VRS GeoPack!

[YoYo]

Did You see this:

https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=9500

https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17822

It looks interesing! Just pity than no any 3D object (like factory, air bases ect), so what can I bomb? Texture only? ;>

"VRS GeoPack is a new series of 15 meter resolution IFR (mid to high altitude) pan-sharpened, color balanced satellite imagery designed to cover prolific military theaters of conflict throughout the world. GeoPack is the only scenery currently available for FSX/P3D that covers vast areas of the Middle-East (followed by other areas, including the Korean Peninsula) at this resolution and imaging consistency. Each package also features custom night lighting meticulously crafted by VRS scenery specialist Norman Gibson.

Ideal for Military Ops: GeoPack is perfectly suited to provide maximum performance and visual quality at medium (10K) to high (30K+) altitude over the widest possible range for fast-movers. This scenery is not designed to provide low altitude local (VFR) coverage. VFR scenery can provide higher quality visuals at low altitude, but these are ill-suited to military aircraft which typically travel at faster speeds and higher altitudes than General aviation (GA) or rotorcraft. GeoPack provides "real as it gets" visuals for both solo and multiplayer flight exercises over some of the most historical and currently active military combat zones in the world.

Volume I: Iraq/Kuwait will be the first package available, and covers the countries of Iraq and Kuwait with partial coverage of the Syrian, Jordanian and Saudi borders regions as shown here in pink (https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=15Z7NNaTJoGr_iF2M5BMAG1kmrGk&ll=33.14224452816896%2C41.5&z=5). Total coverage for Vol I (Iraq/Kuwait) is 862,725 km2. Other Middle-Eastern regions, coming soon in Vol II, will cover areas including Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine and the remainder of Syria.
GeoPack Volume I will be licensed as a universal FSX/P3D package and will become available some time in February, 2017. For a limited time, GeoPack Vol: I will be available at the introductory price of $19.95 USD (regularly $24.95 USD).

GeoPack product pages, ordering links and screenshots will be available on launch day. Please be patient as we finish preparing GeoPack for you! If you would like to sign up for our product announcements email list (http://forums.vrsimulations.com/lists/?p=subscribe) (we do not share our mailing list), we will update it as soon as GeoPack Vol I becomes available. Thanks for your patience!"

[YoYo]

RAS (scenery) did quite the some of regions but now with 3D objects (after the upgrade): http://realworldscenery.com/ .

Examle from United Arab Emirates: http://secure.simmarket.com/images/products/2/2d/10736/172323_Screenshot_1.jpg .

http://secure.simmarket.com/realworldscenery.mhtml

[Daube]

15 meters ? Does that mean 15 meters per pixel ? That would be quite an awful resolution.
5 m/pixel would have been better, 2 m/pixel even better (1m/pixel exagerated perhaps).

Anyways, wasn't there some other guy preparing some photoscenery for Irak etc... already ? Or is it the same ?

[joe bob]

https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=9500

https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17822

It looks interesing! Just pity than no any 3D object (like factory, air bases ect), so what can I bomb? Texture only? ;>



I am sure this is designed to go with FS@war, CCP where you can set up fixed and moving targets or create an entire theater scenario.

[Dimus]

15 meters ? Does that mean 15 meters per pixel ? That would be quite an awful resolution.
5 m/pixel would have been better, 2 m/pixel even better (1m/pixel exagerated perhaps).



As the ad says, it is obviously for fast movers flying above 10000'. Although take offs and landings would look ugly. Anyway, not my cup of tea so...

[YoYo]

http://i.imgur.com/nZyAlFlh.png

http://i.imgur.com/5AOLCeFh.png

[wombat666]

I'm thinking if you want a 'Combat Sim' then there are plenty to choose from.
:173go1:

[Daube]

As the ad says, it is obviously for fast movers flying above 10000'. Although take offs and landings would look ugly. Anyway, not my cup of tea so...

I understand but still this seems way too low.
5m per pixel, like FS9 sceneries, would have been a good balance (quality/size)
On the middle-east theaters, B-52s and B-2s were not the only planes involved. I'm not sure A-10s and Harriers were bombing from above 10.000 feet.

