Hi all,Now that the talk about FSX has started to heat (largely because of the speculation about release dates though), I thought it would be fitting to start a discussion about the features of the new FS. More closely a discussion about what the hardcore simmers (definition follows) would like to get either in the next FS or later on in FS future incarnations. I'm not after comments like "it would be great if my Boeing 777 would climb faster so that I didn't have to wait so long to get to the cruising level of 14,000ft".Please list your wantings and desires, and let's hope that MS' representatives take our suggestions into account someday :).My own wishes (not all-inclusive) would be:- A weather environment that would have direct effects on the flight also beyond just wind and visual effects (rain and snow that currently do nothing). I would like to see friction changes on runways based on weather. Icing effects on airframe and engines (other than just the pitot tube freezing). Realistic windshear. Realistic down- and updrafts. Temperature effects more realistic (fog, water vapour). The wind as of FS9 is not modelled right, at least not the x-wind effects.- Sloped runways and effects for water/snow on the runway (both visual and FDE-related).- More realistic textures for airport areas, ie. at least the runway and its lighting (along with taxiways) should look realistic. I could almost care less about the eye-candy outside airports, but at least the very heart of the operations should look real.- More realistic aircraft lights and the airport environment should have an overall look that has more light even during night. It's currently way too dark and the aircraft lights only make it worse.- Improvement for panel lighting to allow for more realistic looking night lighted panels more easier (some developers have already made their own work-arounds to this in FS9 with good success).- Improvements for FDE, allowing for e.g. realistic EPR modelling, better modelling for drag, and ground friction effects, better overall jet engine and turboprop modelling.I will append this list as more things come into mind. Please feel free to discuss, add to the list or take things away if you feel they're not needed. I realize many people will want things like improved ATC and better visuals but for my own way of flying (I use VATSIM, and for visuals mainly only want the weather and the airport surroundings to look better), I don't regard them as so important all-around. Your mileage may vary...I don't want anyone to get offended by me wanting opinions from only "HC simmers". It's because I have come to realize that different groups of people desire for different things, and therefore I'm seeking only opinions of people who think alike. That's all.regards,Tero ---By a HC simmer I mean a person who (not all-inclusive list by any means, just my general idea of one):a) understands and uses real-world information on every basic/general aspect of his flight and flight-planning (VFR/IFR environment and procedures, weather, basic aircraft systems understanding on general level for any aircraft, good airmanship):( learns the particular aircraft that he's operating thoroughly and uses that information in a proper manner for every operation on his flights (ie. real-world procedures and proper operating methods throughout).c) has understanding of various "factor X's" of real aviation, and knows how to deal with them in the sim environment (weather, equipment failures, surprising traffic situations etc.).d) understands the environment in which he's flying, ie. fully understands the ATC and the need for it, and also the effect of other aircraft in the air and on the ground around him.---

TeroHardcore simmer in definition for me is quite simple :-) It is someone who demands as near reality from his/her simming as possible and strives to achieve that.Your wish list looks good. Top of my list has to be a better weather engine making the sky more alive and fluid.I would want real type weather systems with highs and lows, fronts and their associated cloud and weather conditions.The whole thing being dynamic with an ability to copy real world weather movements.Part of that a better depiction of the hazards of weather ie icing turbulence, winds effects, jetstreams, fog formation, thunderstorms etc.My name for FSX would be " FSX THE LIVING SKY " or " FSX SKYWORLD "I would also concentrate more on an adventure generator. Look at the old FU3 and that level of interaction. MSFS with the fun /adrenaline factor. Before anyone is critical of yet another FSX topic, I am sure now is the time to put in your wish list. MS do look in at these forums and you never know, maybe just maybe they will see something which sounds like a good idea and incorporate it while the format is still not set in stone.Peterhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/137754.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/137755.jpg

