Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
IniBuilds sort of broke the mould a little bit with this one, introducing a high-detail rendition of a relatively busy airport in an unsurprisingly neglected part of the world. So, how did they do?
DETAIL
Nothing short of fantastic. I’ll keep this quite brief as there’s not really a lot more I can add. All building exteriors are beautifully textured, and the terminal features an extremely detailed partial interior (certainly more than enough to satisfy anyone curious enough to be looking in from the flightdeck of a parked airliner — despite being only partial, it’s still pretty extensive). Ground textures across the board, from the apron to the runway, are excellent — as is the amount of highly-detailed custom ground clutter. IniBuilds are known for their landsides and HKJK doesn’t disappoint — fully modelled and featuring every custom asset you’d want or expect to see — including static people, most of whom are black (as you’d expect in this part of the world — it’s seemingly insignificant details like this that can end up making a big difference when it comes to immersion).
The detail doesn’t stop at the airport perimeter fence, and the good news is that the quality doesn’t take the typical tumble as you move away from the more prominent areas.
PERFORMANCE
As I approached the airport from the north, on my first flight into here, I was struck by how smooth everything was. I fully expected a few stutters as more of the airport came into view but the entire landing and taxi to gate was buttery smooth — in fact, noticeably smoother than other Ini airports with the same or less detail. However, before I praise Ini too much for this achievement, it may be worth noting that there’s no PG here, with Africa generally being much less detailed and resource-hungry than the likes of Western Europe, the US and Australasia. Even so, I’m still impressed, given the sheer quality of the detail within the airport’s perimeter. To add, I have pretty heavy FSLTL traffic permanently running, although Nairobi isn’t super-busy by European or North American standards.
VERDICT
I have oft heard it said in these forums that Ini are an average developer. I’m not sure how many more incredible airports they have to produce to get the attention and praise they deserve but Nairobi is yet another fine addition to their legacy product line. It’s unusual for me not to find a single thing to moan about in a third-party airport but it’s becoming a more regular occurrence in the later half of 2024 — I honestly can’t find anything that’s genuinely worthy of criticism.
Hats off to the team for taking the chance on one of the sim’s lesser-known/visited regions. It’s great to see some rather exotic airliners upon landing, that aren’t typical of what you’d see in the more popular countries. And despite there being no PG or custom landmarks in the immediate area, the African plains look surprisingly good.
Worth noting that Ini offer a free Kenyan safari pack, which of course makes a great companion product for Jomo Kenyatta. It’s just a shame all flights from Nairobi to these locations operate from Wilson airport, but I guess we can’t have it all…
IMAGES
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