Topic: What do you NOT use in FSX?

[Jari Junior 17]

Pilot awards + logbook is a must-have.

Learning Center: its horrible. I never used.

[peejayh 0]

Well fancy that. I have been using the Pilot Records page, to studiously enter remarks about a flight following my momentous discovery on how to set up an ILS journey and land with using the glideslope/localiser. So much so that I've filled it up and don't know how to empty it and start afresh on a new blank page of records!!

I've set parts of aircraft to fail (mainly because I'm challenged enough to land in good weather).

I learn best with someone sat beside me rather than the Learning Centre.

How I long for a tabulated list of the precise steps to take on a particular learning maneoevre. It is rare to find such a step by step instruction.

[Shane 4]

I have never used the logbook feature or the ability to change the pilot voice via the options menu.

[Saikrishna 0]

Those who have a fascination with flight or planes will buy products such as FSX or X-Plane. Those who don't won't buy them as for them it won't be very useful. In addition, those who buy it will either know the basics of flying a plane, have experience in flying a plane, or may figure it out as they go along. They probably won't use Learning Center. Instead, the 10 tutorials included by Microsoft will be enough.

[DDDanieLLL 0]

There are more things in FSX that is somewhat unnecessary and boring, that's probably why they are not being used. These things are not something I will miss if they disappeared but is also something I wouldn't mind if they still were included. These things could have been done something with and made more "discoverable".

First off,

The pilot records

This is something I hardly use, perhaps because there is nothing special with it. I see more of it as a compartment for things that do not give you anything back. Trophies and stuff like that, it could have been made better, funnier and more interesting. Each Achievement should have been more of a challenge and an ornament for an eye to unlock, each time you perform a challenge, this should have been clearly marked with the effects, sounds and stuff I miss. This can make it easier to remember that you did a challenge.

Also I think that this category, Pilot Records, could have been more integrated into the Missions tab, so it is easier to detect this. And also to make it more sense to accomplish challenges we could have had a career mode, and when you have done something challenging, for example, a landing with over 30 knots cross wind, you have been rewarded with a free plane that you can use in your career with your virtual or non-virtual airline.

I played the Modern Warfare 2 with my brother once and I was overwhelmed with all these effected challenges which I accomplished. It was very funny and I had a feeling that this was special. This could have made the Pilot Records special

The learning center/Pilot's school/Help pages

This was something I used in my beginning as a flightsimmer. Now I never use it, because I think it's too bad and there are much simpler and better tutorials on the internet. They could have done this more integrated in the Missions tab and video tutorials could also have been included here. It is simply too time-consuming, bad, boring, etc. for me to use the Learning Center as it is today. There are also some FSX-aircraft-suppliers, which includes (a) tutorial missions to teach us to use the aircraft. This is something I love and will always be welcome.

The help pages are a bit "info-less", it lacks much what I searched for.

Home tab

I believe this is highly unnecessary but at the same time I think it's necessary. They could have used this tab to advertise products, patches, good videos, logged in friends etc. (More like GTA IV) Maybe also made it possible to surf at the internet while flying without the need of hiding/exiting FSX.

Allow changes in Missions

I've only used this when I'm extremely bored. Maybe they should have made an easy mission creator instead, because I often use this when I want to fly a mission with a different plane.

Opening anthem and ability to switch

Unnecessary as hell, the original song is good enough for me or if I don't like it I mute FSX.

Friends/Contacts tab

Never used it since I don't fly on multiplayer since there's a lot of bad pilots there. Maybe Vatsim should have been more integrated to multiplayer.

Multiplayer

Vatsim should have been more integrated to this tab, or Multiplayer could have been divided into categories like Vatsim (For really experienced pilots and realism-junkies and Multiplayer with game mods like war, fun flight etc.)

Kneeboard F10

I've only used this in some missions.

Weather theme creator

Used it in the time as an unexperienced simmer, now I use third party addons. The real time weather is quite handy but doesn't look real to me.

Flight analysis

It ain't fun enough to watch and maybe a bit limited

Single player ATC

It's just too bad

Failures

Maybe they could have made it more fun and more integrated in missions. Yeah, more missions with failures!

FSX SDK standard sceneries

I try to avoid flying on these, since they are missing too many details. The taxiways/taxiway-signs were to hard to spot and taxiways to hard to taxi on.

