Microsoft Flight Simulator Is Alive!

[Sailor Steve]

Microsoft has released the first teaser for the new version of Flight Simulator. No number yet, just FS. I'm not sure how they've kept this under wraps, but it looks to put MS firmly back in the running for "best" flight sim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReDDgFfWlS4

[Sean C]

Awesome!

[mattius]

This looks like reality! I'm astonished!! :up:

[ET2SN]

It looks like its for the X Box. :timeout:

I'm running FS2002 on my desktop locked at 60 FPS. :up:
I can afford to wait and see what this is.

BTW, I wonder if this will have real time downloadable weather?
Maybe MS could set up a server somewhere that has weather updates? :O:

[Pisces]

Agreed, it's not worthy of the MS Flightsimulator name if you cannot run it on a PC.

[soapbox]
And neither is it if it ends up like Microsoft Flight with limited scenery.
[soapbox off]

But fortunately that OS is covered (Windows 10), according to the bottom of this page:

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/microsoft-flight-simulator

You can also sign up for the Insider Program, supposedly giving a chance to playtest it and provide feedback in the development process: https://fsi.microsoftstudios.com/insider-program-faq/

[ET2SN]

if it ends up like Microsoft Flight


Yep, I think we're on the same wavelength. :yep:

[Skybird]

I hold my breath, still. Looks awesome, yes, but realism and functionality and complexity are what decides wether a flight sim is a flight sim. And when it is running on an Xbox, I cannot imagine that it is en par with for example Pr3pared, or X-Plane.

I am sceptical.


And I did not even start to think about the hardware and framerate.

[Skybird]

It also looks like being a huge marketing offensive for private cloud computing, on which this title seems to base heavily.

[Sailor Steve]

They've finally released something. Over the last weekend MS invited several professional reviewers and YouTubers to Seattle (all at MS's expense) to play the first pre-Alpha release. Those who were there said that they got to spend half a day playing around with what they have so far. The second half of the day was spent flying (or riding in) a real Cessna just so they could compare the two. There were interviews and explanations. From what I could glean from the reviewers comments so far:

The terrain covers the whole world, including 40,000 airports, all using satellite images from Bing Earth. This requires 2 Petabytes of information. If you have that kind of storage you can always be offline. If you don't have that amount of storage (and who does?) you can download just the area you live in, or the area you've always wanted to live in, and stream the rest as needed. Option three, if you're comfortable with it, is to download nothing and stream everything. This gives a lot of possibilities, with option 2 being the one most players will likely go with.

So far there are only three planes available, but each one is said to have around one thousand contact points, which means every few inches of skin reacts to airflow on its own. One player said it was the first time ever in a sim in which he felt one wing begin to stall when the other wing hit an updraft.

The sky and clouds are fully volumetric. You can set your flight for any time of day and any season of the year. This does include real-time weather.

You can see for yourself the terrain and the traffic. This lead to one funny joke when one of the invitees pointed out that one of the buildings they hadn't got installed yet, one of the buildings still missing, was the very hotel they were staying at.

The reviewers got to play and all said they really enjoyed it, but they weren't allowed to record their escapades. MicroSoft did send them home with approximately one-half hour of footage. There are versions with voice-overs and sound-storms. I chose to post my favorite, which has a label in the top right hand corner showing what city if is. Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkS5sd2Jlhk

[Sailor Steve]

For those who are worrying, the "rest of the world" that you download as you pay will be free. I'm sure there will be some DLC, but after the lessons learned in 2012 from Microsoft Flight, they're trying to take the opposite route, keeping things as cheap as possible. This includes PC requirements. They are insisting that the new 2020 version will run great on an average PC or laptop.

[Skybird]

Is that becoming just a VFR simulator for small and sports planes, or have they said anything about airliners?


Is it mod-open/as modular as FSX and earlier versions were? Can external airport sceneries and plane/cockpit moduels be implemented?



Will the engine even allow night lights on the ground, since they seem to collect their images from aerial photography via Bing?


The description of how they want to realise streaming and downloading of scenery, reduces the thretatlevel by one step. Downloading my major flight area - Europe - and streaming the rets if I ever get there - that I can live with.

[Sailor Steve]

Those are all good questions. I don't know if it will support airliners, but I would think that having every type of plane available would be a must. I see a big market for the aftermarket aircraft makers. All I can think right now is "we'll see".

Meanwhile here is a release showing more of the World:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58npsp-EjnE

[Skybird]

^ Looks nice, but could as well be a demonstrator for some arcade flying toy. Not before before mentiikned questions get positive answers by Microsoft will we know ehther it is worth it or not.


VR I do not ask for, I jave just deinstalled xPlane because VR handling a complex airliner cockpit simply is no fun in VR, noris orecise, smooth yoke control with VR grips possible, since they are too sensitive, too nervous.


I remain watching this unfolding, but so far I reject to already get "emotionally engaged." They should release some hardcore info and not just eye candy. And flying the world in real stereoscopic 3D I already can in Google EarthVR (which is a blast, btw).



Special, functional airport sceneries, night lighting, complex airliner cockpit operation, and PC able to maintain a minimum of 30 fps without turning hot like a volcano (sufficient for civilian flight sims) - then we start talking.

[blackswan40]

Wow Just wow will be watching this with interest looks very pleasing on the eye and the detail is a joy tobe hold.
diffinately on my 2020 wish list

[Skybird]

I found an alternative that for a pure VR flyer maybe is the better alternative, due to specs.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=flyinside+flight+simulator+vr

Seems to be able to use its own genertic landscape as well as constantly loading Bing aerial photography. Also, it can be used to run FS and P3D in VR, I just cannot get off my chair to do that installation combo again. However: PMDG planes in VR - wowh, just wowh. The gold standard in flight simming.

Will buy it soon, it is Early Access and thus costs just 30 coins.

On XPlane 11 with VR I have given up and deinstalled the sim, its too much a technical hassle, still. And frames always being an issue in VR. They say much good stuff on XPlane, VR and 2D, but I just do not get warm with it.

[Skybird]

I wonder how they financially realise it. I think they almost "must" run a service like iRacing in the world of car racing: a subscription model, that is.

I also wonder about the specs what the following videos show and reveal, sound slike a real bummer. 600 miles viewing range, that alone already is a killer mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=bCPGhrfpDrU&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WYhU0-kN8c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ1uyqCwy64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIFWAFi9bvs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7EhgDyyvw4


It looks fantastic, yes, and until 2.5 years ago this woulod hjave been a no brainer to me. But I am used to Google Earth in VR, that also is a mark which is difficult to beat, so to me it is about how they realise the big airliner complexity realism in cockpit.



