Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Reviewed for: FS2024 (native version)
Add-ons: FS Traffic, GSX Pro
DETAIL
I normally like to use an airport for a few flights before penning a review but in this case, I’ve been able to make some pretty succinct conclusions in mere minutes: the chief one unfortunately being that this add-on is best avoided.
The scenery’s greatest strength is its ground textures but ‘greatest’ doesn’t mean ‘great’ and they’re at best the good side of average for a 2025 scenery (which this native version is). There’s a fair bit of custom GSE lying around across the various aprons but it’s quite repetitive, with only a handful of different models. Some of this GSE is animated but one particular asset (a baggage cart) is so jerky that you’ll wonder if its fps reaches the number of digits present on one hand! Taxiway edge lighting is custom but approach lights are default and carelessly placed, with some sunken so deeply into the ground that you can’t even see them! I did wait a good few seconds to see if they’d correct themselves but… they didn’t.
The terminal building actually features some reasonably weathered texturing but the LOD doesn’t work effectively and structures look empty (and in some cases, totally featureless) until you’re right on top of them. Great if you like looking at a bunch of plain polygons, I suppose…
The terminal landside is so tragic, you can’t really help but laugh. It’s a total botch job that mixes sloppy custom modelling with default satellite imagery. Nothing fits with anything else, and the number of serious terrain anomalies is disturbing. There’s not even been any effort to hide or otherwise tidy up any of this unsightly mess. At least the ramps and roadways immediately outside the terminal entrances/exits are properly modelled — and a few custom vehicles ensure the area is not totally devoid of life —but the resolution is perhaps questionable. Speaking of resolution, it’s just too low in many key areas, making the whole airport feel more like something out of FSX than a product designed for a cutting edge simulator.
In the airport’s peripheral areas, the modelling at least remains consistent but that observation probably shouldn’t be mistaken for a compliment. There exist bits of perimeter fence but, like a lot in this scenery, they’re mismatched and don’t fit snugly together. The abundance of default ground imagery in areas where it really ought not be does a fab job of ruining any immersion this scenery might otherwise have offered.
Finally, night-lighting… which is a joke. If you thought Aerosoft’s LIMC looked FSX-like by day, wait till you see it at night! I mean, it’s cool if you like that 1990s retro game look but for anyone seriously seeking immersion, you won’t want to fly here after dusk.
PERFORMANCE
Finding positive things to say about LIMC is quite hard but performance is decent for an airport of this size. That said, given the overall lack of detail, is that surprising?
VERDICT
I consider myself a good researcher when it comes to buying MSFS airports and so I rarely end up with a product I’m flat out disappointed with. Sure, I still buy scenery that I find has slightly disappointing aspects but any niggles are usually outweighed by positives. In this case, however, the few positives are nowhere near capable of glossing over the almighty flaws. The good ground textures, custom taxiway edge lights and animated apron traffic can’t divert attention away from the frankly sloppy workmanship that’s on show throughout this scenery. If you find one area you feel is salvageable, it’ll be spoiled by a complete mess just a few pixels away.
If you REALLY need LIMC, it’s probably your best option (which says a lot about the competition!). It’s not all bad but, as I said above, every pro is bogged down by 2-3 cons. I just didn’t get that kick of pleasure I typically get when flying into and viewing a new airport for the first time. From the moment I touched down, I was disappointed; and became more and more disappointed as I moved the drone across the airfield.
It’s a real shame as a good LIMC is desperately needed in the sim. Sadly, it looks like we’re going to have to keep waiting… and hoping.
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