Is it just me regarding how to get views in this sim?

[Vineguy 26]

Not a complaint, but just wondering. I have been a user of  every version or flight simulator since 1984. (yes I am old) That includes others that were not developed by MS. In the past it has been a pretty much a intuitive thing to set up everything in the sim. Without some sort of manual I can figure out how to set up and fly MSFS 2020 with the exception of the vast amount of views we have to choose from and what do they mean. It used to be I could set up my hat on my joystick and that would enable me to use that setting for cockpit and external views. I assume spot view is now drone view? I could click on the FMC and I could get that view etc. 
Just wondering if the learning curve is above my old age. Maybe it's just me, but I think we have so many more options with MSFS than in the past.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Vineguy

[Roy Warren 426]

I know exactly how you must feel.  I am 85 and been there since the beginning also.  I have been trying to learn the FBW A32NX for over a month and still have not had a successful flight. I have memorized everything up to take off and I can never get the autopilot to engage.  It just chirps at me.

I also have problem with the views.  I can never get the view through the left windscreen.  It's either to low so I can't see the runway or it's in the middle with the crossbar in the way.

I've printed out and read all the documentation over and over again and watched YouTube videos over and over.  I'm beginning to think I'm in over my head, so I see where you're coming from. 

Maybe I'd better stick with the low and slow GA.

Roy

[rlashier 93]

Hello Vineguy. You are absolutely right that MS/Asobo greatly over complicated the implementation of views and cameras with MSFS 2020. Far more options than are needed and somewhat difficult to recreate the trusty panning views with the hat switch that served us so well in FSX and P3d.

Drone view is not quite the same as the old spot view. But you can get those views back with your hat switch if you follow the guidance in a couple You Tube videos. The videos are by Huddison. There is one that deals with looking around the cockpit freely with the hat switch, and another that deals with looking around freely in external view with the hat switch. Set up the views and hat switch accordingly, and you will be happy with the results. It worked great for me!
Rich

[Vineguy 26]

Hi Roy. I am 79. I didn't like MSFS since I was a alpha tester. It was bad back then but like you it seems this sim is set up for younger people that are using Xbox etc. I have over 20,000 hours flying for a great VA and thought it would be great to use this sim to fly my flights. It appears it may not be for those of us that fly commercial jet in our VA. I say that because when I go to my VA and look at the number of members that are using MSFS they are few. I bought the PMDG 737 but that is a long learning curve for me when you try to read the pdf files while you are trying to set up the aircraft.
Oh well, I guess I will just keep trying. The only other thing I have to do is play golf, and being single at my age there isn't many things a guy can do. 

[regis9 4,004]

At a basic level I have a button on my joystick set to switch between cockpit and external view.  Then another one set to reset to view to your standard view looking forward in both internal and external cameras.  That will cover a lot of it and then you also have the choice of preprogramming views using ctrl alt and then a number to save the view, then the corresponding number key on the num pad to recall the saved view.  That last part is straight out of the x-plane view system and works well but is different than previous version of flight simulator.

[gboz 157]

1 hour ago, Vineguy said:

used to be I could set up my hat on my joystick and that would enable me to use that setting for cockpit and external views

Closest you can get with msfs is to have two pov hat switches on the joystick, one for internal and one for external and then assign a button to switch between them.

[kerosene31 349]

What I've learned is to use the custom views.  Assign them yourself in every plane and map your buttons to that.  There's 0-9 and you can set them with Ctrl-alt-<number>. 

It is actually very powerful (we used to need a payware 3rd party addon to do it), but it is complicated and not always explained well.  I gave up wrestling with the default views.  First thing I do when I get in a plane is set them up and then they are set.  I always use the same number for the same view so it doesn't get confusing. 

It definitely doesn't just "work" by default like the old sims. 

[abrams_tank 7,393]

3 hours ago, Vineguy said:

It used to be I could set up my hat on my joystick and that would enable me to use that setting for cockpit and external views. I assume spot view is now drone view? 

I have my hat stick on my joystick set to view different directions inside the cockpit. And then I have a button on my joystick set to change from internal to external views. Once in external views, I can use my hat stick to view different directions of my plane externally. This works really well for me, but you need to set this up.

For specific cockpit views like FMS, etc, those are bound to the numeric keys. Just press the right numeric key on the keyboard to access your FMS, etc.

Edited June 19, 2022 by abrams_tank

[sniper31 635]

2 hours ago, kerosene31 said:

What I've learned is to use the custom views.  Assign them yourself in every plane and map your buttons to that.  There's 0-9 and you can set them with Ctrl-alt-<number>. 