I say this ^ today. :D When release day comes, I probably will give in and turn out to be a weak vasall of the commercial business empire - if the price is reasonable or the subscription model is priced reasonably. If it goes crazy like iRacing, I am out. However, this is a great opportunity for MS to do advertizing for its own Bing, so I think it is not their interest to price this too high - even more so since on the hardware side this so far looks as if needing serious investments by many interested potential customers as well. As a once-for-a-lifetime price I have 100 coins as my limit for this, and subscription: thinking of 40-50 per year being my limit. I have not too uch love for subscirptions, though not fundamwentally oppoosuin g therm alltogethekr I was subscriber to The Hunter for over 6 years. I just do not accept it to become my choice by routine, like I also do not accept payware TV or payware streaming of subscriptions of magazines or newspapers. Buying - okay, fine with me, but I just dont like subscription.

[Skybird]

Investigating the web, it seems that the specs demanded for the Alpha focussed on 32 GB RAM, but it is expected that 16 GB will suffice as minimum specs. Recommended CPU power gets mentioned to be in the range of i7 7700K. A serious GPU can be expected as a must have. Talk is of 1070TI as minimum.

32 GB RAM, if true: wowh. Finally brings my 32 GB RAM to use, I doubled it last year in expectation of needing it while doing multi-hours-video editing, but then found that I did not even need 16 GB nevertheless, so I wasted money there. Would not mind to bring it to use with this one then.


All in all I am confident that my system is absolutely in striking distance.

[Kristofer Considine]

Oh, interesting. I was amazed at this, looking no different from reality.

[Aktungbby]

Kristopher Considine!:Kaleun_Salute:

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

I'm curious to know how many Gigs it will end up being? I know that some recently released gaming titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Train Sim World take up around 100GB of space. Maybe this will push the limits?

[Skybird]

August 18th will be the day of days!

No subscription model, but three versions, costing 60, 90 and 120 US dollars.

I read on a German site it comes on 10 DVDs. Installation will take 150 GB (that amazes me a bit, since even already Dirt Rally 2.0 takes far over 100 GB, and that are just rally stages and some cars).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=581&v=uXUU40t4ZiI&feature=emb_logo

[Skybird]

Official website:


https://www.flightsimulator.com/

[d@rk51d3]

I'm curious to know how many Gigs it will end up being? I know that some recently released gaming titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Train Sim World take up around 100GB of space. Maybe this will push the limits?




Will be available on 10 dual layer DVD's, coming in at about 90GB for those without the bandwidth to download.

[Skybird]

Am i wrong or do you need a Microsoft Shop account or something like that...?! :stare:

[Skybird]

14 years apart.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCCIwPiZ1h8

[Skybird]

Full preview from a pilot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GetBM6jc-xI

[Skybird]

I was wondering how installation and operaiton actually work, and found this great explanation by Aerosoft'S Mathijs Kok.
https://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/topic/154700-aerosoft-official-retail-partner-for-microsoft-flight-simulator/page/8/&tab=comments#comment-990011




Friends, there have been a lot of questions about how the DVD versions exactly work during installation and how the boxed sim differs from the download version. Here is the low-down. Do not worry about it. Insert the first DVD, click okay and follow instructions on the screen. Get a drink as it will take a while.


The DVDs contain only the installer and the content (aircraft, world etc). The actual simulator software is downloaded during installation. That way you always have the latest version. For this the installer will guide you through the creation of an Xbox account (if you do not have one) etc. That means you need an active internet connection during installation. You also need a connection to run the simulator (it updates itself at every start when needed). But to be frank, it makes very little sense to run this offline.
After you ran the DVD installation, you will be asked to re-insert DVD 1. This will be checked during the activation.
At the first start the sim will check all files and update everything that is needed. As time progresses this will be a larger download.
From the users perspective you will end up with exactly the same version as somebody who bought it at the Microsoft Store.

Keep in mind that the sim consists of four parts:


The simulator itself, obviously mandatory.
The default content (basic world, aircraft etc). This default world is on it's own far better then FSX could ever deliver. This is a mandatory part, always part of the simulator..
The downloaded content (more details for the world, better ground imagery, far more correctly placed trees etc etc). This comes in 'blocks' that can be buffered on your system so if you always fly from Detroit it will not have to be loaded every time). Contrary to what some less informed sources say there is absolutely NOTHING indicating this is paid content or will be paid content. We do not sell a time limited simulator. This is an optional part, you do not have to stream any scenery, weather or traffic.
Third party content that can buy from the build in store or from external shops. Obviously optional, it is a super sim without add-ons.


If you buy and install the boxed version with DVDs, you will need to have DVD1 in the machine everytime you launch the sim. You can run the sim offline (and it then will not stream scenewry but will sitll look so much better by HD-inbstalled content than 14 year o9ld FSX), but for launching it at the start, you need to be online it seems, once, with DVD in the player.

Whether it makes sense to need to enter the DVD for authentification, can be argued, we have Stesam as an exmaple, it is the year 2020, I think Microsoft has not slept well before making this decision. Makes the download version of the game most likely the way to go, since you seem to need an XBox account anyway, DVD and download version alike.


The sim has no VR at start, and while they said they will look at it later, I doubt that it will get it any time soon. The sim is hardware heavy, its a flight sim, and to put another ressource killer on top of it like VR, is an idea that proibabyl doe snot work out too well. I will not miss it regarding airliners, since all that button pushing and flight comouter propgramming in VR in XPlane 11 I found to be not working too well. VR is nice in light, easy, uncomplicate dplanes wher enot many buttons need to be pressed. But button heavy cockpit environment in VR? No, thanks. Also, the resolution of VR and depth of view is still not where it should be for beautiful stuff like this.

[Skybird]

If I interprete it correctly what I read in a forum, then PMDG is already doing the Boeing 737 NG3 for the new sim. Thats great news, for it shows two things: first the heavy wieght sin addon develöopümnent are in the boat, second there can and will be addon cockpits of complexity and sim weight possible and available for the new sim.



To get PMDG planes is pripority for me, PMDG simply are the best of the best.



Old addons cannot be carried over to the new sim. And after 14 years, that should not surprise anyone.

[Skybird]

These developers have been confirmed to have gotten the SDK developer tool kit early and beign engaged in development for addons. There might be more, but these are confirmed.


– PMDG
– A2A Simulations
– Aeroplane Heaven
– DC Designs
– Just Flight
– Carenado
– CGN Dev
– Aerosoft

– ORBX
– FSimStudios
– Flightbeam
– Gaya Simulations
– Imaginesim
– Pilot Experience Sim
– UK2000 Scenery
– Verticalsim
– JustSim
– TDM Scenery Design
– MK-Studios
– Vidan Designs
– Pacific Island Simulations
– LatinVFR
– FlyTampa

– REX Simulations
– FS2Crew
– OnAir Company
– VATSIM
– PILOTEDGE


No doubt, the new title is going "all in".

