Japanese version

FS2002 consists of 3 CD-ROMs, and the package is made quite scamped. There is almost vacant in the box, and the worst is a CD-ROM case. As you can see, CD-ROMs have to be put away directly in the paper, there is not even a plastic bag. It is not so bad, but this structure causes hit CD-ROM 1 and 2 each other at taking out these. In fact, my CD-ROM 1 has been wounded initially. You should change it to an another case or bag which you prepare after you buy FS2002. In Japanese market, this is never accepted by the user, so will be packed in rather serious case in Japanese version, I think....

I take fresh heart and start install. Installation itself is smoothly finished. But I am asked after installtaion whether I adopt hardware acceleration or not. It means that my video card does not support hardware acceleration. FS asks me "adopt in your own risk ?" I worried much seeing the phrase your own risk even before starting FS. This phrase seems a symbol of this era for getting on the plane at the risk of our life. My video card is AOpen PA256MX platinum, and the version of the driver is ver 6.49 for windows 2000. I don't know there is another card which has received this message or not. After all, I install in the condition of hardware acceleration ON in "my own risk". It is OK except changing full screen mode (Alt+Enter). Changing to full screen mode, the blue screen appears and finished by force with windows 2000. I don't think my video card is old, various difficulties lie in my way --- mmm.

After install, now I just go out. Interactive Air Traffic Control is very cool ! Very smooth English conversation (but I cannot understand, difficult English mmmm....) is established to the control tower soon. The mood is cool.

In a normal person's review, this is the starting point of the review..... I start looking the scenery without flying as usual.

Please look at this. The scene from a runway at Tokyo Haneda Airport, Japan at 23:00 on Aug.15, 2001. Of course, there is no letters in real FS. This is the Big Dipper. Greek characters alpha, beta etc... is a scientific name of the star, and a number is a magnitude of the star. As you see, FS2002 provides us even the difference of the magnitude of the stars. FS2002 can express more real starry sky than I see in Tokyo sky which is dirty air and lot of night lights by my poor eye sight. Further, the stars move going around the polar. Moving stars itself is already done in FS2000, but the quality makes us impressed is FS2002 origin, I think. This is really the planetarium. If we don't manipulate an aircraft in FS, this is really great even if only this feature that we can see simultaneously not only starry sky but also scenery on the earth. But it seems that all sky is not real starry sky, for example some 4th-magnitude star is described but some 2nd-magnitude star is not described.

This is the scene of Sunset, Mt.Fuji and a crescent from Roppongi. The sun, waxing and waning of the moon, a starry sky, and the relationship between Mt.Fuji and Tanzawa mountain; this is a special higher quality scene provided by FS2002 than FS2000.

Sunrise on the Autumnal Equinox Day from Roppongi. Sun rises from the vicinity around Tokyo Tower and WTC (World Trade Center) Tokyo at Hamamatsu-cho. This is the typical Tokyo scene. The place where you can see the sunrise from Tokyo Tower and the sunset to Mt.Fuji at the same place is only the skyscraper located at Roppongi to Shibuya area. Some person who lived in Tokyo in old days recalls, don't you ? Yes, at the late Goto planetarium in Shibuya, the scene of Tokyo tower and Mt.Fuji is described on the horizon. Also in this meaning, FS2002 is reincarnation of good old days planetarium.

There are many reviews about MS default scenery. I just try to review "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version" which is made by my jt_auto which is remodeled from jterrain made by Mr. Murakami.
Mt.Fuji
First, Mt.Fuji the most famous mountain in Japan. This is the scene in FS2002. A distant view becomes very nice than FS2000 did. The reality of mountain as a distant view of FS2002 is better than FS2000 too. And I think that a protruding effect in a close view is little bit loose than FS2000. The delay time for protruding the mountain after arriving at Mt.Fuji vicinity is become long, I feel. (But there are some unknown points about the time. As I write before, hardware acceleration of my video card does not work in a special condition in my case, it is not so time consuming in real maybe.)
I hear that FS2002 is lighter than FS2000 frequently, the cause of it is that the protruding process (morphing process among sampling points ? ) of FS2002 is lighter than before, I think.
FS2000 This is the top of Mt.Fuji of FS2000 for comparing. You can see that protruding is fine and texture of a distant view is no good.

Rishiri-jima island
Very cool ! Rebun island in the distance, and deep impression of the surface of the mountain; it exceeds FS2000 much.
FS2000 This is Rishiri-jima island of FS2000 for comparing. I feel it was very nice in those days. The difference is very clear.

Kurobe-ko lake
This is also the same. The deep impression of the surface of the mountain, the shadows of the mountain on the lake, expression of lake shore, and so on.... it's nice.
FS2000 This is Kurobe-ko lake of FS2000 for comparing. The difference is very clear too.

As you see, "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version" is usable also in FS2002, further it displays its real ability in FS2002.

To be get "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version"
"All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version" is sold at Atatan, they supply it by CD-ROM because of the huge size. In detail, please click HERE. "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version ver 2.0" is released. This is a new version which is resolved fissure and hole problem mentioned below.

Japan Terrain Mesh Scenery
Mr.YOSI releases Japan Terrain Mesh Scenery. There are LE and ST versions, you can download them. The LOD of LE version is the same as Mr. Murakami's one and the LOD of ST version is the same as TwilightExpress one. Further, it's very nice to be repaired undesirable holes. The position errors which existed at the beginning is completely fixed by a patch he releases later.

