Xbox Series X review: SLH Sim Designs' Terrance B. Lettsome TUPJ

Aircraft used: ATR, BlackBox Simulation BN-2 / Shorts 360

This developer sort of sits on the periphery but I now own the majority of his airports (he’s a one-man band), simply because I was so impressed with my first purchase (St. Kitts Robert L. Bradshaw). Like most Caribbean airports, the British Virgin Islands’ primary gateway is named after a local politician. Let’s see how SLH did with it…

DETAIL

Fantastically detailed, right across the airfield. I will say, right off the bat, that there isn’t a great deal of modelling beyond the perimeter fence (this applies to all SLH’s airports) but what’s contained within is excellent. Superb terminal (with populated interior — though the arrivals areas aren’t modelled due to security issues), great ground textures and a decent amount of custom ground clutter on the apron. The terminal landside is extremely well done, featuring custom roads (that extend some way back from the terminal) and markings, static and animated cars (more on the animated examples later), lamp-posts, signs, vegetation, etc. It really captures the feel of a small international airport in the Caribbean.

Texturing is high-res throughout, with very few lower res examples to be found.

Now, I know I said there isn’t a lot modelled away from the terminal but we do get a few static marine vessels (no night lighting though — you might want to check out Seafront Sims’ Vessels: Virgin Islands pack for that) in the bay at the RWY25 end. We also get a couple of guys relaxing at the waterfront, next to their truck and an old wooden rowing boat, at the opposite end.

The animated cars I was on about earlier look to be Suzuki Swifts, and are either red or white. They traverse the airfield perimeter before pulling up to the barrier at the airport entrance (which actually opens to let them through). They then proceed to the terminal entrance and stop momentarily, before driving away again. The animations are smooth and convincing but, oddly, their wheels don’t turn. A minor complaint, however, and you’re unlikely to notice unless you scrutinise at close range.

PERFORMANCE

International airports in the Caribbean tend not to be particularly large but, with this level of detail, I did expect minor stability issues. But, to my surprise, this airport is 100% stable. I’ve actually tried to trigger black screens but it’s having none of it! Performance is also brilliant, with absolutely no stuttering.

VERDICT

Although I have a few very minor complaints, this is an excellent piece of scenery. The only thing I’d perhaps like to see in future is the addition of surrounding features but we do get a few bits and pieces, like the boats in the bay and the guys chilling out at the opposite end. Xbox users would no doubt benefit from a couple of static aircraft, however it’s completely understandable why the dev has chosen not to include them (PC owners tend to be opposed to the idea).

If you want a really high quality airport, for short hops around the eastern Caribbean, this is a great buy. It’s not at all far from St. Maarten, St. Barths and Saba (all nicely modelled in one of the USA World Updates) and SLH offers several other airports in the region. Add in Seafront’s Virgin Islands pack and you have a very immersive tropical experience.

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Thanks again for all your very helpful reviews! I’ve really read all of them in the last few weeks. It’s a lot of work. But it helps a lot. I’ll be prepared for the sale, which is probably coming up after the next WU.:grin:

That’s a good point, stuff relative to each new WU gets discounted to coincide with the release. I expect it won’t be long till SLH’s airports are again on offer…

The next major sale I think will be Easter.

I’ve been really impressed with SLH. While his work isn’t THE most detailed I’ve seen, it ranks very high on the list; and the stability is superlative. With the exception of Airworthy Designs (whose stuff is abandonware), no one makes comparable airports in the Caribbean.

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Been flying into this airport a lot lately and realised there are a couple of things I failed to point out in my initial review, relating to the immersion at night…

There are custom animated vans as well as cars, although they do not pull up at the terminal drop-off area. Last night, as I made my approach to RWY07, I was quite amazed at how good the little headlights looked as I came over the perimeter road. Despite the vehicle wheels not turning, it’s not noticeable at night, and the animations are just so smooth. I was also reminded that the airfield lighting is that that illuminates the ground in its immediate vicinity — it’s a very subtle effect but looks really good.

This might be a relatively insignificant little airport, off the beaten track, but I’d certainly place it somewhere in my top 15 for console. If the dev included more of the surroundings, I’m sure it would climb even higher!