VFR Reviews
Aerosoft's Lord Howe Island
Alexander Dzeda
Aerosoft is known for making quality scenery add-ons, and Lord Howe Island X (YLHI) is no exception, to say the absolute least. When I got the package, it was a 180 MB download, costing $17. After installation, which is easy as always for Aerosoft products, I booted up FSX, got in my trusty Piper Cherokee 180F, and did some flying. The first thing I noticed was the grass and runway detail: just amazing. The bright green grass and the polished colours of the runway markings were unlike any runway I've seen, but there was a small downside, and that was when in spot view.
While trying to look from a runway viewing, the camera went UNDER the runway, completely blocking my view of the ground and anything above it, revealing the default runway under it, which disappoints me a bit, though, I don't really spend too much time on the ground or in spot view.
When I got into the air, the amazing rock formations to the left of me and the absolutely gorgeous water under me were somewhat distorted by a lower-than-the-rest quality of the area to the right of the airfield. Looking at it I could have sworn some of it was default, which is kind of a setback to me, but the left side and the rock formations in the water are sure to suck your attention away from anything not up to par, though I still have to mark off some points.
The water detail just outside of the airfield is astounding, including the water masks, and is by far the most beautiful tropic water of any add-on I've seen.
There are optional tweaks included in the 22 page manual, which has charts, information for support, aids & aircraft information, etc.
The rock formations... they are at least a third of the package. To me at least, though they are amazing to look at in spot view, there are some glitches. For instance, turning hard while adjusting your view can create a giant hole in the farthest left mountain, something that I believe has been reported. This has happened to me 4-5 times, though it is easily fixed by switching views, but it gets to be a nuisance. They appear highly detailed even when you're about to destroy your plane from looking at them, and about 10-20 miles out, there is another rock formation in the water, and I noticed something truly amazing: BIRDS! Aerosoft included birds in some of the islands, and though they are very small & go into the rocks a lot, they're a nice touch to just show how far Aerosoft goes in their products.
Also, there are some points where I experienced a 10-15 FPS drop all of the sudden, then switched views and it went back up to 29.1 FPS, which I have it locked at for me.
The autogen included is nice, though if you don't follow the instructions in the manual you will have some flashing objects and be more susceptible to the hole-in-the-rock glitch I have encountered.
If there's one bad thing about this add-on, it's this: no FTX compatability. Don't try coming to Lord Howe with it on, it just won't work. I have friends with FTX and Lord Howe and it's a no-go, so to them and many people who will probably be interested in this add-on, that is something to KEEP IN MIND, because there is no warning on the information page!
Also, the scenery has a minimal impact on frames, I barely noticed any though, as I have gotten a perfect 29 FPS, with very few stutters, and my machine isn't a very high end one. This scenery is all-season, and the night-time appearance isn't that visible, though there are three-dimensional lights with little FPS hit (maybe 1/2 of a frame).
The little cottage outside of the taxiway/ramps is amazingly detailed, as mentioned before, and it is so detailed you can do a crossword in a newspaper that is held by one of the people outside. Sadly there are no specific tower views that give you a persons perspective (something that I have seen done before and I thought it would be awesome for this package).
In all, this is an amazing work of art from Aerosoft, as it shows that you don't need a place like Heathrow to enjoy FSX. Although there may be some issues with Lord Howe, only one of which could turn someone away (FTX), while the rest of this package is nearly flawless, and for only $17, it is a great deal, even though only half the island really appeals to me, but I can't get too mad to not recommend this add-on after I look into the cerulean water and reefs underneath it). A must buy for fans of VFR flying and a feel of paradise. 9/10 in my book.
http://www.simviation.com/yabbuploads/review8.jpgAll the tests in this review were conducted using the following:
Q6600, 2.4 Ghz
9800 GTX+
3 gigs DDR2-800
465 GB hard drive 7200 RPM
And make sure your machine is up to it! These are Aerosoft's official minimum requirements.
Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX (compatible with SP1/SP2/DX10 mode)
Windows XP (SP2), Windows Vista
2.0 GHz processor (Dual Core CPU highly recommended)
512 MB RAM internal memory (2 GB recommended)
128 MB graphic card (256 MB highly recommended)
Adobe Acrobat® Reader 6 minimal to read and print the manual (1)
Download-Size: 180 MB
Installations-Size: 250 MB
Product page:
http://www.aerosoft.com/cgi-local/us/iboshop.cgi?showd480!0,4975699070,D10712
Pages: 1
