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Topic: What do you NOT use in FSX?


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I find "mouse as a yoke" as an EXTREMLY useful feature for testflights within scenery development process.

I can hardly manage to setup my whole cockpit every time I change one or two things, textures or whatever in my scenery.

Also, sometimes, I try various things as long as few minutes. Joysticks and rudders are just not suitable for this, and I can remember damn stupid FS9 which lacks of that feature.

@Arista

You've mentioned some very good points here. I agree with most of them, but not all - as we discussed already. :)

Best regards, Dragan

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I NEVER USE:

1. Home page - since MS let ACES go and closed the door on future FSXI, the site is totally dead and nonupdated. At first after getting FSX I would go there on occaision to get SP1 & SP2 updates.

2. Learning Center How-to-Fly tutorials - since I did the first 4 lessons of those in FS9. The rest of my learning to fly came from Stick & Rudder and experience in FS.

3. Never use their primative LOG BOOK & Rewards keeping place (Pilot Records).

4. *WISH* I never used their flight planning tool - it is totally deficient - but often have out of laziness.

5. Never have had opportunity to use the multiuser-online function to fly with others tho I am open to it.

I USE A LOT OF:

1. Addons that require the presence of FSUIPC4. Even with FSX's SimConnect facility, FSUIPC sure is used a lot still. If Aerosoft takes the big 2012 plunge then they must build in this feature, hopefully as easy for other addon creators to employ as is possible.

2. Unless I am learning a new aircraft and want to be extra easy on myself I always use Real or Themed weather settings. I can't believe others have avoided it.

3. Love the Missions, esp. really fascinating ones!

--lylastar, trenton, nj usa

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Hi,

Regarding the 'Flying School' and learning center. I did use them and did enjoy them.

In fact this is a part that could be greatly improved in a great addon. (I tried the exisiting flying school but did not like it, because you need to register your flying and it kills framerate, also I prefer preassigned lessons).

I never use: select an airplane!!! I always the fly the same.. the one of my cockpit

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Hello folks!

Personally, I think that if the ACES' developpers took a little more time, they could make a much better FSX than the one we have. I'm going to "describe" it by menu sections:

  • Home page: was "useful" (until ACES disapeared) to know when there was a new service pack, but appart from that...
  • Free flight:
    - Plane selection: well done, but the airplane description is useful only for aviation historians ...
    - Airport selection: also good, but I don't know why, all my add-on airports aren't in the "Look for an add-on airport" section, but in the default one. What could be nice: when you have chosen your airport, a map would be welcome to choose the gateway.
    - Weather: I always use it, it's quite well done!
    - Day time: OK
    - Failures and malfunction: much too limited! I don't want to know what won't work and when! Also, only a few failures can be programmed. Needs to be re-worked!
    - Flight planner: I don't use it, because the charts aren't very usable and I don't have the same precision as on paper.
    - Fuel load: never used it. A load planner like the Bush Hawk is much better.
    - Load & Save flight: OK
    - Launch flight with ATC window open: useless...


    • Missions: Very nice new feature of FSX! It's always interesting to fly as if you were a real pilot with a scenario! By the way, it makes possible to make a Career mode as in AAA (Thanks Aerosoft!)
      - Categories and difficulty selectors: only useful if you'd like to find a mission quikly.
      - Allow changes: Why to modificate a good scenario?
      - The Tutorials are well done, I think, even if I don't need them. But they are a great way to discover flying for newbies!


      • Multiplayer: I don't use it, appart for getting the rewards for the multiplayer missions
        - Tower view: FSX is a FLIGHT simulator, and not a tower simulator!!
        - Also I never used Game Spy, because they have not enought place on their servers, so it's impossible to access to a party (Watch FSX+Game Spy videos on youtube)!
        - Contact button: No, thanks.


        • Pilot Records: It needs to be re-worked

        - Logbook: Nice idea to allow the simulator to do it itselfs. It's a useful thing. But it's too slow! Sometimes, it records your flight only after re-launching FSX! Also bugs with Flight School (see below)

        - Rewards: Also nice idea. It could be a motivation to fly more. The only thing I can say about it, it's the order of the rewards: they are completely in disorder! It's better if you can, for example, find the "Hours rewards" together and 10 hours first, then 25, etc.

