Review: Ground X Traffic Basepack (Updated)

This is a very nice piece of software that replaces all of the ground vehicles in FSX and replaces them with new 3-D models.  At present the vehicles only work in airports in Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark and are partly animated (FSX SDK allowing).  They are also visible at nigh complete with flashing lights, etc.  The new vehicles include, fire trucks; shuttle busses, luggage loaders, tractors, fuel trucks, stair trucks and push back vehicles.  Other vehicles and other FSX areas will be added in the future.  This is a gem of an add-on for FSX and it enhances the simming experience.

GROUND X TRAFFIC BASEPACK – DIRK STUCK DESIGN — The Transporter Mini – Review

Installation:
Just run a small exe file which installs automatically.  Activation is easy just insert a code given to you when purchased.  It installs into a folder under

The Manual
None, but not really needed.

In the Sim
Visiting the German, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, airports shows the new vehicles in all of their glory, and the sport becomes for you to spot the new vehicles as you trundle around the aerodrome.  The vehicles are highly detailed and can be zoomed in a fair bit and still retain their clarity.  I set my settings under \traffic\airport vehicle density to “High” and saw very little effect on frame rates at that setting and saw tons of vehicles.  “Medium” would be a good average setting for most computers without affecting frame rates.

New Airports
To be added in the future.  The software is compatible with 3^rd party add-on airports.

Uninstall
A method of uninstalling the software is included.

Sounds
These are the default sounds.

DX10 Preview Mode
The vehicles run fine in DX10 Preview mode.

Support:
By email and is excellent — by return.  I used it several times and the answers were prompt, accurate and courteous.

Ground X Traffic with Aerosoft AES
There is no doubt that Ground Traffic X does many of the same things that AES does and for sure the GXT vehicles look a lot more realistic and you do not need to purchase credits for individual airports.  Furthermore GXT works in DX10 preview mode as well as having night-time textures, whereas AES does not support DX10 preview and the night textures are partially missing.  However, AES relies on its inbuilt software for pushback whereas GXT relies on the default FSX commands, ie there do not seem to be the same breadth of commands that you see in AES, where you can invoke the various ground vehicles and “load/unload passengers, fuel, provisions, baggage, etc” via a separate dedicated menu.

AES also has its own “follow me” vehicle which is not present in GXT.  The air bridges (jet ways) in GXT work very well indeed and are quite realistic but there is no option to adjust the height and positions as in AES, but I couldn’t see any interaction with the jetways (air bridges) coming into position when using both systems at an airport.

AES also has its own sounds including water on the runway and nose wheel sounds, whereas GXT uses the default FSX sounds.  I carried out some tests, using Aerosoft German Airports 3 add-on airport, to see how AES and GXT might interact.  There is some interaction as GXT places the pushback tractor in front of the aircraft and when you use the AES push-back command the AES tractor backs unceremoniously into the GXT tractor.  If you do not invoke AES then GXT will handle the pushback etc via the default commands.  During the disembark/embark phases one or two of the AES vehicles collide with the GXT ones or vice versa.  For me this did not detract from the simming experience and I would be happy to use both.  I guess that purists would want to use one or the other.

OOPs!
I kept referring this to Ground Traffic X (GTX) and not Ground X Traffic (GXT), so if you see GTX, I really mean GXT, if you see what I mean.

Summing Up
A nice add-on for FSX gives airports more animated life than before, and I look forward to other countries being added.  Dirk Stuck informs me that he is working night and day to deliver the new updates.

WOW Factor: 8½ out of 10.
Peter Hayes, Australia, July 2010

Table of the Important Bits:

A Miscellany of pictures:

Figure 2 Baggage Cart

Figure 3 Baggage Loader Night

Figure 4 Pushback tractor and baggage cart rear

Figure 5 General View Dusk

Figure 6 General group dusk

Figure 7 Panoramic Group together

Figure 8 Lots of Activity Close -up

Figure 9 Lots of activity close – up 2

Figure 10 Lots of activity close – up 3

Figure 11 Tanker night delivery

Figure 12 Fuel Oil Service Truck

Figure 13 Petrol Tanker

Figure 14 Pushback tractor front night

Figure 15 Service Vehicle Close Up

Figure 16 Three together at night

Figure 17 Baggage Cart Close-Up

Figure 18 Shuttle Bus