I am a long term user of P3D and have spent a lot of time on money on aircraft and scenery add ons. I primarily fly FsLabs A319/20/21 and PMDG 777.

But for a while I've been wanting to make the move to the "new sim" and I thought I'd take the plunge this weekend and try MSFS for the first time. What a totally awful experience. Here's how it went...

- An absolute nightmare trying to get AIG AI to appear in MSFS. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I've configired both the AIG manager and AIG traffic properly but it seems to be completely random whether or not traffic decides to appear. I started by flight at EGLL and it was empty, despite adding most of the AIG library. However the moment I was airborne there was traffic everywhere...!
- An incredibly complicated procedure of getting the TCA Thrustmaster quadrant to work with Fenix A320. FsLabs was a dream in comparison.
- The Fenix A320 flies like a glider. The moment you disconnect the AP it starts swaying side to side like a Cessna in a storm. Totally ludicrous and goes against the Airbus logic. Having flown a Level-D A320 sim, it certainly does not behave like this.
- The camera is a nightmare...why not have an easy interface like P3D does...one button to cycle views.
- The AP on the Fenix A320 kept disconnecting randomly for no reason (and I couldn't get it to engage until about 3,000ft...again totally against the logic Airbus developed).
- Interacting with buttons (right click, left click, mouse wheel) is cumbersome. The whole reason I don't like using the mouse wheel is because it's linked to the camera zoom...but it appears this sim forces us to use the wheel to move certain knobs (and then you end up zooming in and out whilst trying to change speed/heading/altitude). What's wrong with the left/right click that P3D uses?!
- The AP logic on the Fenix A320 is, I'm sorry to say, miles from where it should be and does not replicate how the aircraft actually performs.
- I installed Tailstrike Designs Prague airport for me to fly into. When I arrived, this is what I found https://imgur.com/wb7X7HG I mean seriously?! Did they just forget to build the airport??? I'd even checked that it was installed before I started my flight, but somehow on arrival the airport forgets to load...??!! How does this even happen??

I was really hoping that this would be the beginning of my transition to MSFS. But it appears the sim (or game as I think it actually is) is nothing more than a scenery showcase (when it decides to load it up). I'm really disappointed that so many things could go wrong to make the experience so unpleasant. The sim is limited and buggy and the add ons feel low rent. Such a shame. I'm glad companies like FsLabs are sticking to P3D for the short to medium term and it's clear that P3D is the serious sim...MSFS is an Xbox game.

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- An incredibly complicated procedure of getting the TCA Thrustmaster quadrant to work with Fenix A320. FsLabs was a dream in comparison.

IMO I don't think it's really that complicated to setup. Fenix have a knowledgebase article on how to do this at: How to setup your Thrustmaster TCA Throttle (fenixsim.com) and there are a number of YouTube videos showing the simple steps in getting it setup. 

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- The Fenix A320 flies like a glider. The moment you disconnect the AP it starts swaying side to side like a Cessna in a storm. Totally ludicrous and goes against the Airbus logic. Having flown a Level-D A320 sim, it certainly does not behave like this.

I've never had the Fenix swing side to side like a Cessna. Have you checked you don't have any assistance settings turned on? 

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- The AP logic on the Fenix A320 is, I'm sorry to say, miles from where it should be and does not replicate how the aircraft actually performs.

You didn't really mention why you think this but maybe you should post your views about this on the Fenix discord and they can discuss this with you.

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- The camera is a nightmare...why not have an easy interface like P3D does...one button to cycle views.

Yes the MSFS camera system can be confusing if this is your first time using it. Watch videos on how to use it and setup custom views and you will get the hang of it with ease. Sure it could do with improvements. 

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- The AP on the Fenix A320 kept disconnecting randomly for no reason (and I couldn't get it to engage until about 3,000ft...again totally against the logic Airbus developed).

That sounds like a controller issue where it's detecting movement and disconnecting the autopilot. 

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- I installed Tailstrike Designs Prague airport for me to fly into. When I arrived, this is what I found https://imgur.com/wb7X7HG I mean seriously?! Did they just forget to build the airport??? I'd even checked that it was installed before I started my flight, but somehow on arrival the airport forgets to load...??!! How does this even happen??

I don't have this specific scenery but sounds like it's either not installed correctly or the rolling cache may need to be deleted. But this isn't the norm.

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that P3D is the serious sim...MSFS is an Xbox game.

