Mega Airport Heathrow Questions

[Number Six 0]

hello,

I have some questions about the Mega Airport heathrow scenery, and I would appreciate if someone could answer them for me:

-I intend to use AES with the scenery (assuming it's compatible), so obviously the default fsx airport vehicle traffic will be redundant. Is it possible to enable FSX airport vehicles, but have them disabled just at this airport (so I can still use them at other airports)

-Will there be updates regularly to reflect considerable changes in the airport (T1/2 demolished, new buildings etc....)?

-Does this scenery run at lower frame rates than the competing Heathrow Xtreme scenery from Gary Summons?

-Do you have the option to get rid of annoyances that tend to come with sceneries, like static aircraft?

-Is the scenery fully compatible with default FSX vehicles (pushbackn trucks at the correct positions, not too far forward preventing parking etc)?

-With AES, is it possible to have two jetways dock at specific gates (for A380 etc)?

Thank you in advance for your help!

EDIT: I posted this here before, but it was moved. I was told to post this here again.

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

Most developers do the airports as they are at the time of development so usually they don't keep updating them.

As to whether it runs at a lower frame rate than the other scenery you would need to find someone who has used them both.

Most installers usually give the option not to install static aircraft if you dont want them.

3rd party scenery normally comes with its own AFCADs so pushback is normally from the parking positions.

As for any AES questions these should be put on the AES Forum.

[Number Six 0]

hello,

Thanks for your help. Regarding scenery updates, is that a definite no then?

I checked this review:

http://www.flightsim.com/main/review/heathrow/heathrow.htm

And it says:

One of the most interesting sections of the manual relates to future updates, which will apparently keep pace with the building work which is planned at Heathrow - over the next few years, terminal 2 and parts of terminal 1 will be demolished and the scenery will be updated to reflect this.

[Number Six 0]

I've installed the software by the way, and have noticed I have version 1.0. Do I need to install then any of the 3 patches for FS9, or for FSX?

EDIT: It does btw, seem to run considerably better than Gary Summon's scenery....

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

I would install the patches if they are required.

As for the Heathrow updates then this must be something they are then planning to do.

[Number Six 0]

Thanks, I'll do that.

I am having a problem by the way with this scenery. It seems the only reason it performs so well is there are many objects that simply don't appear until you get very close. I understand this is intended, as written in the manual, but it is far more pronounced than I would hav expected. I get 'popping' all over the place. Is there any way I can reduce this effect (even at the cost of FPS)?

I'm also finding now that after installing the scenery, I find there are aircraft shadows on the tarmac whereever I am. These move as I move my aircraft. They dissappear after a few seconds. And ideas on how to fix this?

[Number Six 0]

Here is a picture btw of the shadow problem:

I'm sorry for the small size, but the shadows are normally much bigger and clearer.

Why are there aircraft parked on the taxiways too?

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

Which sim do you refer to!

Not much you can do about the scenery popping up I'm afraid to say.

Also how do you mean parked on the Taxiways your picture doesn't show any!

[Number Six 0]

Hello Number Six,

Which sim do you refer to!

FSX. I don't think I get it in FS9.

Not much you can do about the scenery popping up I'm afraid to say.

Isn't there a value I can change in a cfg somewhere? I know MS have a similar thing for fsx in general, the setting for which you can change. It's very unrealistic to have entire buildings, vehicles etc pop out right in front of you.

Also how do you mean parked on the Taxiways your picture doesn't show any!

Sorry I wasn't clear. If you look at the aircraft on the furthest right, this is an example. I'll try and dig out more pics.

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

Not sure which setting you mean in the fsx.cfg but you could try looking here for ways to optimise it.

To the far right I dont see any aircraft parked on the taxiways as such but on the aprons..

[Number Six 0]

hello,

I'll upload another pic soon to make it clearer. Regarding the tweak, I was referring to this:

"[sCENERY]

SmallPartRejectRadius=x "

I know from experience that this applies to all objects in fsx in general. Will tweaking this get rid of the popping in the aerosoft scenery though?

Have you had any ideas about the shadows by the way?

