 9:51 PM).

  • KJKsimmer January 23, 2020 at 4:55 AM

    Changed the title of the thread from “The team is gathering, somewhere new is coming!” to “OAHU for AFS2 in development - Share our excitement!”.