Arctic Glitch

[Commodore Horton]

I sucessfully attempted to fly over the north pole, but while I was up there the textures got really weird, and the ground moved in the wrong direction compared to my direction of travel. Even after I got below 89 degrees N, things still seem wrong, ie trees levitating over mountains. I have no scenery mods. Is there any way to fix this?

[Boikat]

You encountered The Vortex.  It's an energy field generated by the aliens living in the center of the hollow Earth that prevents us outsiders from finding the entrence.  There's one just like it at the South Pole, only the polarity is reversed.

[Sean_TK]

No way to fix it in FS9. In this version, the virtual Earth is represented as a cylindrical object for coding purposes and simplicity at that time. In FSX, I believe that you can fly over the poles with no ill effects due to the representation of the Earth as a proper spherical object. This means that you cannot fly over the poles in FS9, but rather the program forces your aircraft to fly around them, or just stops the aircraft in it's tracks (like an invisible wall).
(This also explains the lack of earth curvature effects while flying at high altitudes in FS9, as opposed to proper visuals in FSX.)

[microlight]

Interesting point there, Sean. I can understand lack of curvature if flying east/west or west/east - in other words, around the cylinder - but if you're flying north/south (or south/north), shouldn't you be able to see the curvature then? People who flew in Concorde (not one of them, boohoo) reported seeing curvature at FL600, so it should in theory be visible in FS9 below FL999, travelling longitudinally.

Never seen it, though (maybe not looking!)

Just a thought...

[Boikat]

In FS9, the world is flat.  The view you see out the windo only "builds" what you see a piece at a time so tere is no actual "map" of the whole world.  Imagine yourself on a huge chess board, and you can only see the squares next to the one you are standing on.  When you step on to the next square, the next series of squares you can see are built.  The squares next to the ones you an see are just stored in someplace, adn not used until they are needed, like the chess board squares, rather than being on the board, are in a "deck of cards", and the individual card for the next section you will be able to see is only drawn and rendered when you can see it.

[Fozzer]

In FS9, the world is flat.  The view you see out the windo only "builds" what you see a piece at a time so tere is no actual "map" of the whole world.  Imagine yourself on a huge chess board, and you can only see the squares next to the one you are standing on.  When you step on to the next square, the next series of squares you can see are built.  The squares next to the ones you an see are just stored in someplace, adn not used until they are needed, like the chess board squares, rather than being on the board, are in a "deck of cards", and the individual card for the next section you will be able to see is only drawn and rendered when you can see it.

Excellent description of the scenery... The Chess Board!.......!

Before I step onto the next scenery square I always test it with my toe to make sure it's not the edge of the World...and I fall off!... ... ... ...!

.... ....!

Paul ...Honorable member of the Flat Earth Society... 8-)...!

All together..."...If you fly over the Poles today, you're sure of a big surprise!..."

[Sean_TK]

A great example with the chessboard, Boikat.
I guess that effectively explains the lack of noticable curvature on North-South headings as well, although I suppose in this instance, if ACES had decided to add the ability to draw a larger range across the surface, you may have been able to see the curvature of the cylinder slightly on North-South vice versa headings.
I'm sure the FS9 world would look very "interesting" had the 99,000ft altitude been lifted! (A giant food can perhaps?)

[Boikat]

I'm sure the FS9 world would look very "interesting" had the 99,000ft altitude been lifted! (A giant food can perhaps?)

Actually, it would look something like this:



East to west would repeat, since there is always an adjacent polygon in an east-west cylender.

[DaveSims]

I've always known the world was flat!  

And JFK faked his death to live with Marilyn Monroe.

[ThomasKaira]

Yup, all that alarming evidence we have the earth is round, all bogus.

We never landed on the moon, it was filmed in Area 51.

Earth is actually the center of the universe.

Life as we know it is about to implode on itself.

[Commodore Horton]

I understand FS9's flat earth, but what about the levitating trees?

[Fozzer]

I understand FS9's flat earth, but what about the levitating trees?

The Levitating Trees have not yet discovered the root of the problem... :-/...!

Paul... ... ...

[microlight]

Thanks for the horizontal 'tile' flat-earth explanation, although it doesn't account for one major issue as far as I can see, to do with great circle routes.

On a flat tile scenario, it would be shorter to fly 'straight' say from New York to Beijing than to fly a great circle route - see the above map for reference. If you use FSNav in FS9, you can double-check that what the FS planner is doing is planning the great circle route (over Greenland and close to the pole). Using the FSNav distance checker, you can confirm that this is shorter than the flat-earth 'direct' route (around 6,000nm for the FS great circle route, and more than 8,000 going 'direct' via London and central Asia) which of course mirrors what the distances would be if you did it in the real world.

If it was a flat map, this would surely be the other way around. (Same issue for the cylindrical-earth model.) So on this basis, it can't be a flat or even cylindrical model - or can it?

Am I missing something? Please let me know!

[Fozzer]

Thanks for the horizontal 'tile' flat-earth explanation, although it doesn't account for one major issue as far as I can see, to do with great circle routes.

On a flat tile scenario, it would be shorter to fly 'straight' say from New York to Beijing than to fly a great circle route - see the above map for reference. If you use FSNav in FS9, you can double-check that what the FS planner is doing is planning the great circle route (over Greenland and close to the pole). Using the FSNav distance checker, you can confirm that this is shorter than the flat-earth 'direct' route (around 6,000nm for the FS great circle route, and more than 8,000 going 'direct' via London and central Asia) which of course mirrors what the distances would be if you did it in the real world.

If it was a flat map, this would surely be the other way around. (Same issue for the cylindrical-earth model.) So on this basis, it can't be a flat or even cylindrical model - or can it?

Am I missing something? Please let me know!

...you are trying to delve far too deeply into the mysteries of Nature and the Universe, Micro.....!


My advice is to pop down the Pub, have a few Beers, retrace your steps back home, and have a lie-down in a darkened room...

...and accept that the answer to the problem is....

...42...

Paul....(doing it this afternoon, after Tea).... .... ....!

[microlight]

You're right, Paul - alcohol starvation leading to too many grey cells bumping together!

Mine's a pint of Harvey's, landlord!

And a packet of pork scratchings.