December 17th, 2020 - Development Update

[threexgreen 3,139]

36 minutes ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

How do you view charts on your iPad/ second screen etc when you have the headset on? 
I want to try VR. I’m just not 100% sure yet...

You have to peak under the headset. Some headsets have solutions for this, e. g. a small space around your nose where you can see your surroundings. I have the HP Reverb G1 (not G2 yet) and while it is completely hiding your surroundings, you can just flip it upward sort of like sun glasses to see what's around you. This way it's easy to read charts or a flight plan.

You can't really describe VR, much less show a screenshot. You have to try it for yourself, either by buying a headset and returning it if you don't like it or try it out somewhere else. Personally, VR is by far the best investment in flight simming I've ever done. To sum it up in a nutshell: I'm actually flying an airplane.

Edited December 18, 2020 by threegreen
Added second paragraph.

[Av8ing1 46]

I'm excited to try out VR in this sim. It is such a different experience that I think most would really enjoy giving it a try. I have a rather old HTC Vive and certainly have found it to be quite a bit of fun. It is useful for more than just sims and the kids love it. A newer gen headset is not currently in my budget but I will upgrade at some point as these things have got a lot better over the last few years. No doubt a VR setup is expensive and some will not find it comfortable for long periods of time. My advice is to try one out if possible before making the investment in the equipment. Quick flights for city tours and aerobatics is what I'm looking forward to. Long IFR flights, not so much. Eventually I think VR and mixed reality will be the ticket but it isn't a very mature tech yet. The headsets and graphics power needed to drive them still have a ways to go for a comfortable no compromise experience. For the budget conscious I would not invest at this point you need to spend a lot for an enjoyable setup. In addition, some people have a hard time adapting to VR. Your brain needs to work with it and that can be impossible for some. Motion sickness and head aches are not experience enhancing.  For me, I'm in and can't wait to try this sim in VR and I look forward to better hardware in the future. 

[tweekz 2,165]

I wonder what Aerodynamics Feature Discovery Series on January 14^th is about? Would be nice if they did a little overhaul of the physics (inertia, control surface authority, ground effect).

Also, where was Sim Update 1? 👀

[Ident 198]

2 hours ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

How do you view charts on your iPad/ second screen etc when you have the headset on? 
I want to try VR. I’m just not 100% sure yet...

When VR 1st came out, I lived inside the headset for the entire flight. Mainly because it was either/or as there was no way to switch out during the flight with FlyInside. When P3D started doing native VR it blew so it wasnt until recent that as simmers we actually had a native VR sim like XP11 and P3Dv5 that allowed the user to jump in and out of VR on the fly. I use the sim for proficiency  and currency of my PPL and in doing so use my iPad with Garmin Pilot as I would in a real plane. VR is not completely needed for every part of the flight. If its going to be a more IFR flight then 2d mostly is great. If its going to be a more VFR flight and not use the autopilot then VR shines. I use it more as an option then anything. I love to land in VR hands down that doesnt compare to 2d. Flying a helo, VR all day. Want to enjoy a new addon airport during taxi, VR. It also all depends on your simpit setup. I have a button, knob, switch or axis for everything assigned and know where they are with my eyes closed. As for using a chart or iPad, I use to look down through the opening in the nose where the older headsets had them, the Reverb G2 not so much but its very comfortable to just lift up and rest on your head like how you do with sunglasses when using an autopilot. 

[DaWu 779]

On 12/18/2020 at 9:32 AM, pmplayer said:

Hell..

Mirrored textures in 747 and 787 not 

planned; what happens here...

Unbelivibel if they leave it like that,

if so , what a shame Asobo.

For me one off the important thing to fix,

should be done a long time ago  😔

Real sad for me if it goes this way..

