Armchair Dragoons Forums

Wargaming => The Modern World => Topic started by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 02:12:24 AM

Title: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 02:12:24 AM
Just downloaded it - not played it yet - but I'm somewhat concerned there's only 600MB of download....that seems like a very slim game. GTA V was 80GB!!
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bob48 on August 18, 2020, 06:23:17 AM
I still use FSX, which steel runs fine and there is a massive amount of free 3rd party content for it. The new one, for the hefty price, has relatively little built-in content. Looks very much like a money pit to me, IMHO.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: tuna on August 18, 2020, 10:07:15 AM
I still use FSX, which steel runs fine and there is a massive amount of free 3rd party content for it. The new one, for the hefty price, has relatively little built-in content. Looks very much like a money pit to me, IMHO.

lol, the 'old' one was a money pit.. which I have thrown a lot of money into!
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 10:17:34 AM
I still use FSX, which steel runs fine and there is a massive amount of free 3rd party content for it. The new one, for the hefty price, has relatively little built-in content. Looks very much like a money pit to me, IMHO.

lol, the 'old' one was a money pit.. which I have thrown a lot of money into!
It goes with the territory - MSFS = gimme cash.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: tuna on August 18, 2020, 10:44:26 AM
Current add ons, plenty more, lots of orbx airports in the NorthWest

Item   Developer
Baron B-55   Milviz
C337H Skymaster   Carenado
Cessna 182 Skylane II RG   Carenado
New York JFK V2   FSDT
Twin Otter Extended   Aerosoft
UTX USA   Flight One
Logan   FlyTampa
Rex Essentials + OverDrive   REX
GEX North America   Flight One
L-1011 Tristar   JustFlight
Active Sky Next   HiTech
B-29   Virtavia
Rex4   REX
GTN 750   Flight One
Ideal Flight   Ideal Flight
Cessna 310R   Milviz
NEW YORK AIRPORTS X - KTEB, KCDW AND KLDJ   DRZEWIECKI DESIGN
KMCO   Taxi2Gate
MUHA   Taxi2Gate
Duke Turbine v1   RealAir
Duke Turbine v2   RealAir
Lanclair Legacy   RealAir
B-17   A2A
737   PMDG
Acufeel   A2A
Cherokee 180   A2A
Airhauler   
AN2   Sibwings
EZDok   
Airport GPS   
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 02:04:18 PM
Never mind...90GB update  >:(
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bbmike on August 18, 2020, 02:07:52 PM
Dang!  :o
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 02:41:17 PM
It might have been what you download on Steam is the core and then signing into XBox Live (arseholes)  allows you to get the rest of the content.

I did think it was a bit light when it downloaded this morning. If I was smarter, I'd have started the game so it downloaded the rest whilst I was at work (working from home)...it would've been done then.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bob48 on August 18, 2020, 03:10:16 PM
I've been looking at some of the vids that people have posted on youtube, and it certainly looks very impressive, especially with high res graphics.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 05:32:02 PM
I smacked the graphics right up - it looks bloody good. Really good.

The helpful icons are a bit in your face, but they're very helpful. Switching on landing help for example gives you a nice flight path round and into the airport. They're big though

I just flew from Glasgow Airport to Edinburgh - live weather and time - so it was dark but the scenery great and lighting was very nice indeed. Glasgow actually looked like a full, living city. Lots of building...no scrimping on scenery like in FSX.

And - surprisingly - it ran smoothly. Very smooth in fact and I had everything whacked up.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bbmike on August 18, 2020, 05:35:50 PM
JD, what video card are you running this with?
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 18, 2020, 05:41:18 PM
8GB AMD Radeon 5700XT
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bbmike on August 18, 2020, 05:53:52 PM
Hmm, that's better than my GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5X, but not by much.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: Staggerwing on August 18, 2020, 07:26:26 PM
Is the new MFS VR-ready?

For that matter, are there any mods or ways to make FSX VR-capable?
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: ojsdad on August 18, 2020, 08:51:02 PM
Is the new MFS VR-ready?

For that matter, are there any mods or ways to make FSX VR-capable?

Looking at the Steam store page, I don't see any mention of VR
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 19, 2020, 01:39:52 AM
From what I remember when reading up on MSFS before release (a few months ago) it was going to be VR. However, I didn't try and like you, I couldn't see any mention of it on Steam.

Maybe they'll add it? Like Project Cars did?

