Hello,

 

Is it me or has the in sim ATC got worse since the recent update.

 

I no longer get cleared to land when abeam the numbers in a circuit and do not get a handoff once runway vacated.

 

Both worked fine prior to the recent update. 

I don't touch default ATC in any sim.  It's awful.

1 hour ago, davenicoll said:

Is it me or has the in sim ATC got worse since the recent update

Yes, a few people have highlighted ATC problems.

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/atc-always-assigns-a-vectors-to-final-approach-since-su14/628609/14

3 hours ago, davenicoll said:

do not get a handoff once runway vacated

I've had that before and since the update, only rarely before and I haven't flown enough since to know if it's any more frequent. At one of the new Caribbean airports (I forget which one), I just had to follow the ribbon to a parking spot because there was no option to request where to go.

Could the default ATC get worse? 

12 hours ago, davenicoll said:

Hello,

 

Is it me or has the in sim ATC got worse since the recent update.

 

I no longer get cleared to land when abeam the numbers in a circuit and do not get a handoff once runway vacated.

 

Both worked fine prior to the recent update. 

Yes Dave, ATC has definitely become more problematic recently.

For IFR, I now find it all but unusable.

For VFR, I use it just for the absolute basics of traffic calls, VFR taxi, take off and landing clearances, and basic flight following.

For anything else, it's just a mess.

I use IFR at departure and cancel half-way and fly VNAV from TOD, yes ATC is a joke.

Edited February 5, 20242 yr by Ixoye

17 hours ago, ryanbatc said:

I don't touch default ATC in any sim.  It's awful.

I agree Ryan,

Unfortunately though looking at alternatives they all seem a bit clunky and set up for the airliners to me as I much prefer VFR flying.

 

VOX ATC, which does look good seems to be taking an eternity to get ready.

I don't even bother with default ATC.

As much as possible, I try to use either IVAO or VATSIM.

Just now, sdirand said:

As much as possible, I try to use either IVAO or VATSIM.

Would love to but I find in the UK the only airports consistently staffed are the major hubs, smaller airfields seem to be neglected.

 

Be nice if at least once a month (to start) they staffed a smaller airport for VFR flying.

VATSIM is such a mixed bag. For starters, it's not relaxing at all. You really need to be on your game the entire flight. A lot of times, only Center is on which can be tough to get clearance etc. Especially if the field doesn't do PDC.

The in-game ATC for in-flight is horrible. It's not going to tell you to change alt, speed etc. for clearance. It just runs the script for you going from point a to b, and getting clearance for lower altitudes is a lot of going through the menus to get the level you want.

That said, for ground stuff, I have it found it to be not bad when mixed with FSLTL. It will tell you to hold on a taxiway, tell other planes to hold for you, etc. Same with landing. On a recent update it got better about telling you or other planes to go around.

You would think that in game ATC would be right up the alley for programmers and AI. Software simulating real world ATC communication would be an interesting challenge. Instead, it has been basically ignored and uses the same ATC that FS8 used back in 2002. I guess they just can't figure out how to do it.

42 minutes ago, rjquick said:

You would think that in game ATC would be right up the alley for programmers and AI. Software simulating real world ATC communication would be an interesting challenge.

It is right up their alley and it is an interesting challenge, though I think you're minimising the scale of the task.

The ATC engine has to simultaneously:

• Recognise and control all AI aircraft in the user 40nm radius bubble.
• Move them per the complex and differing rules and regs of the various nation states around the World.
• Move them per specific local requirements, e.g. terrain avoidance, TMA restrictions, particular airfield approaches (KSFO's PRM)
• Factor in some variability of the user's aircraft, as it is not fully under the engine's control, i.e. any delay in the simmer's reaction to command requires further calculations by the ATC engine.
• Consider appropriate runway selection for departures and arrivals based on weather.
• Consider appropriate runway selection for departures and arrivals based on the airfield's ADE/AFCAD file.
• Factor in the performance capabilities of the various AI aircraft under control.
• Minimise airproxes and deconflict traffic whenever they occur.
• Manage aircraft go-arounds.
• Manage AI traffic on the ground.
• Generate voice commands.
• 'Acknowledge' voice commands.
• Create sensation of immersion for user.
• Not have a detrimental effect on performance.
• Be just one element in the rest of the flight sim platform's 'package'.

Yes, two third-party developer ATC add-ons, in various states of completion, are working towards these goals. Yet, they too are some way off flight simmers' nirvana.

Realistic ATC could easily be a standalone program chewing through CPU cycles to achieve the above and more.

And yet our expectation of it is to be almost nothing more than a soundtrack to a butter smooth approach into, say, iniBuilds' KLAX with PG on, FSLTL injecting 50 AI airliners, all while using the Fenix A320 on a 4K monitor with TLOD at 250, settings at Ultra and all road and shipping traffic turned on too.

Perhaps there's a reason why ATC hasn't progressed beyond FS2002? Asobo's ATC developer role appears to remain unfilled—is it due to a lack of suitable candidates who are capable of meeting the ATC coding challenge?

36 minutes ago, F737MAX said:

It is right up their alley and it is an interesting challenge, though I think you're minimising the scale of the task.

Perhaps there's a reason why ATC hasn't progressed beyond FS2002? Asobo's ATC developer role appears to remain unfilled—is it due to a lack of suitable candidates who are capable of meeting the ATC coding challenge?

"We choose to go to the Moon (or make a working ATC) in this decade (or in the next year) and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too"

- John F. Kennedy

I play flight simulations since 1980 and I have never seen a good working ATC. FSHud is close, but makes to many "unforced errors" and the developer doesnt listen or hasnt the ability to correct them, or insults people in his beta forum, BeyondATC seems to be the best concept so far, but there´s too much silence and I honestly expect nothing until the end of the year.