Two Sims are better than one?

[russellwwest]

Disclaimer: this is not intended to be a "this sim is better than the other" type of post.

I opened up Prepar3d for the first time in a while to take out the Comanche for a short flight, and then the majestic dash 8 for a slightly longer flight. Thoughts on my experience:
1. Scenery: was ok, a bit jarring after msfs, but not rubbish (I do have orbx).
2. Flight: loved both flights, the sounds, the feel, I felt engaged the whole time

Then I opened MSFS to take out the JF arrow III and then the wing42 Boeing 247d and did the same flights
1. Scenery: looked great, felt like I was actually there
2. Flight: was ok, but I couldn't help feel a little bored 5-10 mins into the flight.

I love the fact we have so many options currently in flight simming.....but sometimes I wish one sim had the whole package combined.

[russellwwest]

Re-reading my post, I think I need to give Prepar3d some TLC.

[WB_FlashOver]

I fly P3Dv4 and MSFS. I enjoyed MSFS for a while but the stock AC just don't hold my attention for long and I can't bring myself to buy an aftermarket aircraft that isn't Accusim. I enjoy hopping in with each update but it seems they brake something each time they update. I spend most of my time in the Connie, the B17, the P-51, or the Comanche in P3D (with many Orbx global and regional upgrades) these days impatiently awaiting the arrival of Accusim into MSFS. I believe we will have it all in one sim once A2A makes their debut into the new sim. The scenery, the weather, the accuracy of roads and rivers and such are all just amazing.

We keep hearing soon but soon seems to be a relative term

Cheers
Roger

[Piper_EEWL]

…
We keep hearing soon but soon seems to be a relative term
…

I think you right about that. Unfortunately

[Dogsbody55]

I'm so glad I didn't dump P3D when MSFS came out. For me, MSFS is great to look at when it works, but the flight experience is lacking. Take last night's flying, as a "fer instance".

It's 11.30pm. I know. I'm a night owl. Crank up MSFS, latest version. Wait a while only to be told to load the game disk (ie, it can't find my license ). Click on that as I have no other option so back to desk top.

Load Xbox, which will find my license. Then load MSFS. Wait ages listening to funeral music. At about 90% load, music goes silent, it stutters, then goes to the hangar, then crashes.

Go into Explorer and delete a stock plane. From bitter experience, I've found this can help. Load MSFS. Click on "safe mode" when that comes up. Wait more ages listening to funeral music . Eventually the sim loads so I set up a flight in a stock plane and hit fly. Wait a while. Crash.

It's now midnight. Do I persist with MSFS or do something else??

Something else wins so I crank up my Orbx equipped P3D on my stock start up flight, then set up a flight with the A2A Comanche and go island hopping in the Caribbean.

This has been fairly typical of my MSFS experience since release. All their talk about improving the stability of their sim has been just that - talk. I have a good PC with an 8gb GPU and 32gb RAM, and plenty of CPU too. Both sims are installed on an SSD, separate from the SSD that Win10 is on. I keep background programs to a minimum. Since sim update 4, the reliability of MSFS has got worse. I have none of the programs that MS support say can cause clashes with MSFS. My Community folder has six addon planes and some repaints none of which have caused problems when the sim deigns to run.

I'm starting to get emails about Easter sales but given my problems with this sim, I'm not spending a cracker as it would be a waste. I'm not entirely giving up on MSFS, but I have better things to do than spend hours at my computer trying to get it to work. I'll wait for the next update before trying again, which I think is at the end of this month.


Cheers,
Michael

[jeepinforfun]

I run MSFS on a two-year-old laptop with no problem, it makes me wonder why so many people are having problems with it.

[WB_FlashOver]

I run MSFS on a two-year-old laptop with no problem, it makes me wonder why so many people are having problems with it.

I wouldn't say I have a lot of trouble on my system but I flew MSFS some until they broke TrackIR. That soured me for a bit. They did come out with a work-a-round and then finally fixed it. The stock aircraft in MSFS are quite good when compared to FSX or P3D stock aircraft but they just don't hold my interest as well as A2A even though I must fly P3D to fly them.

By the way, great name jeepinforfun. Off topic and I hope this doesn't hi-jack the thread but here's a pic of my ride. This is an old photo and old girl.... she's had a hard life.

[Dogsbody55]

I run MSFS on a two-year-old laptop with no problem, it makes me wonder why so many people are having problems with it.

You and me both.


