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The MSFS Horizon

Featured Replies

During a flight today, I noticed what appears to be a significant inconsistency in the depiction of the horizon in MSFS.

While at N024.10 W070.00 flying heading 008 degrees at FL330 and with clear skies/good weather, the horizon to my left (west) was slightly lit (lighter than the sky and the sea).  This is probably attributable to the setting sun.  However, the horizon in front of me (north) and to my right (east) was identical to that of the horizon in the west, i.e., the horizon looks the same in all compass directions.  In the old FSX world, in a similar situation the horizon to the east would be pitch black....as it should be.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon ?  

zachlog

6 hours ago, zachlog said:

During a flight today, I noticed what appears to be a significant inconsistency in the depiction of the horizon in MSFS.

While at N024.10 W070.00 flying heading 008 degrees at FL330 and with clear skies/good weather, the horizon to my left (west) was slightly lit (lighter than the sky and the sea).  This is probably attributable to the setting sun.  However, the horizon in front of me (north) and to my right (east) was identical to that of the horizon in the west, i.e., the horizon looks the same in all compass directions.  In the old FSX world, in a similar situation the horizon to the east would be pitch black....as it should be.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon ?  

Did you get pics? Is it reproducible?

  • Author
4 hours ago, NZ255 said:

Did you get pics? Is it reproducible?

I don't have pictures but I can setup another flight and get the pictures you're looking for but to what end ?  Who's listening ?  I don't want to start another debate between the "it's improving" and "this product is subpar" camps.  The reason for my post was to see if others are seeing the same thing I am and perhaps if there is something I can do on my end to remedy the situation.  If I am the only one seeing this artificial horizon, OK, I will live with it.

A related issue I forgot to mention.  In the simulator deep into the night the sky as well as the horizon never gets pitch black, at least at these latitudes, and this is anything but real.  Last year to the day and just about the identical time-of-day, I was flying IRL TNCM to KJFK, seat 7F.  Looking out the window (aircraft heading was north, I was on the right side of the aircraft so I was looking to the east) the horizon as well as the sky were pitch black.  It was as if I had my face pressed against a bottle of black ink.  When I looked across the aisle (to the west), the horizon and sky were a lighter shade because that's where the sun had set and I immediately thought of how well FSX had modeled this aspect of the environment.  Yesterday flying in MSFS (I am new to MSFS), I was quite surprised to see this rather bad depiction of the horizon and the sky thus my post.

zachlog

1 hour ago, zachlog said:

I don't have pictures but I can setup another flight and get the pictures you're looking for but to what end ?  Who's listening ?  I don't want to start another debate between the "it's improving" and "this product is subpar" camps.  The reason for my post was to see if others are seeing the same thing I am and perhaps if there is something I can do on my end to remedy the situation.  If I am the only one seeing this artificial horizon, OK, I will live with it.

A related issue I forgot to mention.  In the simulator deep into the night the sky as well as the horizon never gets pitch black, at least at these latitudes, and this is anything but real.  Last year to the day and just about the identical time-of-day, I was flying IRL TNCM to KJFK, seat 7F.  Looking out the window (aircraft heading was north, I was on the right side of the aircraft so I was looking to the east) the horizon as well as the sky were pitch black.  It was as if I had my face pressed against a bottle of black ink.  When I looked across the aisle (to the west), the horizon and sky were a lighter shade because that's where the sun had set and I immediately thought of how well FSX had modeled this aspect of the environment.  Yesterday flying in MSFS (I am new to MSFS), I was quite surprised to see this rather bad depiction of the horizon and the sky thus my post.

Yeah, but a picture will help us to see if we also see what you see, because honestly I havent noticed this and not sure what your on about..

  • Author

The problem is reproducible, I did a brief test flight and I have snapshots taken from the cockpit to illustrate the problem.  However, I don't see an option for pasting a picture or attaching a file.  If you tell me how to do this, I will provide. 

