Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Reviewed for: FS2024
Add-ons: BATC, GSX Pro, GFX, Global Shipping '24
When SimPixel’s Naples first released, it seemed to get a lot of hate from the community. Whether this was justified or not is something I’ll discuss later in this review but it’s worth noting that SimPixel is part of the dev team that comprised RDPresets, which shut up shop in 2024. I suspect some of the negativity is due to RDPresets having done Naples in 2022, with many presumably feeling its spiritual successor is cashing in on an old idea.
DETAIL
There is no doubt the much older RDPresets Naples retains some detail advantages over its newer sibling but, overall, I feel I made the right decision in selecting the more recent version. RDP’s looks awful at night (thanks to some garishly dodgy 2D window overlays), whereas SimPixel’s looks typical FS2024 quality.
First thing you’ll likely notice on arrival is the quality of the ground textures — they’re a huge win for SimPixel, being some of the best I’ve seen. They feature a good degree of weathering and the ground markings are muted enough to give the impression of wear and tear. Just as in reality, the various repairs and resurfacing jobs create a visual treat comparable to a patchwork quilt. It really is quite a sight, made even better by the inclusion of some superb PBR effects. Airfield lighting is default, with the exception of the bespoke runway/taxiway edge lights.
The apron contains a fair smattering of static GSE (nothing animated here), most of it custom. There’s probably a bit too much repetition but the quality is reasonable. There are also static aircraft, representative of carriers seen at the real airport, but it’s a pain that they can’t be removed (the dev has promised to include a toggle option in a future update but so far, it’s not materialised). There’s no support for Nool or Aerosoft VDGS so I guess you’d have to use GSX if you wanted that feature.
The terminal is modelled averagely but, like everything in this scenery, it looks fab at night. It has a pretty basic interior; sans passengers but otherwise just enough to give the impression of life when you’re peering in from the flightdeck. The numerous Aegean Airlines posters look very out of place: I don’t recall the exact route they advertise but it’s not one from this airport! Another thing I find quite puzzling is the intricate exterior roof detail, which is repeated across nearly all airside buildings. RDPresets’ Naples had the black/yellow pax barriers leading from the gate doors to the aircraft access paths but, sadly, SimPixel chose not to model them.
The terminal’s landside is fully modelled and contains a mix of default and custom assets. All vehicles are custom but, again, there’s noticeable repetition. The building’s main landside foyer has internal development but it really has been given the bare minimum. A least we get a handful of people outside but I’d like to see more in the way of signage. I do like the custom street-lighting, which has been placed not only here but in abundance around the airfield’s entire perimeter. There are a small number of Asobo globes floating around but they’re far enough away from the action not to cause anxiety. Speaking of the perimeter, we get an all-encompassing boundary fence, even if it is only a default asset.
Another plus-point for SimPixel is the attention paid to peripheral airfield buildings/structures. There’s plenty to explore and, thankfully, much of it has been finished to a decent standard. There are even a few bits and pieces outside the perimeter fence, including numerous fully modelled perimeter roads (complete with the aforementioned streetlights). A slight let-down is that some vehicles and small buildings are either stuck inside one another, or in bits of surrounding PG.
The airfield sits quite nicely with its photogrammetry surroundings. Some of the reviews criticised the destroyed PG around the airport but I’ve since found out this is an Asobo issue and nothing to do with the SimPixel.
PERFORMANCE
RDPs airports had a history of being quite demanding on hardware (Naples was one of the worst offenders, apparently) but I’ve not noticed any problems with this scenery. I do have a pretty high-spec machine, though, so your mileage may vary. It’s one of Italy’s busiest airports and is right in the middle of a dense PG area — two factors not really conducive to stellar performance on less capable machines.
VERDICT
While SimPixel’s LIRN has some annoying omissions — made more annoying by the fact that they were included in a related product three years its senior — I’m confident it beats its previous incarnation. The ground textures and night-lighting are infinitely better and it’s therefore pretty easy to overlook much of what’s missing. That said, there are a few issues that are more than just minor irritations — the worst being the non-toggleable static aircraft, which render quite a few stands unusable (for both player and AI aircraft). The terminal is too basic for a £20 airport, with some pretty generic/sterile textures staring you in the face when parked on stand. If they’d put as much effort into the terminal’s airside façade as they did its roof, I doubt I’d be moaning too much. The older RDP version arguably has some details that really should have made the jump to this project, if only to avoid the unflattering comparison.
But there is plenty to like about this airport, which leads me to conclude that the animosity directed towards it on release was the result of a few small complaints that snowballed out of control. Too much word of mouth and not enough hands-on experience. Sure, it’s not Jo Erlend or MK quality but it generally looks good and the level of detail across the airfield is remarkably consistent. Some of the hangars and office buildings look stunning (oddly, much better than parts of the main terminal) and have weathering effects to match. The same can be said of the ground textures, which (to reiterate) are truly impressive. Then there’s the amazing night-lighting, which extends to the facility’s perimeter. I must also mention Asobo, whose PG puts a tasty little cherry on top of what is a pretty attractive cake. They’re also responsible for faithfully recreating some pretty hairy terrain around the airport, including the infamous Mount Vesuvius. In fact, the approaches are very much dictated by the nature of the terrain.
So, should you buy SimPixel’s Naples? I suspect it’s a tough sell if you already own RDP’s, particularly given the high asking price and the lack of some details the older scenery includes. But if you’re currently Naples-less (or should that be, Napless?!) and want the best version… SimPixel have you covered. It’s on offer at the moment, 30% off an IniBuilds.
Finally, I just want to mention the most recent changelog, which upgraded it to v1.0.1. This cannot be found on either IniBuilds or the Marketplace, making it very frustrating to keep track of what’s happening. I imagine some of the initial complaints were valid before they put out this patch.
v1.0.1
Added north parking
Added runway slope
Improved textures on ATC tower
Improved textures on terminal building (ongoing)
Resolved elevation issues and artefacts
Various small fixes
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