At this rate I reckon I'm going to be heartily sick of FSX before it even comes out. Perhaps we need a separate forum for the endless speculation and wishlists? It'll save MS from wading through all the other topics ;-)But to ignore my own advice and to enter into the spirit of things I'd say more refined flight models are required for the default models. I certainly hope the Airbus has some sort of auto-trim. PSS managed it quite well for their FS2002 A320. And something like Active Camera should be built in as standard.Oh, I don't know...it'll be nice enough not to have to see that bloody DC-3 every time I start a session.Ian

I don't normally involve myself with these discussions, but I will make an exception! ;)I really like using ActiveSky, so I'm not too fussed about MS improving the weather (ActiveSky is brilliant.) It begs an interesting question though about asking MS to provide these things that addon developers tend to do better. For example, I wouldn't ask for better aircraft or anything, I think that MS tend to do the FS 'engine' better than the aircraft (a non-hardcore user might ask for better aircraft), other developers do better there.I would probably ask for better airport environment, and don't think that it would be too difficult (as a developer, myself) for them to identify parking bays and add some vehicles to surround aircraft when they are at the bay. Even provide a keystroke for when you want them to go away (ready for pushback). And as the original poster said - better lighting at night - I agree it's generally too dark.I would also ask for a better ATC element to FS. Things like emergency proceedures and airspeed management for the aircraft, including AI aircraft.

My wish list.....- Better planned braking by AI aircraft after landing to speed up vacating the runway. Not just increase the base taxi speed to ungodly speeds so that aircraft are racing around the taxiways like an Indy race... Have a completely separate speed for aircraft to slow down to after landing (say, 50-60 knots), and then slow down to normal taxi speed just before taking the turnoff so it turns at a normal speed. Then taxis to parking/gates at a normal 12-15 knots. All of the taxi speeds for different situations would be changeable in fs10.cfg variables.- Timeout setting for AI aircraft before they disappear changeable as a fs10.cfg variable. So, some can have it 5 minutes, some could have it 1 minute if they really want, others can have it 15 or even up to 60 minutes or higher if they really wanted....- Sloped runways/taxiways/aprons.- Accumulating snow (at least up to a certain point, anyway.... maybe a representation of up to 6 inches or something.....)- Pilot-controlled airport lighting.- Static on radio channels when near the edge of the station's range.- Correct engine startup and shutdown for jets and turboprops. I find it hard to believe that any jet engine will suddenly leap from 20% N2 to 80% N2 and settle back to a normal idle % N2 within 10 seconds.... I know that the prop on the turboprop engine will not stay still while the starter is cranking, it will slowly spin up from the moment the starter is engaged. And again, once it fires, it won't just suddenly leap to 80%+ and back down to idle within seconds of firing..... I keep saying this, get the turboprop/jet engine startups right!!- Add randomness in how long you have to crank the starter in a reciprocating prop before it fires. Also have engine temperature factored in--a cold engine might be harder to start than a warm engine. With mags on, fuel on and mixture full rich, sometimes it might take several seconds of cranking to start that recip engine, other times it might fire in less than 1 second if it's warm....- Also, when cranking the engine to start a reciprocating prop engine, have the prop rotating at a realistic speed. Should be nice and SLOW.... Right now it looks like the prop spins at idle rpm under the power of the starter motor which is incorrect. Perhaps set this variable as to how fast the engine rotates when cranking the starter in aircraft.cfg so different aircraft models can look right since some rotate faster than others..... :)- Engine resistance in a reciprocating prop causing the prop to "bounce" when shutting down sometimes...- Realistic ground friction!!!!!!! Less friction for moving forward, make it more difficult for the aircraft to slide sideways when landing or taking off.....- Improved ATC. Implement FSS stations, and require VFR flight plans to be filed, opened and closed through FSS stations (or simulate phone call if there's no FSS radio station nearby). Implement holding patterns for traffic separation, including AI and user aircraft, whether or not there's a STAR or other approach procedure being used (combined with previous wish regarding faster runway exit taxi speeds, hopefully reduce the number of go-arounds and number of disappearing arrivals....)

A program that runs well on my current gaming PC which is about 7 months old and is compatible with the add-ons I use every day ....