MSFS can be a serious sim just like P3D and X-Plane. There are differences and can take a bit of learning if you aren't used to how MSFS works. But no MSFS isn't just an "Xbox" game. 

Edited January 8, 20233 yr by Zangoose

Your first time in MSFS is going to be just like it was for any other sim.  You're going to have to 're-learn' all the ins and outs.  Getting all your settings, stick sensitivity, cameras, etc., will take some time, just like before.

The default MSFS camera system is almost like chase plane to some degree.  Once you get used to the naming conventions, it's actually very similar, IMO.

The other stuff you mention sounds like first time issue to me.  Once you get those sorted, it will feel like an old glove again, with a few issues still outstanding.  🙂 

To the OP: soon you will be singing the praises to MSFS.  It is almost a gaurantee.

Stick with it.

sp

I hear what he's saying.  It is frustrating starting all over again.  It's just one of those things.

Sorry you had a bad first impression. You are coming from a very good plane in the FSL A3xx, and you know it well, so that is a tough comparison. I wouldn't have opted to go AIG for AI traffic. Way too hard to install imo. It takes hours. Get FSLTL. No brainer. Works great. P3D (based on FSX) it very mature so you have to realize that MSFS is not there yet in certain areas where P3D (and even XP) shine. But the progress we've made since the beginning is truly awesome. Hang in there! Nothing to say you can't bounce back and forth. Fly what you like. No shaming here if you decide to stick with P3D. At least not from me! 

The most frustrating thing for me was landing in Prague and the airport simply...wasn't there...?! 

I rebooted the system started and flight at Prague and there it was, it all its glory. So how, after a 1.5hr flight from London, does it just disappear...and more importantly, how can I stop that happening again?

Also, the random AIG insertion is just bizarre. When should I start AI traffic? As I start the sim or once a flight is loaded...?

Edited January 8, 20233 yr by BWBriscoe

It sounds to me like the OP was complaining, not so much about MSFS, but about his add-ons (e.g., the Fenix, Tailstrike Design's Prague airport, AIG AI,TCA Thrustmaster quadrant). 

I suggest running MSFS (and any new sim) in its stock form for a time before plugging in addons.  Maybe a case for trying to do too much too soon I'm guessing.

sp

Walk, before you run. 

I had an awful first-time experience as well. My performance was terrible. But my girlfriend was very understanding and we moved forward.

To the OP: You have my sympathies! The worst thing about MSFS is it's GUI - it's *awful*. However - once you have everything set up then the need for using the GUI diminishes slightly - especially the Controls section, which is a total disaster..

I have a few of suggestions:

Try FSLTL instead of AIG. Whilst the efforts of the AIG deserve praise (and it has served me well) I find FlyByWire's FSLTL much easier to use. Having said that,  both systems suffer from brain-dead AI traffic/ATC interation with MSFS - wrong runways for take off, taxiways not joining up etc. etc.

I don't have the Fenix A320, but I can vouch for the (free) FBW version - especially if you use the Dev builds. Worth a try - nothing to lose.

As regards the scroll mouse: that's the way it works on my system too - but I actually like it. I like being able to click zoom in/out of the VC quickly, whilst still being able to operate buttons/knobs - though I admit you need to be careful with placing the pointer (zooming in helps).

Yes - MSFS does lean towards an X-Box *game*, but it's making progress in becoming a decent "study level" sim - albeit a little too slow for my liking.

 

Edited January 9, 20233 yr by Adamski_NZ

think your suffering from P3Ditis, i understand . it took me 6 months to get a grip of this sim , never going back , too much eye candy and good aircraft now. its a case of learning and acceptance of the good and bad . stick with it you wont regret in the end 

Lol, I’m also suffering from P3Ditis 😉. I just switched a week ago, and the menu and camera system is driving me nuts. It is however worth it, it’ll be hard to go back and fly my beloved airliners in P3D again, MSFS just looks too good, and I don’t even know what I’m doing yet…..Hang in there buddy!

Cheers,

Pete

2 minutes ago, sonny147 said:

think your suffering from P3Ditis, i understand . it took me 6 months to get a grip of this sim , never going back , too much eye candy and good aircraft now. its a case of learning and acceptance of the good and bad . stick with it you wont regret in the end 

+1

Just to add that my lowly PC specs that ran P3Dv5 reasonably well manage to deliver stunning eye candy with MSFS. You'll need to research all the usual tips & tricks and/or voodoo - but that's been the case for every sim that I've used.