Is the game beginner friendly?

[A38083 2]

Hi all,

a few years ago I played XP11. I liked this simulator, but gave it up  because the game required a lot of add-ons to be playable, which did not always work well and were unintuitive. I am a novice in the subject of aviation so the lack of any lessons, missions or guidance in the game was also problematic. If you wanted to make a flight, you had to spend a huge amount of time searching for the airports data, aircraft servicing, etc. However, the satisfaction with the first successful A320 (Flight Factor) flight  (with an amazing sound package from Turbine Sound Studios) was huge. But it all took a little too much time ...
Of course, I realize that this is what simulators are all about, and this is not an arcade game. However, I just missed the learning curve instead of being thrown into the deep end.

Does MFS treat it differently? Does it have extensive flying lessons as in the previous edition? (or at least the possibility that some of the operations in the plane could be taken over by the program itself). Does it have missions / tasks? Are there any plans to create planes for it at a level similar to those paid for the XP11 (eg FF A320)?

Thank you in advance for your help!

[AmeliaCat 201]

first 30 days 1.00 through windows game store,, try it,,

[Andreas Stangenes 1,628]

Yes, I'd say that MSF is reasonably newbi friendly. Perhaps some of the more fiddly bits, like the camera system and keybindings aren't, but they are often difficult for newbies no matter the sim. 

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

16 minutes ago, A38083 said:

Hi all,

a few years ago I played XP11. I liked this simulator, but gave it up  because the game required a lot of add-ons to be playable, which did not always work well and were unintuitive. I am a novice in the subject of aviation so the lack of any lessons, missions or guidance in the game was also problematic. If you wanted to make a flight, you had to spend a huge amount of time searching for the airports data, aircraft servicing, etc. However, the satisfaction with the first successful A320 (Flight Factor) flight  (with an amazing sound package from Turbine Sound Studios) was huge. But it all took a little too much time ...
Of course, I realize that this is what simulators are all about, and this is not an arcade game. However, I just missed the learning curve instead of being thrown into the deep end.

Does MFS treat it differently? Does it have extensive flying lessons as in the previous edition? (or at least the possibility that some of the operations in the plane could be taken over by the program itself). Does it have missions / tasks? Are there any plans to create planes for it at a level similar to those paid for the XP11 (eg FF A320)?

Thank you in advance for your help!

The game is currently more suited to VFR flight in light GA/trainer aircraft and the in game training targets that market.

That said bush bashing the little stuff in these games is a total rort and great fun.

That said, there are quite a few "assists" you can turn on to prompt you about what to do when learning to fly.

As the cat said, just get the $1 per month game pass and try it if you are unsure. However a warning do not upgrade to the premium or deluxe addons while on the $1 pass, they are not transferrable if you later buy the game outright.

[leprechaunlive 1,852]

20 minutes ago, A38083 said:

Hi all,

a few years ago I played XP11. I liked this simulator, but gave it up  because the game required a lot of add-ons to be playable, which did not always work well and were unintuitive. I am a novice in the subject of aviation so the lack of any lessons, missions or guidance in the game was also problematic. If you wanted to make a flight, you had to spend a huge amount of time searching for the airports data, aircraft servicing, etc. However, the satisfaction with the first successful A320 (Flight Factor) flight  (with an amazing sound package from Turbine Sound Studios) was huge. But it all took a little too much time ...
Of course, I realize that this is what simulators are all about, and this is not an arcade game. However, I just missed the learning curve instead of being thrown into the deep end.

Does MFS treat it differently? Does it have extensive flying lessons as in the previous edition? (or at least the possibility that some of the operations in the plane could be taken over by the program itself). Does it have missions / tasks? Are there any plans to create planes for it at a level similar to those paid for the XP11 (eg FF A320)?

Thank you in advance for your help!

It has a flight shcool yes, and if you want lessons, or at least, beginners giude, you obviously have youtube, and also this

https://mediawiki.ivao.aero/index.php?title=Pilot_Student_documentation

 

Dont mind the IVAO rules and stuff and skip to the actual flying stuff. Its VERY good and comprehensive

[PWJT8D 446]

8 minutes ago, A38083 said:

...Does MFS treat it differently? Does it have extensive flying lessons as in the previous edition? (or at least the possibility that some of the operations in the plane could be taken over by the program itself). Does it have missions / tasks? Are there any plans to create planes for it at a level similar to those paid for the XP11 (eg FF A320)?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Yes, yes, yes, and yes! 

