I'm very excited for the ATR.

I now have a vague explanation of what they did to improve the startup process (optimizations) but thankfull nonetheless as mine went from 20 to 30 minutes to about 5.  Great update IMO.

Now they need to speed up MarketPlace downloads by a factor of 10x.  ☺️

sp

Edited March 23, 20233 yr by Sky_Pilot071

On 3/22/2023 at 11:08 PM, Noel said:

One thing this has shown me is just how complex and multidimensional developing something like MSFS really is.  Looking at the release notes for SU12 I was struck by how much work went towards areas I really am not very involved in, so much work in so many areas.  I'm still hoping/waiting for major focus on ATC, cloud depiction and exploiting the ever-improving hardware capabilities better than we see now, and I would love to see really trick shader-based seasonal vegetation changes linked to geolocation w/ elevation and time of year.  That in itself would probably be a massive undertaking unless someone else has already done it.  So these updates don't really change much of anything for me quite often, the SU's that is.  I know they have over time, but I'm really hoping for focused work on those big key areas as the rest is already great and improving.

I agree with you on these points. We are so far from the essential. We are too much for my taste in a marketing atmosphere and distribution of small bags of Haribo candy. Anyway, the strategy works well. My expectations are from another world.

Oceania is my stomping ground.  Carrying Army around various joint exercises in the Southwest Pacific, escorting and supporting our 75 Sqn Skyhawks on their flights through PNG to Singapore and through Kwajalein to Hawaii, conducting medivacs from the islands to Australia and New Zealand, cyclone and disaster relief, VIP flying including many of the British Royals, Premiers and Prime Ministers of many of the Oceania countries , search and rescue for lost fisherman and yachtsmen,  exclusive economic zone (EEZ) fisheries patrolling for the Pacific Island Forum countries along with Austral summer season flights to McMurdo supporting the National Science Foundation in Antarctica and many other transit flights through New Caledonia,  Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, Tahiti. Melanesia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and of course Hawaii on the way to Continental US (CONUS).  From my many years of flying experience in this area, I can say that  the islands of Oceania's Southwest Pacific are populated by some of the most friendly and welcoming peoples on this planet.  So  for me...Oceania is big in many ways more than just its immense size.!  And, it is immense. So, what is the local legend to be? Is it the ATR? If it is then....eye roll!! . I'm probably in the minority ...again... but is this not a great opportunity to introduce the MSFS world to the Coral Route?  Take a look at these links: 

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/the-coral-route#:~:text=In 1951%2C TEAL launched a,from a TEAL staff competition.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/coral-route-teal-flying-boat

No doubt Orbx will be running this Oceania update as it did the Australian and New Zealand updates but if the the NZ update is anything to go by, (Australia's Caribou as local NZ legend...NOT),  NZ will not be represented in the local legend stakes. Yet the Coral Route really is an historically interesting, luxury and romantic time in aviation in the Oceania region and gives everyone a real world reason to fly to some of these beautiful exotic islands and atolls in the Solent Flying boat and later the DC6. Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands and Tahiti. 

So come on Orbx. Give us the Coral Route as the Local Legend! And, thank you  Asobo for making Oceania a world update! 🙂 

 

Cheers

Terry   

 

 

 

 

  

 

Edited March 24, 20233 yr by Lord Farringdon

5 hours ago, filou said:

I agree with you on these points. We are so far from the essential. We are too much for my taste in a marketing atmosphere and distribution of small bags of Haribo candy. Anyway, the strategy works well. My expectations are from another world.

It definitely helps to keep one's expectations in line with reality.  Truth be told, despite the areas of focus I hope we get to at some point I still fly every day nearly using some phenomenal planes and other adjuncts to keep me focused and entertained enough to come back again.  So certainly, in terms of "essentials" we've been there for a long time, ultimately.  But yes we will all be delighted when those big areas get major attention.  If I had your hardware I'd be a little less dismissive than I am as right now I'm pretty much maxed out for what MSFS can deliver.  I really hope they aim high on cloud depiction which is what it is, but has a ways to go for sure.

3 minutes ago, Noel said:

It definitely helps to keep one's expectations in line with reality.  Truth be told, despite the areas of focus I hope we get to at some point I still fly every day nearly using some phenomenal planes and other adjuncts to keep me focused and entertained enough to come back again.  So certainly, in terms of "essentials" we've been there for a long time, ultimately.  But yes we will all be delighted when those big areas get major attention.  If I had your hardware I'd be a little less dismissive than I am as right now I'm pretty much maxed out for what MSFS can deliver.  I really hope they aim high on cloud depiction which is what it is, but has a ways to go for sure.

I was already almost at the maximum with my old material, and I would have been a little better with an Xbox Series X but MSFS in 4k is for me the minimum to erase the rest.

I have always been very satisfied with the performance of MSFS and I have no complaints about it.The performances are exceptional and today I even think about it more...

50 fps with MSFS and 50 fps with XP12 has nothing to do if I have fun comparing. It's day and night.When you have tasted this incomparable sweetness of MSFS, change is impossible

I still fly every day and for me the Weather looks like "Script" basket. It's nice sometimes for the Sunday flight but always the same scenarios.The same brightness, the same colors. No variants.It gets boring.

I'm ready to pay them a monthly subscription so that they change my days into a little more realism for those like me who want a little more than points of interest scattered in these beautiful countries that make up our planet

I just want a flight simulator where everything happens in majority in the sky... and something that looks like a real road network and road traffic when i land.So immersive!...

Are we really in 2023. Maybe I'm too adult and not childish enough.

