Game Discussions Microsoft Flight Simulator

askavir

askavir
[VR] optimal_909 said:
I do love volcanoes and attempted to get on as many as I could. Due to bad weather, I couldn't reach Mt Yasur on Vanuatu - actually 'stuck' on Fiji, and re-booked the first leg of my return flight and saved the trip by spending 10 days in South Korea. :)
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What a shame, you would surely be in for a treat at Mt Yasur. Not only the whole area is beautiful, but Mt Yasur is relatively easy to climb as it's not very tall, and it's one of the prime places on earth to observe volcanic activity in somewhat safe(ish) conditions.

Vanuatu used to be a volcanic paradise, unfortunately it lost his prime jewel, the 6km wide caldera featuring multple lava lakes on Ambrym Island. The last eruption drained the magma chamber to a side fissure and the mythical caldera featured in the video below has partially collapsed, the place where those guys had their camp is now a huge pile of rubble at the bottom of the pit, and the lava lakes are gone. Basically the same that happened to Kilauea in Hawaii 2 years ago, the magma chamber drained/migrated elsewhere, then the caldera collapsed into the new empty space below..


[VR] optimal_909 said:
I am planning to travel to memorable destinations I've been to, and 're-do' the round the world trip I did 10 years ago.
Actually, I'd hazard a guess that there will be some real-world discoveries in MSFS which, all things considered, is pretty amazing.

Having said that, I do hope that there will be some real gameplay loops that give purpose and even community events like long distance 'racing' from A to B. If anything, weather will make it possible to make a difference in navigating the skies, manage fuel and reach a destination faster.
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I too am hoping the game might feature some kind of career mode in addition to free flight, with jobs/missions, somewhat like the Euro/American Truck Simulator series. Or like the old "Microsoft Flight!" game had.

I do love being able to fly to wheverer I feel like it no strings attached, but sometimes I would also like a gameplay mode with some sense of purpose. I got my eyes on such a kind of flight game, but it's still early access and development has been slow... https://store.steampowered.com/app/771800/Deadstick__Bush_Flight_Simulator/
 
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[VR] optimal_909

[VR] optimal_909
askavir said:
What a shame, you would surely be in for a treat at Mt Yasur. Not only the whole area is beautiful, but Mt Yasur is relatively easy to climb as it's not very tall, and it's one of the prime places on earth to observe volcanic activity in somewhat safe(ish) conditions.

Vanuatu used to be a volcanic paradise, unfortunately it lost his prime jewel, the 6km wide caldera featuring multple lava lakes on Ambrym Island. The last eruption drained the magma chamber to a side fissure and the mythical caldera featured in the video below has partially collapsed, the place where those guys had their camp is now a huge pile of rubble at the bottom of the pit, and the lava lakes are gone. Basically the same that happened to Kilauea in Hawaii 2 years ago, the magma chamber drained/migrated elsewhere, then the caldera collapsed into the new empty space below..


I am planning to travel to memorable destinations I've been to, and 're-do' the round the world trip I did 10 years ago.
Actually, I'd hazard a guess that there will be some real-world discoveries in MSFS which, all things considered, is pretty amazing.

Having said that, I do hope that there will be some real gameplay loops that give purpose and even community events like long distance 'racing' from A to B. If anything, weather will make it possible to make a difference in navigating the skies, manage fuel and reach a destination faster.
Click to expand...

I too am hoping the game might feature some kind of career mode in addition to free flight, with jobs/missions, somewhat like the Euro/American Truck Simulator series. Or like the old "Microsoft Flight!" game had.