[Daube]

I'm thinking if you want a 'Combat Sim' then there are plenty to choose from.
:173go1:

Can you tell us the combat sims which allow us to use any type of aircraft over photoscenery with real weather ?

[awstub]

...and offers the entire Earth as the theater of operations.


Can you tell us the combat sims which allow us to use any type of aircraft over photoscenery with real weather ?

[YoYo]

...and offers the entire Earth as the theater of operations.

Perhaps he thinks about DCS but in DCS is only Nevada and Caucas map, in the future Normandy (but '44) and Ormuz. Thats all.

[spatialpro]

This looks a lot like free Landsat ETM+, or similar, pan-sharpened and resampled for FSX, which isn't a big deal. I sure hope it is more than that though.

[stovall]

This looks very interesting. I have my eye on when the final is released. VRS should send me an email. I will make it a sticky then. Fun stuff.

[wombat666]

Can you tell us the combat sims which allow us to use any type of aircraft over photoscenery with real weather ?

I should have added that 'Wargames' are of little or no interest to me.
The one exception would be Rise of Flight, primarily because of my interest in 'The War to End all Wars'.
:kilroy:

[YoYo]

It could be nice if they will put here some of 3D objects and military AI. All in the one package.
Now I dont see any "military" differences than other phototextures addons. : (

[YoYo]

Btw. VRS will do something more (with this addon), not it's top secret ;) https://forums.vrsimulations.com/forums/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17854&p=117678#p117678 .

[YoYo]

http://youtu.be/_UO5no1ah14

[Bjoern]

Man, the sweet nothingness in the video makes me want to do a CAP in Falcon BMS, doing nothing but shuttling back and forth between waypoints, playing with the avionics and listening to AI chatter until it's time to go home.


One thing I'll readily cede to MSFS is much better low level operations due to the superior terrain, but for the rest, BMS reigns supreme.

[xpelekis]

Bjoern, LOL man ! What you say here :

Man, the sweet nothingness in the video makes me want to do a CAP in Falcon BMS, doing nothing but shuttling back and forth between
waypoints, playing with the avionics and listening to AI chatter until it's time to go home.
you can do it better in FSX than BMS as above video beautifully demonstrates, and as you also state in second line !...

The really weird thing for me is, that whenever an FSX/P3D video comes up with F-16, there will always be some BMS "fan" guy to say "BMS does it better"... (and
I'm not reffering to you Bjoern, no offense. Seems that BMS community is quite fanatic about the sim...)
Apart of the fact that video showcases the scenery and not the F-16, what there would be left to be said if video was made with F-18 VRS Superbug instead ?... BMS is better ?...

I really avoid making videos using F-16, dew to this attitude, that I've witnessed myself many times in the past. "BMS this, BMS that", "DCS this, DCS that"...
Who gives a s... ? I don't. FSX rocks. From WWI up to modern Era, there is no aviation scenario that cannot be simulated in the sim. In just one sim called FSX.

[Bjoern]

Bjoern, LOL man ! What you say here :

you can do it better in FSX than BMS as above video beautifully demonstrates, and as you also state in second line !...

The really weird thing for me is, that whenever an FSX/P3D video comes up with F-16, there will always be some BMS "fan" guy to say "BMS does it better"... (and
I'm not reffering to you Bjoern, no offense. Seems that BMS community is quite fanatic about the sim...)
Apart of the fact that video showcases the scenery and not the F-16, what there would be left to be said if video was made with F-18 VRS Superbug instead ?... BMS is better ?...

I really avoid making videos using F-16, dew to this attitude, that I've witnessed myself many times in the past. "BMS this, BMS that", "DCS this, DCS that"...
Who gives a s... ? I don't. FSX rocks. From WWI up to modern Era, there is no aviation scenario that cannot be simulated in the sim. In just one sim called FSX.

And IL-2. And Strike Fighters. Both require less monetary investment to boot, so that's a huge plus compared to MSFS.