[Number Six 0]

hello,

I get the popping issues in FS9 too, as I've just found. No shadows in FS9 though. No problems with aircraft parking on the taxiway either. Only in FSX:

These were definitely parked, as I could hear no engine sounds when I approached them, and departing/arriving traffic have lights on.

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

I looked at my install of FSX and dont see the shadows you do!

As for the parking on the taxiway, seems the AI is at conflict.

After starting FSX and going to the airport turn the AI to zero percent and then turn it back on again. Sometimes can be caused by planes going to the wrong runway before the real weather is recognised by ATC or could be planes using the wrong taxiway by ATC and causing a blockage as you see here.

But try resetting it to zero then full or whatever percentage you use.

As for the tweak,

A good source says that if you have FSX Sp2 installed then the SmallPartRejectRadius=x is useless and doesn't do anything.

Also looking at the link below, this would not be the fix for your issue seems more like trying to add the Bufferpools entry.

Have a read and see what you think.

http://members.cox.net/spambait/FSXTweakGuide.pdf

[Number Six 0]

hello,

Thanks for your help. Any ideas on what I should do about the shadows then?

WRT to the popping scenery, I found an update to the scenery on the simwings site (v1.1). Where can I download this? It says I must get it from Aerosoft.

WRT the parked aircraft, I've tried resetting the traffic to 0, then 100, but I still get the same problem. It definitely looks like they're parked rather than stuck, as there are no engine sounds, or lights. AFCAD problem?

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

Updates are available at the FAQs/Updates section of www.aerosoft.com it does include in a new AFCAD file for AI for the new terminal.

Regarding the shadows, did you have any other London Airport scenery installed before.

[Number Six 0]

hello,

I found an update for MA heathrow in that part of the site, but is that the HEathrow V1.1 update? It just says "T5 Patch". Nothing to do with the popping scenery fix. It also does not fix the problem I have with the parked aircraft.

Regarding the shadows, yes. I had the UK2000 Heathrow Xtreme demo installed previously, in both sims.

[Number Six 0]

Any ideas?

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

That is for the FS9 version, you should have it installed please check the readme it should say V1.10

The T5 Patch I would advise you to install.

As for the "Popping" you may want to read the pdf document I left the link to.

The shadows may somehow be a remnant of a file from there as its not a common issue with out London Heathrow so you may want to check your setup for erroneous files.

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

I know where your shadows of aircraft are coming from now.

You must be using the new Ultimate Traffic 2, I didn't see them as I was using the original Ultimate Traffic for FSX.

You get aircraft shadows on the ground moving around in groups sometimes all in the wrong places except under the planes.

Best to turn the "Aircraft casts shadows on the ground" off for now in the display menu and they wont show up everywhere.

Flight1 believe they know what may be causing the issue, but then it would be up to the developers of the scenery to see if they may correct the issue.

[Number Six 0]

hello,

Thanks for your replies. Regarding the shadows, no, I am not using UT 2.

I am using My Traffic 5.2(a). It may be worth noting however that some of the models in UT 2 I believe were also used in MTX. The shadows are completely static relative the the aircraft I am flying. Ie, they don't move unless I do, and when they do they move with the same velocity as my aircraft. After a few seconds of them being in frame, they dissappear.

EDIT: It's proving impossible now to replicate the shadow problem, I simply don't get them anymore. Strange. However, regarding the parked aircraft issue, I did find this in FS9:

There was no traffic here, but as I was taxying around randomly, the marshaller popped up. This seems to confirm my idea that these spaces have been set mysteriously as parking. There is more AI traffic in FSX, and these spaces are filled. It appears no traffic comes here in FS9 as there isn't as much traffic to begin with.

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

Yes that the updated MyTraffic.

Are you using AES in FS9 for EGLL.

[Number Six 0]

hello,

I am using AES 2 pre-release in both FSX and FS9. But the dodgy parking positions were there before I installed AES.

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

Can you mention this "Dodgy Parking" in the AES Support Forum please.

Sure Oliver would like to look into this.

[Number Six 0]

OK, sure. But wouldn't it be a scenery issue considering the problem was there before I installed AES?

[Shaun Fletcher 570]

Hello Number Six,

If you disable AES in the scenery library does the marshall on the taxiway disappear!

If so then its very likely to be AES.