I do love being able to fly to wheverer I feel like it no strings attached, but sometimes I would also like a gameplay mode with some sense of purpose. I got my eyes on such a kind of flight game, but it's still early access and development has been slow... https://store.steampowered.com/app/771800/Deadstick__Bush_Flight_Simulator/
[/QUOTE]

The weather was pretty bad, and when I was contemplating on buying the extra ticket at the Fiji airport to get to Vanuatu, the possibility of heavy rains on loose volcanic soil meant no trip to Mt Yasur which would have been the highlight. And anyways once the weather is bad, there is little to do on these island, drinking aside. :)
Before re-booking my ticket, my backpack in the tent became wet from the ground-up, and the day after I moved into a guesthouse there was even a flash flood... see image for illustration about the weather. :)
fiji1.jpg
In Hawaii, there is no way to get close to anything due safety standards. The best volcano views I've got was in Guatemala (see below, apologies forn the monkey in the foreground, but that's the best image at hand on the lava flow :) ). Honorable mention the Tongariro at New Zealand, but like in Hawaii, there is no way to get close to any action.

guate1.jpg

guate2.jpg
 

askavir

askavir
[VR] optimal_909 said:
The weather was pretty bad, and when I was contemplating on buying the extra ticket at the Fiji airport to get to Vanuatu, the possibility of heavy rains on loose volcanic soil meant no trip to Mt Yasur which would have been the highlight. And anyways once the weather is bad, there is little to do on these island, drinking aside. :)
Before re-booking my ticket, my backpack in the tent became wet from the ground-up, and the day after I moved into a guesthouse there was even a flash flood... see image for illustration about the weather. :)
View attachment 178433
In Hawaii, there is no way to get close to anything due safety standards. The best volcano views I've got was in Guatemala (see below, apologies forn the monkey in the foreground, but that's the best image at hand on the lava flow :) ). Honorable mention the Tongariro at New Zealand, but like in Hawaii, there is no way to get close to any action.

View attachment 178434
View attachment 178435
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Is that the Fuego volcano? Fantastic shots. :)

Making the tongariro alpine crossing is one of my dream voyages too, we may not see any proper "action", but the imposing presence of "Mount Doom", combined with the alien landscape, the acid lakes and the fumaroles more than make up for it. :)
 
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askavir

askavir
Stellaris Ignis said:
I will be getting this on the Series X. Will probably finally invest in a hotas which I can subsequently use on Elite as well.
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I can share my experience, since I only purchased my first HOTAS less than a year ago: it's awesome and you'll never be able to go back playing flying games without it :)

You'll feel like a noob again until you get proficient with the HOTAS, but even from the very beginning the feeling is extraordinary.

The worst part is at first when trying to set up the bindings to a way that you feel confortable. I changed mine lots of times, until I finally felt they were right (although they never actually feel "just right"). I recommend you set up your bindings incrementally, instead of trying to assign all buttons at once. After a few days muscle memory finally starts to set in.

Good luck!
 

[VR] optimal_909

[VR] optimal_909
askavir said:
Is that the Fuego volcano? Fantastic shots. :)

Making the tongariro alpine crossing is one of my dream voyages too, we may not see any proper "action", but the imposing ever-preset presence of "Mount Doom", combined with the alien landscape, the acid lakes and the fumaroles more than make up for it. :)
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Thanks, yes I think it is, this is close to Antigua. It was really cool, there was nothing happening, then suddenly heard gasps and looking back the volcano emitted those plumes. :)

Tongariro hike was fantastic (see below), though pretty tough for a day hike and the descent at the end was long, it absolutely destroyed my feet and knees. :)
Also, Taranaki was visible in the distance.

To me, actually Lake Taupo was the most menacing - a calm lake that covers a proper monster!

nz1.jpg

Sorry everyone for the off topic!
 

askavir

askavir
PiLhEaD said:
Interesting to read that beta starts soon with release still anticipated for this year.

www.pcgamer.com

See how the new Microsoft Flight Simulator's airports compare to its predecessor

It looks better, much better.
www.pcgamer.com www.pcgamer.com
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With the pandemic I have over a months of vacations scheduled spread around the last 2 months of the year. Seeing that it's becoming increasingly obvious that this hole issue won't be under control by then and I can forget about travelling, I guess I'm gonna be in for a treat anyway with a few awesome games coming out near the end of the year.
 

PiLhEaD

PiLhEaD
askavir said:
With the pandemic I have over a months of vacations scheduled spread around the last 2 months of the year. Seeing that it's becoming increasingly obvious that this hole issue won't be under control by then and I can forget about travelling, I guess I'm gonna be in for a treat anyway with a few awesome games coming out near the end of the year.
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My thoughts precisely!

