Astralis Studios NZNV Invercargill
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2025 10:45 amI thought I saw a post here about this, but now I'm not so sure. I did know it had been released recently, although I did assume it was freeware, and headed to Flightsim.to. They do have it, but payware at just under NZ$20. I bought it from the Marketplace, using my crypto simverse coins:)
I had seen some comments about the lack of terminal interiors, but this isn't an issue for me. I quite like being able to see into terminals from the tarmac (as you would in real life) but I don't think this should mean that we get intricately modelled interiors, which I might visit exactly once. However I do think that one or two of the hangars should be open, which adds to the experience. Nothing is open here, like a permanent Sunday.
This is a tidy little airport, and the only issue I had was caused by MSFS 2024 -- I was warned to hold short for a Cirrus on the runway, which was actually me encroaching a bit. Luckily this was sorted nice and quick. The tarmac markings are strangely modelled, snapping into focus after a while in one piece, and there are two very different yellows which I'm pretty sure isn't realistic.
This is the sort of release I'd like to see a lot more of, however this has all the hallmarks of freeware -- almost no custom models apart from the buildings, so you wouldn't know you were in NZ looking around the tarmac. They do say PBR textures, but these don't seem to differ from the old specular textures -- plenty of shiny bits, but no metal and no normal textures. As I collect free simverse coins though, it practically costs me nothing so the price isn't a consideration. If I was paying real money, though, I'd expect to pay NZ$9.99. With the dearth of MSFS 2024 NZ releases, I can only compare this to KiwiFlightSim's Hokitika (not available from the Marketplace), which is a real quality release for a couple of dollars cheaper.
I hadn't heard of Astralis Studios, so I checked out their other releases in the Marketplace. One US airport, a US airfield, a Canadian airport and NZNV. All get ok reviews. I read a post from Darwin, the Astralis developer, saying he's just starting out in scenery, and he is keen to improve. I don't know if we'll see another NZ release from him, as I don't know where he is based. As I said, it's great to see local releases for MSFS (this is compatible with both) and there are plenty of airports here to look forward to. I didn't want to be too harsh here, and overall I think it's a worthy addition. The only reason why I come across a bit grumpy is that I never came close to getting access to the Marketplace in the three years I tried, and now that I'm retired it seems to be a lot easier:)
I had seen some comments about the lack of terminal interiors, but this isn't an issue for me. I quite like being able to see into terminals from the tarmac (as you would in real life) but I don't think this should mean that we get intricately modelled interiors, which I might visit exactly once. However I do think that one or two of the hangars should be open, which adds to the experience. Nothing is open here, like a permanent Sunday.
This is a tidy little airport, and the only issue I had was caused by MSFS 2024 -- I was warned to hold short for a Cirrus on the runway, which was actually me encroaching a bit. Luckily this was sorted nice and quick. The tarmac markings are strangely modelled, snapping into focus after a while in one piece, and there are two very different yellows which I'm pretty sure isn't realistic.
This is the sort of release I'd like to see a lot more of, however this has all the hallmarks of freeware -- almost no custom models apart from the buildings, so you wouldn't know you were in NZ looking around the tarmac. They do say PBR textures, but these don't seem to differ from the old specular textures -- plenty of shiny bits, but no metal and no normal textures. As I collect free simverse coins though, it practically costs me nothing so the price isn't a consideration. If I was paying real money, though, I'd expect to pay NZ$9.99. With the dearth of MSFS 2024 NZ releases, I can only compare this to KiwiFlightSim's Hokitika (not available from the Marketplace), which is a real quality release for a couple of dollars cheaper.
I hadn't heard of Astralis Studios, so I checked out their other releases in the Marketplace. One US airport, a US airfield, a Canadian airport and NZNV. All get ok reviews. I read a post from Darwin, the Astralis developer, saying he's just starting out in scenery, and he is keen to improve. I don't know if we'll see another NZ release from him, as I don't know where he is based. As I said, it's great to see local releases for MSFS (this is compatible with both) and there are plenty of airports here to look forward to. I didn't want to be too harsh here, and overall I think it's a worthy addition. The only reason why I come across a bit grumpy is that I never came close to getting access to the Marketplace in the three years I tried, and now that I'm retired it seems to be a lot easier:)