        - Photo Gallery: the idea was good, the realisation is bad. It's useful to have an assigned key to make photos, but not in Bitmap! The preview loads hours when you have more than 10 photos! A shortcut to the right folder would be 100 times better than it!

        [*]Learning Center: the articles are made for people, who still don't know how to use a Flight simulator. A few articles are interesting, but not the others. It's hard to find the right information to unbug the game or to solve some problems (this forum is a much more faster way to solve any problem). An aviation vocaburary would be welcome for the new users, I think.

        - Fight school: Too limited. If the tutorial mission were a bit more developped and explained more details, they would be much more useful than this "school"! I also had some problems: 1) A learning flight doesn't have an end, 2) this flight makes the logbook bugging (it doesn't record anything anymore). If you end a learning flight before its end, it does the same.

        [*]Settings: I appreciate that we can save our setting, but I don't like that the changes that have been made manually in fsx.cfg are reset to the default value each time we change anythig in the settings. And the music isn't necessarylaugh.gif !

        Now about the flight itself:

  • It would be nice if the virtual kneeboard was interactive, I mean if we could change the joystick assignements directly in it and if it could remember it. Also lots of key assignement are wrong.
  • ATC window: it would be nice if it was incorporated in the virutal kneeboard.
  • Replay function: goog analysis tool, but it kills framerates for me.
  • Video recording: it's a joke! Who wants to have a video which size is measurable only in GB with 4 images per second!
  • There are lots of views, too many for me. For example, I never use the trafic view, it's absolutely useless.
  • I never use "Change airport" or "Change aircraft" modes.
  • I never use transposition mode (Y key), because when I do, it moves my aircarft to miles and miles away from my actually position, before I could even move my joysick.
  • I never use those yellow arrows on taxiways to indicate me the right way (can be shown from the ATC window), but they are useful if you are lost at an airport. That's why I think the following:
  • Flight analysis: too simple and without any details. What would be nice: to have a map with taxiways and gateways indicated for each airport and with the traffic to don't get lost or to be informed about the other planes: where they are and where they go (so an interactive map).
  • The bugs in the cockpit (Altimeter pressure, NAV frequencies, etc.): I love to use them with my mouse and not with th keys, because I love to do everything manually to feel real. But those bugs are not easy to use. You move your mouse a millimeter away, and it's already an another mode, especially for the double-bugs (like the NAV frequencies' one: one bug for the MHz, and the other for the kHZ)! And if you add also a fuction where you need to press the double-bugs, it becomes impossible to use!
  • Lots of buttons are just images and are not functionnal. Why to add them if you cannot use them? Also something like an Aerosoft Sound Control would make the cockpit much more realistic.
  • The TERRAIN radius (fsx.cfg): I know, that the greater it is, the more it kills your FPS, but the more beautiful it makes the scenery. In FSX it is too small (for me)
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I kow what you mean. But a simple link to the Folder would be enough and wouldn't take such a long time like the internal preview.

Now THAT I have to agree with -- it takes forever to load when you have a bunch of shots. A simple link would be just fine. ;)

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I never use FSX flight models, which I don't like and which I like less and less as I fly more and more in rw. I fly only Realair planes. But then again I'm a GA person. I have no clue how a 747 flies... Or how to fly one for that matter.

I never use autogen because I don't like it either. I prefer to fly over the flat real world than over a populated reconstituted autogen stuff, including "trees". When I'm landing, I'm busy enough focusing on other things... and on the end of the runway.

I never use FSX ATC because it's dumb, unconvincing and repetitive. I prefer to follow the stars and sids by myself. Maybe if there was a minimally intelligent unicom I'd use it.

I never use the missions because that would be something you do when you already have a very good simulation, not something to add in the hope to make a mediocre simulation better by mixing it with a game.

I never use the stuff like welcome screens and the like, but I can understand that it's useful.