 

 

4 minutes ago, filou said:

I still fly every day and for me the Weather looks like "Script" basket. It's nice sometimes for the Sunday flight but always the same scenarios.The same brightness, the same colors. No variants.It gets boring.

Agreed--the lack of variety is largely true IMO.  The sky looks different for all flights in many ways of course, yet also looks the same I know exactly what you mean.  And this is by far, for me, it's most glaring shortcoming beyond all else including ATC.

It may help the boredom aspect by putting some artificial purpose into flying which I've done now for over a decade, using FSCaptain in P3D, and now A Pilot's Life v2:  both score all flights according to a set of criteria.  This helps with the lack of variety that we experience in MSFS as you describe, as you focus now on flying and less on visual stimulation per se.  Here is the scoring criteria for your viewing pleasure:

  

3 hours ago, Lord Farringdon said:

Oceania

Like that 😄? 

There was a time when I loved to heavily pimp out screenshots. This one is from FS9, I think (1280*1024 !) with Bill Lyons's Goose. For the youngsters here, Bill Lyons was a freeware god long ago. I don't remember who made the scenery.

Seriously, long haul flights over the sea are a bit boring, the best are hops between islands of one archipelago.  

MSFS should really do something about the water physics by the way ! 

Edited March 24, 20233 yr by Dominique_K

On 3/22/2023 at 10:50 PM, scotchegg said:

I’m hoping they’ve got some good aerials. It truly is bush flying paradise, but the current orthos have a lot of clouds and other problems.

This.
That's why I avoid the place at the moment.

6 hours ago, Noel said:

Agreed--the lack of variety is largely true IMO.  The sky looks different for all flights in many ways of course, yet also looks the same I know exactly what you mean.  And this is by far, for me, it's most glaring shortcoming beyond all else including ATC.

It may help the boredom aspect by putting some artificial purpose into flying which I've done now for over a decade, using FSCaptain in P3D, and now A Pilot's Life v2:  both score all flights according to a set of criteria.  This helps with the lack of variety that we experience in MSFS as you describe, as you focus now on flying and less on visual stimulation per se.  Here is the scoring criteria for your viewing pleasure:

  

I take note Noel thank you.

I don't go as far as you in this area and everyone has their own recipe.

I use Random Flight Generator and the delicious Fenix without forgetting my imagination to get out of a world a little too playmobil and overrated for my taste.

2 hours ago, filou said:

I take note Noel thank you.

I don't go as far as you in this area and everyone has their own recipe.

I use Random Flight Generator and the delicious Fenix without forgetting my imagination to get out of a world a little too playmobil and overrated for my taste.

Have you tried XP-12 yet, insofar as addressing "playmobil and overrated..."?  I did just today, installed the demo, but only had a chance to use it long enough to calibrate controllers and set all graphic settings to the max.

9 hours ago, Noel said:

Have you tried XP-12 yet, insofar as addressing "playmobil and overrated..."?  I did just today, installed the demo, but only had a chance to use it long enough to calibrate controllers and set all graphic settings to the max.

I really like the natural light rendering in XP12 and I bought XP12 as soon as it was possible.I paired it with TrueEarth UK and USA. The first thing that surprised me in a good way is that the blur of MSFS no longer exists and it made everything clear and precise in XP12 and the road traffic brought the expected touch of realism.Weather xp12 was in its infancy and the natural balance between all of these elements was becoming incredibly magical.The difficult result of the subtle realistic balance had been found even if everything is not perfect .

That's all I blame for MSFS, there is no balance, we go from realistic to surreal from beautiful to ugly during the same flight.MSFS is visually average for me in many areas, it's not crazy at all!

To return to XP12, I was in a hurry to continue using my 4090 but the disappointment was there. It's not a problem of number of fps but a sensation problem. 50 fps with XP12 has nothing to do with 50 fps with MSFS and the overall rendering of xp12 has been changed over the updates and was starting to create an imbalance too...

My word not allowed is between two chairs...

I'm on the verge of overdosing with their MSFS Gratuity and I suspect they use this method to make us forget the rest. I see very well that the weather and the clouds of MSFS are not ready to be improved.It's diy

For me it's the only point of interest that I would like to see evolve.Weather, variety of clouds, light rendering and a planet with life when you approach it like busy traffic on the roads on the final approach...

I'm really not afraid to compare or say what I think, I live for my simulator and not for the simulator of others.I repeat we spend our whole lives comparing .

I preferred the XP12 when it came out.Some old screenshots:

This light is simply amazing, I don't understand why designers underestimate or miss what makes all the difference.

 

 

Fascinating overview.  I only had a chance to take up a lightweight GA plane in the DEMO and was very disappointed with the sameness of the ground textures which look poor as well as how trees are planted.  I found clouds to be several steps worse than MSFS so much so I'd hate to have to stick with it.  Plus, the overall impression was just very weak, to me.  But I've only just touched the surface of it so far.  I set all settings at maximum quality and found lighting at different times in the early morning thru to high noon to be less compelling them MSFS is which was a big surprise as others touted lighting in XP12.  So yes, fascinating overview I'm not seeing it at all, but it's early as I say.   I found performance as those maximum settings to be marginal at best esp considering the nothing plane I was in.  At this point the only possible way I would see myself migrating to XP12 would be if they nailed cloud depiction but right now, like I say it's very much worse than MSFS in this regard.  Plus, were they to get there I don't know how they could grapple w/ performance because already, it's really quite marginal, by comparison.  Thanks for the report on your impressions cheers.