First review from me for a while — not been easy to assess anything lately, with all the beta testing going on.
Build: SU14
Aircraft used: PMDG 738, Just Flight 146
Live weather: on
Live/AI traffic: off
Multiplayer: on (all players)
DETAIL
Firstly, it’s important to point out that the marketing spiel states 4K textures, which is NOT the case for the Xbox release.
Detail is, put simply, fantastic. Many textures are of a high resolution (not 4K but very good) but there are also some that are pretty low-res (these tend to be confined to areas you’re not likely to go exploring in detail, however) — presumably the compromise needed to get this running satisfactorily on console.
The terminal features a basic interior which is quite repetitive. But when the rest of the airfield — both airside and landside — looks so pretty, this is an easy flaw to overlook. From the outside, the terminal looks great from all angles, and features exterior details seldom seen in other, highly-detailed sceneries. Fire extinguishers, signs, security cameras, bollards, barriers… you name it, they included it! The airside ground textures (including the taxiways and runway) appear SLIGHTLY lower-res than I’d have liked but they’re certainly decent. Ground markings are very good, without being exceptional. What is exceptional, however, is the detail in the airfield’s grassy areas that surround the aprons and taxiways. Custom vegetation (lots of it, with impressive variety!), terraformed drainage ditches, concrete-mounted steel gate things (no idea what they are exactly but I’ve seen them before — they’re associated with the drainage channels), and other bits and pieces that make looking out the window on arrival here a rather pleasurable and immersive experience.
The apron clutter is superb, featuring all manner of custom GSE vehicles, each textured in high-res.
The landside areas are impressive, too — high-res static vehicles (cars, vans, tour buses, etc.), static people, more custom vegetation, a hotel, etc.
PERFORMANCE/STABILITY
Even with three multiplayer aircraft on the ground, performance was great. No stuttering. Stability is near-perfect too, with only one very brief black-screen incident when the third human player showed up (after three successive trips across the airfield with the drone — and even then, they returned within around 20 seconds!).
VERDICT
Don’t let the lower resolution detail in places put you off — this is an insanely detailed airport that mostly puts the higher-quality texturing in exactly the right places. Coupled with excellent (if not quite perfect) stability, this is a must airport for anyone intent on completing their Aussie airports collection. And even if you’re not, it’s worth a look anyway!
My only complaint is that perhaps a little more surrounding detail could have been included, but there is PG in this area that does a reasonable job of filling in.
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