I suppose I can guess what the answer will be (and will probably get flamed just for asking), but just in case, does anyone know how to change settings in MSFS so ai ships and planes appear at a distance, like in 2020? Currently ai ships and planes only pop into existence when you're a few hundred feet from them. I was wondering if someone knows of a setting somewhere maybe deep in the sim files that would toggle a longer distance view.

I know there's more important bugs to fix, but it's just something from 2020 that I miss in 2024.

Thanks - Bob

 

Certainly something I enjoy in XPlane. You can see them clearly like sky scrapers from the altitudes. In MSFS oceans are dead unless you’re landing and sometimes even then. 

Such a weird regression!

In early versions of 2024 there were actually huge ships popping up everywhere, which I assumed would be quickly fixed, especially after Asobo had specifically touted live worldwide shipping as a feature.

Then......

Nothing.

 

Edited May 20, 20251 yr by HiFlyer

1 hour ago, BBCM said:

does anyone know how to change settings in MSFS so ai ships and planes appear at a distance

My main gripe about 2024 is the miserable viewing distance of aircraft.  Ships are just as poor. Flew between Dover and Calais over the English channel and saw one ship - should have been many, many ships.

Viewing distances in 2024 are hopeless.

GAIST ships was working in SU1, but not in SU2 or SU3; I guess Asobo changed pathways somewhere. Mamudesign Marinas still works in SU2 and SU3, and provides lots of small boats in marinas and around harbors, which can be seen from some distance (at least I assume all the small boats around the harbors are from Mamudesign), but it's not quite the same as having large ships sailing the oceans.

Edited May 20, 20251 yr by BBCM

16 minutes ago, BBCM said:

GAIST ships was working in SU1, but not in SU2 or SU3; I guess Asobo changed pathways somewhere. Mamudesign Marinas still works in SU2 and SU3, and provides lots of small boats in marinas and around harbors, which can be seen from some distance (at least I assume all the small boats around the harbors are from Mamudesign), but it's not quite the same as having large ships sailing the oceans.

Seafront Simulations claims their Vessels are now working with MSFS 2024, but there are no recommended settings given, and I don't see a thing.

https://www.seafrontsims.com/category/msfs2024

I have seafront (enhanced AI copied from 2020)+ GAIST, but it also works only with GAIST

Try the following:

Set traffic to AI

start your flight with live date time

When in cockpit, disable ship traffic density (in both, VR and non-VR, I fly in VR this is why) 

Go back to cockpit

Go back to settings

Enable ship traffic again, I set it to Ultra but it works with other settings too

Loading of ships takes one/two minutes but ships are there then, 

Set date time to your preference 

I tested it near Hamburg taking off from EDXM

PS: id this is not working, start with time set to live and then do this cycle

 

PPS: View distance seems ok (a few miles at least) 

 

 

Edited May 21, 20251 yr by pemigris

9 hours ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Viewing distances in 2024 are hopeless.

That’s what we get when so many vocal “users” demand 60 FPS with half of their VRAM or whatever free, together with the voting-based development roadmap … MS simply complies.

Shipping LODs are all messed up, some third party add-ons also appear broken - or now working as well as they should like seafront.

Remember this is early access 

All fuel for the "I am sticking with MSFS 2020" fire.

6 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

All fuel for the "I am sticking with MSFS 2020" fire.

Not here.  My 'advantages' column is far taller than my 'disadvantages' column.

4 hours ago, pemigris said:

PPS: View distance seems ok (a few miles at least)

There is the problem.  A few miles at a couple of thousand feet mean traffic is not visible until you are on top of it.  We should be seeing busy shipping lanes full of traffic out to the distance - our hi res displays are more than capable.  Aircraft should also be visible many miles away.  No doubt about it, 2024 is completely hopeless as far as ship/air traffic is concerned.

If I load up XP12 at Heathrow, I can see airliners 20+ miles in all directions.

16 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Not here.  My 'advantages' column is far taller than my 'disadvantages' column.

The problem is that some "disadvantages" are deal breakers to me, and the distance at which I can see AI ships is one of them.

THE problem here is that it was part of the huge advertising bull* of MSobo regarding MSFS2024 with the trailer showing tons of ships of all sizes and once again, they do not deliver. Half-baked feature, like so many of them...

What they need is to hire someone who has a basic understanding of Level Of Details code, it's evidently one area they've really struggled with since 2020 was released.