Can FS-9 be made to look as good as FSX?

Z

Zorro

Guest
I Have both but FS-9 blows FSX away in the frame rate department. So can the visuals be made better in FS-9? If so, what do I need to get? Thank you!
 
As good as FSX? That's a tricky question to answer. If you happen to be lucky enough to have a very powerful system that can run FSX well, then no. Otoh, if you have an average system (or below avg) like mine, then yeah, you can probably get FS9 to look about as good as FSX and still have it run more smoothly.

Some stuff I recommend to get it looking its best:

Ground Environment Pro - set up some custom texture sets with the contrast and saturation turned up some.

Flight Environment - good cloud and sky/water sets.

Active Sky 6.5 - excellent weather generation for some really wonderful looking skyscapes...

Mesh - theres some decent freeware mesh available for large parts of the globe - FSGenesis stuff for the US, Andy Weir's Australia mesh, various others

Scenery add-ons - Holger Sandmanns stuff is excellent. FlyTampa's sceneries are drop dead gorgeous. VOZ is great for Australia.

Ultimate Terrain - I only have Canada/Alaska, but I like it very much.
 
Assuming that you really believe FSX looks good....beauty really is in the eye of the beholder lol. IMHO it is the 'lack' of overall definition that makes FS9 so appealing....much more realistic. GE Pro, FE, and other addons merely add to the overall 'feel' of the sim.....whereas having had FSX on my machine it simply seemed....cartoony? Just my opinion, but with my current addon set, I adore my FS9!

1) GE Pro
2) Flight Environment
3) FSG mesh
4) Samoshin Trees
5) Some converted cloud textures (freeware)
6)a lot of FS9 config work

....and let me re-iterate that this is just my opinion....because one of these days we will all have to switch....
 
Yep....have to agree.....with Felix here. Having flown over water for many many years in the nacy...I've never seen water look like it does in FSX. Seems to be out of scale or something, the waves that is.

For me its FS9 all the way. I'm bummed that some of the newer planes are FSX only but then.....thanks to folks like Carenado....I still get some great GA birds, and the freeware ones that are out are very good.

I'm not sure if an FSX plane will ever top the FS9 Cloud9 F-4 Phantom, and if a level of detail can be done in FS9 like that and still give great FPS, then I say we need to find an FS9 developer to stick with only FS9. I'm still working over a friend to develop a certain jet in FS9 that will rival the F-4, and from the same era.
 
The thing I really love about FS-9 is how well it runs on my computer. I can max the sliders and my comp still has head room for more. FSX is a beauty graphically, but it's a teek a thon trying to get it to run like FS-9. Flying a Helocopter Nap of the earth FS-9 never let me down. I unplugged my joysticks last year due to my obsessive complusive flying habit, but I think I can re enter the fold and keep it balanced this time around. Aiming to get a DoDo helicopter, a FS-9 make over and get flying again. Got some gear already bought sitting in my office, 3togo with monitors, and some other goodies. Got to finish my summer time run in business as it is very time consuming, and gets dead during winter. to get FSX running as good as FSX will mean throwing some $$$ at my computer. I would rather wait untill the high end computer stuff comes down in price vs paying top $. Thankyou for all the advice. I am more enthused about FS-9 more than ever!
 
FS9 will never look as good as FSX due to the engine's limitations.

If you put a good chunk of money into FS9, you can get it looking decent, but it wouldn't look as good as FSX with similar addons.

Yes it takes a better computer for FSX. Yes a better computer costs more money. For some people it may not run as smoothly as FS9. Nowhere am I making any claims about value/money or that FSX scores more FPS or any of that. Whenever this topic comes up, people like to make up things that I never said...

I use FSX because I get solid performance AND good looks. :kilroy:
 
This is like starting a thread to find the meaning of life. If you were to ask this question in the FSX forum, most would ask the question. . ."why would you even want to try". Asking the question within the FS9 forum and you'll get a lot of folks who have either tried FSX and gave it up due to poor fps or found it "too cartoonish".

I have flown both and would probably be flying FS9 more because I have a ton of great FS9 aircraft both freeware and payware and almost every scenery/mesh/terrain enhancement possible and love the way it looks. I am currently flying FSX and have to say that FS9 will never look as good as FSX. Yes the waves seem out of proportion but even given that, they look far better than anything I have for FS9 (that includes payware addons that still fall short). Another thing that is default in FSX that requires an enhancement program to even comes close is how the Cities (large and small), towns, villages, hamlets, etc, etc. are laid out. Very realistic as opposed to the helter skelter method used in FS9. AI is also another plus you'd be hard pressed to pull off in FS9 (darned near impossible actually). In particular, AI road traffic. Very cool to be flying low and slow over farmland, small town or big cities and see the highways and side streets and farm roads populated with traffic.