[Skybird]

From their Q&A:


Q: Is Microsoft Flight Simulator going to be released on Steam or the Epic Store?
A: Microsoft Flight Simulator is available on Steam. We have no news to share regarding additional versions, but our goal is to have Microsoft Flight Simulator available on as many platforms as possible.
Q: Is there any differences between the Steam and Microsoft Store version?
A: There is no difference. The sim shares the same multiplayer world and services.
Q: Will people that have the sim on Steam be able to play together with people from Microsoft Store?
A: Yes, the sim shares the same multiplayer world, content and services. However, if you purchase through steam, you will not be able to use the Xbox Play Anywhere functionality (PC Windows 10 and Console).
Q: Are achievements cross-platform?
A: Achievements are not cross-platform. If you unlock achievements on Xbox Live, they won't unlock on steam and vice-versa.
Q: Will people that have the sim on Steam be able to play together with people from Microsoft Store?
A: Yes, the sim shares the same multiplayer world, content and services. However, if you purchase through steam, you will not be able to use the Xbox Play Anywhere functionality (PC Windows 10 and Console).
Q: Is license sharing allowed on PC?
A: No, there is no license sharing. It requires explicit authentication per session.

[Skybird]

Today's the day. And it does not happen often that the BBC covers a game.


https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-53811956

[Skybird]

It is reported that the Microsoft server currently takes a very serious battering. :D Some poeple end up with endlessly frozen downloading attempts for that reason.

I also read that the download from Steam is a loader that downlaods the needed I think ~ 100GB from Micriosioft. However, that main download seems to count as gaming time, so it counts against the Steam limit for game time spent in case somebody wants to refund.

Feedback by those who played already, reports some crashes, quite some report very low frame rates 20-25 even on higher end rigs, but also many overwhelmed customers.

I will join the party, but probably not already this week. Lets see how the birthing issues level out.

[Skybird]

Oh-oh, this turned ugly so soon! Plenty and plenty of complaints about broken download procedures, needs for redownloading (100GB we talk of), CTDs, and those who managed to get started report mostly terrible performance.


I am not yet out, but I have definitely stepped back two or three steps, and watch the bigger picture. Currently its not looking too nice. They need to get plenty of homework done, it seems. No way I spend 70, 90 or 120 coins on something triggering feedback reports like these.

[Skybird]

I just completed my first brief flight from EDDG to Atterheide near Osnabrück.

Yeah, i know what Ii said yesterday. Don't ask me, I wont comment. :D
I run an i7 8700K, 32 GB RAM, 1080 TI overclocked and 13 GB RAM. No, i mdid not update the graohcis driver which is two years old or so. No, I am not on the latest built version of Windown 10. Still, it runs, I havbe no frames number, but the game autodected me for "ultra" settings, and in a Diamond Katana and in that region of Germany, the grpoahcis were smooth as silk at a sunny day (live weather). I left the options at what the sim had thrown at me, just overlooked them, and yes, pretty much all was on ultra.

However. My system was throttled down by temperature alarm (room temperature 26°C). Three cores reported maximum values of 99°C, two 97°C, one 95°C.

Not even Assetto Corsa Competizione manages that, not even on a hotter day with room temp at 28°C.

Visually, the beast is a feast. This is VFR sim flying from another star. The system of combining Bing maps with autogen (in this part of the world they did not care to hand-craft buildings and towns) creastes stunnign results. Even with autogen buildings repalcing the look of the rela ones, you can easily maintain VFR orientation by eye. Roads, rivers, woods, railtracks, autobahns (with moving traffic) - it looks splendig. add ot this live eeather, the sky, ther sun, clouds, dynamic time of day.

This sim is made for VFR exploration.

And that is good, because about IFR I have my doubts, currently. The planes are what was to be expected: the defualt planes are a bit toyish. Not what I consider to be sim-heavy, which is especially true for the airliner cockpits that i just briefly checked, it does not compare to PMDG's functionality, but then i did not expect that, of course. Sounds and looks however are top class. I doubt my system would take ti well if I put a PMDG 737 on top of what it already had to move in work and heat digestion.

However, like in VR I have formed a taste for discovering the world in Google Earth and Streetview in VR, I feel tempted to repeat anm experinece I had in FSX so many years ago. bck then, I made a world travel in short hopping planes, once aroudn the whole globe, in around 40 individual flights. I think I will do that again. And stray much further off my original plans. This FS world looks gorgous, no doubt. Maybe I sholuld say farewell to my demand for complex airliner cockpits and IFR, and instead take it as what it is: an expert for VFR fun air hopping.

On the installation, I downloaded a 500MB installer from Steam, which then downloaded 95 GB (!) froim Microsoft. That went smooth, the download took 2 hours, 40 minutes. After that, installation, which took another 25 minutes, and then defragmentation (I have only system and windows on an SSD, ym work horse still is a HD), another hour, almost. When you then launch the game for the first time and have to file a Microsoft account, there comes a time when you get a screen with a blue bar at the bottom that appears to be a progress bar, many people get that, so did I. Just that it never progresses for many, and so not for me. In that case, leave the process via Task manager, and launch the sim new (no worries, the download already has been done at that time). On that new start, the sim then should start normally.

The game is not without issues, apparently, some are bugs, others are questionable desing decisons. (edited, deleted).

Teethign issues aside, this could be the beginning of a years-long new journey into flight simming. And I think I will enjoy it the better the lighter and less hardcore-demanding I take it. So far its not FSX plus PMDG plus Aerosoft Airport Sceneries. Maybe it will never get there, could be. But for what it is, it is stunning, and that already is an awesome looking lot.

And to admit that: I am not really hungry for doing all that modules-installing dance again. After all, I am ten years older than back then.

[Skybird]

50 German cities in 10 Minutes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=vV2Z6MLmK2U&feature=emb_logo

[Von Due]

It's been a while since I upgraded my pc (the last monitor I bought was a crt monitor...) and while I'm very much on the fence when it comes to MSFS2020, I do keep an eye on reports on bug fixes and further progress. However, since it's been eons since I looked at getting a new computer, what do the more computer savvy among you think of this setup
https://www.komplett.no/configure/1139855/pc-nettbrett/komplett-pc/komplett-epic-gaming-pc/komplett-a140-epic-gaming-pc

(The site is in Norwegian but the parts, bits and bobs have proper names and shouldn't be an obstacle)

Anything there you would recommend me to change? Looks good? Looks like a no-joy? Any input appreciated here.

[Skybird]

I only say you need a damn good cooling. Its like with every FS incarnation before: the thing is ahead of the tech around the date when it was first released. And even the fastest system today is probably not fast enough for this. So far I have not tried the Airbus or the Boeings at one of the specially covered places and major hubs, and I think with my CPU almost smoking,. I must not even try.

Remarkably, I can run the thing at ultra settings around German places (just ahd two more flights in Cessnas), its just that everythign is at the very safety limit, temperature wise, and I am certainly well advised to not do this too often and too long. I therefore have started to lower settings, and I will also loose 5 degrees in room temperature soon. But even with "High" and "Medium" settings the thing still is a piece of beauty, and I cannot really identify where the visual losses are when reducing settings. Still, its all too hot.

