A weekend letter to Asobo and our to our FS Community

[cavaricooper 2,614]

I have got to admit that I am a convert.  I fully foresee a time when P3D will disappear (for me) in the same way that XPL was removed after the DC-6 beta.  NEVER in all my decades of flight simulation, have I approached the level of suspension of disbelief, that I experience in MSFS.  True, it is a willing sense of disbelief.  True, there are many half baked default airplanes. True, that at the moment the sim interface and options have many issues.  True there is much left to do.  True, that it will be a year or so before any high level complex airliner simulations will be available.  Yet, I simply cannot stop flying this simulation.

I have at my disposal many high quality addons from PMDG, RealAir, ATSimulations, FSLabs and A2A in P3D and of course Hardy Heinlin's superlative PSX and yet, I am drawn again and again to the MSFS experience. Each time I fly, I marvel at the world depiction, and at the fact that I am content with the currently incomplete Mooney M20R that we received from Carenado.  All the shortcomings of the simulation platform and the aircraft pale in comparison to the fact, that for the first time, when I taxi in, I feel as though I had actually flown an aeroplane, and not just manipulated systems depicted on a screen.  There was actually a deja vue moment for me on a flight recently out of Tampa, over Plant City to Lakeland, then a couple of circles around Disney above the 3000 TFR and back.  I had done this so many times in an earlier lifetime, but it was so acutely familiar this time, actually seeing the land below exactly as I remembered it. Yes the companies I mentioned succeed in absolutely superb flight simulation.  Yes, I know they produce fantastic representations of real aircraft. Yes, I am normally a heavy jet transport flier who delights in arriving within 3% of predicted remaining fuel in a fully controlled ATC environment (the real kind- Vatsim and IVAO), and yet, all I want to do is to fire up MSFS again and again, and fly the modded 152 (Thanks @DRF30q) or this three quarters complete Carenado Mooney I'm in love with.  I will stipulate that the rest of the default fleet, with possible exception of the 172 are nowhere near enticing.

In the year plus that it will take for the top tier developers to get the tools they need to simulate aircraft to the expected levels of authenticity that we have come to expect, I hope that Asobo will bring the base simulator into full blossom.  If the framework is accurate enough, and flexible enough to accommodate the full vision of these developers, this will be fully, THE simulator to realize our dreams of flight.  The fact that the Dowsons and Andrew and Guenter, and Alex Barthel (FSUIPC and LINDA and Little NavMap) are already wholly at work on this platform, has been hugely instrumental in realizing my wish to fully interface my home cockpit with MSFS.  Again, these three teams are with me on every flight, in every aircraft, and their dedication and commitment are impossible to ignore.  Please support them once you realize their indispensable contributions. I am thankful that Navigraph and vPilot work out of the box (after Patching). Also, I am waiting for RealityXP support with bated breath. Meanwhile Asobo, please add LOCATION and AIRCRAFT to the Toolbar top center.

I am gratified by the altruistic nature of our community.  There are SO MANY superb freeware addons and updates to the world sim, some of which are unbelievably stellar.  I am also humbled to see the sense of community exhibited by those like Bert Pieke and Ray Marshall.  That is something that our XPL partners have truly done well, but unfortunately, that simulator never captivated my soul.  Our community is large and talented and Asobo has provided the mechanism for them to share their talent. I hope that continues and the truly stellar freeware developers are spotlighted and rewarded in the MSFS Marketplace. The outpouring of talent is unlike anything I have experienced other than at SOH (Sim Outhouse) where Manfred Jahn, Alex Metzger, Nigel Richards, Gordon Madison, Jan Kees Bloom, Bernt Stolle, Ted, YoYo and such other amazing individuals have given back to our community in ways too brilliant to imagine.

The scenery in sim is simply stunning.  Yes, there are elevation issues, but when's the last time you needed a LOT of power to claw your way up a taxi strip, to pull back feverishly upon seeing the dip after the crest?  When's the last time you felt a need to adjust flare, when landing, because the runway was either rising to meet you, or dropping away under your wheels?  When's the last time you flew a descending turn into a valley at Aspen and were simply gobsmacked at the wonder of our planet?  I am very familiar with what P3D has to offer, and I was very satisfied. Someone moved my cheese. Here is where our stellar scenery developers (FlightBeam, FSDT, ORBX, FlyTampa, UK2000, LatinVFR and those of that ilk) can really make their mark.  I have purchased several MSFS sceneries already, and with each I have been more than satisfied.