I'm sorting out my vitual sight-seeing trips already. The islands dotted around Papua New Guinea (I went diving there years ago), Nepal (of course), Island hopping round the Caribbean - I just hope there is a float plane!
 

[VR] optimal_909

[VR] optimal_909

PiLhEaD

PiLhEaD
[VR] optimal_909 said:
Given the continuous serves maintenance, the weather data and live traffic M$ is also paying for, I'd rather opt for a fairly priced subscription model than limited service and/or overpriced extensions.
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I do think this is the most likley outcome - which tbh seems completely fair. It's just that I'm not a big fan of the subscription model and still hope that there's an option for a one-time purchase - but do accept that this may not be realistic. Perhaps a subscription based on how much data you consume - although this may be more trouble than it's worth.

Bottom line - it's looking so good that it's a must-buy for me.
 

askavir

askavir

Cmdr Mander

C
The sim is visually stunning (in parts) compared to what is currently available from the competition, but for the most part much of the hype has been driven by the eye candy. However, at it's core it needs to be a true simulation of flight, but due to NDA's there's little that can be said about how well it performs in that respect.
 

[VR] optimal_909

[VR] optimal_909
Cmdr Mander said:
The sim is visually stunning (in parts) compared to what is currently available from the competition, but for the most part much of the hype has been driven by the eye candy. However, at it's core it needs to be a true simulation of flight, but due to NDA's there's little that can be said about how well it performs in that respect.
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The feature discovery series was promising on that part too, especially how weather and local wind conditions to the buildings will affect handling.
Even if XP11 will remain the best, MSFS it will be good enough for me, as don't know much yet about piloting an aircraft. :)
 

askavir

askavir
I think MSFS2020 will be a huge success even if it doesn't reach X-Plane 11 flight simulation standards, as long as it isn't bad either.
 

PiLhEaD

PiLhEaD
I'm absolutely dreading msfs2020 heading in to DCS territory. And this would make it a more difficult purchase for me.

Pottering round in something that feels vaguely plane'ish whilst soaking up the excellent eye candy is my idea of perfection. Endlessly twiddling nobs, recombobulating the interleaved discombobulator and reading huge manuals.... not so much.

I can't imagine MS will force this level of complexity on the unwilling. Well.... I sincerely hope not.
 

Chris Simon

Chris Simon
I think MS aren't even trying to "de-throne" Xplane. After all, they were always the flight sim for masses (I use masses as a relative term, of course, it's not like FS is for EVERYBODY, but you don't have to be a real hardcore pilot to enjoy it either)
XPlane was designes specifically as an FS alternative for the really hardcore bunch and that will remain so, I guess.

But, the release of MFS could prod somebody to start working on the next-gen XPlane or other games with similar tech and we would once again have a choice in terms of realism or content without sacrificing the looks. Similarly to what Elite did for space sim market. That would be awesome.
 

askavir

askavir
PiLhEaD said:
I'm absolutely dreading msfs2020 heading in to DCS territory. And this would make it a more difficult purchase for me.

Pottering round in something that feels vaguely plane'ish whilst soaking up the excellent eye candy is my idea of perfection. Endlessly twiddling nobs, recombobulating the interleaved discombobulator and reading huge manuals.... not so much.

I can't imagine MS will force this level of complexity on the unwilling. Well.... I sincerely hope not.
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I don't think that will happen. Like Chris Simon said, MSFS was always a flight sim "for the masses" (for sim standards). Even X-Plane 11 is perfectly accessible for "normal" flying game players, certainly much more than DCS, you can start with the plane ready to go, and just plain sightseeing/casual flights doesn't really require that much buttons/knobs, you can totally enjoy it with just throttle, flaps, landing gear, pitch, roll and yaw. Everything else is an extra for hardcore flight enthusiasts. I'm fairly certain that this will also be the case with MSFS2020.

When I personally mentioned MSFS reaching (or not) "X-Plane 11 flight simulation standards", I was actually referring to flight physics, not operational complexity.

By the way, your post reminded me of this. :D

 
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