Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
I first saw previews of this project a good few weeks back and thought it looked quite nice, without being anything special. Was my initial assessment well-founded?
DETAIL
My initial assessment couldn’t have been more wrong! That said, those images were pre-release and it looks as though quite a bit’s been added to the final product.
Detail across the board is stunning. There isn’t really a lot more to say and I’ll (mostly) let the images below do the talking. Texturing is incredible, though moving away from the airport it does get a little more basic.
No stone has been left unturned, airside or landside; inside or out. My only (minor) gripes are the lack of people landside, and the dev’s choice to use those blurry, default car models. Everything else is spot-on. Ground markings are good, and the apron GSE is plentiful, varied and, most importantly, almost entirely bespoke.
There’s a lot of custom vegetation included, some of which is unique to the island of Madeira, and it’s been pretty faithfully recreated (if not with a touch of repetition). There’s a load of detail on both approaches, and up the hill that straddles the field’s northern boundary — and although some of it is generic, it is at least custom generic. The terraforming is excellent, with very few mismatched areas.
A final mention: the unique lead-in strobe lights for RWY05 have been included.
PERFORMANCE
LPMA isn’t a large airport by any means but it does frequently see a busy ramp, so it came as a pleasant surprise to find that performance is flawless (on my system).
VERDICT
I actually visited LPMA last June, specifically for aircraft photography, so I’m pretty familiar with the airport and its surroundings. This package virtually put me right back there, and a lot of the local landmarks I immediately tried to seek out are present. I can only really find one missing from the airport’s immediate vicinity, however the building itself is custom-modelled with a reasonable level of accuracy.
I have never used Amsim’s version but it’s old now and appears to have been abandoned. Atelic’s version is undoubtedly much better — a fact that can easily be deduced from the promo images alone.
For a debut scenery, from a company that only properly set up shop in 2023, this is extremely impressive stuff. I don’t recall any dev whose first MSFS release was in this quality ballpark. Yes, it’s not perfect, but the flaws are extremely minor and hopefully Atelic will be keen to keep on top of updates based on community feedback.
If you want the best Funchal in the sim, it’s gotta be this one. It’s one of the most difficult real-world approaches, only performed by captains with special training — so this scenery has a lot going for it, even if you’ve little interest in the island.
I’m looking forward to what Atelic bring us next, and hope they make a truly memorable debut by continually making improvements to LPMA. It really doesn’t need many but I’d love to see this new dev demonstrate their commitment.
IMAGES
You may notice a garish pink handrail atop the wall of the airside viewing balcony, which seems to be some sort of conflict. Hopefully I can get an answer direct from the developer…
