Taking the leap

[marsman2020 1,310]

Here's a cheat sheet of quick links to well-regarded mods, many of which I've tried (there's also a lot more appearing on Flightsim.to that I haven't tried yet/read about).  Many of these mod teams are getting inputs from people with hours in the actual aircraft.

• Avionics
  • Working Title G1000, G3000, G3X
  • ScorpianFilm442's GNS530
• GA Aircraft
  • Robert Young's Turbo-normalized Bonanza
  • G36 Bonanza Improvement mod (naturally aspirated, it's 'pick 1' between the two Bonanza mods)
  • C152 Community Mod
  • DA62X
  • DA40-NGX
  • Savage Carbon & Savage Grravel
  • Bush League Legends X-Cub Performance+ & XCub Amphib/Tundra/Alpine/Cargo)
  • VL-3 Rotax 915
  • Grumman Goose GA21 Redux II Preview Release (work in progress but still awesome, totally new aircraft)
• Turboprop/Jet Aircraft
  • Working Title CJ4
  • Cessna Longitude Flight Dynamics Improvement
  • TBM930 Mod
  • C208 Flight Model Mod
  • C208 Improvement Mod (seems to be 'pick 1' between the 2 C208 mods, I haven't tried these to know which is better.  Post on MSFS official forum suggests the Improvement Mod may be the better of the 2)
• Airliners
  • FlyByWire A32NX
  • Salty 747-8 Mod

[cantremember 27]

I can't really think of any noob tips, except go to the ingame marketplace, tick free content and make sure to "buy" the world updates. And then go to the content manager and make sure everything is downloaded and updated

[Bobsk8 12,700]

I would stay away from add ons until you get used to the control setups and the different menu structures. Plenty of time to load up the sim with stuff.. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Bobsk8

[BigG433 53]

I can highly recommend MSFS 2020 in VR! Despite some shortcomings, the flight experience through a VR headset is absolutely spectacular!

[Ricardo41 5,949]

Just enjoy the sim. One of the great things is that the game runs well even on crappy and old hardware. That, for me, is its biggest accomplishments. 

[RaptyrOne 1,407]

6 hours ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

Though to  be honest .. the only place in the sim I have actually seem cows is the payware Brindas which makes it a bit hard to judge height elsewhere ...

There’s a whole herd of them chilling up at Locher (freeware). They never seem to move though, starting to get suspicious that they are not really cows.... just painted rocks.....

Edited February 28, 2021 by RaptyrOne

[Ricardo41 5,949]

6 hours ago, marsman2020 said:

Here's a cheat sheet of quick links to well-regarded mods, many of which I've tried (there's also a lot more appearing on Flightsim.to that I haven't tried yet/read about).  Many of these mod teams are getting inputs from people with hours in the actual aircraft.

• Avionics
  • Working Title G1000, G3000, G3X
  • ScorpianFilm442's GNS530
• GA Aircraft
  • Robert Young's Turbo-normalized Bonanza
  • G36 Bonanza Improvement mod (naturally aspirated, it's 'pick 1' between the two Bonanza mods)
  • C152 Community Mod
  • DA62X
  • DA40-NGX
  • Savage Carbon & Savage Grravel
  • Bush League Legends X-Cub Performance+ & XCub Amphib/Tundra/Alpine/Cargo)
  • VL-3 Rotax 915
  • Grumman Goose GA21 Redux II Preview Release (work in progress but still awesome, totally new aircraft)
• Turboprop/Jet Aircraft
  • Working Title CJ4
  • Cessna Longitude Flight Dynamics Improvement
  • TBM930 Mod
  • C208 Flight Model Mod
  • C208 Improvement Mod (seems to be 'pick 1' between the 2 C208 mods, I haven't tried these to know which is better.  Post on MSFS official forum suggests the Improvement Mod may be the better of the 2)
• Airliners
  • FlyByWire A32NX
  • Salty 747-8 Mod

Great list. The moderators should pin it. 

[bobcat999 8,477]

3 hours ago, Ricardo41 said:

Great list. The moderators should pin it. 

