Back to MSFS after long break

[mpw8679 428]

Hey guys,  I have been away from flight simming for some time now.  Basically since MSFS was first released.  Health, job, children, and life issues have kept me away unfortunately.  Ready to dive back in.  So a few questions.

- My system is a 9700K over clocked to 5 ghz, 2080ti, and 32gb ram.  Still good to go? Worth any upgrades?

- Any mandatory add-on recommendations?

- My favorite aircraft in P3d were PMDG 737, Leo Maddog, and any GA from A2A.  Sorry not an Airbus fan.  Recommendations for a tube liner and a GA aircraft?  I do have all the Just Flight Pipers.  But I was put off with there overly twitchy FM.

- Any other suggestions?  I mainly fly mid to western U.S.  Thanks everybody!

[bobcat999 8,473]

You should be good to go with that system at 2k.  4k screen resolution might stretch it a bit, but DLSS that has just been added and improved performance a lot for me.

THE PMDG 737-700 will probably be right up your street. The -800 is a month or two away but might be worth waiting for if you don't want the -700, or the -600 due soon.

GA is thriving at the moment.  Milviz C310 or Flysimware C414 are both excellent.

On scenery, the US has just had a second update.  Make sure to get it from the marketplace.  You have to 'purchase' it from there, but it is free.

PS.  I share your view on the Pipers.  A lot of aircraft still flip about like pieces of paper.  I don't really fly them any more after all of the recent releases.

[Maxis 1,861]

30 minutes ago, mpw8679 said:

Hey guys,  I have been away from flight simming for some time now.  Basically since MSFS was first released.  Health, job, children, and life issues have kept me away unfortunately.  Ready to dive back in.  So a few questions.

- My system is a 9700K over clocked to 5 ghz, 2080ti, and 32gb ram.  Still good to go? Worth any upgrades?

- Any mandatory add-on recommendations?

- My favorite aircraft in P3d were PMDG 737, Leo Maddog, and any GA from A2A.  Sorry not an Airbus fan.  Recommendations for a tube liner and a GA aircraft?  I do have all the Just Flight Pipers.  But I was put off with there overly twitchy FM.

- Any other suggestions?  I mainly fly mid to western U.S.  Thanks everybody!

You can pick up the Maddog and the 737-700 now / The buzz now for the SIM is the upcoming SU10 with DX12 and DLSS support due in August so i think your hardware should be ok with the software updates coming down the pike. Presently your CPU will still have around two threads being hammered .. Easiest way to deal with it is to lower your Terrain LOD.

Back to the Aircraft. 

I decided to pass on the Maddog for two reasons. 

1. Its not an airliner in widespread use 

2. for what was provided i didnt like the cost. Which is fine .. It is a niche product so they may not have a large customer base. 

So for feedback on that AC i think someone else who has purchased it would be more qualified to discuss.

the PMDG 737-700

All systems work except the breaker panels in the back. Aircraft flies very well and is easy on the frames. Its been updated twice since release and upon release of the 600 variant apparently a revised lateral navigation will be implemented across the variants.

Very satisfying daily driver (at least for me) 

Issues i see popping up on the forums are....

No EFB..  for some this is a show stopping omission . For me ... I remember pilots lugging their leather flight bags with actual paper charts without much fuss so unless youre into VR with goggles strapped to your face then meh .. 

Simbrief integration .. some are complaining that it is too cumbersome to use the simbrief downloader to get the simbrief flight plan into the FMC. Works fine for me 

Another comment is the lack of a Virtual Cabin that is completely attached to the cockpit. I never use that aspect of the aircraft ( i cant fly the plane from back there) so.... yeah .. 

Low res textures in the wheel wells and other non high touch places that will "ruin your immersion"

Then there is the complaint about the models being parted out and priced differently. I purchased the 700 and plan to get the 800 when released. For me a Dev can charge what they want. The market forces will dictate how successful the product is ultimately. If its priced too high i wont complain.. i simply wont purchase. 

There's also the usual running commentary about who shall not be mentioned and his "mode" of communication. It aint a PMDG thread without someone ragging on that.

In a nutshell if any of those things above are important factors that will prevent you flying the 700 then your only game in town for the tubeliner will be the MD and hopefully someone will give you more insight on it.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Maxis

[lwt1971 7,348]

1 hour ago, mpw8679 said:

- My favorite aircraft in P3d were PMDG 737, Leo Maddog, and any GA from A2A.  Sorry not an Airbus fan.  Recommendations for a tube liner and a GA aircraft?  I do have all the Just Flight Pipers.  But I was put off with there overly twitchy FM.