Taxiing help lines

I did use them when I was an unexperienced simmer flying on SDK airports.

FSX planes

Very unrealistic and lacks alot of systems

Kiosk mode

What's the meaning of this?

Flying tips

Too limited for newbies, maybe they could have made tutorial missions with these.

+ more I can't remember right now

[captain13chris 54]

Well I think, the best in a flightsim is, that you have the freedom to choose your aircraft,airport,weather... If you had to do a mission to get aircraft, many people wouldn't buy the flightsim.

Just an idea: Maybe you could win an aircraft, if you made all missions. In one mission you get the flight-dynamics, in another the model, the cockpit, the cabin, the lights,... It would be a lot of fun to fly an invisible aircraft, because you didn't win the challenge for the model, but the one for the dynamics. Or you have a model without wings, because you lost another air-race,...

Chris

[Saikrishna 0]

The pilot records

This is something I hardly use, perhaps because there is nothing special with it. I see more of it as a compartment for things that do not give you anything back. Trophies and stuff like that, it could have been made better, funnier and more interesting. Each Achievement should have been more of a challenge and an ornament for an eye to unlock, each time you perform a challenge, this should have been clearly marked with the effects, sounds and stuff I miss. This can make it easier to remember that you did a challenge.

Also I think that this category, Pilot Records, could have been more integrated into the Missions tab, so it is easier to detect this. And also to make it more sense to accomplish challenges we could have had a career mode, and when you have done something challenging, for example, a landing with over 30 knots cross wind, you have been rewarded with a free plane that you can use in your career with your virtual or non-virtual airline.

I mainly use the Pilot records for the logbook, to see where I've flown. However, I agree with you on the integration with the Mission tabs. The simple checkmarks when you finish a misson could instead be replaced with the mission badge/trophy. In addition, a bronze/silver/gold system might also be better (IE. If you complete the mission in this time/accuracy/within this number of errors, then you get gold. If you don't meet that set of requirements, but you meet the easier set of requirements, then you get silver. If you complete the mission, but don't meet any set of requirements, then bronze.).

Kneeboard F10

I've only used this in some missions.

I only use it to get the estimated fuel burn from the Navigation tab for FSPassengers.

FSX planes

Very unrealistic and lacks alot of systems

I highly agree!!! For example, the Airbus A321 is supposed to have autobrakes, and there is even a panel for the autobrakes, but it cannot be enabled. In addition, FMC is not integrated into any of the planes.

[alexczarn 2]

OK my cents worth...

Home-Useless never use

Missions-fun, love them

Flight video-Never use because you can only play back in FSX

Instant replay-Yes i use it sometimes

Custom weather-Use to give me the hardest situation imaginable...

Failures-Use to give me the hardest situation imaginable...

Default aircraft-they are OK...747 is awful

Kneeboard-helpful

Flying tips-Forget it, never helpful

Progressive taxi-unfortunately I have to use it all the time since I don't have charts...

Learning centre-OK

Pilot school-only ever do the checkrides

Music-undecided-I changed it to something else, so if I ever listen to it...

Flight Analysis-get rid of it!

Slow down the cars...Improve the ATC...Ditto...

[fooogooo 0]

Yes. I agree. My opinion is to have two or three very good aircraft. The rest to be installed by the user, be it payware or freeware. And have the option of erasing the "base" airplanes if one wishes to do so without having problems with other add-ons.

I strongly agree. Built-in aircrafts should be the state of the art of what this simulator is capable of in terms of graphics, physics, instruments, ...

I think it also should include one aircraft of each type : 1 small plane, 1 liner, 1 military.

[Bell417 0]

I don't use:

• Preset weather themes (always use custom or real)
  
• learning center
  
• tutorials
  
• flight lessons
  
• background music on menu
  
• random failures
  
• poorly done default aircraft like the King Air, 747 & Airbus, or Lear 45 (not to worried about that with Aerosoft, though)
  

Something I would really like to see:

A feature that sorts airports by region, surrounding terrain type/topography, runway surface/length, etc. FSX has thousands of airports, but I doubt I've ever used more than a couple hundred because I just don't know enough about the rest of them to try them.

[Exelletor 0]

I don't use:

- The "Y" button (to move the plane around)

- GameSpy Online (we have Vatsim)

- "news screen" (not needed, also introduction video when you start FSX for the first time is worthless)

- Flight analysis (what for?)