I enjoy both Sims, each has it's place for different reasons and everyone has a favorite and they're usually rather passionate in that respect and that's great. I don't care one way or the other who flies what or why really. . .FS9 will be around for a long time to come as will FSX and as great as folks can make FS9 look, it won't ever compare, overall, to FSX.
 
with the right addons, FS9 can look pretty darn close to FSX imo. But then again, i still haven't installed my copy of FSX yet.

I'm very happy w/ my FS9 setup, and as everyone else has said, it runs butter smooth...and that is VERY important for a simulator (i can't stand low FPS)

I do have the hardware to run FSX smooth, but i just dont have the time to re-invest into tweaking...etc. Besides FS9, i play other games as well (currently going through ARMA II...amazing game!)

these are all unedited shots:

fs9_airports_02.JPG


fs9_baron_03.JPG


fs9_baron_04.JPG


fs9_bf109k_03.JPG


fs9_f14a_03.JPG


-feng
 
I think, personally, that Feng's rig is proof that FS9 can be made 'better' then stock FSX. FSX has better ground resolution and better materials (real time rendering with bump mapping, specular mapping, extreme reflections), but FS9 can run with the ball without stuttering on modern computers.


Bill
 
If you are talking about FS9 with addons it is only fair to compare it to FSX with similar addons. Obviously FS9 with hundreds of dollars of enhancements will be better than FSX stock. How many of us here are running FSX stock though?

I've not seen anything in FS9 that looks as good as the combo of the orbx regions and REX. Even GEX and REX make a formidable pair.
 
Agreed, Kiwikat...but we are no longer talking about hundreds of dollars of addons...many FS9 products are being offered at deep discounts on the many FS sites; As well as the fact that my FS9 rig cost about $700, as opposed to $1500-2000 for a quality FSX setup.....or more, if you want FS9 performance. I have seen, tried, and tested the more expensive OTS rigs, and not seen the claimed performance numbers many in the FSX community are talking about. Not necessarily doubting what you are saying, but I think a year or two more before it really starts to level off. Maybe windows 7 will be the golden parachute...
 
I am in the same boat as Feng....I love the way my FS9 looks right now and how smooth it is.
 
Personally, I just wish that people would stop comparing the two sims. We all know that they're completely different animals, so comparison is really a waste of good flying time.

For many reasons, you've made a choice between them. Can't you be happy with that?
If you really can't choose, then do as I do -- install both, but know that they're not the same nor ever shall be.

Why worry about what can't be changed? Just go land on a carrier - sideways!

Dave
 
I for one could never run high detail clouds and photo scenery in FSX, but I can in FS9. And FS9 runs it smoothly. Kiwikat isn't revealing that he has a computer that can run it at near 100 FPS. A very rare rig.
 
dhazelgrove said:
Personally, I just wish that people would stop comparing the two sims. We all know that they're completely different animals, so comparison is really a waste of good flying time.
Dave
Click to expand...
That's a good thought.
I reinstated FSX to have a crack at Dino's F14 and moving carriers, but that's all. I'll put it back again one day for the next trick...

Now I'm off to do some scenic shots in FS9, just the way I like 'em. ;)

EDIT: Nice shots feng, I must get Active Sky sooner rather than later...
 
Hey Feng,

My FS9 looks pretty tame compared to yours, I realise I may have the same mesh and scenery as you but what are your display settings do you use in FS9.

Do you mind sharing that info?

Thanks
 
I have so much invested in FS9 it simply insn't feasible these days to go down the FSX route. I have FSX and out of the box it looks awful. Performance issues aside I'd have to spend hundreds to get it to do what my FS9 install does.......

kurt
 
Richard Westcott said:
Hey Feng,

My FS9 looks pretty tame compared to yours, I realise I may have the same mesh and scenery as you but what are your display settings do you use in FS9.

Do you mind sharing that info?

Thanks
Click to expand...

get FS Elemental. The clouds are gorgeous! But you'll need a powerful graphics card. These clouds at at 5 megs each!

then set Active Sky on maximum - high layer count, small separation between layers, and maximum cloud height

rest are:

- GE Pro
- FS Genesis
- All FS9 maxed out
- UT
- FS Elemental lighting (the env_*.bmps)
- Bananabob's environment map

-feng
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top