To be honest it sounds like MSFS would be a great simulator for your needs. The default aircraft I'd say are some of the best we've seen produced for a simulator to this date. They can be flown quite easily and auto-started with a key command. The community has done a great job with updating the systems of certain aircraft for free. There are flight tutorials, missions, landing challenges. And of course there are plans for highly detailed aircraft planned although those will take some time. This is only the beginning and it's getting better and better with every update. 

 

[109Sqn 1,557]

Specifically addressing the subject of lessons, there are 8 lessons teaching the basics of flying a GA aircraft - as decent a representation of real life lessons from basics to solo flight as I think you could expect from 8 of them. I'm happy to say that I now actually follow better real life procedures (such as following the different legs of approach) which I never did in FS9 or FSX, so I think they are a big plus.

Future lessons regarding jets would be welcome if they ever appear, but what exists so far does its job well.

As mentioned already, try it on Game Pass for (almost) free, unless you already have GM, in which case it really is free.

[A38083 2]

Thanks for sharing your views! I've already watched some YT videos and I really like what I've seen. For instance, before flight, you can easily set up departure and arrival airports and the game create whole route with all fly points etc. You just choose runway at both sides. How much nerve did I lose to enter it in XP11 on the on-board computers, and there was always something missing later anyway.. realism that turned into frustration .. here I can see that the balance is better adjusted.

Edited October 23, 2020 by A38083

[AmeliaCat 201]

3 minutes ago, A38083 said:

Thanks for sharing your views! I've already watched some YT videos and I really like what I've seen. For instance, before flight, you can easily set up departure and arrival airports and the game create whole route with all fly points etc. You just choose runway at both sides. How much nerve did I lose to enter it in XP11 on the on-board computers, and there was always something missing later anyway.. realism that turned into frustration .. here I can see that the balance is better adjusted.

I am not sure if this sounds like a game review or an AI pretending to be human.

[hs118 707]

38 minutes ago, AmeliaCat said:

I am not sure if this sounds like a game review or an AI pretending to be human.

More likely English is a second language.

[hs118 707]

1 hour ago, A38083 said:

Thank you in advance for your help!

Go for it! If you could run XP11 you should have no problem with the computer specs for MSFS. 

[AmeliaCat 201]

1 minute ago, yurei said:

More likely English is a second language.

IF thats the case then I mean no offense.

[Chock 17,769]

I would say MSFS is pretty beginner-friendly. The built-in lessons are certainly a good starting point to get you going; beyond this, the built-in tasks then push you to put what you have learned from the basic lessons into practice. The challenges flight sims offer in encouraging you to expand your knowledge is one of the things which makes them worth messing around with, so don't expect to find all the answers built-into the sim itself; look at it as a catalyst for an educational and enjoyable learning journey whilst flying cool planes.

The internet is great for that sort of thing. For example, most people who are learning to fly an aeroplane get taught the gist of how a wing works by having it explained to them that it is Bernoulli's principle which makes a wing create lift. That's sort of true and certainly good enough to get you going as far as understanding how an aeroplane flies, but then as you learn more about aeroplanes, you start coming across puzzles which throw a curve ball at that initial understanding. They make you question what you know, to ensure you understand it as much as you think you do, which is always a good thing. Puzzles such as 'how can the split flaps on many 1930s aeroplanes, like those found on the Douglas DC-3, manage to generate additional lift when they seem to throw that Bernoulli principle out of the window?'. Hint: Newton's Third Law of Motion. 😎

Finding out the answers to such questions is all part of the fun; any decent pilot will tell you that we never stop learning stuff, so in one sense we're all beginners seeking knowledge, which of course means you're in good company, and it's a great ride to be on.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Chock

[AntillesFlyer 58]

I've never touched flight Simms before and I'm now 90 hours in and barely scratched the surface. I did the tutorials and picked a plane I loved the look of (Diamond DA62) in an area I love and flew the bijebas out of it. 

The Simms not perfect but even with all it's flaws it's seriously fun.

 

[OSM 683]

Actually current FS2020 state very good exclusively for beginners. 😄

Edited October 24, 2020 by OSM