The danger at the moment is that developers are realizing the potential of a LARGE market, on a scale heretofore unimagined.  This is something NEW, and so we are seeing rushed aircraft and sceneries come to market.  Here is where a community like AvSim can truly make its mark, and provide real value to the MSFS consumer.  Thoughtful reviews, from TRUSTED reviewers, can go a long way towards ensuring that our transition will be a smooth one.  Opportunity for disappointment is rife, and we need to be educated consumers.  Never has Caveat Emptor been more applicable.

Yes, as a certain retired USAF Major friend of mine would say, I have drunk the KoolAid.  Still I am confident, that if Asobo (truthfully the bean counters at MS) don't mess up this grand experiment, the benefits (both to us the consumer and to the commercial vendors in this arena) will far outweigh the angst of growth pains.

I will be back to flying P3D for now (large default aeroplanes in MSFS are mostly rubbish covered in eye candy, and here again the dedicated modders must be celebrated and given the gratitude they deserve); but I will keep one eye forever peeled for the dawn of realistic commercial aviation in MSFS. Do I want to start over with yet another simulation platform and the resulting learning curve and cost?  No- BUT I WILL.

Bravo Asobo- you have truly rocked my world!

C

Edited September 27, 2020 by cavaricooper

[dmvega81 99]

Completely agree with you, we just need a few aircrafts from good developers and for me this sim is perfect, for now as you do, I only fly C152 (with Mods) and M20, which is a really nice aircraft. With this sim I like to fly VFR to new places, new cities, new landmarks... it is just amazing!

[Waldo Pepper 1,952]

I flew across France to Courchevel with a Discord group of approximately 35 Bonanza's G36's a day or two ago.   That particular area was incredibly beautiful.   

Journey to the Alps Flight Plan

[dave2013 1,130]

I agree with you that MSFS is the future.  There's no comparing the scenery in MSFS to that of P3D, it's so much more realistic, and the sloping runways are indeed awesome.

Unfortunately, it was released prematurely IMO.  There are many more bugs, lack of features, and other issues than I expected.  The weather system, which was marketed as being the best thing since sliced bread, has turned out to be so disappointing that a lot of people here are excited about REX's Weather Force 2020 release - the post about it is up to 20 pages already.  This shouldn't be necessary at all.  The only thing the MSFS weather system was supposed to lack is historical weather.

Now we find out that it's going to be at least a year until PMDG aircraft are available.  I'm waiting for Aerosoft and other addon aircraft developers to make similar announcements.  Maybe theirs will be ready sooner, who knows?

Anyway, I uninstalled it and went back to P3D.  Yes, the scenery in P3D is less impressive now that I've had a taste of MSFS scenery, but it's a much more functional sim IMO. 

I'll be back to MSFS when it's ready, hopefully within a year or so.

Dave

[leefree 12]

I've been flying the C172 G1000 since release. Tried the airliners but they are pretty bad. Spent money to upgrade to the deluxe edition so I can fly the steam gauge version of the Cessna 172. Then I found out about a program similar to FSEconomy called OnAir Company Manager and its awesome and really gives the sim more purpose. Passed a checkride so I can rent the King Air 350i and transport people and cargo to different airports and make dat money lol. I'm enjoying the hell outta this sim. Its beautiful. Its working together with my thrown together setup. Hell, I'm in midflight right now on a job lol.

[rtodepart 761]

Yeah may not be complete yet but im enjoying what we got so far and know the future of FS2020 will only  get better..... 

Edited September 27, 2020 by rtodepart

[Steve Dra 7,588]

Since Carl and I have experienced the same immersion...by chance because we were in a group flight together...let me express my agreement to his assessment of how this sim has pulled me into a facet of aviation that I thought would never interest me, which is casual general aviation flying.  Coming from "hard core" big metal flying almost exclusively, you can imagine that my interest in this flight regime would be fleeting at best, but all the ingredients to keep me coming back seem to be there, and so far I only look forward to my next flight with excitement and the ability to explore anywhere on our planet.

I specifically mention "casual" in my description as to not inflame those who'd crucify me for calling it actual general aviation flying because...even with the knowledge of the current limitations of this new sim, I am still thoroughly enjoying myself...and in the end that should be all that matters.  In fact, both Carl and I noted while on a recent trip, that we had to get our Mooney's up to 16,000 to clear the mountains on the way to Aspen.  On the way up, we were both doing what real pilots would do, in using all the parameters available to us to configure the plane for a proper climb and stay in the safe operating limits of the engine.... However we both noted that some of the parameters did not match real world expectations, and while we attempted to adjust the engine controls based on what we were seeing, we could not, simply put.  