But I found TrackIR working very well. And the controller setup that I complained about, was my mistake - I overlooked the wanted option that made me complaining (you can let the sim map the button you press on hardware to the function you marked before, I did not realise this before).


VR and complex cockpit modules are no option on my system, not with these superhot temperatures already. Not that I miss VR in this case.



Cannot comment on your hardware question, sorry.

[Von Due]

Thanks, skybird! Yeah we have the heat properly cranked up here as well now and cooling is something I didn't even think of!! Never ran anything that threatened to burn down the town but things could change if I find the right setup, and beside, I still have the dcs module I haven't properly tested yet!

[Skybird]

I said "cooler", but indeed I mean: cooling solution. It smore than just a CPU and GFX cooler, its also about fans gettign the warm air out of the tower, and new, cooler air in. I have two fans air-in, one fan air-out, which probably is too little.

[Skybird]

I was not aware of it: that it was not just being looked into whether they add VR later or not, but that it is already announced to come for sure: this autumn already. The G2 Reverb is comign first, I reead, Rift and other headset later.


I keep my hopes low, so that I must not cry when it comes and people find that it works good - and my system cannot cook it without setting the room ablaze.


If it works good, this could become THE killer application for VR. I know how well VR works for google Earth already, and in VTOL VR. Even if only small planes like the S-300 or so can be managed by systems in VR, it would be a killer app-hardware-combo.

[Skybird]

All-clear on the temperature alarm.



I made the mistake to get fixiated on the Min- and Max- readouts of Core Temp Utility, checking them AFTER a flying session and thus getting the maximum spikes that ever got recorded per core.



However, that dawned on me this morning, and so I tabbed out of the sim and had the utlity running on the monitor during the flight, like an yof the sim'S internal apps. I then could see that during flying from LOWI Innsbruck to LOWS Salzburg and down the river Inn valley the cores's temperatures flouctuated between mostly low 60s and high 70, with only occasional spikes to mid-80 that lasted for splits of seconds only. I chnaged the groahcis settings in flight from low over med to high . Only the low setting most obviously degrades image quality, but had temp in the 50s and low 60s. Medium and High settings for my taste already look perfectly fine, and have temps rising by 10-15 degrees: still below 80 for 99.8% of the time. The spoikes to 100 seem to take place in the menus, or when switching between menus, ironically.



I also checked New York, to my surprise I did not see a signficant temperatrure or CPU load increase there, at medium andn hjigh settings, compoared to Austria before - and that right over Manhatten with those many high buildings there.



So, all seems to be fine. :yeah: Not really ice-cool, but safe.



The sim is a love affair that developes quickly. When flying down at river Inn, there are two higher elevations, little "mountains" that you can hop over. I noticed that the air flow around the plane changed when I kept my altitude but the ground rose to me when hopping over the hilltop at tree level. It felt like thermal upwinds in Condor soaring simulator. The air definetly is very much alive and a "fluid", dynamic medium. Small planes get to feel it very obviously. :up:

[Gerald]

About as ya say. On the installation, I downloaded a 500MB installer from Steam, which then downloaded 95 GB (!) from Microsoft. That went smooth, the download took 2 hours, 40 min, sounds in my ears for a long time....:hmmm: But I guess it was well worth it.:yep: How is the graphics comparable to previous editions, much better or a little better.:ping:

[Skybird]

How is the graphics comparable to previous editions, much better or a little better.:ping:
Breathtaking and beyond comparison.


-----


Useful to have: the so far known keyboard command list. Quite a long one.


https://www.shacknews.com/article/119877/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020-controls-and-keybindings

[Gerald]

Breathtaking and beyond comparison.


-----


Useful to have: the so far known keyboard command list. Quite a long one.


https://de.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=ddc&hsimp=yhs-linuxmint&type=__alt__ddc_linuxmint_com&p=key+bindign+trim+fs+2020 A curious question! Do you use fixed line or WiFi for downloads ... as I myself download large files and packages, but never took the time you mention here.

[Skybird]

You said you took 2h40m for downloading, that is the same as my experience that I listed above: 2h40m, and then 25 minutes of installation, and then defragmentizing the HD (SSD only for system files and Windows over here).


Gaming PC has a wire connection, ~100 Mbps download, ~ 30-35 Mbps upload, ping 30 and sometimes below 20. WiFi only for my Linux notebook, and tablet.


Edit: link to keyboard command list in my previous post corrected, the first one was just the search engine.

[Gerald]

You said you took 2h40m for downloading, that is the same as my experience that I listed above: 2h40m, and then 25 minutes of installation, and then defragmentizing the HD (SSD only for system files and Windows over here).


Gaming PC has a wire connection, ~100 Mbps download, ~ 30-35 Mbps upload, ping 30 and sometimes below 20. WiFi only for my Linux notebook, and tablet.


Edit: link to keyboard command list in my previous post corrected, the first one was just the search engine.
I said "you wrote the time" not that I need that time to clarify. I use fixed line for download like you and Wifi for Mac or tablet or similar the difference may be that my speed is 2 Gigabit.

[Skybird]

Oh, my fault, sorry.


I take it that you needed around half of my time then, since your connection is twice as fast.


Germany is a developing country as far as internet connection goes, many other European countries levae us in the dust regarding digitalization. For German standards I am at the speedy end of things already. At least last time I checked such statistics sometime during last year.

Usually the speed is more than good enogh for me. And I do not want an all-out diogitalization anyway, gives too much control and freedom out of hand.

[Gerald]

Oh, my fault, sorry.


I take it that you needed around half of my time then, since your connection is twice as fast.


Germany is a developing country as far as internet connection goes, many other European countries levae us in the dust regarding digitalization. For German standards I am at the speedy end of things already. At least last time I checked such statistics sometime during last year.

Usually the speed is more than good enogh for me. And I do not want an all-out diogitalization anyway, gives too much control and freedom out of hand. No worries. You can choose 10 gigs if you want, then the price tag is significantly higher ... and nothing that I neither pursue nor need.

[Skybird]

The beauty of it.

For the quick lover: 2m14s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-TIq7R7z50


For the connoisseur: 22m48s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14e1qMXNImo

[Skybird]

And a nice re- and overview by Rock Paper Shotgun.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpf2XEzr76k&feature=emb_rel_pause

[Skybird]

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Its confirmed - by the company itself - that PMDG will bring all their four major products into FS20: the 747, the 747, the 777 and the DC-3. It will cost time, no doubt, but it will happen. But then, this sim has come to stay for years, so time may not be the issue.

Also leaves me the time to prep for a new, tougher system. :D

Beyond that, more VFR flying over places I know today. I am blown away, completely gone with the winds. The sky! The light, the mood of time and place! The clouds! It alooks so very, very natural.