The thing about Falcon 4 and whatever offspring it has is that you can't find any better (single player) campaign* out there (despite being far from perfect). Nothing, except maybe Rowan's Battle of Britain achieves to create a feeling that you're just a small wheel in a huge machine of death and destruction. In every other combat sim, your side's fortunes rise and fall with your input, but in Falcon, things just go their way and you're free to take part or watch from behind the frontline if you don't fancy the excitement. And that's what I love about it and what defines an exceptional combat simulator.
I know you guys have already pushed the boundaries of FSX/P3D and continue to do so, but there's only so much you can do. You can integrate the most sophisticated simulation of combat aircraft, the most realistic targets and the most accurately simulated weapons, but if employing these things don't serve much of an overall purpose in the bigger picture, I have a really hard time being interested in a combat simulator.


One thing no sim so far managed to do in single player, however, is air combat training. And this is where FSX could really shine as you can do mock dogfights in just about anything that can take to the air. But trying to write an AI that's convincingly dumb and smart, well versed in the capabilities of a particular aircraft and still universally usable is quite a challenge.


(*Other sims either feature dynamic campaigns that rely too much on user input, e.g. EECH or are not much more than an automated mission generator, e.g. IL-2, Strike Fighters (and MiG Alley and RoF?). Or the camapign starts rather well and crashes and burns as things drag on, e.g. Eurofighter Typhoon, Total Air War.)

[xpelekis]

Though derailed, it's quite on topic in a sense.

Let's don't confuse things and keep it simple :

Nobody has ever said or claimed that FSX has been turned to a Combat Sim dew to some
addons and can compete native hardcore combat sims like the ones you mention.
Not even VRS that produces the Tacpack.

For people interested in hardcore combat simming, I wouldn't suggest FSX/P3D either, but
one of the sims above. This is one thing and there is another tottaly different thing (that
the misunderstanding lies) :

If you fly Militaries in FSX/P3D and you want - wish to have the combat experience with them,
then nowadays you can. That's all about it.
It's a proposal to FSX/P3D fliers, not to the combat simming community in general...

You have described above the prons and cons that every sim has, FSX included.
The main advantage of FSX/P3D for me over the othe sims, is the personal engagement that
the sim allows :
You can make your own sceneries, airports, liveries, missions, photosceneries, even whole
airplanes by yourself, expressing your creativity and adding you personal stamp to the sim,
that this way feels a "personal" sim... No other sim gives you that.

FSX/P3D can serve as the "canvas" for your creations... now, compete with that !...

That's why when making something for FSX and hearing "BMS, DCS can do better" - so much
off topic as I've explained - I get annoyed. Of course they can, they are combat sims,
that FSX isn't. What's the news ?...

And yes, FSX is an adults hobby, meaning you must have a job and an income, because yes,
it can be expensive (like all hobbies).

[Daube]

First, let me say the video above was awesome. It's really nice to look at, and I also do such flights by myself (although in different areas).

Now, concerning the remarks made by Bjoern, I understand his point of view.
As far as I know, that F-16 is beautifully modeled (even by today's standards) but it's avionic is pretty much non-existent. The plane is not TacPacked so none of the military systems work.
That can be quite frustrating for some simmers, including myself.
Of course, the joy of simply flying from a waypoint to another over some nice photorealistic scenery is something you can't do in any military sim at the moment.
However, doing that without any radio chatter, and without anything happening around you, is quite disappointing for some of us.

I can understand what Bjoern said about flying around in BMS while other planes and ground vehicles are involved in many events all around. I really miss this environment in P3D.
The difference between flying a military plane in P3D and in BMS is exactly the same as flying a warbird with Accusim or without. In one case, you know that nothing will ever happen, no matter where you go or what you do. And that removes a lot of excitement.

That doesn't mean it's not enjoyable at all. ;)

[joe bob]

I don't know why it has to be either or. I enjoy them both. My favorite use for Tacpack is training missions, which it adds a great deal to. Laying out a low level route for the F-4 or F-100 using timing and visual way points for a pop up attack on the Stumpy Point bombing range is one of my favorites. When I pop up, on time, and see the target off to the side and I roll in for a manual bombing pass, off without getting fragged, it is to me some of the most pure aviating you can do simulating military aviation.
Having pulled that off, on target, on time, using only pilotage methods, despite all the dynamic variables that real world wx throws at you is rewarding in a way I never got from Falcon 4.

