OK, I know I have been quite whiny about the airliners and flight models, but surely it will get better and of course 3rd party aircrafts will show up. For the past 24 hours or so I have more often than not kicked back as a passenger. Yes, that is right. A passenger! I've handed over the yoke to my AI officer and went back in the cabin wing view to play around with different settings, lighting, weather without having to focus on the flying. A passenger simulator if you will. Now there's time to enjoy all scenery details on final approach and I know this is old news but MY GOD what an achievement. Only now can Microsoft really claim "as real as it gets" because there are so many times that I have actually thought that I am flying a remote aircraft in real life with actual cameras recording.

The future is VERY bright. Imagine this in highes VR, Seriously...I am ready to dump a fortune on this. Hello Reverb G2, Hello RTX 3080ti. Hello "whatever I need to get to my wife for compensation"

 

Totally agree, this sim is breath taking. I can't get enough of it. It's like a virtual getaway for me. Like a virtual vacation and tourism sim!

Btw, what plane did you use when you let the co-pillot take over? Could you explain how the plane was configured right before you enabled the AI to take over? I would also like to do the same. I want to see what it's like using the passenger view and take some really nice photos and make some videos as well. But not sure what the best way to configure the plane before I enable the AI to takeover as I am afraid the AI might crash the plane somehow.

I took the Icon A5 to South Georgia (South Sandwich Islands), in the South Atlantic. I have visited the place four times. Once on HMS Bristol, after Operation Corporate. Twice on HMS Endurance. Once on HMS Dumbarton Castle - My last trip after serving 24 years in the RN.

In the Sim I paid a visit to Grytviken, Leith, Stromness and Husvik. Athough buildings are there, they don't look like the abandoned Whaling Stations (for obvious reason). But, they are there in the right location! The (what passes for) roads are there, true to life (from what I remember them as).

It was the sky though. Just how I remembered it. You felt cold, just looking at it. Thanks MS/Asobo for allowing me back - I don't know if anyone else goes there!

ETA: Did not see any Elephant Seals or their harums whilst I was there - A MOD perhaps, one day.

Edited August 25, 20205 yr by Tinribs
Seals

32 minutes ago, captain420 said:

Totally agree, this sim is breath taking. I can't get enough of it. It's like a virtual getaway for me. Like a virtual vacation and tourism sim!

Btw, what plane did you use when you let the co-pillot take over? Could you explain how the plane was configured right before you enabled the AI to take over? I would also like to do the same. I want to see what it's like using the passenger view and take some really nice photos and make some videos as well. But not sure what the best way to configure the plane before I enable the AI to takeover as I am afraid the AI might crash the plane somehow.

I used the A320. Just plan a flight with departure and arrival airports of your choice and start the flight. When in cockpit and before take-off activate AI to control the plane. Then sit back in the cabin and enjoy the ride.

That said...the AI pilot needs some training 🙂. Usually the landings are on the runway but sometimes they are on the grass and sometimes he/she seems to have problems finding the airport. Or at least a proper approach But they always land :-). Not always pretty, but they land.

Edited August 25, 20205 yr by flightsim1818

thanks! Will give it a try. Hopefully they will prove the AI so that we can see them performing realistic flights, especially in the take off and landing phase.

definitely the most beautiful sim I've ever seen. its astounding.  its amazing...

Agreed.

Doesn't get any better than this. . .until it does. . .

Edited August 25, 20205 yr by Will Fly For Cheese

It IS a great sim (forget the sim / game baloney) and I haven't even flown it yet.

Cheers

bs

4 hours ago, captain420 said:

Totally agree, this sim is breath taking. I can't get enough of it. It's like a virtual getaway for me. Like a virtual vacation and tourism sim!

Btw, what plane did you use when you let the co-pillot take over? Could you explain how the plane was configured right before you enabled the AI to take over? I would also like to do the same. I want to see what it's like using the passenger view and take some really nice photos and make some videos as well. But not sure what the best way to configure the plane before I enable the AI to takeover as I am afraid the AI might crash the plane somehow.

You can let him take the controls on the ground. I've done that before he taxied, took off and landed 

4 hours ago, flightsim1818 said:

The future is VERY bright. Imagine this in highes VR, Seriously...I am ready to dump a fortune on this. Hello Reverb G2, Hello RTX 3080ti. Hello "whatever I need to get to my wife for compensation"

Yes! Last night I was flying Alaska and tried different weathers, storms and time. It's totally amazing when sunset, rains and lightening all work so realistically together. Surreal. 

I already preordered G2 and waiting for 3080 to pull the trigger on computer upgrading. Luckily I got some luck with stock market this time so those $$$$ a bit easier to swallow... 

It has my vote

Who knew that you needed a company with zero flight sim experience to revitalize this genre

6 minutes ago, Slides said:

Who knew that you needed a company with zero flight sim experience to revitalize this genre

Who knew and who cares.

They've done an incredible job.

(I think they might have had some help from Microsoft and their almost infinite resources however. . .)

 

10 minutes ago, Slides said:

Who knew that you needed a company with zero flight sim experience to revitalize this genre

And that's probably why some people are unhappy with it.

A simulation company would have become lost in the aircraft minutia and likely given us beautifully working autopilots, a nice, old style interface only a simmer could love, and gorgeous airports surrounded by early 2006 landscapes.

Many here would love it. And it would likely do so poorly financially, that it would be gone even more quickly than DTG sim........

For those who think that the members of AVSim are all flightsim "snobs", read this thread at the official MSFS forums:

The opinions of the flightsim community, a summary

I hope that the Mods will allow posting of this link, as normally posting links to other forums is frowned on. But the opinion about MSFS is so uniform throughout the entire user community, that I hope that the Mods make an exception in this case. We AVSim "snobs" are not alone. We just figured out the condition of MSFS before others did.