| David Wilson-Okamura 2005-07-28, 8:36 pm |
| These are two very different animals.
1. FS Global is terrain mesh. It handles the vertical dimension of what
you see on the ground. Cost: 45 euros. Compare 30 dollars for "World
Extreme Landscapes" from Abacus. If I were buying one of these
products, I'd get the Abacus product. It's made by Justin Tyme/FS
Genesis, and he is generally acknowledged to be the best, most careful
meshmaker there is.
2. Ultimate Terrain, despite the name, does not include terrain mesh.
It includes roads (which you already have), vastly improved (= more
detailed coastlines), railroad tracks, very cool night lighting, and
green spaces (like golf courses & cemeteries) for major cities.
In my opinion, if you already have USA Roads, the major step forward in
this package will be the coastlines. All of the sudden, you will see
new rivers and lakes. And the coastlines that you had already will be
much more detailed. Makes flying over a flat area like St. Louis much
more interesting. And the placement is quite accurate. I fly mostly in
the Los Angeles area these days, and the new shorelines do a lot for
it. El Monte airport now has a river running alongside of the runway,
and Brackett Field has a perfectly placed lake at the west end of its
runways.
My recommendation: if you are just simming in the US, buy Ultimate
Terrain USA and download the FREE terrain mesh that Justin Tyme has
placed in the AVSIM file library. It's spread over many files, but it
covers the whole US in detail and will really make a difference for
low-level flying (unless, of course, you are flying over flatlands like
Illinois). Some screenshots here:
http://flickr.com/photos/15748845@N00/sets/658083/show/
One more thing: there's a discount on UT USA for owners of USA Roads.
Go to the UT website and get the discount coupon BEFORE you purchase
UT. After that it's too late.
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