We could do with something like this for sure, to also include some of the great UI and map mods as well.

There is a similar one over at the official forums.  If you can stand the strict moderators, the forums over there aren't too bad for info actually, especially as they allow the developers to post directly about updates and feedback on bugs that are spotted.  The G91 and Powersolo threads are great for instance.  Here is their 'mega thread' on aircraft mods.

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/community-aircraft-mods-megathread/282130

I could make a list twice as long as that with other useful stuff.  Seems like I spend a couple of hours a day scouring the internet for useful mods and trying them out. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by bobcat999

[CFIJose 5,485]

Add this to your list:

https://www.flightsimulator.blog/2021/02/18/trees-draw-distance-fix/

There's also a list of the best freeware airport mods. My advice is for you to do what I do - save the thread as a favorite.

Great work fellas.

Edited February 28, 2021 by DJJose

[mattn 45]

When MSFS was released, I made a conscious decision to not chase FPS, and to not spend more time tinkering around in .cfg and .ini files looking for the holy grail of performance tweaks rather than actual flying. This had been my experience in all previous MS sims.

I got a new PC last summer, so when the sim was released, I did check the FPS in game just to have a benchmark (30-50fps) to gauge against in the future. I have not checked FPS since, and only expect to have to do that if performance tanks due to sim update, graphics driver updates, etc.

The simulator is FAR more enjoyable when you just jump in and fly and enjoy it! I do see a little performance dips in very large metro areas (NYC, LA, London) but this was expected, and its not bad enough to ruin the immersion. This sim performs very well even in medium range PC's. 

[ceebee58 4]

11 hours ago, in2tech said:

 

What made you decide to give it a try now?

Tried Xplane and realised the world has moved on. Particularly when I found planes with no VOR or NDB instruments and big glass screens where all the dials used to be. The scenery is better now (and MSFS is apparently the best) but that was not the deal breaker. Just  decided that maybe FSX is cheap as chips now for a reason !

 

[in2tech 588]

36 minutes ago, ceebee58 said:

Tried Xplane and realised the world has moved on. Particularly when I found planes with no VOR or NDB instruments and big glass screens where all the dials used to be. The scenery is better now (and MSFS is apparently the best) but that was not the deal breaker. Just  decided that maybe FSX is cheap as chips now for a reason !

Well just enjoy it and have fun!

[jetlag 65]

18 hours ago, Chock said:

 Watch out for the active pause feature, it can make the airliners freak out a bit when you unpause if it is on autopilot; you're usually better off using the Escape key to pause the sim if you need to leave your computer for five mins.

That so-called "active pause" is just a position freeze.  There is an unassigned control to toggle a "real" pause (like in older sims).  That's what I use, bound to a hw button.

[cobalt 798]

On 2/28/2021 at 6:31 AM, mattn said:

When MSFS was released, I made a conscious decision to not chase FPS, and to not spend more time tinkering around in .cfg and .ini files looking for the holy grail of performance tweaks rather than actual flying. This had been my experience in all previous MS sims.

I got a new PC last summer, so when the sim was released, I did check the FPS in game just to have a benchmark (30-50fps) to gauge against in the future. I have not checked FPS since, and only expect to have to do that if performance tanks due to sim update, graphics driver updates, etc.

The simulator is FAR more enjoyable when you just jump in and fly and enjoy it! I do see a little performance dips in very large metro areas (NYC, LA, London) but this was expected, and its not bad enough to ruin the immersion. This sim performs very well even in medium range PC's. 

I endorse everything said here. Just be prepared for posts in this and other forums telling you that you, poor thing, are mistaken in enjoying the sim, because of all its flaws and shortcomings. The standard line is something like "Well, the eye candy is fine, but the flight dynamics in the B747 (or the clouds, or the Podunk airport, or this or that or whatever) is awful, therefore MSFS is garbage". Ignore that stuff and have fun! For starters, try some of the many bush trips available as freeware in flightsim.to. Prepare to be blown away by the realism!