Let us try not to fast draw the G word for a minute, will you  🤠 ? No OK Corral ! 

It has been said by some that a pilot career is not only about airliners. Very true. Actually, airliners came late in the hobby. My first was in the early 2000 (a PMDG in Fly!), 20 years after I started simming. Over 40 years, there has been a lot of FS addons or standalones about rescue missions, mail runs, hospital runs etc. See my 1992 thread for instance. FS24 stays in a long standing tradition. If there is a gameification, it has always been here.  

What do we expect from these missions ?  As I said elsewhere, the devil is in the details. A mission could be a formidable piloting challenge or just a meh arcade game. Let us not speculate about what FS204 will bring us but clarify what we would like it to bring. 

Lets take the firefighting jobs. I see a Canadair in the trailer. I know them all right because, some real ones fly often over my house. I live in a region prone to vegetation fires and about 5 miles from a large reservoir.  I want FS24 to simulate, the inherent danger of scooping the water in a hilly terrain and  the turbulence of extremely hot air over the ridge fires etc. I don't mind about scores ! I want to extinguish the fiery beast and come back alive.

What do you expect from the missions ?

 

Edited June 13, 20232 yr by Dominique_K

I agree, I think missions could be an absolute blast and a great addition if well done. Even though I'm more of a "fly from A to B" type of simmer, I sometimes long for a different experience, and so far the options offered (e.g. Top Gun DLC) have been way too lightweight for my taste. Unfortunately not much info to go with right now but keeping my fingers crossed.

I discovered A PIlots LIfe a few weeks ago. I get to fly all over the world for real airlines and real schedules, get graded on my piloting and get promoted. Been a game changer for me.   Never flew any missions, just not interested. https://www.simbitworld.com/

Simple - I take my sims seriously!  

I want to fly right into the a-hole of that twister, survive with a few scratches, and end up getting off with Helen Hunt after it is all over.  
(To those that haven't seen the film 'Twister', give it a go - the legendary and recently departed Bill Paxman was in it, bless his soul, and it may give an idea of what the mission entails - sorry if I spoilt it - the Titanic also sinks by the way if you haven't seen that movie either).

I will try to come back with a more serious answer at a later date, because as you can gather, I have never thought about it before and never tried a mission, even in FSX.
Unfortunately, based on what I have seen on YouTube with the 'landing challenges' currently in MSFS, it seems a points or scoring system may be unavoidable.  

As long as the missions are fun, based on realism, and well constructed, I wouldn't be too bothered about that or the link to the G-word.
And I don't see the missions over-riding the current serious side to FS that is already included in MS2020 and will be carried over to 2024, it is just an additional string to its bow.
 

Edited June 13, 20232 yr by bobcat999

Always wanted a sensible, authentic career mode that isn't bogged down in heavy, slow realism, convoluted charts and insane micromanagement. Just something where you start out fresh, get a pilot's license, work your way up, do jobs across the world and earn your keep. A good middle-ground between realism and 'arcade' and it could keep me playing for days.

I hope they do it properly. I‘d like those missions to be realistic and I‘d like to see proper non-player characters like in other games and not just scripted animations like we have now, i.e. NPs that interact with the environment to some extent, that don’t just walk through walls and that are able to take a seat in an aircraft etc. Also, I hope objects such as that power pole in the trailer hanging from a cable behave in a physically realistic way. That would be a first in flight sim, as far as I know, and a real step forward. I wouldn't mind an avatar mode either. These things may not be a priority for many of us (me included), but I also see it as opportunity to bring a new element to flight sim that might turn out to be a real blast. 

I hope AI will play a major role in 2024, and based on their statement, I think it will.

AI for ATC, with regional accents

AI for a mission generator anywhere in the world based on plausible scenarios (no wildfires in Antarctica)

AI for animals (possibility of birdstrikes, flying with migrating birds, following herds in Africa...

AI for traffic (helicopters in cities...)

 

On 6/14/2023 at 7:24 PM, Shack95 said:

Also, I hope objects such as that power pole in the trailer hanging from a cable behave in a physically realistic way.

My exact thought. A make or break condition for me. 

2 hours ago, Noooch said:

I hope AI will play a major role in 2024, and based on their statement, I think it will.

AI for ATC, with regional accents

AI for a mission generator anywhere in the world based on plausible scenarios (no wildfires in Antarctica)

AI for animals (possibility of birdstrikes, flying with migrating birds, following herds in Africa...

AI for traffic (helicopters in cities...)

 

I can't wrap my head around the fact that we have been asking for tiny improvements here and there for so long and now instantly we think we are getting seasons, chatGPT, and FO with body odour.

On 6/13/2023 at 7:22 AM, Sethos said:

Always wanted a sensible, authentic career mode that isn't bogged down in heavy, slow realism, convoluted charts and insane micromanagement. Just something where you start out fresh, get a pilot's license, work your way up, do jobs across the world and earn your keep. A good middle-ground between realism and 'arcade' and it could keep me playing for days.

Check out A Pilot's Life as Bob mentioned above.  It's well done, in active development, and indeed will have you flying everywhere actual airlines fly, per your choice when you apply and are hired.  Not only that but the scoring piece will keep you a little more on your toes that you might otherwise be.   It is very pilot-focused unlike AirHauler in which the pilot is almost an afterthought.  If you prefer GA environments there are other career apps.

3 hours ago, Noooch said:

AI for ATC, with regional accents

Absolutely:  just feed it all the ATC data available and let it figure it out.