Cheers,
Mike

[Dogsbody55]

deleted

[Marvin-E34]

"but sometimes I wish one sim had the whole package combined."

I think everybody can agree with that, i have p3dv4, msfs, x-plane and dcs installed.
I'll probably reinstall il2 great battle to complete all the campaigns.
I might also reinstall p3dv5 when fslabs Concorde releases.
Last month FSX was still on my hard drive to enjoy the PMDG JS 41.

Flight Simulation is a black hole

[jeepinforfun]

I run MSFS on a two-year-old laptop with no problem, it makes me wonder why so many people are having problems with it.

I wouldn't say I have a lot of trouble on my system but I flew MSFS some until they broke TrackIR. That soured me for a bit. They did come out with a work-a-round and then finally fixed it. The stock aircraft in MSFS are quite good when compared to FSX or P3D stock aircraft but they just don't hold my interest as well as A2A even though I must fly P3D to fly them.

By the way, great name jeepinforfun. Off topic and I hope this doesn't hi-jack the thread but here's a pic of my ride. This is an old photo and old girl.... she's had a hard life.

Nice, Jeeps are supposed to look like that and that's a fine specimen. I just sold my rusty and lightly lifted (3") 2004 Jeep Liberty Renegade and was sad to see it go, it was nowhere near as tough as yours. Unfortunately, after years of bumping around the woods of upstate New York I took it into the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and it started rusting out in no time flat, no matter how many times I washed it. It's been kept together with welding, and duct tape. I had cruised around the PB three times in the same year by map before going on a Jeep Jamboree later that year. This is the trip that wounded my baby, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhYd8GoZxr4 Then again, I'm sure those years of camping on the beaches of Long Island didn't help either.

Ok, now back to aircraft...

[Lewis - A2A]

And don't forget DCS, IL2 etc for some combat sim fun too!

And for the Jeep guys, if you want to have some sim gamer fun with that stuff then I def recommend you check out the physics based driving game Beam.NG. Its known as a brilliant crash sim but the off shoot of the physics means its brilliant for jeep rock crawling and there's a bunch of missions and adventures as mods and I think in the main game too.

cheers,
Lewis

[MkIV Hvd]

I will always have two sims...my A2A sim on P3Dv5.3 and my Spitfire MkIX simulator (until A2A releases for MSFS). I'm more into travelling and sight seeing and not interested in air combat sims, so P3D & MSFS it shall be for the foreseeable future. For my purposes, P3D with EA and ASP3D looks really good, so even if I had all my favorite A2A airplanes in MSFS there's still the chance for Asobo to dork something up with Update 23 and I'll still have my A2A hangar.

I've picked up a few other airplanes for MSFS and although a couple flew fine, there has always been something I didn't like about them...the most common being the prop depiction that "strobes" the blades around the arc. I've now been cured of the impulse purchases, so MSFS is a Spitfire simulator until the arrival of A2A airplanes. This'll go against the grain I'm sure, but the Comanche is quite a ways down my favorite A2A airplane list. It will however, be a great start for sure!!

What I'm really waiting for are the Civilian Mustang, T-6 (bought the Reno expansion pack and looked at all the T-6s, flew one...ick...Mustangs worse… ), Bonanza and C182 and if those are never available for MSFS, well...see above, I'm good!

Regardless of what the future brings, I just want to thank you A2A for 1183 hours of smiles since I jumped down the A2A rabbit hole with the T-6 in early March, 2019!!

Cheers,
Rob

[Skycat]

I currently have installed:
- FSX (A2A P-47, P-51, Spitfire, T-6, B-17).
- P3D (all of the A2A single engine aircraft).
- MSFS standard GOTY edition, with no add on aircraft).
- DCS WWII (P-47, P-51, Spitfire Mk.IX, Bf109K-4, Fw190A-8).
- IL-2 Great Battles (all WWII packs and Flying Circus).
- IL-2 1946 (plus a second copy with BAT mod).
- A few legacy sims including CFS3 and Jane's WWII Fighters, for nostalgia.

Lots of options, maybe too many, to satisfy whatever mood I'm in on any particular day.

Honestly I'm still finding a lot to love with FSX. It remains my go-to sim when I just want to do a quick fly-around my local area without the temptation of VR or a full blown Accusim walk-around+cold start. My new Reality XP GTN panels also work in FSX, and I can use my Active Sky 16 XGuauge for weather radar as well. I'm always learning new things in FSX and I'm amazed by how capable a sim it really is.