Modification of "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version"
The holes I mentioned above are thought in long time which is caused by a bug in the resample software of Microsoft. Mr. YOSI greatly discovers that this thought is not correct. I check the situation, and succeed fixing the holes. You can see the comparison images before and after of this modification from HERE.

Japan Terrain Scenery Making Kit Ver 1.3
And on the just next day (and several days later) of this modification of "All Japan Terrain Scenery Detail Version", Mr. Murakami releases Japan Terrain Scenery Making Kit Ver 1.3 (in Japanese). He fixes the mountains fissure and the seashore hole problem from tool's side. It's amazing for his very fast job.

Being anxious Hawaii..... In the day of FS2000, unfortunately, terrain scenery had no consistency with the Hawaii scenery already existed as I mentioned it HERE.
Oahu island
In a default scenery of Hawaii of FS2002, there is coarse terrain mesh data, but it's poor specially at Diamondhead. But Mr. Orlando Sotomayor released 30m mesh scenery of Oahu island. It is really great. You can download it from HERE. And I know it from Ms. Usako's site. Thanks a lot. Anyway, look at this. You can see even the crater of Diamondhead. I feel fine balance of trees and houses generated by Autogen. In FS2002, you can see terrain and 3D objects both.
As usual, I don't fly and have an afternoon nap at Waikiki beach. The style of Diamondhead is also great. Further, look at lower right part. It is a splash of the beach. In FS2002, the splash is animated. It is not unnatural, very nice feeling. FS2002 exceeds the environmental software. I want to go to Honolulu after I look at this moving splash.
Sunset Beach at the North Shore. There was a horse. (p.s. There is no horse in FS.)
I have not been to there around 20 years. I want to go there right now after I see this picture.
Sunset at Sunset Beach. You can see Kauai island in the distance. The sun light reflection from the surface of the sea, and coming splash, it is really nice !

I write not review but simple sightseeing story of Oahu island unawares. In other words, FS2002 is not only a planetarium software but also becoming a sightseeing software ! (mmm... It is a Flight Simulator really ....)

FS2002 reads again scenery and texture files frequently even only changing time. It is a little obstacle, but I accept it after seeing Oahu.

Next, I check the displaying situation of Tokyo MEX scenery etc. I made.
Tokyo transportation scenery for FS2K MS version
Tokyo MEX near Haneda Airport is displayed normally. But frame rate is around 2 (in Celeron 1100MHz, RAM 512 MB model). At displaying Yamanote-line train near Tokyo station, sensory frame rate is about 0.05. (In FS2000, the lower limit of displayed frame rate is 1.00 as I would be wrote before. In FS2002, it is the same. 1.00 is displayed even if real rate is rather lower.) All parts are displayed normally except a part drawn out by black color of a texture. There is a problem before talking about displaying situation etc., because it's very heavy.
Tokyo transportation scenery for FS2K TW2K version
First, no Yamanote-line train cars are displayed. Textures are abnormally displayed from a little far away position. This phenomenon occurs not only on my scenery but also on Twilight one. Further, it's VERY HEAVY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The sensory frame rate is about 0.01, almost freezed. I bet this scenery is completely NOT for practical use ??? As I wrote above, terrain mesh is feel lighter in FS2002 than before because it seems that the process is changed. In normal 3D scenery, the process seems to be not changed. On the contrary, it is more heavy if Autogen is fully ON. About this scenery, it is more heavy in FS2002 than in FS2000.
Yokohama Scenery 2000
This is completely normal. There is no change from in FS2000. It is curious to see the composition with Autogen scenery. I don't know why, but there are more trees in north-east part of Yokohama than in north-west part. It is jolly to see the trees and buildings are generated in rivers and roads.
Fireworks for FS2000
This is also normal. But the altitude of the fireworks seems to be lower, I don't know why.This scenery is congenial to Autogen scenery of FS2002. There is more reality, for example : we can see fireworks beyond houses or buildings in vicinity.
This is Jingu-gaien fireworks festival. We can see the fireworks with skyscrapers in Shinjuku in the distance.
Fireworks for Final Approach
This is also normal. But the altitude of the fireworks seems to be lower, I don't know why.

It seems that the compatibility of the scenery between FS2000 and FS2002 is relatively good except few problems. But it seems that there is a problem in an approach for making scenery to make detailed 3D objects, because it causes very heavy scenery. It is no good to make FS98 quality scenery again which is not so complicated, and it is also no good to make detailed 3D objects with enduring for heavy operation. This is a turning point of making scenery, I think. In other words, a drawback of FS2002 is not to be improved in processing of 3D objects than FS2000. The answer is that Microsoft doesn't want to do so, isn't it ? If the era for thinking that it is better to use default Terrain + Autogen than to make add-on scenery will come, I feel this is desolate era ...... who knows the future ? .....

In FS2002, fireworks is installed initially. The Las vegas one is famous, and there are fireworks too in the other cities. In Tokyo, it is held on 0:00 of the New Year's Day at Shinjuku Central Park.


I make the fireworks scenery using this function. This picture is the experiment near Rainbow bridge in Tokyo. The MS genuine fireworks is very nice, for example, the expression of unique movement and atmosphere of fireworks, and smoke are very good. It is difficult to catch up to the quality in the scenery made by myself. I wonder if I will make Fireworks in the world scenery again using this FS2002 function. I think it is easy to make it, because it spends less time than making from the scratch I used to do before.