I have to admit - I thought it was going to be though
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: BanzaiCat on August 19, 2020, 09:41:03 AM
I thought there was a virtual/VR version of FSX out there. An ex Navy/Air Force pilot, C.W. Lemoine, has a YT channel that he posts to that includes some (I think) FSX VR videos. I could be completely wrong.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bbmike on August 19, 2020, 10:28:07 AM
My flight simulator standards were ruined after I entered one of these simulators when I was at the FAA academy in OKC: 

(https://www.flightsafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/simulation-commercial.jpg)
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 19, 2020, 10:33:22 AM
ok...taking off in daylight and flying over New York is a totally different story to taking off from Glasgow at night.

There was some sluggishness going on.

Also - comms seems broken. Sometimes you hear a voice (either yours or ATC) and other times you don't - and no seeming rhyme or reason to it...sometimes a voice, other times just a squelch noise.

Still looks amazing though. I might turn everything down and see what New York looks like then...because even on fairly mediocre settings, I saw this looking pretty good on YT
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: Doctor Quest on August 19, 2020, 11:37:16 AM
My flight simulator standards were ruined after I entered one of these simulators when I was at the FAA academy in OKC: 

(https://www.flightsafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/simulation-commercial.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/996007398384066560/jFtSPZP4.jpg)

 :D
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bayonetbrant on August 19, 2020, 11:51:21 AM
My flight simulator standards were ruined after I entered one of these simulators when I was at the FAA academy in OKC: 


Have you ever been down to I/ITSEC?
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: bbmike on August 19, 2020, 11:55:07 AM
No, but looking at what they have there that would REALLY ruin my simulator standards.  :P
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 19, 2020, 12:55:07 PM
Is the new MFS VR-ready?

For that matter, are there any mods or ways to make FSX VR-capable?
VR is delayed but coming apparently as a free addon

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-flight-simulator-will-have-vr-support

Although only for HP Reverb (initially?)
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 20, 2020, 08:35:52 AM
I don't know what happened to some of the graphics...likely my capturing software - but this is me flying over Manhattan

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50248016287_6cd0ccbf1b_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: besilarius on August 20, 2020, 06:12:46 PM
That looks thick enough to be the Hindenburg.
Are dirigibles an option?
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 28, 2020, 01:58:35 AM
Came across my first PITA for this sim...ATC. First off, not fantastic at telling you where to go when landing.

Worst thing though? Bouncing me between 5000 and 11000 feet every few seconds. "Riley 2712 climb and maintain 11,000ft"...I start initiating the climb, get to maybe 9000 - sometimes only 1000 above what I was at when I received the call and then "Riley 2712 please descend and maintain 7,000ft"

I was honestly up and down for about 5 minutes - in a prop - in heavy wind...getting a gain of 1000ft was aa struggle nevermind climbing from 6000 to 11000 only to be told to descend and maintain 5000....all the while having the additional contact from ATC telling you to expidite your climb/descent.

In the end, I junked it and ATC let me go on my own.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 28, 2020, 02:48:35 PM
Apparently, the Load feature is fubar too. I saved a flight so I could take the dog for a walk - got back, load...crash to desktop.

That doesn't bode well for family life and flying.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: Staggerwing on August 28, 2020, 06:30:02 PM
You have to admit that it does add to the realism... after all, on a real flight if you get the munchies you can't just save, turn off the engines, run down to Walmart for some pork rinds, come back to your 767 to reload, and then, snacks in hand, resume your trip to Newark.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on August 29, 2020, 03:45:27 AM
True dat  ;D
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on September 03, 2020, 05:10:23 AM
So you can create custom caches - for places you visit regularly

However, the interface for it is a bit of a pain in the ass. In order to get High definition for your cache, you have to scroll in so close, it makes capturing a city in high def quite tedious. I tried Glasgow and Edinburgh - and man - it took quite some time to capture the entire cities in high definition

Apparently it does save on quite a bit of performance though.

Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on September 05, 2020, 04:01:44 PM
I've got some news re manual cache...1

First thing is this guy says there's no discernible difference



Next - it's bloody awkward to create a manual cache. First off, you have to zoom so far in to get the High setting that you lose where you are and there's ALOT of scrolling. Secondly, once you've created the cache, my interface on the manual cache page slowed to a crawl. All I had was Glasgow and Edinburgh at high def mostly - and scrolling in and out or even moving the map was sooooo slow as to make me delete the caches altogether.

My manual cache is on an SSD too.

The interface is simply not good enough at the moment - at least on my system and imo.
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: judgedredd on September 12, 2020, 09:52:59 AM
This lag when you've created a cache is a thing...it's not just my system.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftFlightSim/comments/id6snc/manual_cache_extremely_slow_to_zoom_or_highlight/

I'm very surprised people who have done videos on how to create manual caches haven't mentioned this - perhaps it's CPU specific (I have an AMD Ryzen)?
Title: Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Post by: ojsdad on August 27, 2021, 11:06:40 PM
Very cool.

https://twitter.com/HollyBell8/status/1431416656614629380