Doing IFR flying with PMDG at 30,000 feet maybe is just a waste of time?! :hmmm:

:O:

And be warned, America, Skybird is once again coming over you, after many many years since the last time I did so. I still design my mapping profile for my hardware, but once I am done, I will start here at Münster-Osnabrück, and then hop my way in 1-2 hours flights in small planes to the British Isles, nothwards, Shetlands, Iceland, Greenland, and onto the North American continent where I then will criss-cross to my liking before moving up the westcoast to Alsask, the Aleutean islands, and disappear into the horizon again, towards Asia, and then more world beyond that. Each landing place will be the starting place for the next hop next time I continue the journey.

Just that this time the jorrney will be visually so uncomparably much more rewarding than ten years ago. :yeah:

Maybe I run a travel diary here. :)

[Gerald]

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Its confirmed - by the company itself - that PMDG will bring all their four major products into FS20: the 747, the 747, the 777 and the DC-3. It will cost time, no doubt, but it will happen. But then, this sim has come to stay for years, so time may not be the issue.

Also leaves me the time to prep for a new, tougher system. :D

Beyond that, more VFR flying over places I know today. I am blown away, completely gone with the winds. The sky! The light, the mood of time and place! The clouds! It alooks so very, very natural.

Doing IFR flying with PMDG at 30,000 feet maybe is just a waste of time?! :hmmm:

:O:

And be warned, America, Skybird is once again coming over you, after many many years since the last time I did so. I still design my mapping profile for my hardware, but once I am done, I will start here at Münster-Osnabrück, and then hop my way in 1-2 hours flights in small planes to the British Isles, nothwards, Shetlands, Iceland, Greenland, and onto the North American continent where I then will criss-cross to my liking before moving up the westcoast to Alsask, the Aleutean islands, and disappear into the horizon again, towards Asia, and then more world beyond that. Each landing place will be the starting place for the next hop next time I continue the journey.

Just that this time the jorrney will be visually so uncomparably much more rewarding than ten years ago. :yeah:

Maybe I run a travel diary here. :)Münster-Osnabrück I have been there.:)

[Skybird]

Always look straight up so that I can recognize you when I fly there again!

----

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 will stimulate billions in PC hardware sales

https://www.jonpeddie.com/press-releases/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020-will-stimulate-billions-of-dollars-in-pc-ga


Wie das nur kommt...? LOL

[Skybird]

A better organised keyboard command list, three pages, easy pritning.

https://cheatography.com/nimasmi/cheat-sheets/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020/pdf/

Found the developm ent app inside the sim and was able to check frames for me in GA planes in German places. 60 fps at medium and high settings, that is more than I expected. Might loose some with airliners, still, good reserves. Bottlenecking alert never turns red, occasionally is yellow, its not the GPU but the CPU.

Reminder of my specs: i7 8700K, 32 GB RAM, 1080 TI overclocked and 13 GB RAM. The RAM gets used to one half only, if ever. TrackIR, CH Gear Fighterstick and ProThrottle. So far i did not care to go and find my pedals again, so I am totally unrealistic there :D.

The flight models so far were okay for my taste, but I cannot test and compare them in detail and to reality obviously. If you unleash the hard physics engine in the option, the GA planes seem to hold their ground pretty well.

Sounds! Sounds are very good, imo. Better than what I recall from other sims like FSX and XPlane 11.

It pays off to spend some time on axis setup tuning, tweaking death zones and bending the reaction curves a bit. I map the HOTAS with later possible VR use (blind for the keyboard) on mind. My first imporession of their hardware setup screen being messy a bit,m was prematrure, I need to apologize to them for first attacking them over it.

The interface actually is quite good. And a big plus: all options, everythign, can be changed on the fly, during a runnign flight.
Not a single CTD so far.

And found this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftFlightSim/comments/ic559l/photo_of_florence_from_the_piazzale_michelangelo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

[Skybird]

Legacy!


https://vcdn.computec.de/ct/2020/8/83166_hd.mp4

[Jimbuna]

^ Brings back memories to when I had a few of them :up:

[Gerald]

Always look straight up so that I can recognize you when I fly there again!

----

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 will stimulate billions in PC hardware sales

https://www.jonpeddie.com/press-releases/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020-will-stimulate-billions-of-dollars-in-pc-ga


Wie das nur kommt...? LOLArbeit vor 20 Jahren!:03:

[Skybird]

And so I did it, too. Everybody does it. Flying over houses one lived in.

https://i.postimg.cc/xT0tXLYT/Screenshot-9-LI.jpg (https://postimg.cc/z3cnMbV9)

Where we lived in West-Berlin in the 80s. The three squares in the red circle, form left to right: the house door, the front window of the living an dlater my room, and the balcony, in house.

FOR COMPARISON: this is how Google Earth shows the same perspective:

https://i.postimg.cc/pXwQD8MF/Unbenannt.png (https://postimg.cc/F7xJvYRr)



https://i.postimg.cc/RF7LFZDH/Screenshot-4-LI.jpg (https://postimg.cc/1nzq7sPm)


My school, the Rheingau-Gymnasium. The ground layout they got very right, its just that the building misses two floors and a tower. :D

And Google Earth:

https://i.postimg.cc/fTCtb9Ts/12.png (https://postimg.cc/1fg5C4q7)

Back then it was a very good school, btw, and I think we were really lucky to have had mainly very good teachers and a strong focus on natural sciences. Today, unfortunately, that all seems to be different. Music and langauges are the new centre of attention, science and math and such got cut back. :roll:

[Pisces]

Valve: Download MSFS time will not deduct from play time refund limit:

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/valve-says-the-time-it-takes-to-download-microsoft-flight-simulator-wont-affect-refund-requests/

With a somewhat old beefy laptop from 2015, I'm around the minimum specs. (i5-4210H 2.9 Ghz, Nvidia 840M, 16GB) I guess I could try it, but I'm done with playing slideshows. Unless someone can provide reasonable benchmark videos I'm going to hold off.

[Gerald]

Everybody does it. Occasionally I was there.:Kaleun_Wink:

[Skybird]

Valve: Download MSFS time will not deduct from play time refund limit:

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/valve-says-the-time-it-takes-to-download-microsoft-flight-simulator-wont-affect-refund-requests/

With a somewhat old beefy laptop from 2015, I'm around the minimum specs. (i5-4210H 2.9 Ghz, Nvidia 840M, 16GB) I guess I could try it, but I'm done with playing slideshows. Unless someone can provide reasonable benchmark videos I'm going to hold off.
I think with that CPU and GPU you are even below their demanded minimum specs.



Minimum systemrequirements

You will be able to install and run FS2020 when your system meets the minimal requirements set by Microsoft. Please note that Flight Simulator won't look at superb as it looks like in the movies published by Microsoft, as they used an ideal system for this.


CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200, or Intel i5-4460
GPU: Radeon RX 570, or Nvidia GTX 700
VRAM: 2 GB
RAM: 8 GB
HDD: 150 GB
Internetspeed: 5 Mbps (0.6 MB/s)

Recommended systemrequirements

Do you want a smooth Flight Simulator 2020 experience? If average graphics are good enough for you you need at least the speciaifcations below for your computer.


CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, or Intel i5-8400
GPU: Radeon RX 590, or Nvidia GTX 970
VRAM: 4 GB
RAM: 16 GB
HDD: 150 GB
Internetspeed: 20 Mbps (2.5 MB/s)

Ideal systemrequirements

Do you want to get the most out of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and would you like to be stunned by all details this new Flightsim has to offer, including its breathtaking sceneries? Then you do need a heavy PC, including fast internet connection.


CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X, or Intel i7-9800X
GPU: Radeon VII, or Nvidia RTX 2080
VRAM: 8 GB
RAM: 32 GB
HDD: 150 GB SSD
Internetspeed: 50 Mbps (6.3 MB/s)


And minding everybody, these are only the officially advertised specs.

A need for 32 GB RAM I have not seen so far, however. Even when testing the sim in ultra settings for short time, RAM consummation always was signficantly below even 50% of those 32 GB I have.


FS20 is not even the biggest heap of code on my HD, btw. It is 100+1GB. But the full pack of Dirt Rally 2 counts even 109 GB (I wonder why, tbh, its a good and good-looking simögamne, but what takes this ammount of data is a bit beyond me). Assetto cordsa Classic leads the parade with 114 GB, but that is due to a million car, skin and track mods I have collected and installed. Call of the Wild: 56 GB. Raceroom (all content): 42 GB. Wreckfest: 24 GB.

[Skybird]

Just an idea. Older versions of FS had mods featuring cars: follow-me cars, police cars, well - cars, like tin boxes with four wheels and an engine.

In Google Earth it does not work well trying to skim directly on the ground and then moving through the streets, the way Earth models threedimensional objects like houses and trees differs very much from the way such structures are featured in FS20. Trees and unrealistically connected structures will obstruct your path time and again, in practically every urban street with trees in it. Or vehicles, growing out of the tarmac like geological monolithes. But in FS20's world, it could work better. A good car mod with not super-realstic physical finesse, just the basics: gas and brake pedals, steering wheel control, no hysterical car behaviour, and then navigating through the road grid of cities you know - I would like to try that!


Like rolling off the airfield in a very tiny plane, and into town.

[Skybird]

This is the VR headset that will get VR support first this autumn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AKrCKZtrgc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HGxh_K5jMM

I compared the resolution to my Oculus Rift.

The Oculus has 1280x 800 per eye

The G2 has 2160x2160 per eye.


The Rift has a FOV of "slightly more than 90°"

The G2 has a FOV of 98°

I want it. I need it. I must have it. Get out of my way to it, or die! :D

I race a lot, and exyclusively in VR. This will benefit from a G2 as well. 90HZ is perfectly enough, the Rift runs on 90Hz as well. If now Google Earth runs on this hardware, too the buying is almost decided, but Google Earth VR is a must. The pixel resolution per eye is 4.5 times higher, I did not know they were this far already. And no tracking cameras needed anymore (consume two USB slots). And Oculus Facebook account and their highly intrusive Oculus software not needed anymore.


P.S. Maybe I keep my head and wait anc check how tmy old Rift will work in FS20, specs-wise. If it kills the rig sanyway, there is no reason to go for the G2. But one can dream, can't you...

[Skybird]

Some very good tutorials especially useful for managing the glass cockpits and how to properly plan according to IFR rules. But also some more.


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGWd_NMbp7GxMg4bZO65heQ/videos




https://i.postimg.cc/SRZjxFfh/Screenshot-7.png (https://postimg.cc/m1HTmnnX)
Over the Berlin Grunewald, flying south. On the left rim the southern tip of the Schlechtensee (=Battle Lake :) ), then the basin of the Wannsee and the Pfaueninsel, behind that at a distance Schloßpark Glienicke, on the right side the river Havel, and the land on the right rim is Kladow and Gatow. On clearer days you could see Potsdam from this position.


No more linear artificial render distance limits. No more razor sharpo horizons. I love it. Room temp is down over here, and my system temps at high vary between 70 and high 80s, the latter as spikes, usually it is in the high 70s with small GA planes. I still have not touched the airliners.

[Pisces]

I think with that CPU and GPU you are even below their demanded minimum specs.



Minimum systemrequirements

You will be able to install and run FS2020 when your system meets the minimal requirements set by Microsoft. Please note that Flight Simulator won't look at superb as it looks like in the movies published by Microsoft, as they used an ideal system for this.


CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200, or Intel i5-4460
...

....

I compared both my CPU model and the i5-4460 in Intel's site and they seemed to be quite comparable in features and frequencies, etc. But it's on the edge so I'm not going to bother trying.

[Skybird]

One indeed doe snto want mere min imum specs for hardware-killing sims like this. At low settings it looks significantly inferior, wehreas, middle an d high and ultimate settings all are acceptable. And even low settings at minimum specs does not sound tempting. you probably choose correctly not to go after it.


-------


Another tutorial recommendation, on camera setups. The system allows enormous versatility but can be anti-intuitive and very complex.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTUFA33wIEM




Somewhere over the Dutch coast, on my way from Amsterdam to Calais.

https://i.postimg.cc/7Y0cRfz8/Screenshot-14.png (https://postimg.cc/GH3q83zq)




https://i.postimg.cc/MT1Vw2mT/Screenshot-16.png (https://postimg.cc/7GYf1Rc8)

[Skybird]

This is a website for free IFR flight planning. It costs no monthly fees like severla others. Som weof thes ecommercial onlöine products really are expensive, imo. I mean, we are talkign about a game planning tool, not real life needs.


Skyvector has a nice map and interface.



https://skyvector.com/


For saving files, you need to create an account, but the printout of the navlog with all course data and waypoints and frequencies can be printed any time. It serves you good compared to the default planning toy that FS once again is equiopped with as default. Thei8r included flight plannign toys always have been just, well, toys.



I hope that Aerosoft Flight Commander will see a new incarnation. I loved to use it in FSX.

[Von Due]

New computer ordered. Not MSFS capable, I suspect but it's upgradable and I will continue to watch how MSFS is received by the sim community. I will probably need to up my graphics card to something like the 2080TI or better. Going for the 2060 and I should at least have a pc capable of a decent DCS experience.

[Skybird]

You have red my feedback on how it handles, its okay with my rig which is three years old. Windows build 1903. My specs you can see in my profile.



The mix of planes in this version of FS is somewhat different. The focus is on small GA airplanes, obviously in lpine with the focus of the sim on VFR flying, whcih is no surprise with this scenery. Using the Delux Prfo version, there are many, many smaller planes. My only "complaint" is that so very many of them come with glass cockpits only. I understand that this is the way things go in reality, still, I prefer the old analogue instrument setups with a separate additional GPS. First, I am used to handling these, and second, the glass cockpits have all numbers and data on their displays in very small fonts and they are difficult to read for me although using TrackIR and also instrument views, also, the clickspots for the turning buttons are very small and you can easily mis-enter data. That cannot become better with VR and its limited resolution, I fear. There is also a substantial need to learn to handle these Garmin devices, if one does not know it already, you can in most cases not operate navigational aids without them.