- Kiosk (no idea what it is)

- logbook (too simple)

- FSX failurs (I want to have it like in FSPassengers)

- Flightplanner(rfinder and FSMap)

- Saving flight (I use only recording)

- ATC (horrible)

- making screenshots with "V" button (takes too much space)

- real weather (I use REX for that)

- default GPS (logical)

- Contacts in the left corner (whats is it?)

- crash detection (I don't want to be crashed while standing by the gate)

- boxes for ILS approach (don't know how it's called in English version)

- birds eye view

- view on the runway

- V to see if you are flying straight or not

- mouse as yoke

I think that's all.

[Saikrishna 0]

I don't use:

- The "Y" button (to move the plane around)

- GameSpy Online (we have Vatsim)

- "news screen" (not needed, also introduction video when you start FSX for the first time is worthless)

- Flight analysis (what for?)

- Kiosk (no idea what it is)

- logbook (too simple)

- FSX failurs (I want to have it like in FSPassengers)

- Flightplanner(rfinder and FSMap)

- Saving flight (I use only recording)

- ATC (horrible)

- making screenshots with "V" button (takes too much space)

- real weather (I use REX for that)

- default GPS (logical)

- Contacts in the left corner (whats is it?)

- crash detection (I don't want to be crashed while standing by the gate)

- boxes for ILS approach (don't know how it's called in English version)

- birds eye view

- view on the runway

- V to see if you are flying straight or not

- mouse as yoke

I think that's all.

Soem people just want to buy the flight simulator and just play it. They don't want to pay for other addons. So, it will be necessary to have some of the basic features, such as real world weather, but also the ability to have it disabled by an addon. In addition, they don't want to pay an additional $40 or more to get a flight controller. Instead, they just use the mouse to control the plane.

Crash detection is necessary for FSPassengers, so it has to be present.

As for the flight boxes, it can be used to make sure you are lined up for an ILS approach if you are not using autopilot.

[Arista 64]

As for the flight boxes, it can be used to make sure you are lined up for an ILS approach if you are not using autopilot.

These boxes are actually quite similar to what some fancy head-up displays show (I mean real-world ones)...

I generally find all theses comments to the extent of "I don't use feature X because I use an add-on that provides a better version of that very same feature" kind of funny. After all, you do use some incarnation of that feature then, now don't you? That notion seems to imply that Aerosoft couldn't possibly create a better rendition of feature X than Microsoft did, so it'd be better to scrap that feature altogether.

Judith

[Tom Constantine 1]

I don't use jets

[Emi 5161]

what i never use is:

-multiplayer (maybe you should integrate Vatsim or IVAO as default multiplayer in the new AS sim)

-videos (because i can't watch them with another program then fsx)

-atc (it's just unreal)

-the default planes (maybe aerosoft should integrate their best fsx/9 add-ons in the new sim. we wouldn't need so much flyers. a few good working ons would be enough! maybe you should make 2 planes for beginners, 2 for experienced simmers, 1 for real world pilots (PMDG like^^) )

-increased simrate over 4X

-flightplanner (i currently only use vroute.info freeware version)

-simple missions (i only fly the harder ones like the one with the double engine failiour over the maledives)

-fsx flightschool

-the default glider in fsx

-termals in fsx (because there none^^ even if the weather is very good for gliding in real world)

-many more things which i can't list all here

[iPetroSS 542]

What I do not use in FSX?

The answer is simple... The Autogen!

Autogen is an epic fail for me for the following reasons....

- HUGE trees in front of Runways

- In some Airports, there were Houses & Trees in the Aprons

- Autogen were totally displaced --> Autogen have to be placed according to the aerial photos (f.e houses over houses, trees over trees)

- Autogen size is an issue in FSX --> wait a minute, are we living in the planet of Giants or something??

- Frame-rate UN-friendly

- Autogen was too repetitive and boring

[degt 1]

I think I have used almost every feature but nowadays I seldom (or not anymore) use the flying lessons (they were useful though), the ILS sky trail and the screenshot. The screenshot I don't use because it saves files in that terribly inefficient BMP file format rather than much smaller files in JPEG or other format.