>I really like using ActiveSky, so I'm not too fussed about MS improving the weather (ActiveSky is brilliant.

If you have ever had the chance to fly a Professional Flight Sim like the Airlines use, that run around $30 Million for a 767 or 777, you would would be really disappointed with the lack of almost any kind of eye candy, that so many people are demanding for FSX. The only important criteria for the real pilots that learn how to fly a real aircraft using these simulators , is how well it represents the way a real aircraft flys. That is it, no fantastic clouds, no cows in the fields, no baggage trucks running around the ramp, no buxom blondes standing in the windows of the airport, just how well it represents the way an aircraft behaves... Something to think about......

Hi,Just to clarify something about me personally; I have around 40-50 hours in real Level-C and Level-D simulators (other than the one mentioned on my signature ;)), which, without exception, always depict the things I mentioned as wishes in my initial post. Hence also my lack of interest in the "eye candy" side of things. What's important is that even in the oldest real simulators (all the way from the 70s), the airport environment and the aircraft feel and handling are way ahead of what FS9 offers now.MS has the chance of making the simulator professional with some fairly small but significant changes, that no doubt do demand some effort from MS's side to implement *well*. Again, like Peter said, the meat is what counts... not the dressing.EDIT: Oh almost forgot. I agree what Bob said here, but I'd also like to point out that the very latest simulators (that I've also had a chance to try) do include this eye-candy as well. There's a nice video from CAE simulations (I can't remember the link to it right now), which shows some of the newest things in action; blowing snow on the runway when aircraft throttles up for departure; cars driving on the road just next to the airport with even their headlights pointing on the correct direction for bi-directional traffic; highly realistic lighting and texturing for airport areas etc. etc. So given the direction FS has already taken before, it would be possible to include this eye-candy in the future versions as well, but the core of the engine should be made stronger nevertheless; effects should be more than just visual.regards,Tero

The first time I sat down in a Level-D (SouthWest 737-700) I kept waiting for them to turn on the scenery. Or at least turn up the lights so I could see the scenery :-) . I've another session in a Lear 45 (Flight Safety) next month and I'm really hoping they have the long-planned upgrade installed by then as now all that scenery looks like FS5 set on Very Sparse. Unfortunately, it's becoming more and more obvious that eye-candy is what it's all about for most simmers and that's where MS is going with FSX.Doug

We are stuck with one flat small screen so can never achieve the same as a full motion simulator.Any simulation is just that a simulation. We cannot sit in a full size cockpit with all the periferal views and natural body head movements.Instead we are stuck with NO motion and that restrictive flat panel.Hence surely we should make up for those restrictions by using every means of sense trickery available.Going back to FU3 they even had a wooshing sound as you added bank. Ok there is no wooshing sound real world but it did give a sense of the wings biting air and a sense of motion.What we cab do is to improve the flight dynamics engine and the Sky invironment as well as adding trickery to fill in the shortfalls.Peter

Taxi signs that read on both sides and will remain displayed when slider settings are reduced somewhat. Any reduction in scenery density turns them off on my system now.Happy flying:RTH

I found the CAE video you were looking for.Here's the link.http://www.cae.com/www2004/News_Room/videoGallery.shtmlits the tropos video. If only FSX could look like that. I'll die for it...haha..I particularly like the continuous day lighting effect. THe bump mapping and phong lighting is exceptionally good... The blowing snow and runway snow is great too. If FSX would not restrict the texture sizes. I would think it would be as good as the ones in the video. The layered fog and smog is also very real. Now..if only that was FSX...

There is one very simple little thing that MS can do to FS to make more real.....Sloping runways!!

WellI think they should:Improve Taxi and runway lightsImprove Runway texturesRewrite ATCRewrite the Weather engine (most importantly make visibility change smoothly)I think they should drop the planes built into the sim and let external parties create add-on planes ( fully simulated ) that just plug into the sim.Improve airport environments and add a few REAL airline liveries to airports...