It is actually very powerful (we used to need a payware 3rd party addon to do it), but it is complicated and not always explained well.  I gave up wrestling with the default views.  First thing I do when I get in a plane is set them up and then they are set.  I always use the same number for the same view so it doesn't get confusing. 

It definitely doesn't just "work" by default like the old sims. 

This is the same procedure I use for internal views. Works well, but takes a little bit of patience to setup the first time.

[brucewtb 247]

1 hour ago, sniper31 said:

This is the same procedure I use for internal views. Works well, but takes a little bit of patience to setup the first time.

Same here but I also map joystick buttons to the default instrument views that are useful eg overhead, central console etc.  The other thing I do is set up custom external views (this requires editing of the aircraft's camera.cfg as described in a number of YT videos)  The net result is the same set of views I have in chaseplane in P3D mapped to the same joystick buttons.

Bruce

[RodosMike 12]

6 hours ago, gboz said:

Closest you can get with msfs is to have two pov hat switches on the joystick, one for internal and one for external and then assign a button to switch between them.

Sorry my friend, but I only have one hat switch on my yoke. When set up correctly and combined with a switch to go between cockpit and external view, the hat will work to pan around both.

Mike.

[pete_auau 1,154]

8 hours ago, Vineguy said:

Hi Roy. I am 79. I didn't like MSFS since I was a alpha tester. It was bad back then but like you it seems this sim is set up for younger people that are using Xbox etc. I have over 20,000 hours flying for a great VA and thought it would be great to use this sim to fly my flights. It appears it may not be for those of us that fly commercial jet in our VA. I say that because when I go to my VA and look at the number of members that are using MSFS they are few. I bought the PMDG 737 but that is a long learning curve for me when you try to read the pdf files while you are trying to set up the aircraft.
Oh well, I guess I will just keep trying. The only other thing I have to do is play golf, and being single at my age there isn't many things a guy can do. 

 

[flyingpauls 66]

9 hours ago, Vineguy said:

Not a complaint, but just wondering. I have been a user of  every version or flight simulator since 1984. (yes I am old) That includes others that were not developed by MS. In the past it has been a pretty much a intuitive thing to set up everything in the sim. Without some sort of manual I can figure out how to set up and fly MSFS 2020 with the exception of the vast amount of views we have to choose from and what do they mean. It used to be I could set up my hat on my joystick and that would enable me to use that setting for cockpit and external views. I assume spot view is now drone view? I could click on the FMC and I could get that view etc. 
Just wondering if the learning curve is above my old age. Maybe it's just me, but I think we have so many more options with MSFS than in the past.

I am around since the PC dawning. I think setting views or anything else in Microsoft's flight simulators has never been "intuitive". The news is: (1) they changed everything, (2) they skipped any decent form of documentation. That makes it hard to convert.

I am sure, you found the camera menu on the screen. There are now cockpit, external and drone cameras. All have fixed, plane dependent positions you can select, and also set keys to select, but not change. You find the list in the camera menu. The cockpit camera features 10 custom views which you can set and select per key, a landing view and a default view which you can also define and select per key (or button, of course). The external view shows the outside of the plane which the cockpit camera only simplifies. The drone camera is complete separated and has its own tools to move and turn, which you can assign to keys. While the drone is active, you cannot steer the plane, nor can you use the custom cockpit cameras. 

[Roy Warren 426]

4 hours ago, pete_auau said:

 

Thank you Pete_auau for sharing that video.  I didn't realize all those CTL+SHF views were available. CTRL+SHF+9 was exactly what I was looking for.

Roy

[JYW 2,977]

12 hours ago, gboz said:

Closest you can get with msfs is to have two pov hat switches on the joystick, one for internal and one for external and then assign a button to switch between them.

 

6 hours ago, RodosMike said:

Sorry my friend, but I only have one hat switch on my yoke.

You actually don't need two hat switches at all.

What a lot of people don't realize is that you can double assign a button or key in MSFS, and as long as the two functions you've mapped to that key/button aren't active at the same time, there is no problem with this.

For example, you can set up your hat switch to look around when in internal view.   You can then go and set up the same hat switch buttons to look around in external view.    When you assign the second ones, MSFS will 'warn' you of the double assignment but you can ignore this and accept the changes.

Now, the hat swtich will work in both internal and external modes.  There's be no conflict as, when in external mode your internal hat switch assignments are not active (and vice versa).

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by JYW