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BTW:

I never want to use the g-effect. Its annoying me. Especially when you want to set the Flightlevel or a Heading and the aircraft starts with acceleration or slowingdown, the mouse is leaving the button area. And it is more fatal, if you're using an headtracking system.

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In the beginning I was using the presets of weather and the ATC, later I switched to real weather as implemented in MSFS, but now I use Active Sky and Radar contact.

I also used to use the logbook, but it went crazy at some point and doesn't work any more. I like the trophies.

I haven't taken a single screenshot, basically because when I'm flying, I'm flying and that is my business and nothing I feel I have to share with others by showing how bad I'm flying. Which reminds me that I should have gone through the training, but I have the French version of the game and I don't like that, but at the moment I live in a French-speaking country, so that was what we got from the shop. (Please, if you make a multilingual program, please make it possible to choose the language or to download your preferred language pack.) I did do some of the training in FS9.

I've never done any missions.

I never use failures, because I find it silly to make flying even more complicated.

Now I don't use the flightplanning, but I used to, because it is quick and works sufficiently well if you later use the inbuilt ATC. Now I usually use some addon to look up sid/stars for RC and air planes with FMC.

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Instead of saying what I've never used in fxs,I'll try to highlight what I like and what is unesessary in fsx/2004.

This way I hope to help more that I could trying to find what I don't use.

Things I don't like about fsx:

-microsoft never knew how to provide acceptable stock/default planes-they only provide poor models.

-dispite of that,they only provide "heavy" textures.

-they lack of knowledge for aerobatic pilots,wich is simply disapointing,not to say horrible!

-they apply same realism settings for every aircraft,wich is a joke that doesn't work.

-ex:p-factor is even applyed to the default f-18c model!

-they do not include detailed default airports for Soth America (exept for Rio de Janeiro...wich is sorta acceptable).

-they only desing US terrain and some areas of Europe and Japan (wich is a strange and a erroneous thought to provide only these areas when they could do a lot more-Lazyness?Maybe...)

-they never explored beautiful places(ex :Ubatuba,instead of seeing the surf city you'll only see a great desert!)

Things I like:

-payware stuff,payware stuff,PAYWARE!!! because Ace Studios (wich I believe they have been fired) lacks of intelligence to provide such a GREAT product!

-I love to spend my time looknig for freeware and payware add-ons and pay for what they should deliver.

-Despite of the things I said,I guess MSF is still the most sucessful fs only because the add-ons.

-I like to simulate using msf because I haven't seen anything better out there,(it doesn' have mean that mfs is that good...) not yet.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ps:I know it is a hard work to try to provide everything to everyone,but fsx is turnig to be a game and not a flight sim anymore,what should we expect from fs11?Probably Super Mario Air race?I still love Mario Bros,but we'ra talking about a fs.Weird and bad taste when it comes to a simulator everyone expects to be taken to the maximum of reality,I know.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway,I hope Aerosoft' FS can be at least a hundred per cent of what mfs isn't.

Good luck for my Aerosot fellows in this new challange,and best wishes!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey,Albrecht!

Are you from OI Squadron?

In case you are know that I still love aerobatics and reading your articles!

A big hug!

Diogo from Ubatuba.

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I did play some of the missions in FSX, though I wouldn't have missed them when they wouldn't have been there either. Same goes for the badges/rewards.

Haven't used the learning center, though I do think for people who still want to learn to fly with a simulator there should be some sort of a learning center available.

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  • Pilot Records: <snip>

- Rewards: Also nice idea. It could a motivation to fly more.

The only thing I can say about it, it's the order of the rewards: they are completely in disorder!

It's better if you can, for example, find the "Hours rewards" together and 10 hors first, then 25, etc.

Just for info -

Rewards display order

is down to the simulator date/time

when you earned that reward.

e.g.

If sim year was set to -

- 2009 when you earned 10 hours reward

- 2006 when you earned 25 hours reward

then 25 hours reward will be listed/displayed before the 10 hours reward.

Yep, it would be nice if they were sortable.

