Made one final set rather than two different sets like in version 1. This set should work well in all areas of the world, northern/southern/equatorial/tropical latitudes. Adjusted the color/tone/brightness to match even more closely how water truly looks in aerial photographs. Also altered and added a 4th file to this version that changes FS2004 default streams and makes them look more 3-dimensional, changes their water colour, and gives some illusion of rapidly swirling water. FS2004 sometimes adds different color files to bodies of water in transitional regions (see the river thames screenshot, london, england) and I adjusted all the tones in my files to make them more cohesive. Occasional bays and inlets in tropical regions may look like they are murky brown with these textures, but they almost look like shallow sand-banks and still do not detract much from realism.
Works best with FScene and MegaScenery products. Also works very well with default FS2004 scenery, except that the 3d streams (riversu.bmp) may look a bit off-colour with default FS2004 scenery.
FOR USERS OF FLIGHT ENVIRONMENT :
If you run Flight Environment you may have to re-install these files each time you change and re-install an environment. Not a big problem if you put these three files in a folder on your desktop, along with a shortcut to the FS2004 scenery/world/texture location right on your desktop. That way you can install
a Flight Environment, then copy the three files from dekstop, right into the
Scenery/world/texture shortcut also on desktop.
Ive been pretty disappointed at the fact that though ocean water has so many wonderful add-ons (like pwover16.zip and the payware FS-Water and then Flight Environment)
The inland water still looks unrealistic to me. Its basically too blue. For all those who live close to rivers or inland bodies of water or fly above it, you will see that the shades of water are predominantly a dirty green or a dirty brown. Rarely is it very clear or blue.
I have tried to create inland water that is a more lighter brown/green shade like in real life.The bigger and deeper the body of water is, the more blue it will be. As water gets shallower it gets greener; Then brown at its shallowest. Of course, the ambient environment (sunlight,clouds,time of day,clarity of the air) causes variations in reflectivity. The water itself has several variables too : ie, the depth, width of the body of water; the impurities contained and thus the light reflected, all have an effect. Even the angle at which you see the water and even the fact that the surface of the water on its own has reflective properties and acts as a mirror can change the way water looks!
If you want a gorgeous example of graphically rendered water at its best, play HALF-LIFE 2`s first few levels. How i wish that game`s water could be transplanted into FS2004!!....
I have also tried to adjust the water textures so they blend equally well with default FS2004 scenery, FScene or MegaScenery.
Used the program DXTBMP and MS Paint. Also used aerial river/inland photos off google/yahoo and also www.keyhole.com for satellite imaging. This is my first attempt at scenery design. Spare me if it messes up the way your FS9 looks. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP . Freeware .
OTHER ADD-ONS IN THE SCREENSHOTS : Fscene by Ruud Faaber. Flight Environment. MegaScenery CA; USA Roads. Also 'Western Michigan University' add-on CEssna 172.