Can't really go wrong with the PMDG 737 or Maddog MD80 so get both or either, also consider the JustFlight Bae 146... Would recommend waiting till PMDG releases the 737-800 in August or later (the sales model is basically separate purchases for each variant, at around USD $70-75 each, with all of them getting the coming advancements in LNAV, new EFB, etc for free). The iniBuilds A310 is coming for free as part of the November 40th anniversary edition of MSFS, so that'll get you an acclaimed high fidelity wide-body for free: https://forum.inibuilds.com/topic/5112-inibuilds-development-update-partnership-with-microsoft-flight-simulator/

For GA highly recommend the Milviz C310, Kodiak, and/or the FSW C414. The A2A Comanche is coming for MSFS.. see https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/620956-first-a2a-comanche-preview/ and https://a2asimulations.com/2022/07/05/msfs-accu-sim-comanche-screenshots/

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by lwt1971

[somiller 694]

PMDG 737 and Maddog both available. Have 737 but not the dog and 737 is very good, and I bet the dog is too. Milviz PC-6 is good; don't have it but they rave about the Kodiak. Get the WorkingTitle mods for the G-1000NXi (Marketplace - free), G-3000, and Cessna CJ4 - they're all GREAT, with impressive improvement to functions/nav capabilities, and in the case of the CJ4, FM improvements. For the JF Arrows tone down your flight control responses in control settings - I find a rudder End Zone setting of 15% and Reactivity 75% helps reduce the twitchy-ness of the Arrows. I have an even higher End Zone setting for all controls of the 737 - rudder end zone 39%, reactivity 75%; aileron and elevator end zone 68%, reactivity 80%. Use the setting that still allows adequately small taxi turn radius and slow speed elevator/aileron authority and you'll find them more controllable.

[mpw8679 428]

30 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

You should be good to go with that system at 2k.  4k screen resolution might stretch it a bit, but DLSS that has just been added and improved performance a lot for me.

THE PMDG 737-700 will probably be right up your street. The -800 is a month or two away but might be worth waiting for if you don't want the -700, or the -600 due soon.

GA is thriving at the moment.  Milviz C310 or Flysimware C414 are both excellent.

On scenery, the US has just had a second update.  Make sure to get it from the marketplace.  You have to 'purchase' it from there, but it is free.

PS.  I share your view on the Pipers.  A lot of aircraft still flip about like pieces of paper.  I don't really fly them any more after all of the recent releases.

Thanks for the info.  I do have both a 2k and 4k monitor available.  I have been eyeing the Milviz C310

[mpw8679 428]

30 minutes ago, Maxis said:

You can pick up the Maddog and the 737-700 now / The buzz now for the SIM is the upcoming SU10 with DX12 and DLSS support due in August so i think your hardware should be ok with the software updates coming down the pike. Presently your CPU will still have around two threads being hammered .. Easiest way to deal with it is to lower your Terrain LOD.

Back to the Aircraft. 

I decided to pass on the Maddog for two reasons. 

1. Its not an airliner in widespread use 

2. for what was provided i didnt like the cost. Which is fine .. It is a niche product so they may not have a large customer base. 

So for feedback on that AC i think someone else who has purchased it would be more qualified to discuss.

the PMDG 737-700

All systems work except the breaker panels in the back. Aircraft flies very well and is easy on the frames. Its been updated twice since release and upon release of the 600 variant apparently a revised lateral navigation will be implemented across the variants.

Very satisfying daily driver (at least for me) 

Issues i see popping up on the forums are....

No EFB..  for some this is a show stopping omission . For me ... I remember pilots lugging their leather flight bags with actual paper charts without much fuss so unless youre into VR with goggles strapped to your face then meh .. 

Simbrief integration .. some are complaining that it is too cumbersome to use the simbrief downloader to get the simbrief flight plan into the FMC. Works fine for me 

Another comment is the lack of a Virtual Cabin that is completely attached to the cockpit. I never use that aspect of the aircraft ( i cant fly the plane from back there) so.... yeah .. 