HTH

ATB

Paul

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How can I say what I don't use if I don't use it I don't generally know about it :P.

However Replay is mildly important I use it from time to time just because I impressed myself or I thought I saw something weird and wonderful.

I remember seeing a second check box when you choose your airport in FSX.... you see I don't use it so I don't know what it is at all. :P

I also don't use the wippers in FSX because they don't do much anyway but yeah if they can be designed to do something then I would use them and just fly around in the rain or snow all the time until I got bored and switched back to Real World weather. :P

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I remember seeing a second check box when you choose your airport in FSX.... you see I don't use it so I don't know what it is at all. tongue.gif

Do you mean the add-on airport choice box?

I didn't write my post above to win Mathijs's prize, but now, I think there is a quite easy way to win it: simply say "I don't use FSX at all!" laugh.gif

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More things I LIKE ABOUT FSX:

-The missions:

even thought there's a pathetic problem with most of then.

ex: when racing red bull (red bull air race) I don't know any aerobatic pilot that like to perform with FULL TANK (airplane completely loaded...) what were the guys at Aces studios thinking (well,this one,in case they can think...)?

Ok,they should have added 2 or three options for the amount of gasoline to put in the Extra-300 in order to the player be able to choose how much time he is willing to fly or to acomplish the vmission (this is a specific case about the Extra-300)

-The rewards.

-The PAYWARE PLANES. (humm...wouldn't be nice if you could buy a FS with minor problems?)

-The Real enviroment extreme (ok,this one prooves how much MFS developers are pathetic!!! And leads us to a thinking...couldn't mfs developers do it?

Well,I guees we should all wait for MFS n.75455464.Why??Guess what...this one will be hot!A great shot!

Unfortunatly I truly fear,none of us will be living in this world anymore when/if it happens.

More things I HATE in fsx!

-Lack of respect or little respect with aerobatic pilots.

ex: the Extra-300 flight tunning is something weird,something I just can't name.

The rudder doesn't work properly,it doesn't have anyting to do with the real Extra-300.It's close,I mean very close to fly knife-edge.

The plane will just drop like a stone even if you're trying to use the rudder at ful throttle.

It doesn't climb,just falls!

Should Walter Extra sue Microsoft for destroying the great image of this great aircraft?

I would if I was him.

Diogo.

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More things I LIKE.

-Failures.

I mean we want a great FS without fire or engine failure etc?

I prefer with the Failures opitons,not that I use so often,but anyway I can't take a fs for serious without failures otions.

-MFS is still one of the best fs ever desingned along with FS x-plane,I must agree.

-The weird thig is that,is this "IT",the two best flight simulators (fs2004,fsx and x-plane)?

-For one who flys everyday knows that they're only "good" or at least acceptable,for what they promisse to be and they aren't.

-Well that's it.

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I never used:

-The FSInsider Web page, why not FlightSim.com or Aerosoft?

-Replay.

-Flight Video.

-The training lessons, I played this game since FS98.

-Animals!? You won't find animals in cities, only in the desert, which is a boring place.

-Add-on airport choice box, that never worked.

-7cm ground textures, there is no 7cm ground textures in FSX, they would waste a lot of HD, and they will slow down the game. I'm happy with 2m or 1m ground textures.

-Road traffic, if you are an airline pilot, you will have to fly at high altitudes most of the time.

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  • I never done any of the training flights in FSX.
  • I used the 'learning center' perhaps two time in 4 years.
  • I just found out there is something called Pilot Records with photos and rewards

and I know I am not the only one. For anything inside FSX I have never used and that you can list I will give one free download.

+1

All those things are "gamey".

Also I don't use missions or the inbuilt multiplayer.

Replay function I use all the time, its fascinating to watch a good landing over and over. XPlane has good replay and camera capabilities, can you do similar?

IMHO AS2012 should stick to "hard core" simulation features, and especially develop an SDK so that 3rd parties can enhance the AS2012 base "platform".

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[...] only in the desert, which is a boring place.

Don't tell the bush pilots out there. ;)

-Road traffic, if you are an airline pilot, you will have to fly at high altitudes most of the time.

