The new switcher is a vast improvement in both looks and function. The most notable changes are the extension of the SE textures to cover Tasmania and the Northern Tropical textures covering the Northern Territory. They have also changed the names of some of the regions. South to South East (SE) and West to South West (SW) with small descriptions giving insight into the conditions of each region.

As before, we have the normal VOZ and UnVOZ buttons, but they have also included a FLY button that will load up FS2004 without you having to close the switcher.

Under the surface of the VOZ Switcher, they have made improvements as well, the loading of textures is now a little faster and the unloading of textures a lot safer. When you UnVOZ the switcher automatically backs up the default textures incase any problems arise such as a power failure that restarts your computer.

VOZ 1.1 comes packed with 4 new splash screens depicting the 4 regions of Australia. North, South, Central, and West. When loading up your Flightsim using the Switcher I believe the corresponding splash screen will appear depending on what region you have selected. This however was not the case in the beta gold version provided to me for the purpose of this review. I am told this has been addressed and fixed in the final release version.

VOZ 0.99 Featured highly detailed Northern textures and left the Central, Southern, and Western textures requiring a little more work. VOZ 1.1 addresses those few short comings and vastly improves the new South Western and South Eastern regions. There has obviously been a lot of time spent on these two regions with massive improvements notable in all areas. The SE and SW region now boast some of the most stunning rural textures in the game with life like representations of wheat fields and open country farms. The West Australian Wheat Belt and the Market Gardens of Victoria come to life with amazing atmosphere and presence as you fly low and slow over the rolling hills. There is almost zero noticeable repetition in textures even on the longest flights.

The updated textures capture perfectly the colour and vibrance you expect to see when looking out the window of a plane and I have no doubt these regions will now become very popular locations for the scenic VFR flights across our country.

In VOZ 0.99 they changed the sunrise and sunset textures and while the new sunset was very popular with its atmospheric glow. The sunrise textures in my opinion needed a little more work. I found myself spending very little time flying at that time of the day because for me it was a little too pink. VOZ 1.1 has come to my rescue and fixed the sunrise textures to more accurately reflect a crisp summer morning. This new improvement is sure to spark new interest and a flurry of screenshots posted on in the VOZ forums.

The new urban textures are a real treat to the eye. With more detail than ever you can quickly identify the difference between roads, highways, and freeways. Suburbs, roundabouts and median strips are all visible and with a little local knowledge you can easily navigate the major highways of you local capital city. I failed to find the moving cars that were depicted in a movie released featuring VOZ 1.1 but that could be just a movie trick, as it is not mentioned in the features of VOZ 1.1

Koorby has included a partial version of his night lighting textures. City night lighting is often a forgotten part of the texture process when developers create there scenery and Koorby has addressed this short fall with his own set of night lighting textures. Most notable is the Tokyo styled city billboard lights around Sydney CBD. Although a little repetitive from a distance the new lighting effects are better than default and add the feel of a night life to what otherwise has been a dead looking city at night. There is also some added street lighting effects and a nice yellow glow over a few streets and highways. The best place to view Koorbys night lighting effects is Brisbane, Brisbane is by far the most influenced city by these new lighting effects so make sure you check them out.

Over all the new lighting effects are welcome additions adding atmosphere to the dull night experience of the default textures. I am looking forward to the finished product that will be included in VOZ 1.2 if all goes well.

VOZ 1.1 features many new scenery enhancements from airports to city improvements. The following airports are either new or enhanced with many new buildings and Gmax models improving on the already impressive list of airport and city landmarks included in VOZ 0.99.

Knowing that VOZ 0.99 has many pre, selectable flights I made a beeline for that section to see if there was anything new. A quick scan and I quickly notice more than 30 new additions such as a Perth Flyover, Mount Hamersley, also known as Mount Nameless by the locals in Tom Price and Paraburdoo and the QE2 Stadium (Home of my Beloved Brisbane Broncos) just to name a few.

With so much to look at, I decided to fly around my hometown first. I selected the Perth Flyover and was quickly airborne over the Swan River facing the Perth hills. I can see Kings Park to my left and Perth International Airport in the distance. As I pan to look behind me, I notice the murky river water breaking out into the mighty Indian Ocean. I was impressed with how well the river textures blended with the ocean textures. It made for a some very eye catching and realistic effects that I’m sure the VOZ guys are very proud of.

Fremantle Harbor is clearly visible in the foreground with a few ships in the harbor and the new Lighthouses standing prominently at the entrance. Jandakot Airport is of to my right and with the new Urban landclass I can make out all the major freeways and highways from 4000ft.

You will also quickly appreciate the new SW textures around Perth, they are stunning and really add to the feel of flying around my new home town. . These new textures look life like with that unmistakable golden dry look that Western Australia gets in the middle of a hot summer.

VOZ 1.1 is fast becoming the only add-on you will ever need to enjoy flying around Australia. The list of enhancements above is huge but does not give you the whole picture. I don’t think anybody can, the fact is VOZ is so complex it will take many months for the average person like you and me to find everything. I wonder if Koorby was able to keep track of the plethora of additions, he him self might find a few new features when next flying around. I can imagine this project would have been very challenging and it’s a credit to the organisational skills and dedication of this team. Reviewing VOZ 1.1 has been enough to make this writers head spin. I didn’t even scratch the surface and you won’t either in the first few weeks.

All of you are going to enjoy thoroughly the latest edition to the VOZ brand name. VOZ 1.1 is a comprehensive product with detail and accuracy worth every cent of your bandwidth.

My final advice to you is make your self comfortable because you will be spending a lot of hours discovering what VOZ has to offer. Grab a beer, clear your schedule, and enjoy immersing your self like never before in this Great Southern Land.

Congratulations to everyone involved with VOZ 1.1. On behalf of the Flight Sim community, I thank you for enriching our flightsim experience.