New Traffic High

[Bradallen43]

Saw that we crossed the 100 barrier for unique visitors online at one time yesterday. 106 to be exact. Traffic is definitely up since our library updates. Great work guys.

Brad

[spud]

That's just fantastic Brad.  RTMM's site is probably the most extensive freeware scenery site around.  I just hope most of those 106 folks took the time to explore the site itself and partake of the experience and information available to users.  Downloading the scenery is important but like the journey is the important thing in the end.  RTMM's site is in fact a journey in and of itself.
 

[DocBird]

Congratulation, RTTM-Team! Well deserved!

I am sure that you could increase traffic further if you would make more "Advertisement" by using the RTTM signatures in other forums (such as Orbx and AVSIM - there is a dedicated bush fylying community at AVSIM).

Although I am around since some time, for me the new libraries are a milestone and together with the Legacy Collection there is a good starting point for beginners. I am always overwhelmed by the number of scenery and Enhancements. I sometimes browse the scenery page until my spare time to fly (often only an hour or so) is over...

Things would become even easier if you could pack some more cabins and locations in "scenery-packages" (like you already have some that contain a dozent (or so) cabins and locations in one area). My suggestion would still be to have packages that include all the locations for on ORBX-area (incl. Tongass): All cabins and locations, the flightplans for those cabins, the .cvs-files for PlanG and the AI-shipping. One could then install all of this in one "installation run" and go flying after ten minutes.

[Bradallen43]

Thanks for the feedback Docbird. It's not beyond the realm of possibility to make more packages like you mention. As you know and point out, we already have several group packages. How we can make things easier for all remains to be discovered but I feel we are more able to do these now than we were before.

We have to listen to our users and what they would like so if you want to share your opinion, please do.

Thanks again Docbird,

Brad

[Doug]

Yes ... great feedback.  The "Cabins" is an area that people just don't seem to know much about. Yet that was the "original" go-find-it from Holger and Bill.  We have an extensive array of cabins ... in fact we have ALL of the USFS cabins registered in our area ... about 300 of them.  People don't realize it, but there are maps and pictures and flight plans for all of them. When I run out of things to do (not often these days), I like to pick a random cabin over there and go find it.  I'm not sure how to get folks to realize the importance of  The Cabins page.  As the site matures, we will of course, add more locations ... but realistically, nobody except a couple of us on the design side have seen all of them and flown to them.  So we have PLENTY of locations. What we need to do is spend more time on the "from there to there" aspect of this. That is what Bush flying is all about. And that's why I started the new "Here2There" page ... putting all that information at people's fingertips. We have flight plans to and from all 340 locations. 

I think the dispatches, trip tickets and missions are going to be the key in the future. With P3D, the missions are not functioning. We are looking at conversion methods.  But the trip tickets work fine. They are informative and very much like an actual trip with a "real" bush pilot ... who is always chatting away about what is going on under the wings as you fly along. That's what I've tried to duplicate with the trip tics.

Keep the ideas coming ... we are listening to everything ... much appreciated.

Doug

[jsapair]

Hi DocBird. Just to re-enforce what Doug and Brad said, get thee to the Cabins page. There are literally hundreds of cabins, shelters, lighthouses, all categorized by Ranger Districts, which helps you keep them organized if you create the associated District folders and put them there. There's a flight plan and a map for each one. It took me days to download just the cabins and the flight plans. I also created a 'helo' folder for each District for when I feel like flying choppers, as there are a few only accessible by chopper...it's designated as such. There is also a list of 'starting points' for each location if you want to start from the cabin rather than from an airstrip. It's a whole new flying experience rather than just flying 'scenery' packages. Jeff is compiling a mission to take in the lighthouses as a tour...looking forward to that one. Might have to dust off my swamp air boat. Oh, yeah. Download a boat and do some river runs...great fun. My airboat will do 100 mph...eeeehaw!

[DocBird]

Brad, Doug and Jsapair,

you are right and I totally agree that there is really a lot of stuff in the RTTM area to fly to.

But my point is that there is too much to fly to! It is like in the supermarket: You look for some cold cut for dinner and have 200 choices and cannot decide what to take! LoL

The from “Here2There” thread is a big step forward! Thanks for that!

For the beginner, however, it would be (and it is) helpful to have packages to install and be ready to fly 10 to 20 or 30 destinations (maybe along with a Dispatch or story). That makes it easier for the beginners. And not all of us are into installing things in the sim! Especially in FSX it is a pain … It is fairly easy now (thanks for your achievements! And thanks to P3D2) but it still is not my favorite spending of time. I still think it would be great to have the big solution and to be abel to install all the available content for one Orbx-Area in one run. I could install in 15 minutes and go flying. I could look at a nice cabin or Dispatch and just go flying without spending time to install anything. That would be great!