But even airliners have to come down sooner or later, and there's nothing like crossing a busy highway with moving cars on short final. I, for one, love the moving cars, even if they look like Lego ones. That one feature adds incredibly to the atmosphere and the sense of being there, in my humble opinion.

Judith

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But even airliners have to come down sooner or later, and there's nothing like crossing a busy highway with moving cars on short final. I, for one, love the moving cars, even if they look like Lego ones. That one feature adds incredibly to the atmosphere and the sense of being there, in my humble opinion.

I totally agree! I've seen several posts that suggest that Aerosoft should leave out everything that they (the posters) consider "game-like." I submit to those persons that:

1) Mathijs has repeatedly stated that most people who buy it are going to be in the casual market. To appeal to these people (many of whom have rarely or never used a simulator) it needs features such as missions and training. Most people that use FS do it to relax (low and slow in a cub), have fun (missions), or just do something without the normal, real-world limitations (hop in an F-18, invert it, pull back on the stick, and hit the ground at the speed of sound). As Mathijs said earlier, if you've never used missions, you're missing out on an awesome part of FSX. :D But, to each his own. In other words: the simulator needs to be flexible.

2) I agree that at cruise level you can't see vehicles and what-not. As Arista said, however, you have to come down at some point, and it does add significantly to the immersion factor to have moving vehicles and a plethora of other things relevant to airports. Also, what about GA flyers (especially those of the low-and-slow variety)? For them, it doesn't feel very "real" to fly over a dead mound of dirt. Again, most people who buy flight simulator software are not hardcore airline pilots. I.E. Guys who spend so much time monitoring the aircraft (and systems), they don't have time to look out the window and enjoy the scenery (on land and in-flight).

I really think we're thinking to much about our own styles (GA, bush, airliner, heli, etc.), when we need to be thinking about a simulator that will appeal to a diverse group of people. There are things to be said for all sides. I personally enjoy sitting at the airport while I prepare my plane, as much as or more than the in-flight part. :)

So, what is a simulator? Some will say "it's something that allows me to use an MD-11's systems almost as accurately as if I were really flying one." Others will tell you it's a way for them to fly without the cost and time to get a PPL. I think it's a tool to make you feel like you're really there, without the costs or hazards. It's about immersion! But let's not forget... that's just my opinion. :D

We all tend to get locked in our own little niches, so just remember, this isn't my simulator, and by the same token neither is it yours -- it's Aerosoft's. We need to share ideas and put them together, instead of saying what does or doesn't belong in a sim. ;)

Just my two cents bits. :rolleyes:

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So, what is a simulator?

Good question. For me, a simulator is a tool that lets me practice my flying skills without the cost involved with the real thing: train procedures - which includes 'knobology', like programming a G1000 (hint, hint ;)); stay sharp on the instruments; and last but not least, check out unknown airports and approaches before flying there in real life. But even most professional simulators have a 'light the fires' button, so it also lets me buzz around my local class B airspace in that F-18, inverted, before pulling it into the ground, if I feel like it. A flying game, on the other hand, lets me do the latter, but doesn't support the former with the degree of fidelity I need for training.

Oh, and to get back to the topic, I don't use the G1000 in FSX at all. I even recommend to every pilot trying to get familiar with the real unit to stay away from the FSX one - that's how far from reality it is. That would be the flying game aspect of FSX, I guess.

Judith

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Hi

I (almost) never used (I have the German version so my English translation may not be 100% accurate):

- kneeboard

- visual flight path

- realism settings (always max)Edit: but of course they make sense for users learning the sim

- failures (I would prefer some general reliability setting instead of saying "okay, now my engine will fail during the next 2 hours" - no surprise in that)

- Flight video (the time accelerated one) - I do use instant replay sometimes (esp. when I crashed and am not sure why or when I did a good aerobatic maneuver and want to have 30 seconds of self admiration ;):blush: )

I use a lot:

- weather themes and anything to do with weather - I would prefer if there were a lot more weather themes than there are now.

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