Simviation Forums

Whilst toying around with the settings in FSX after installing my new graphics card, I decided to pop in-and-out of a bunch of different airports and cities, some familiar and some new, just so I could get an idea of how much things had improved.

Something I think I have noticed is that there may be at least three types of "roads" in FSX, and I was wondering if anyone in the know can confirm this or tell me more.  The roads I think I am noticing are:

1) Real Roads: these roads will have traffic on them, and seem to be rendered more distinctly.  This type of road seems to be limited to the most major of highways, bridges, and such - those roads that might be considered significant landmarks.

2) Demi-Real Roads: these roads still seem to be rendered separately from the rest of the terrain, but for the life of me, I have never seen traffic moving on them.  This type of roads seems to make of the bulk of arterial roads and neighborhood streets, and those roads passing through relatively small or obscure towns.

3) Faux Roads: these roads aren't really roads at all, and simply seem to be a road texture rendered with the rest of the ground textures.  A great example would be parking lots, which seem to have cars and the like parked on them when you are flying well overhead, but upon close inspection are revealed to be utterly flat pieces of fluff decoration (an interesting tactic actually used in some U.S. cities during WWII).

So, did I notice this correctly?  Am I in the ballpark?  Anyone know about the roads in FSX?

Thanks,
Darrin

I believe major interstates and highways have real traffic. residential roads don't, although UTX (ultimate terrain X) can add traffic to residential roads.

Can you imagine how much it would bog FSX down if you had traffic on ALL roads...?

MS will soon come up with a plan to include every road and gaurd rail accurately placed. Or so we would wish.

MS will soon come up with a plan to include every road and gaurd rail accurately placed. Or so we would wish.

Not to mention pedestrians walking around putting gum on those guard rails...

Can you imagine how much it would bog FSX down if you had traffic on ALL roads...?

Not as much as you might think.  Like T.Burgess said, UTX does this with little impact on frames and big impact on realism.  It's especially noticable on final when there's a road across the end of the runway and you fly right over the moving traffic on the road.

Can you imagine how much it would bog FSX down if you had traffic on ALL roads...?

Not as much as you might think.  Like T.Burgess said, UTX does this with little impact on frames and big impact on realism.  It's especially noticable on final when there's a road across the end of the runway and you fly right over the moving traffic on the road.

It would also be nice to be able to have accurate roads and traffic for specific areas.  I mean, yeah, if FSX had to figure out where every car in the world was going the software and the hardware would crash in one giant cataclysm.  But, it would be great to be able to have that added touch of realism around, say, my hometown.

But, mostly I was just wondering how FSX goes about figuring out which roads are which, and if there are really three types, only two, or more than three, etc.

Curiosity go me here in the first place so why stop now,
Darrin

MS will soon come up with a plan to include every road and gaurd rail accurately placed. Or so we would wish.

Not to mention pedestrians walking around putting gum on those guard rails...

I'm remembering about simcopter. Anybody played that ? cars and pedestrians everywhere... not so good looking, but definitely one of the coolest flying environment I've ever seen in a video game

Buy UT USA and Canada, add in GEX, and you'll get almost all roads down to minor local roads.

Where photoreal scenery is available you get the real, real, thing.

The terrain add-on makers are now giving us close to the real world- suitable for VFR navigation.

Go buy, it's fantastic.

FSX AI road traffic is a nice feature on FSX without sacrificing performance.

It is nice to depart heathrow seeing the right hand drive traffic near the airfiield, and then arriving in cold Innsbruck two hours later with the Left hand drive traffic following the roads over the mountains.  :D

MS will soon come up with a plan to include every road and guard rail accurately placed. Or so we would wish. ;D ;D

Not to mention pedestrians walking around putting gum on those guard rails... ;D

I'm remembering about simcopter. Anybody played that ? cars and pedestrians everywhere... not so good looking, but definitely one of the coolest flying environment I've ever seen in a video game :)

LOL.... ;D...!

Simcopter... [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]...!

One of my all-time favourites!...

Listening to the Police loudspeaker messages...

"...all those with recent teeth fillings..."...etc.... ;D...!

I use some of the voice messages in my Windows reports for a laugh... ;D...!

Paul...Hooray for "Old Games"!... ;D...!

...enjoy!....>>>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCopter

...and don't forget the Cheats...;)...>>>>

http://www.cheatcc.com/pc/simcopter.html