When you are flying/playing with your AI, do you?

[Ford Friendly]

This is "scenery design related" in that it's a question relating to interest.

While designing my own Severomorsk afcad and airport area, I took a long look at the FSX implementation of the Kola peninsula region (Murmansk, Archangelsk, Severomorks and Polyarnyy) and compared it to Google satellite imagery. Just like a guy who provided a new FSX landclass bgl for the Kaliningrad area (available on avsim) found, MS and UT both seem to have missed out on what would be an interesting area to fly in - for me at least. The land class is way out of whack, the cities are undeveloped, the shipyards non-existent - heck, there wasn't even 1 of the two airfields that are in Severomorsk.

The area in question is home to numerous major Naval installations but a limited number of airports - military or civilian. Otoh, the numerous shipyards and opportunities for moving/static naval scenery objects - ships, subs, bouys, etc - lends itself to something I'd fly in just for the novelty sake. Add to that that the area has a highly irregular coastline - think Norwegian fjords - and it's a very flyable area.

So, the question is, if there is/was a fairly detailed area like this - with associated ai and flightplans (sar's, asw and fighter/bomber stuff)------ do/would you fly in it? One of the considerations here is the remoteness of the area. So, it's pretty much a "self-contained" scenery area - even in real life there are 2-3 hour flights to get "anywhere else".

Or do most of you "plane spot" your AI, develop, do installations - but not really just go out and fly/explore the FS world?

I'm just curious.

Ford

(Note: I got disgusted with the area quickly and have begun to redevelop it... starting of course with SbuilderX/landclassing.)

[petebramley]

Hi Ford

Being an ex matelot the areas I would most likely visit are those that figured during my military career. This area being the home of the Russian(USSR) Northern fleet would definitely be an area of interest. This is the area from which the TU95 Bears that occasionally buzzed us came from and where the various subs that we chased were based. My ship visited both Murmansk and Archangelsk during the 50th anniversary of the northern convoys and I found the locals very friendly and phenomenal drinkers (Having dropped most of a bottle of the local vodka one gent still refused to admit there was a navy base next door ).

I reckon that anybody with a military background will be interested in what the other side have to offer even if its only guesswork (ekranoplan anybody?).

As to whether Ms or UT will ever catch up with Google or the real thing then we will have to wait for FS X+??
As real as it gets will have to wait until the hardware can keep up and data is less restricted.

On a final point "If you create it then I'll fly it"

RGDS

[Ford Friendly]

Umm, what is a "matelot"?

[mr.bean]

So, the question is, if there is/was a fairly detailed area like this - with associated ai and flightplans (sar's, asw and fighter/bomber stuff)------ do/would you fly in it? One of the considerations here is the remoteness of the area. So, it's pretty much a "self-contained" scenery area - even in real life there are 2-3 hour flights to get "anywhere else".

I'm just curious.

Ford

I would fly in it.

[Firebird]

Umm, what is a "matelot"?

Its a British term used for sailors in the Navy.
Its origins I believe are from either French or Dutch and I think it meant, literally, bedmate. Due to the cramped living conditions they endured.

[Ford Friendly]

Strange the things that catch my attention and interest now. I used to just fire FS up and fly. Now I find that I pay a lot more attention to sceneries than I used to - especially if I have any familiarity with the area. I don't need or look for 100% accuracy by any means, but straight edge coastlines that extend for an unusual length, for instance, drive me batty and I fire up SBuilderX to try to fix it on the spot --- which tends to end the flying at least for a couple hours. Lol!

Trying to "convert" or adapt really nice FS9 sceneries is something that slows down the "straight flight" hours also.

Anyway, thanks for the replies.

[Greg]

Umm, what is a "matelot"?

Its a British term used for sailors in the Navy.
Its origins I believe are from either French or Dutch and I think it meant, literally, bedmate. Due to the cramped living conditions they endured.

Both languages, actually

The word "matelot" is French and means "sailor" in English. It's also the lowest rank in the French and Belgian (Frenchspeaking) Navy.

But the origin of the French word "matelot" is Middle Dutch: "mattenoot". It's a composition of "matte" which means "mattress" and "genoot" which means "mate". So mattress mate or bedmate, like Steve said.

Sorry for the hijack, Ford

Greg

[ronniegj]

I spend way too much time downloading sceneries of places I've never been to or will never visit, except in FS. I love these details, the more realistic the better, but even generally accurate is ok with me. I'll fly there, and start following AI that fly into or out of areas that have upgraded scenery far more often than un-upgraded areas.

In the early days of my AI following, which began shortly after I upgraded the basic scenery (you know, mesh and texture/landclass, and then photoreal) I had maps handy, and much enjoyed the substitue for the traveling that I would never be able to do in real life. Some of the limited traveling in real life that I have been able to do, has been enhanced by prior visits in FS. Understand, I'm gettin' pretty old and mobility impared, so this really is my best option, and I feel it pays off, both in enjoyment, and occasionally in providing a sense of comfort that comes from a basic familarity that I derive from upgraded scenery in FS. (An example, for whatever reason, I had always been a little confused and disoriented whenever I passed through DFW, however, after installing several scenery upgrades, and the photoreal Mega Scenery of the area, the last couple of times that I passed through, I was completely oriented to the airport, and the terminal, to include an absolute understanding of where I was going on the terminal rail system between the various quadrants of the terminal which it served - very important to an old guy who moves pretty slow, and has a relatively short layover!)

By all means do the general area scenery upgrade of the area mentioned, and you can be sure that I, and others like me, will make it our business to fly the area to enjoy your work, and the vicarious thrill of the visit to and area otherwise to be never visited. An example - The Rio scenery upgrade has resulted in me making many flight, to both sight see the area, and to try my hand at making successful t/o's and landings at neary all of the airfields in the general area, and as a result, I've made extensive searches for scenery upgrades for each and every one of this that I'm able to find. This has resulted in a payoff regarding MAIW released, which visit (thanks to the SA C-130 packages, etc) many of these locations, and add to the general enjoyment when the destinations are more than mearly MS generic bland. You are adding immeasurably to the enjoyment of many when you take the time and have the interest to do scenery upgrades that would seem to be out of the mainstream, and will ensure that the area will be visited, when otherwise would never be, and as an added bonus, you will greatly please any flightsimmer who happen to live in the area - I'd bet a bunch that there are at lest a few!

Ron

[mr.bean]

British term used for sailors in the Navy.

I was thinking about that, and I didn't tell Ford!!!!!! DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[petebramley]

Gentlemen

Thank you for the information on the origins of "Matelot", 24 years sailing the ocean blue and that never came "it just was".

Any day when something new is learned is a good day.