Its strange to see these devices now as defaults, while 15 years ago you had to spend money on additional modules simulating them and then with even limited system depth. Things have so much changed.


Garmin tutorials:


G1000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc1fZnr7i_M


G3000:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbdmBcsk6OA


G3X:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1A1oX4ywk0

[Von Due]

Glass cockpits never caught my interest the same way steam gauges do. They were good enough for the pioneers so who am I to complain! As for aircrafts, I still hope to see helicopters but for those I would really like to get 60+ FPS. 40 is great for airplanes but for helis it's like having the cyclic stirring a pot of mud. Not really enjoyable. Anyway next vacation payout should land me a 2080ti or better! Oh and someone better make an Alouette II pack like the one for fsx.

Edit: Setup will include

ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 DUAL EVO OC
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
HyperX Fury DDR4 3200MHz 32GB
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F GAMING motherboard

[Mr Quatro]

Looks great Sky ... thanks for all of your reporting saves us other problems :up:

From what little I see so far (my rig is not up to date) you have to have an internet connection at all times even to download the game means no CD/DVD in your library.

I don't want to spend the money if I can't connect with enough speed

[Skybird]

Well, you are flying over Bing Maps, literally, and as long as you cannot save 2 Petabytes of data on your HD (or accept a simplified display of the landscape), you need online all times, yes. And even for that the game will save the sim data and plane data on your HD, which is over 100 GB.

But to say this for once and to leave no doubt on it: this is probbaly th ebets looking game I have ever played. Its gorgeous. My Game of the year 2020 contender, no doubt.

There are issues, probolems, bugs, yes. But it will be ironed out, and then addons will start to do the simulation magic.


I did not expectg to become so happy with VFR so quickly, since I was an exclsuive IFR flyer back in the days.



==============



I also have started my world tour, already am after day 3.

Day 1: EDDG-EHAM Münster-Osnabrück to Amsterdam Shiphol, VFR 1500 ft, Daher TBM 930, 1410H-1446H, fair, scattered


DAY 2: EHAM-LFAC Amsterdam Shiphol to Calais, VFR 2500 ft, DA40 TDI, 1443H-1636H, scattered, misty


DAY 3: LFAC-EGLC Calais to London City Airport, VFR 1500ft, Cub Crafter XCub, 1432H-1519H, fair, clear

So I am now in London and need to get up to the north to Kirkwall (for the slightly longer jump to Iceland, the small airfield on the Faroer Islands is not modelled in FS20). How to get from London to Kirkwall is not yet decided, any points of interests between here and there that I should not miss? I will fly some city sightseeing in London of course, but have done a 4 hours long VR Google Streetview visit in London just three weeks ago.

[Skybird]

"Achoo!"
https://i.postimg.cc/D0vnmVT1/Screenshot-20.png (https://postimg.cc/34cPbcWw)


Gloomy morning over London
https://i.postimg.cc/xTd92Sg2/Screenshot-23.png (https://postimg.cc/yW2MmtwQ)


https://i.postimg.cc/pTxt1Ny3/Screenshot-24.png (https://postimg.cc/QB6PHyQq)

[Skybird]

Glass cockpits never caught my interest the same way steam gauges do. They were good enough for the pioneers so who am I to complain! As for aircrafts, I still hope to see helicopters but for those I would really like to get 60+ FPS. 40 is great for airplanes but for helis it's like having the cyclic stirring a pot of mud. Not really enjoyable. Anyway next vacation payout should land me a 2080ti or better! Oh and someone better make an Alouette II pack like the one for fsx.

Edit: Setup will include

ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 DUAL EVO OC
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
HyperX Fury DDR4 3200MHz 32GB
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F GAMING motherboard
60 FPS? :haha: Thats a good one, if you mean 4K. Many people insist that not 4K means "unplayable", that is nonsense, of course, but some people are like this. I run full HD, and I indeed get 60 fps both at medium and high settings, with the GA planes I so far have flown.


In 4K and at ultra you will not get 60 fps with any of today's hardware. Probably not even at high settings. It also depends on the CPU, not just the GPU, and I red today that the sim does not support, efficiently at least, more than 6 cores. Whether that includes or excludes HT, they did not say. But the memory quality also is important, somebody wrote. You want fast RAM.



If they ever give it DX12, that will reshuffle cards, most likely.



=============


Thank God finally a plane with a normal cockpit that normal people can understand. :D
https://i.postimg.cc/R01xncBc/Screenshot-25.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5HtRhQj0)www keyboard (https://keyboardtester.co/keyboard-tester)

[Skybird]

Great hardware benchmarking by Tom's Hardware.


https://www.tomshardware.com/features/microsoft-flight-simulator-benchmarks-performance-system-requirements



What about 4K Ultra? I can't recall any games that have managed to crush an RTX 2080 Ti quite like this. It gets only 33 fps, and that's not even the worst-case scenario for the type of performance you'll see in Flight Simulator.

Sounds ugly, but it is not, actually if you do not expect crazy things, much of the hardware does reasonably well. Also, in a civilian flightsim, 33 fps are absoluitely playable. I recall the years when I arranged myself with frames in the realm of 17-20. Most of my FS flying has been done with that. The many tools used in older FS versions poiucked away and frames mindlessly, laughing. Weather, traffic, airport services...



I am surprised how well my GTX1080Ti does compared to the newer 2000er-cards.



At full HD, single monitor, I get 60 fps at medium and high settings, reliably.

[Von Due]

4k is not something I worry about. In honesty I'm not totally up to date on what it even means! I mean, I still have my crt monitors laying around, my sb16 and tnt cards too! :D As long as I can get a fast framerate for heli flight, I'm happy.

[Skybird]

4k means doubling of resolution fullHD, both horizontally and vertically. 4 times as many pixels.

[Skybird]

4k means doubling of resolution fullHD, both horizontally and vertically. 4 times as many pixels. Thats a lot of more stress for the GPU.

[Von Due]

4k means doubling of resolution fullHD, both horizontally and vertically. 4 times as many pixels. Thats a lot of more stress for the GPU.

Thanks, Skybird, for the explanation! Yeah 4k sound alright but not the additional costs for the hardware. My c64 was good enough for 15 years and fsx runs well enough.

[Skybird]

I do not care for 4K either. It makes sense if you sit very very close to your monitor and your nosetip touches the screen surface, so to speak, of if you use a TV of a really big size. Then one might see those tiny single pixes. But I cannot see them, not on my 24" computer monitor and not on my TV screen with 80cm diagonally form which I sit 2 meters away. It makes no sense for me to buy 4K, it is simply a wasdte of money asnd hardware ressoruces for my living conditions.