 

 

zachlog

Setup a Gmail email account. Log onto imgur.com with that Gmail account (which is done with just a mouse click,  you never need to type any password or other user account name at imgur. Just click on the Google icon to stay logged in pretty much forever.

Post your images on imgur Images (click your account icon, click Images, click Add Images, click on the file name on your computer).

You then click on your imgur image and then click on Direct Link which puts that link into your windows clipboard.

Now Paste that into a forum message.

Sounds long, but takes about 15 seconds to put an image on your computer into a forum message using imgur.

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  • Author
13 minutes ago, Fielder said:

Setup a Gmail email account. Log onto imgur.com with that Gmail account (which is done with just a mouse click,  you never need to type any password or other user account name at imgur. Just click on the Google icon to stay logged in pretty much forever.

Post your images on imgur Images (click your account icon, click Images, click Add Images, click on the file name on your computer).

You then click on your imgur image and then click on Direct Link which puts that link into your windows clipboard.

Now Paste that into a forum message.

Sounds long, but takes about 15 seconds to put an image on your computer into a forum message using imgur.

Thank you !

zachlog

  • Author
8 hours ago, Kaboki said:

Yeah, but a picture will help us to see if we also see what you see, because honestly I havent noticed this and not sure what your on about..

Per your request for pictures, they are attached below taken during the test flight I setup for this issue.  I took off from Aruba's Beatrix International Rwy 11, left turn to heading 359o and FL330 (you can see the heading in the ND in picture "Captain Side- NW View").  On this day sunset at Aruba was 23:14z and the pictures were taken on or about 23:40z.

As you can see the lighting of the horizon is the same in all (4) pictures.  Of particular importance are the easterly view pictures- they should be jet black. After taking the pictures, I let the simulator run for about another hour in case the horizon's lighting changed.  It did not and the overall sky never got night dark.  The "sky never gets night black" point was made by someone else but I don't remember in which forum I saw it so as far this point goes, it has been noticed before.

Captain Side- NW View
https://i.imgur.com/5Dti0IV.png

Captain Side- SW View
https://i.imgur.com/rKf8xyC.png

FO Side- NE View
https://i.imgur.com/mGA7Gut.png

FO Side- SE View
https://i.imgur.com/HYCjCoS.png

zachlog

2 hours ago, zachlog said:

As you can see the lighting of the horizon is the same in all (4) pictures.  Of particular importance are the easterly view pictures- they should be jet black. After taking the pictures, I let the simulator run for about another hour in case the horizon's lighting changed.  It did not and the overall sky never got night dark.  The "sky never gets night black" point was made by someone else but I don't remember in which forum I saw it so as far this point goes, it has been noticed before.

 

Can guarantee it can go 100% black, as it was for me last week. Not all nights are equal though, just like real life.

G

 

Gary Davies aka "Gazzareth"

Simming since 747 on the Acorn Electron

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  • Author
9 minutes ago, Gazzareth said:

Can guarantee it can go 100% black, as it was for me last week. Not all nights are equal though, just like real life.

G

 

Maybe it can go 100% black.  I am new to MSFS, haven't seen yet, but maybe it will happen.

What's your take on the primary issue....a 360o uniformly lit horizon ?

zachlog

4 hours ago, zachlog said:

Maybe it can go 100% black.  I am new to MSFS, haven't seen yet, but maybe it will happen.

What's your take on the primary issue....a 360o uniformly lit horizon ?

It's not something I have noticed on my flights tbh....

G

Gary Davies aka "Gazzareth"

Simming since 747 on the Acorn Electron

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I think it’s the atmosphere scattering some light back. Can be moonlight, or maybe the starlight is a little bit too strong.

Havent seen this too, looks indeed strange, but Im not an athmosperic expert either:p Im sure we have an armchair meteorologist on avsim too so im sure someone will chime in:D

 

7 hours ago, zachlog said:

Just another tip to post images (or video's), there's an "Insert image from URL button" on the lower right when you post or reply to a topic.
If you use this your screenshot will show directly here side by side or one on top of the other. Makes comparison easy.
Like this:

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