Posts by KJKsimmer

Hi Jan,

Let me know when the new file is uploaded, and I will test it and give (positive I hope) feedback. I am very enthusiastic about the potential future of this platform. I remember the Microsoft Flight Sim platform before Microsoft took it over, and AF2 reminds me of that. A seed of possibility with a glimmer of hope that could become a major player in the industry, given the right support at the right time. I will continue to report on any anomalies I find, but not to be a pest, rather to help improve this product as it moves towards the end of the "early access" status.

- Kenneth

PS...

Jan, I am testing the file now. As the one who reported the bug, I figured I better get busy as fast as possible and check out your work. I will randomly place the Cessna at 40 airports on the ground and try it out, brakes on/off, taxiing, etc. Will get back to you in a short while. First three airports so far check out, Will confirm in abut half an hour...

- Kenneth

Hi Jan,

Processor is Intel i5, 650 @3.20 ghz with 8g of RAM.

Thanks for your suggestion too HiFlyer.

Regards,

Kenneth

I verified file integrity, and it said four files failed, and that these would be re-acquired. I was away from the computer when the checking was being done, so I hope the files were received and installed automatically. However, Cessna still unusable on the ground, still doing what is shown in Belgeode's earlier video.

- Kenneth

Thanks.. Will give it a go. "Several minutes".. Hope so, it took a day and a half to get the game alone, let alone the DLC. Ah the joy of rural Saskatchewan!

- Kenneth

HiFlyer, I may have 30 years experience in Flight Sims, but only a month with AF2 and Steam. I do not know what you mean by "Have Steam verify your files."

Hi Jeff.. For me, this is consistent. Every airport I have tried across the entire AF2 program, without fail. Belgeode, try a few other airports and see if you get it in other areas too. It happens with the stock 172, and also the "cold and dark" modification version. It does not matter if brakes are applied or not. Thanks for your feedback gentlemen.

- Kenneth

Any progress on fixing this situation with the Cessna gentlemen? It makes it unusable on the ground. I now start every Cessna flight in the air...

BTW, Belgeode, thanks for the airport reference..

- Kenneth

Thanks Jan, I guess I just did not notice it until now. I appreciate the feedback

- Kenneth

I am not sure if this is new with a recent update, or I just did not notice it before. But I am seeing transparent instruments in the cockpits of some of the aircraft when viewed from outside. Best to describe with an image... Is anyone else seeing this, or is it just on my computer? (Admins... If this post is in the wrong forum area, please move to correct area)

Clayton4115, I have 30+ years of experience invested in the MSFS platform. Made my living from it for eight years (a long time ago!)... And now I have four weeks invested in AF2. I also have many thousands of dollars invested in addons. FSX will be my sim of choice for a long time, even as clunky as it is.

HiFlyer, sadly, my computer is now seven years old. I was amazed it even ran AF2 at all. BUT, I run it with everything set to medium, (sometimes even low) and no clouds at all, and sometimes no trees! I can't even upgrade the video card driver because the manufacturer no longer supports it.

Yes, it is time to invest in a new computer. But my time, finances and energy are mostly going to the new book of which I am the author. The computer will have to wait a wee while... But then, FSX will be replaced by P3dv4, and AF2 will run to its full potential too.

I see great potential in AF2. It needs to grow beyond its current level, and IPACS are doing what they can, which is remarkable for a small team. But, I sincerely hope they can build strategic alliances with scenery designers, aircraft designers, publishers, marketers, and utility designers to tap into the potential it has. There is a need for a pure flight sim that gives the feeling of flight, while leaving systems-rich and study-level approaches to others. AF2 potentially can do what Microsoft tried (and failed) to do with "Flight." If IPACS has the vision, and are willing to attract the right team around them, there's no telling what this can become.

Those of us who see the vision must continue to encourage them, even if sometimes that encouragement comes disguised as minor criticism or frustration during these foundational days. We early adopters are pioneers.

- Kenneth

"IPACS - might there at some stage be an update to Western USA/Utah/Switzerland with some building autogen?"

It would be a good move for IPACS, and I hope they do it, as it represents an upward evolution of the platform. However, for some of us with older computers that cannot keep up to such evolution, it would mean either a new computer or abandoning the use of AF2... Maybe IPACS will have to up their suggested specs as they advance the platform. This is not negativity, it is reality. Program advance often comes at a cost for the user, regardless of which platform they use.

Time to start shopping for a new system KJKsimmer!.. Or, back to my old (and old fashioned) FSX.

Keep up the good work IPACS.

Hello IPACS.

Just in case others report this black building issue in the Colorado scenery, I offer the following input, having now spent more than a few hours with it today.