Who cares for the default jets other than Xbox players and those won’t even recognize this

[Ianrivaldosmith 5,317]

14 hours ago, Ident said:

When VR 1st came out, I lived inside the headset for the entire flight. Mainly because it was either/or as there was no way to switch out during the flight with FlyInside. When P3D started doing native VR it blew so it wasnt until recent that as simmers we actually had a native VR sim like XP11 and P3Dv5 that allowed the user to jump in and out of VR on the fly. I use the sim for proficiency  and currency of my PPL and in doing so use my iPad with Garmin Pilot as I would in a real plane. VR is not completely needed for every part of the flight. If its going to be a more IFR flight then 2d mostly is great. If its going to be a more VFR flight and not use the autopilot then VR shines. I use it more as an option then anything. I love to land in VR hands down that doesnt compare to 2d. Flying a helo, VR all day. Want to enjoy a new addon airport during taxi, VR. It also all depends on your simpit setup. I have a button, knob, switch or axis for everything assigned and know where they are with my eyes closed. As for using a chart or iPad, I use to look down through the opening in the nose where the older headsets had them, the Reverb G2 not so much but its very comfortable to just lift up and rest on your head like how you do with sunglasses when using an autopilot. 

Interesting, I might try and pickup a G2, when they become available. And give it a shot. What about neck strain? 

[pmplayer 9,459]

3 hours ago, DaWu said:

Who cares for the default jets other than Xbox players and those won’t even recognize this

Oh, as you can see it cares me and if you look here mutch more aswell..

“Mirrored” textures 747-8 and 787-10 - Self-Service / Bugs & Issues - Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums

and there are a lot hardcoresimmers for shure..and around 3 more threads for this problem.

It is just a bug and Asobo knows about it and this have to be fixed as other things too.

 

I could say what cares me the VR stuff, i am not Interested on that, but this is a simulator for everyone and so i accept the different things and opinions users like to and want to.

 

cheers 😉

[threexgreen 3,139]

2 hours ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

Interesting, I might try and pickup a G2, when they become available. And give it a shot. What about neck strain? 

Personally, I'd say neck strain isn't more of an issue in VR than it is IRL because I don't find the weight of the headset to be a problem. My current Reverb weighs something around 550 g/1.2 lb so it's not that heavy. The only time when I might feel a bit in the neck is when I've been looking at the EFB in the PMDG NGXu to my left for example for too long because it's in a bit of a weird position, but I'm sure I'd feel my neck in the real airplane too just because of the posture I'm in looking at it. It certainly takes a bit of time getting used to but it quickly became intuitive for me. Don't stare at certain instruments in the cockpit for too long and you should be fine.

[Nedo68 533]

5 hours ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

Interesting, I might try and pickup a G2, when they become available. And give it a shot. What about neck strain? 

like in reality a real pilot should stay fit 😁

don't worry your neck muscles will adjust naturally to your training load.

 

 

 

[christb 27]

I haven't tried vr in mfs 2020 yet, in P3D, I assigned most functions to my existing instruments/devices/and controllers within my pit but in p3d the pop-out Reality-xp gtn/gns was a charm and a necessity. Most functions became second nature through memory of reach and touch within the cockpit. Never really had to take the headset off, but did cheat sometimes by removing the rubber nose cushion around the nose cavity.

Edited December 19, 2020 by christb

[109Sqn 1,563]

14 hours ago, DaWu said:

Who cares for the default jets other than Xbox players and those won’t even recognize this

Obviously more people than you think, and plenty of them are PC users who do "recognize this".

[Republic3D 1,232]

VR is pretty cool. I sold my Vive a while back though, not enough games supported it. But now I kind of wish I kept it. 

Flying with a VR headset is a unique experience and feels way more real and immersive. The sense of the space around you is completely different. It also makes doing approaches and low level flying easier because you can sense the distances between you and objects, as well as between other objects. 

[cavaricooper 2,615]

Would someone (perhaps @ChaoticBeauty) please clarify... is there an update expected today (1/5)? 

If not, when is the next Sim and next World Update expected?

Ta!

C

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

2 minutes ago, cavaricooper said:

Would someone (perhaps @ChaoticBeauty) please clarify... is there an update expected today (1/5)? 

If not, when is the next Sim and next World Update expected?

No update is expected today or until the next major one, but since we had three hotfixes between 1.11.6.0 and 1.12.13.0, it is not out of the question that we might get at least one till then. I believe an AIRAC cycle update is still pending (it was last updated on 31 December), and in the forums a moderator says that they are working on the terrain spikes.

Next major update is scheduled for 26 January, which is the UK World Update. After that, Sim Update 3 for 23 February.

[cavaricooper 2,615]

@ChaoticBeauty

Thanks- you are my go-to for MSFS info and I appreciate all your efforts to keep the community informed.

C