Now...that last sentence on its own should satisfy all the folks clamoring that their are issues with weather, flight dynamics, engine parameters, etc.  WE KNOW!  In fact we caught ourselves a few times almost getting hung up on that....then we looked outside, evaluated if we were having fun, noted it will be nice when these things are addressed in the sim...and believe it or not...kept right on flying, chatting about aviation, and having a good time on our way to Aspen!  Not once did I have the urge to rage-quit because the OAT at 16,000 was anything but realistic. 🙂

Bottom line....no matter who you are...whether you have a hidden agenda or not, please don't try to force us who are enjoying it, despite all the flaws you're sure to mention, not to enjoy it so we can all be miserable just like you 🙂 

50 minutes ago, cavaricooper said:

but when's the last time you needed a LOT of power to claw your way up a taxi strip, to pull back feverishly upon seeing the dip after the crest? 

Hehe...since I KNOW Carl is referring to my unfortunate incident....here is a graphic representation of what he's referring to:

At Signature @ KDEN....the ramp is below the taxiway grade and thus there is a "ramp" to actually climb up to get to the taxi way.  Since I was leading, I just goosed the throttle to have enough inertia to make it up the ramp....not being able to see the other side...I had no idea there was a ravine just on the other side....until I was sliding down it!   I had a good laugh when Carl said "Where'd you go?" as from his viewpoint...he saw me go up the ramp, and when he got to the top, I had vanished.  I can't tell you how cool this was because I had never experienced it before.

In the pic, I had quickly spun around and attempted to get back up before he noticed how badly I piloted my aircraft straight into a ditch...LOL...but even at full power I could not get up the hill...I had to turn and go down were the incline was much less for the stubbly little struts of the Mooney to hop over the grass and back on to concrete. 🙂

The rest of the flight was uneventful and quite stunning!

Here we are rounding the corner around a small mountain in the way of the approach path at Aspen.....(See the powerline frames...I still dont see wires but have not close enough yet to see if they are rendered...HINT: I wont rage-quit the sim if they are not there) 🤣

 

[cavaricooper 2,614]

@Steve Dra

Thanks Steve- it was brilliant.

C

[Steve Dra 7,588]

Just now, cavaricooper said:

@Steve Dra

Thanks Steve- it was brilliant.

C

I agree, was complete enjoyment....and I'm glad we had one other flight under our belt together that began and ended with my plane on concrete surfaces as not to have your 1st impression of my piloting skills start off with me trying to figure out how to get out of a ditch I taxied my little Mooney into. 🤣

I was sure after that "incident" you were thinking "Man, he needs to get back to painting...because he sure can't fly worth a hoot!" 🤪

 

[RobJC 2,069]

Absolutely agree with the OP on all points. I have been enjoying this sim immensely. I don't see the obvious bugs as a "broken promise" or "failure" on the part of Asobo, but rather the nature of software development. We've got a year or more before this gets to study sim level but it is very usable right now. Going to be an amazing year or two! 

[fppilot 4,360]

3 minutes ago, RobJC said:

We've got a year or more before this gets to study sim level

Agree but leaves me laughing on another note... I am spending a good deal of time in cockpits, studying.  Familiarizing myself with controls, switches, avionics, and setting up camera positions.  So with a recognition of that:  Why is that time being logged?  And not capable of editing?  Just an ironic chuckle...

[cavaricooper 2,614]

Thanks for the 15 likes, hopefully Asobo is reading.

C

[FlyIce 354]

To me the question boils down to: do I want to wait well into 2021 to have MSFS in supposedly fully "finished" release, or I would rather enjoy this ground breaking magnificent sim right now at its current status bearing with its rough edges while riding on its progress to the well polished version in 2021?  

The answer couldn't be easier. 

[Jetman67 517]

An inspirational and accurate summation

[177B 730]

I agree 100%.

Use what works, wait for what will be fixed.

The Mooney is really very good and I love flying it, it really feels like a Mooney.

I have spent 70 hrs in MSFS 2020, since it came out and about an hour and a half with the new X-plane 11.5. Before that all my time was spent in XP both BETA and 11.41. The 11.5 betas had tons of problems and even the final version still needs patching. So I don't mind what does not work well in a 1 month old sim. The fixes are coming fast.

I do think that the immersion offered by MSFS 2020 is unparalleled. That is why my time is spent with it.

I am sure in a year it will be very different with lots of new models and even better free and payware scenery.

Basically I am blown away by how much fun this sim is.