1. This only happens to buildings in the Colorado scenery. I have your DLCs of Switzerland and New York, and I can state nothing like this has happened in any area other than the new one. This does not suggest a video card issue, it suggests that the video card is handling something that is different in the way this new scenery is working, or put together. If we isolate that, we are closer to a solution. So what is different in this new scenery when it comes to handling buildings?

2. I was wrong in saying there are no textures. I tried flying straight at a "black building" and when I got within a few hundred feet of it, the textures faded in.

3. This only happens on certain buildings. For example, look at the attached screenshot. The city skyscrapers have textures that are consistent, and visible regardless of distance. Now look under the port wing, there are some buildings with clear textures that also never lose them. However, some are just black blocks, and it is these that we must draw attention to. Something is different in these buildings. But what?

4. I know nothing about design in your sim, but I am hearing terms like "cultivation." Is this only a reference to trees? OR to a new class of buildings too? Is it possible that some buildings are placed in your sceneries as individual items, while others are generated in the same way as "Autogen" in say, FSX? If so, are the black buildings autogen, while the ones with consistent textures are placed manually? And if that is the case, does this provide a clue?

5. This issue is not effected by changes in resolution, weather, display quality, etc. The black buildings are black no matter what setting is used.

I know the suggestion has been made to download the latest graphic card drivers, but I think that's going about it the wrong way. Why? Because this issue only exists in one specific scenery area of your product and nowhere else in your product on the same computer. This may suggest a technical change at your end in the way buildings are designed or displayed in this new DLC. Besides, I am not willing to make driver changes in case they negatively impact other sims that I have far more time and money invested in.

I like what I see with AF2, and I am rooting for your success. Time alone will tell whether I alone see this black building issue. In the meantime, you know if there's something different in the implementation of building visibility or design in this DLC. If that helps to isolate the issue, then this thread will serve a greater purpose than my individual problem solving.

- Kenneth

The importance of Clarbo's question (above post) cannot be overstated for the future success of the AF2 platform. What made the Microsoft flight simulator program a mega success? It was not the product, it was the massive ecosystem that was built around it, both by freeware designers and commercial outfits alike. I know, I was the owner of one of the very first add-on companies for it.

The people on this forum are enthusiastic about AF2, and some of us sense there's something really special here. It's like looking at MSFS before MS got hold of it. (I remember those days!)

But, will AF2 have a future? It's not just up to IPACS, it's up to the enthusiasts to also be part of the growth. We need to ask ourselves what the next step is, and how we can help. How do we find people who can build new aircraft for the sim? How do we source photos that can be used for more scenery areas, and make them legitimately available as completed scenery? How can we help IPACS and have IPACS help us?

As AF2 moves closer toward the end of the "early access" period, these questions need to be asked and answered. A good sim can only become great by creating the ecosystem around it. Then, it becomes unstoppable.

- Kenneth

Thanks Jeff.

I appreciate your feedback. Will keep an eye on the forum.

- Kenneth

Hi Jeff

I run the sim with medium settings as it is. However, having now spent most of the morning checking airports, I can confirm this black building issue is only present in the Colorado area. I can even run New York and still see every building as it should be. Were this a graphics card issue, I would suspect it would have shown up long before this. I have hopped in and out of all other areas to double check, from LA to Zurich, from San Diego to Vegas, New York, etc. This seems to be only in the new scenery. Is it possible that some texture files were missed when compiling the file for download? Files that developers and beta testers of the area would already have prior to compiling the download itself? Am I the only one seeing this anomaly?

- Kenneth

(PS.. Trying it on LOW settings now. Still missing textures on some buildings in new scenery while New York buildings are still fine. Quality settings do not impact this)

Hi Jeff,

It is an old system I am running, would not be too amazed if it is only me that's seeing it. Will see what I can do. Thanks for the feedback. Delighted to know it is not a product issue.

- Kenneth

Impressive work. Well done. I will add one anomaly discovered so far. Taking off from Aspen, I have buildings that are missing their textures, not just beside the airport but also whole city. I have not spent enough time with it yet to say if this is widespread in other areas of scenery, this was only the second airport I tried so far. Anyone else seeing this? Keep up the great work. I love where this sim is going.

- Kenneth

I confirm, I was only able to find it when doing a search for "Colorado" in Steam. Now, to wait the 10 hours it will take to download it. (Rural area, slow speed even though it is marketed as high speed by service provider!!! - RANT)

- Kenneth

Thank you gents. Aircraft loaded and working.

- Kenneth

As a beginner... What do I do with the DR400 package? I downloaded it, unzipped it, and have no clue what comes next. Do I just move the files into the sim? Do I convert it with a converter? A simple instruction document included in the zip file would be very helpful.

- Kenneth