bruce

SK: Thanks for the info. It's good to know that it IS possible, we just need some programmers to throw at it.

That's interesting. I would be highly surprised if the terrain data was hardcoded into the engine. It may be that the elevations of every ground object in the game had to be adjusted to conform to the terrain, and this is what took so long. Although, that's the sort of operation which can be automated by a skilled programmer.

FS Global 2005 Terrain Mesh ( http://www.fsglobal2005.com/ ) is a relatively inexpensive (~$60) FS2004 mesh addon which improves the _entire_ globe's mesh to 76m resolution. Their data is based on space shuttle SRTM data. The data is relatively cheap, $80 per CD of SRTM data (although I'd imagine that they have deals for people who purchase bulk data) .. the price is mentioned here http://edc.usgs.gov/srtm/data/obtainingdata.html . Coverage spans the globe, except for the poles. My point is that, unless FC is already using this SRTM data, which I doubt, all they have to do is incorporate this higher res data into the engine in order to secure the longevity of their simulator. It seems like a no brainer to me, especially with the helicopter in the works. I don't quite understand .. is all that is required that the 3rd party developers know VC++? If so, that should be absolutely no problem. Practically every professional programmer out there knows C++ at the very least, and many know VC++.

bump .. any comments?

Hello, If any of you guys use FS2004, you're no doubt aware of numerous terrain "mesh" improvements out there. FS2004 terrain addons such as FSGenesis do wonders to improve the terrain detail, dramatically enhancing immersion at any altitude. One thing I've noticed about FC is that, despite it being cutting edge in all areas, it still seems to lack a high resolution terrain mesh. Since the SU25T and the Ka50 (or whichever heli is coming with 1.2) are well-suited to terrain hugging, it strikes me as crucial that the terrain mesh resolution be bumped up a couple notches. So, the question is, can this be done by end users? High resolution mesh of the Crimean peninsula is available, so it's just a matter of figuring out a way to incorporate that data into FC's data files. Anyone know if this is possible, or is the FC terrain engine unable to cope with high resolution mesh? Thanks.