What I missed in FSX though is the following:

a) The ability for third party developers to add custom "tabs" to the kneeboard. In FS9 you could replace it (not the best) but if one could

add custom tabs it would be fantastic for virtual airlines and other online flying organizations.

Region-bound transition altitude. FSX assumes TA is 18,000 ft. all over the world which makes altimeter corrections a hassle. Especially

if you fly with software to grade your flight that are aware of the local TA.

c) To be able to ERASE airports that are defined but do not exist (anymore) in real life or that are just so wrong that you need to

replace them with an add-on. In FSX the add-on cannot totally alter a default airport, for example to correct the ICAO code.

d) Propper geographic locations. Only US states are known but for all other countries usually the city is wrong and the province/state is

not set.

e) More fine-grained exclusions for scenery designs. Sometimes when designing an add-on scenery one has to exclude more things than

one actually wanted.

There are other things that will come to mind at some other stage...

[Exelletor 0]

Soem people just want to buy the flight simulator and just play it. They don't want to pay for other addons. So, it will be necessary to have some of the basic features, such as real world weather, but also the ability to have it disabled by an addon. In addition, they don't want to pay an additional $40 or more to get a flight controller. Instead, they just use the mouse to control the plane.

Actually I would like to have a simulator "all in one". I also don't want to pay for addons, search on forums how to adjust your settings etc. I don't want to download FsInn, but if needed I will do so. BTW I find steering with keeboard(?) easier then with a mouse.

P.S. Actually I am not using FSPassengers because I want it to be bult it. Now I have to start FSAirlines, REX weather, rfinder, FSInn separately and FsPassengers would be a bit too much for me. It would be a lot easier if we got a normal flightplan, flight analysis and online weather automatically when we switched the sim on...

As for the flight boxes, it can be used to make sure you are lined up for an ILS approach if you are not using autopilot.

That's what we have EHSI for... And on older/other planes you have indicators(except gliders etc). You don't need autopilot for that.

P.S. I think Aerosoft is making sim only for "real" simmers, not like microsoft for everybody. Aerosoft flightsim will not be available in some village shop like FSX, they don't have the money for that....

[klimchuk 5]

Actually I would like to have a simulator "all in one". I also don't want to pay for addons, search on forums how to adjust your settings etc. I don't want to download FsInn, but if needed I will do so. BTW I find steering with keeboard(?) easier then with a mouse.

P.S. I think Aerosoft is making sim only for "real" simmers, not like microsoft for everybody. Aerosoft flightsim will not be available in some village shop like FSX, they don't have the money for that....

I disagree about "all in one". It's not possible for one company to create everything at once. Would be enough to have decent simulator engine plus API for 3rd party companies to create new simulator market. BTW It's not necessary to pay for everything even for FSX.

My concern is the AeroSoft does simulator for consumers, not for "real" simmers.

[ron72 263]

[...] My concern is the AeroSoft does simulator for consumers, not for "real" simmers.

Well, "real" simmers are consumers too! And as far as I have understood the discussion here, Aerosoft likes to create The Sim, that deserves that name by all means. It's only logically to go that way. With technology today AND advances in the following 2 or 3 years, that might come across, chances are good to reach that target.

[iPetroSS 542]

Oh man, if we all were one person and combined all our personal dislikes for FSX issues, then we probably wouldn't use FSX at all!

[bpcw001 28]

In FSX, I don't use:

- any of the stock airplanes except when having to load a clean state for an addon aircraft ("C172 cold and dark")

- learning center

- pilot logbook, award/reward system

- missions

- FSX's own weather generator

- The built-in web browser ("Home")

I actually consider FSX more of a platform that hosts my third-party terrain, weather and aircraft addons rather than a one-stop-one-shop package for all my virtual aviation needs.

[kaspis29 29]

1: I dont use the learning center

2: I dont use the custom weather

3: I dont use the replay option

4: I dont use the kiosk

5: I never used the failures

6: Dont use "help" either

7: Home

8: Missions

[Tom Uytterhoeven 2]

Didn't use the missions, however for new pilots one or three introductionary missions could be helping. Not using the default weather, multiplayer (vatsim pilot so external MP)

And that's about it.

Greetings,

Tom

[Robert1997 1]

Hello guys,

No, I think, the flying school is important! Imagine, that you're playing this game the first time of yout life and you don't know what to do^^ But to be true, i don't need the flying school anymore :-)