If I had a screen with 1.5 meters, it would be somethign different. But i do not want such a monster in my flat. Full HD, 1920x1080 that is, is fully sufficient for me. My eyes cannot benefit from higher resolutions at these screen sizes and seating distances. And I bet the eyes of many others, too. You see, there are people who claim less than 120 fps is "unplayable".

Well, they must be very, very young then. :D

[Von Due]

You see, there are people who claim less than 120 fps is "unplayable".

Well, they must be very, very young then. :D

Hah I hear you. My 64 gibson amp got me nothing but scorn.. until I switched it on. Then the local guitar heroes queued up to try it.... 4k or marshall stacks. Bling is little more than bling.

[Skybird]

10 Minutes of a normal day on an open server.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=42&v=n6Iw0_zTcpQ&feature=emb_logo


I am not sure Microsoft does the title a favour by allowing this stuff happening, instead of letting the planes physically correctly break apart, it makes FS20 look like an arcade title. The ghostign effect on the victim plane when an offender runs/flies into it can be kept, but the offender should get killed, according to the laws of physics, while his victim may play on.

[Von Due]

Looks like 60 fps is possible now with the new geforce 3080/3090 cards. Not too keen on the 3090 though as the cheapest I could find cost the same as the entire new pc I bought... The 3080 is a LOT cheaper though so that might be a buy. Now for those helicopters...

[Skybird]

LittleNavMap, an alternative to SkyVector Flightplanner.


https://albar965.github.io/littlenavmap.html

[Skybird]

VR is here. :D

Still installing, the process lasts eternities (plural, since I feel like using it...)


Giving FS20 its VR had higher priority for the developer than completing the develoment for xBox version, I read. I will see tonight how good or bad it is.

[Skybird]

VR is a brutal mess, bug-ridden, dysfunctional and unusable right now. What were they thinking? :down: :nope: How could something like this pass QA...??

[Skybird]

Must correct my first condemning impression, apparently the update went wrong somehow, despite downloading for 4 or 5 hours on a fast cable connection. I had switched off the system meanwhile, ate, and then went back to it, cold start, it downloaded again something for FS2020, I think it was no quick hotfix, but I am not certain. Since then, things go better here, and I meanwhile found the way to get rid of that irritating black square frame as well (toggle off FOV stencil in Occulus tool).

Working frames over Berlin in small airplanes, actually I am surprised how smooth it works. But the instruments are unreadable, an airliner or IFR plan i do not want to fly this way, it is of little use, cannot really be handled well. For VFR, I now think it actualyl works very good, and with newer headsets and higher resolution it may be even better. But it remains to be a toy thing for pure VFR in small planes. Take it as that and have fun. Expect more, and you will be disappointed.

I would have wished for some way of mini-windows overlay over instruments that gives a readable readout of values and data. Glass cockpit screens also are almost unusable in a Occulus Rift sicn ethey scale text anbd readouts realistically, and the resolution of the headset, Occulus Rift, does not do justice to that.

Positive is that you do not need VR hand controllers, I know how it worked in XPlane and I hated it, and while it works wonders in VTOL, the whole game is tailored to be more forgiving. VTOL works well with Vr sticks, but in FS20, having hardware HOTAS I prefer.


Since FS20 focusses on VFR over IFR, VR for it is a real enrichment. Its stunning, when it works. The agme allows different graphcis setups for 2D and VR.

[Skybird]

My rig just took a grilling, I am surprised how well it holds the show together, though almost smoking: fluent frames, no stuttery at all, I cannot believe it. VR and down the Colorado water raceway down that small crack in this tiny rock they call the Grand Canyon, from east to west and into the morning sun, the colours were dancing, the water was blinding at times, the landscape was unbelievable, zigzagging down the canyon and the walls left and right, sometimes sunny and wide valley, sometimes in dark shadow and everything narrow and tight , and all sort of colours outside and reflection on the windshield, and I swear I sat in that cockpit truly and in full reality - breathtaking, absolutely breathtaking once those VR starting problems got sorted out.

Unbelievable! In fact I am blown away by how well the landscape is rendered and how well VR works for VFR. Want instrument simulation and IFR and map navigation? Better stick to 2D and TrackIR, its a full simulation for that, too, but for tourist flying and VFR - VR is a must.


This title in VR is an acchievement hard to overestimate. Its so unbelievably real.

[Skybird]

VR


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtfx_rF16Yc&feature=emb_logo

[Skybird]

I did several VR flights now, in GA propeller aircraft of various types, one engine and turbo prop.

I just came back from a flight from La Guardia to downtown Manhattan at late afternoon and sunset, seeing the transition from (darkened) day time to an electrically lit city, and back to La Guardia.

Everybody is complaining about how bad frames are - in 2D already if you fly over such urban areas with high building density. However, I am absolutely stunned how absolutely smooth and fluid frames for me are at mostly medium and some high gfx settings, and in VR! Its a miracle, I would have bet money on that this would not be possible. Absolutely stunning.

There are also complaints about no MP planes in Multiplayer visible, however, I cakme across severla small planes, mostly acrobatic planes, ding stunts and air dances between the skyscrapers at Manhattan. MP definitely is there.

I rate FS2020 as a must-have-app for VR now, like Google Earth already, just that here the immersion and visual details is even higher. Might not be practical in IFR and with complex button-pressing airliners, but in VFR this is as close to the real thing as it can ever get during our lifetimes. I criticise Google and Microsoft a lot, but did justice to Google and praised them for making Google Earth, and it is only fair that I say the same about Microsoft this time. What they and their subcontractor-developer have achieved here, with all that AI-directed coordination of all these different databases, is a miracle, a computer-digital fairy-tale. Unbelievable.

If you don't try it out in VR, its your own fault! :yeah:

Oculus users: you must open the oculus tool and deactivate FOV Stencil to get rid of that black frame on the right side of the viewing field. Also b e aware that the visuals is optimised not for old Rift models with their low resolutions but for the likes of HP Reverb G2 now. It is noticable with the cockpits's texts and displays, sicne the cockpits are correctly scaled, the letters often are diffiuclt to read with a Oculus Rift's resolution. That is no fault of the sim, but of the now slightly aged VR display's technology.



In January 2023, the Facebook-activation for my kit will become mandatory, and since I do not accept Facebook, late 2022 will be the time when I buy new hardware - at least the latest VR headset avialabole then: G2 or better. My Rift will then have served 5 years, so will my rig have. I will see how it can run a better VR resolution, or not.

My rig becomes quite hot, VERY hot, in VR with FS20, to a degree that I only know from Assetto Corsa Competizione. If I am lucky, my CPU starts smoking and ends in ashes before January 2023, I then have an excuse to buy new expensive kit before that date. :D

[Skybird]

The UK and Ireland region just got a major "World III update".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMlE9WWxdKg