Aircraft used: ATR, PMDG 738
Live weather: on
I had planned to complete my French airports collection by buying BMOTW’s Marseille in the last sale… until RDPresets threw a spanner in the works by dropping theirs for PC! Confident it would appear on Xbox at some point, I delayed my purchase in order to compare the two versions at a later date.
I was VERY apprehensive about buying this airport since their last (Stuttgart) is supposedly a resource hog, not only on Xbox but on PC too. BMOTW’s version didn’t help matters as it turns out there’s no promo video for it, so I had to go off screenshots alone for the comparison. It was immediately obvious that BMOTW’s version — which is now v2 — has more custom static objects, such as the correct fuel trucks and city buses. However RD’s to me looked better detailed overall, and with only a pound in it (RD’s being the more expensive), I opted for theirs. It was a tough call with BMOTW’s having been recently updated — perhaps owners of that version can chime in and let me know how they feel that version compares?
DETAIL
99% of everything modelled features high-res textures. The terminal building I think is the best I’ve ever seen — it has a real air of authenticity and despite never having been to Marseille, it’s obvious they’ve recreated its airport faithfully and intricately. Of particular note is the terminal roof — an area many devs choose not to pay much attention to but here, we have every duct, stairway, pipe… you name it! The metallic textures are first-class and are repeated elsewhere across the airfield, adorning other structures.
The terminal interior is fabulous, being very nearly fully modelled. The main public concourse is a little more sparse than the airside areas but still contains some nice detail — all done using high-res textures, of course! Moving airside, this is where the fun starts! We don’t get animated passengers here but we do get an absolute TON of static people — probably the most I’ve ever seen in a MSFS terminal interior! There are also static people landside, although nowhere near as many.
The terminal landside is superb. Again, one of the best; if not THE best. Everything is modelled: roads, ramps, car-parks, roundabouts, signs, billboards, static vehicles (which are about the only objects NOT done in high-res), etc. And the detail continues well away from the terminal… it just seems to go on and on, and on! Admittedly the modelling gets a little more basic the further landside you move but the texture quality remains high.
The ground textures are another standout feature of this scenery, being mostly very sharp and well executed. There are countless repair patches and you can clearly see where taxiways and bits of the apron have been added or resurfaced over the years. The ground markings are stunning, being just the right colours to reflect wear and tear and the effects of the Mediterranean sun (i.e. not too bright and new-looking). There are a few lower-res textures in some places and they do actually look quite blurry close-up, but it’s something I’m willing to let slip given the quality of everything else.
Before I move on to performance, I’d just like to highlight a few things I either don’t like, or feel could have been done better. Firstly, the apron clutter, while plentiful, is majority default (which is where the BMOTW version winds, as previously mentioned). I’d like to have seen more custom GSE to better match the real airport. Secondly, there are several vehicles landside that are either floating or have their wheels embedded in the ground. There’s also a very prominent building by the control tower that’s airborne (but not by much). Lastly, there’s a very minor bump in the taxiway not too far from the RWY13L. I very much doubt it’s there in reality but, to be fair, it causes only a very small, barely noticeable bounce (it won’t cause any damage if you have the realism set high).
PERFORMANCE
The biggest cause of my apprehension prior to purchase and installation — not helped by my first spawning in the PMDG 738 causing immediate black screens!
However every flight before and since (in both the ATR and 738) has been successful, even with lots of panning around in external view. On my first arrival I took the drone out for 30 minutes once parked and periodically returned to the flightdeck to check the screens. All good, until about the 40th minute when I decided to enter the terminal… and got black screens! But in all fairness I continued to look around and not one texture dropped or distorted, and it didn’t crash. I’ve since had the drone out frequently, for a several minutes at a time, and I’ve experienced no issues.
I find this level of performance commendable. Not totally flawless, but about the best you’re going to get at this level of detail. It’s impressive and I’ve quickly built my confidence in this scenery — sure, it will black screen EVENTUALLY with too much drone use but I honestly was prepared for far worse stability.
Performance is perhaps the scenery’s weakest point — though that’s not to say it’s particularly weak. I do get a bit of stuttering in the vicinity of the terminal building, even in cockpit, but it’s not immersion-destroying. I’ve seen worse. Besides, changing your view slightly seems to get rid of it and I have at times managed to taxi around without much stuttering at all.
VERDICT
Before purchasing LFML I had only one RDPresets airport: Bergen. A very good airport but it does have greater stability issues than Marseille, despite being nowhere near as detailed. Marseille is something else; on another level. It seems to me that RD are another dev who’re beginning to find their feet in the MSFS world, optimisation-wise — although I’m not sure whether that started with Stuttgart or this latest product. Either way, LFML takes their earlier work and builds on it so massively that it’s now barely recognisable — I’d really like to give Stuttgart a go since it’s a similarly sized airport with a similar level of detail.
To cut to the chase, I’m finding LFML an amazing piece of scenery. It feels incredibly authentic with its superlative level of, and careful attention to, detail. There wasn’t a single area of the airfield I visited with the drone where I didn’t find something that made me feel I’d made the correct decision in selecting the RD version.
Stability isn’t 100% but it’s as good as when you consider what’s on offer here. It looks like you really have to push it with the drone to trigger even black screens. I’m confident that, for normal, everyday flying in and out, it’s going to be absolutely fine.
It’s definitely an easy airport to recommend on console, even if you’ve little interest in this area of Europe. There are a small number of easily-fixed flaws that are perhaps a bit careless but they’re pretty insignificant.
To add that extra cherry on top, the photogrammetry in the area is decent and compatibility with LVFR’s static aircraft is great.
IMAGES
Two trucks occupying the same space!
Floating cars.
And cars submerged in concrete!
A floating building — and it is unfortunately a prominent one, right next to the tower.