For me for example it is a no-go to read a Dispatch and to be instructed (at the end btw!) that I need to install several cabins/locations. Take Dispatch no 1 as an example: I read through it and at the end I am told to go to another page (scenery-page) and to find (not linked!) and install 8 (not 7 as the numbers say – there are two “no. 5”) sceneries. Thanks, but no thanks! (BTW: After readings Dispatch 1 I didn’t go one with 2…).

At the Dispatches it would be great to have one (third) column with the “What you will need” content. And in that column should be one link to one package with all the relevant scenery/locations (at least as an alternative to the individual sceneries) so it can be downloaded and installed in one run.

That is already the case in the later Dispatches, like 18 and 17.

BTW: I think that all the scenery for Dispatch no 1 are in the Legacy Package, right? If so, why not linking the package as such (answer: because experienced user may have some of that content already, o.k.) or at least showing that this is the case.

Sorry for the long post!

[Doug]

Actually, these are the comments we are looking for. We are also on the same page. More sceneries will certainly be in our future, but learning ways to use the ones we have will be the greater focus for me. With the dispatches...we learned as we went. #1 was simply an idea made real...far from perfect...17 and 18 were a result of experience.  The "what you need" is always at the bottom. I guess you can't fly to them if you don't have them installed. We could make a zip for each dispatch, but that's going to cause redundant problems.  The solution isn't clear yet.

You are looking a the site from a new person's view...this is good because you will see things we will miss. I'll go back on the dispatches and start to do some work on them.  A good idea. The changes that would help are copy/paste. Just thinking out loud, maybe a zip of what is needed for each cabin region?  Worth pursuing the idea, I think.

What people miss is that MOST of the USFS cabins are already in their database if they have Tongass X, PFJ and SAK.  What they don't have are the MISSING Cabins ... and there is a single zip for all of those. So with a single zip download, you have all the USFS cabins. 

But as you can see, my personal focus will be on Here2There.  The biggest hole in this right now is not having FSDiscover for P3D.  The fellow who authors it also authors IS3. He said he was "thinking about it"... But for the trip tics and dispatches it is critical for building a flight-seeing dialogue. I hope he makes it happen. I've hand-placed over 800 way points into our RTMM FSDiscover databases. Useless for P3D at this point. And since I'm all P3D now, I no longer have that access even for myself. Still not a reason to keep FSX...this forces me to deal with the new platform. More to learn...upward and onward.

So good ideas all.

D

[jsapair]

DocBird. Yes installing required sceneries can be a pain, but you gotta do what you gotta do to reap the benefits. Legacy is a good starting point. Beyond that, make a note of what's required and DL those, too. Pretty soon you have what you need to fly basically anywhere. I hear what you're saying, why not include the required extra scenery packs in the scenery DL zip, right?  Might be a good idea, but like Doug says, that may involve redundant file issues. My feelings are just DL the required scenery libraries and deal with it like the rest of us. As far as the Cabins go, you can make it easier on yourself by creating folders for each Ranger District and install the FP's there. I have created sub-folders for 'favorites' and 'already flown' so I can keep track of where I've been or haven't been.
   Another thought is to get the Scenery Configuration Editor. Great tool. Makes life much easier. You install the new downloaded scenery folder (after un-zipping it of course) to the Add On Scenery folder in FSX as you normally would, browse to it in the Editor and add it and save the new config. You don't even have to open FSX. Ualani turned me on to this some time ago. I'll see if I can find the link. Found it, miracle. The 'search' feature works, guys!

 http://forum.mistymoorings.com/index.php?topic=945.0

[jeff3163]

     . . . how is this related to the number of people visiting the site at the same time?   

(off topic) 

[spud]

     . . . how is this related to the number of people visiting the site at the same time?   

(off topic) 

  tangent thinking or thread hi-jacking take your pick! 
 

[DocBird]

Well, sorry that I got carried away...

Thought you might be interesting in making things better 

[jeff3163]

Well, sorry that I got carried away...

Thought you might be interesting in making things better 

     It's important to share helpful advice, but people will only stumble upon this conversation while attempting to learn about the new high traffic levels lately. 
     It is only that the topic of conversation does not match the thread topic. 
     Feel free to start a new topic about your subject, if there is not already one started.  Then people will know what the contents are when they browse thread titles.