Low res textures in the wheel wells and other non high touch places that will "ruin your immersion"

Then there is the complaint about the models being parted out and priced differently. I purchased the 700 and plan to get the 800 when released. For me a Dev can charge what they want. The market forces will dictate how successful the product is ultimately. If its priced too high i wont complain.. i simply wont purchase. 

There's also the usual running commentary about who shall not be mentioned and his "mode" of communication. It aint a PMDG thread without someone ragging on that.

In a nutshell if any of those things above are important factors that will prevent you flying the 700 then your only game in town for the tubeliner will be the MD and hopefully someone will give you more insight on it.

Thanks for the info.  I agree with you about the 737, I don't understand all the hate about not having a EFB and simbrief integration at this time.  Never had any issues with navigating the FMC in P3d.  I just checked and I do have a $100 credit with PMDG.  So this is a no brainer. Just curious if I should wait for the -800

[MDFlier 2,031]

From the cockpit, the differences are minimal between the 700 and 800. I never flew a 700 in P3D, but aside from the slightly different speeds and climb rates, flying the 700 in MSFS feels substantially the same as flying the 800 in P3D.

Edited July 25, 2022 by MDFlier

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

43 minutes ago, mpw8679 said:

Thanks for the info.  I do have both a 2k and 4k monitor available.  I have been eyeing the Milviz C310

If you do get the C310 (or C414) also consider getting the TDS GTN750Xi. It makes for a great flying experience!

And if you like to just hop in and take off... my go-to plane is the RV14A.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Bert Pieke

[bbsmitz 132]

On the scenery side of things, flightsim.to has an amazing number of free addons.  Folks like windhover, @edpatino,quelcertoleo all put out great content.  Or you can use the scenery map to search an area you might want to explore for addons.  Really adds to the experience.

[Virtual-Chris 682]

I'm just getting back into the sim after a long hiatus as well.  Here's a couple of things I've noted:

• AIG for AI traffic
• Something like Pilot2ATC for a better ATC implementation (unless you prefer talking to a real person in VATSIM or something)

[somiller 694]

1 hour ago, Virtual-Chris said:

I'm just getting back into the sim after a long hiatus as well.  Here's a couple of things I've noted:

• AIG for AI traffic
• Something like Pilot2ATC for a better ATC implementation (unless you prefer talking to a real person in VATSIM or something)

...and strongly consider PSXT with RealTraffic data feed to use with AIG models and liveries. Having correct liveries at airport gates, and real-time inbound and outbound traffic is great. You can even team it with LiveATC delayed by about 30 secs. to hear live coms between ATC and the traffic you see taxiing, taking off, and landing.

[Waldo Pepper 1,952]

My two cents,

Try some ridge soaring.  https://flightsim.to/file/30384/dg-flugzeugbau-dg-808s 

Sim Soaring Club Saturdays.,  https://discord.com/channels/793376245915189268/929195397375746048

GotGravel Saturday Soaring Club,  https://discord.com/channels/876123356385149009/987611111509590087

Both groups post weekly flight plans with associated weather presets.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Noel 4,498]

4 hours ago, mpw8679 said:

Any other suggestions?  I mainly fly mid to western U.S.

Dunno if you like this sort of thing but for me, as an airliner flyer only, I find A Pilot's Life v2 to be worth the cost and effort as all your flights are scored.  It can be a little slow to get going because you're limited to routes your airline flies, but you can be hired by another airline and as the $$ accumulate you have opportunities to fly anywhere--for someone who finds themself mainly flying in a certain region as you mention it will work very well.  Also, for free is the default B78X and it has been modded in some nice ways by Heavy Division (check out their Discord channel).  I'm using the CRJ700 from AS (some love it, a few hate it) and am waiting for the 737-800 to take that plunge to round out my aircraft for APLv2.  And...will love the 777 when they get there--for now the B78X is good enough.

For mid-western U.S. be sure to pick up Fly Tampa's KLAS and environs it's very well done.

My system is the same as yours except a stronger GPU, and I am always leaning towards being Main Thread limited, and as mentioned the variable to focus on there is Terrain LOD which impacts the MT more than other variables.  All this may change as DX12 develops and it is better at multi-core use than DX11 we're told by the beta testers of SU10 here.

[Bobsk8 12,683]

3 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

If you do get the C310 (or C414) also consider getting the TDS GTN750Xi. It makes for a great flying experience!

And if you like to just hop in and take off... my go-to plane is the RV14A.

The PMS GTN 750 works great with the C 310 as well as large number of other aircraft.