Ripping across the forward edge of the battle area with my flight intact, having penetrated a vigorous integrated air defense is a rewarding feeling that comes with Falcon 4.
That is something that Tacpack does not do, nor does it attempt to do.
Both are great at what they do.

[Bjoern]

The main advantage of FSX/P3D for me over the othe sims, is the personal engagement that
the sim allows :
You can make your own sceneries, airports, liveries, missions, photosceneries, even whole
airplanes by yourself, expressing your creativity and adding you personal stamp to the sim,
that this way feels a "personal" sim... No other sim gives you that.

At least 90% of other sims give you that. A flight sim that can't be modded either has to be very good or is going to be a definite commercial flop.
Even BMS has mods, although integrating them can be a bit daunting.



But back to FSX. Didn't you do the wingman AI demonstration using SimVars?
I've read Jim's SimVars documentation and your thread in the FSX@War forums. It looks like all that's needed is FSX Mission Editor and its SimVars client. Will the free version of FSXME do?
Your experiences sound interesting enough to play with a simple, commandable, wingman AI (with dogfighting capability). With some synthetic speech to acknowledge commands or announce kills, it could make military flying in FSX a lot more attractive to me. :)
Is it also possible to trigger an action when the AI aircraft is within a certain cone in front of your aircraft as to simulate gun kills? What about tracking events, e.g. for a tally? And more than one wingman?
Do you have a simple example mission using AI wingmen that I could analyze?

[xpelekis]

Now we're getting too much off topic, so I'll reply here :

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/104280-My-Pacific-Theater-of-Operations?p=1069030&viewfull=1#post1069030

[YoYo]

FYI: Volume II and III was released!

North (https://www.vrsimulations.com/geopack.php#collapse2) Korea its a good choice ;)


Our second (Volume II) GeoPack release covers the countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine with partial (border region) coverage extending into Turkey and Iraq. Total coverage for Vol II is 311,964 km2. Simulate battles over some of the most militarily active airspace on Earth in this extensive Middle-Eastern package. Designed by Norman Gibson, and including gigabytes of never-before released areas in FSX/P3D, this package will transform your mundane stock scenery into beautiful high-altitude photo-realistic landscapes.

Our third GeoPack volume covers the countries of North (DPRK) and South Korea, with partial (border region) coverage of China, Sea of Japan, and Yellow Sea. Total coverage for Vol II is 220,750 km2. Korea is in the news almost daily, with provocative actions occurring regularly from the North.Will the rhetoric turn to action with the region exploding into all-out war? See the starkly contrasting topographies like never before, and experience what it's like to fly over some of the most intensely charged airspace on Earth!

Note that GeoPack does NOT require an existing VRS product and will work on both FSX (any version) and P3D (any version), however, as with all VRS products, licenses are issued on a per computer basis. If you wish to run GeoPack on multiple computers, we expect you to purchase multiple copies.


https://www.vrsimulations.com/images/geopack/screens/V3/geopack_v3_screen_2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gyv8mfL.gif

this wasnt good idea only for IFR flights (sharp line of phototextures on the ocean/sea):

http://i.imgur.com/Mxa1WOCm.jpg (https://imgur.com/Mxa1WOC)

[YoYo]

Bought, but I'm not really happy with this resolution. Yes, agree, only for IFR from 30.000 ft.
It's a little pity, I'd like to pay +20$ more and have better quality of photo textures of Korea.
This is only for jets (and best for recon: do not go too low). Not edited examples from 8000 ft over ground.

http://i.imgur.com/eykUBVUh.jpg (https://imgur.com/eykUBVU)

http://i.imgur.com/McT0FoHh.jpg (https://imgur.com/McT0FoH)

http://i.imgur.com/mZEMMM6h.jpg (https://imgur.com/mZEMMM6)

[wombat666]

How enterprising!
North Korea?
Now there"s a fine example of cashing in om current affairs.
:173go1:

[scotth6]

How enterprising!
North Korea?
Now there"s a fine example of cashing in om current affairs.
:173go1:

What are they going to do? Wait until North Korea isn't being hostile?

The Geopack series all centre around areas of conflict, past and present.