…perhaps i am!
I’ve been an avid X-Plane fan for a long time and when MSFS first came out, i was all over it like a rash. Needless to say, it was only on my machine for a few days before it was uninstalled. Since it’s release, i’ve tried going back to it a few times, but was never really happy with the performance and the lure of the Zibo kept me firmly in the competitors camp.
That was until a few days ago, when i heard that the PMDG 737 will (hopefully) be with us soon.
Earlier in the year i bought a new CPU and GPU and with nothing to do Wednesday night, I thought i’d give MSFS another go, but this time i would make a proper attempt at setting it up to suit me and the flying that i like to do. After a few days of playing about with the settings, putting some things to ultra that are important to me and turning things either off, or low that aren’t, i’ve ended up with something i wasn’t expecting.
Today i’ve been in most of the stock planes. I’ve been sat at JFK, Stanstead and many other places. Currently i’m in the TBM 90, aimlessly flying about changing the time of day and weather, trying my best to catch the sim out. Instead of reaching for the uninstall button though, i have healthy, solid FPS, i’ve even set up my keyboard and yoke commands and i’m now seriously wondering whether it should be X-Plane that meets the uninstaller. The graphics in this thing are immense and flying about with nowhere to go in my little Daher, i’m wondering why i didn’t do this sooner!
p.s. does anyone know if/how i can change my account name? I have no idea where OneRex came from, but i hate it!
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Welcome aboard @OneRex49218437! Glad to hear you’re enjoying your experience with MSFS so far. Other than the PMDG 737, are there any other addons you’re anticipating?
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Welcome! Hopefully your experience with it now will be a lot more enjoyable than it was on your first attempt after launch. The sim has come a long way since then for sure and improved significantly. There are still some sore points and capability / feature gaps, but things are improving. And quality, higher end addons are finally arriving like PMDG, so what the more hardcore simmers have been waiting for is at the doorstep.
Despite it lagging behind XP in many ways in terms of features, it’s really hard to look at XP quite the same way after you’ve experienced the level of graphical fidelity of the world in MSFS.
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Thanks @SeedyL3205.
Funny you should ask. While the Daher is busy buzzing around the UK, i’m looking through some articles online to see what other options are out there. The problem i have is that i’m very much a creature of habit and even in X-Plane, i’ve only ever ventured out in the 737.
I have to admit though, there is something about the PMDG DC6 that i find appealing. What do you guys think, what would you recommend i have a look at?
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The DC6 is brilliant, and the Boeing 247D may be the show stealer right now… very old airliner, makes PMDG planes feel easy.
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I’m fully a GA guy and don’t do larger planes, but from everything I’ve read and seen, if I was to venture into the deep end for the most challenging planes, I’d be with @WellREDBarron and recommending the DC6 and Boeing 247D.
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Thanks @Crunchmeister71 , it’s great to be here!
You’re absolutely right. I fired up XP last night and the contrast between the two sims, visually, is amazing. The sense of immersion that i’ve got at the minute isn’t something that i’ve been able to have before, even small things like being able to fly past the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough (where i’m from) had me in awe.
There’s a few things about MSFS that i’m not a fan of, such as my mouse cursor seems to like vanishing randomly and the camera system isn’t what i would like, but given how far the sim has come, i’m sure these are things that will be improved going forward…or i will just get used to ha!
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This is linked to your gamertag and would have to be changed. For more information on this, you can visit Xbox Support. I believe if it’s a first change then it’s free.
If you do decide to change this, log out and back into the forums and the change should take effect.
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MSFS still has some warts, bugs and long standing issues. And it still lacks some functionality that’s been considered basic for a flight sim (like multiple screen support) for the last 15+ years.
But overall, I don’t think I could fly another simulator this much and get this level of enjoyment out of it. In particular, VFR flight in areas covered by photogrammetry is just mind-blowing. Even XP12 won’t be able to come close to touching that level of realism.
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Yeah, X-Plane has an entirely different flight model so it will take some time to adjust to that. And it is undeniably better at some things (like ground performance/taxiing).
But as you noted, the 737 is almost here. It is always a good sign that a sim is maturing when the big, study level planes finally start releasing because they need a stable SDK and tube liners just take a long time to develop. You have waited the proper amount of time.
MSFS has been brilliant for GA and VFR flying for some time now. Finally the passenger jets are coming into focus.
There is always an awkward adjustment period as you switch from one sim to another. And trust me, we all have our pet bugs we would like MSFS to address still, it isn’t perfect. But it is finally maturing, and gets most things right… or has a third party add on that gets it right.
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Welcome aboard!
You’re in good company here waiting for the PMDG 737 
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It sounds like you would very much like the CRJ series from Aerosoft until the 737 series starts rolling out.
..and the DC-6 is great too.
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I’m lovin MSFS when I get time on the sim. I made a promise to myself, coming from X-Plane, that I would be replacing what I could from my XP hangar. So far, the Aerosoft CRJ, PMDG DC-6, and the DC Designs Concorde have not disappointed. I think one of these days I need to suck-it-up and buy a yoke and quadrant.
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And pedals.
It changes the whole experience using cockpit controls.
Like, 2-3 months of, “Gee whiz! This new setup is awesome!”
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Sounds good ! congrats ! you can change your account name 1x, check out the link ThomasRalph5791 provided.
Ditto….but with P3D, V5+…it still is on my PC, but only for LNM flight planning reasons, as a number of guys in our flight sim group are still using P3D.
As a RW GA pilot, currently out of the air for health reasons, MSFS is certainly scratching the itch, especially with GA add ons, such as the PA28 range from Just Flight and the SWS Kodiak etc etc.
I even have a fair bit of fun with the FBW A320 and the Salty 747…..
The Milviz Pilatus PC-6T Porter is the best-flying plane I’ve found in the sim… a far cry from a 737, of course. But if you have any interest in bush flying, man that Porter is good.
Best bush flying on the planet (and in the sim) is in Papua New Guinea and Papua Indonesia. Crazy sloping strips carved into mountains. Check out Bugalaga (WX53 I think) for an awesome example… and then look at the map and realize that there are literally hundreds of those strips to explore!
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Welcome to MSFS! You know actually I did a similar thing when it first came out - I downloaded it, didn’t really like it back in 2020 then left it on the shelf for a long time. Since coming back, we have aircraft such as the FBW A32NX and of course the PMDG 737 imminently on the horizon. I love the visuals, the optimization (which is getting better and it already beats P3D by far), and the immersion. I can fly VFR with nowhere in mind or I can fly a serious airline IFR arrival to minimums.
I still have P3D on my computer, but I gave up X-Plane 11 a long time ago.
I cannot believe the quality of airports coming to this sim.. I often have to do a double-take multiple times per session to confirm I’m just staring at my computer and not looking out the window of the real plane.
Enjoy MSFS thanks for sharing!
Same here. Purchased MSFS instantly, but left it for a year. But now there are multiple enjoyable planes to fly, like the FBW A32NX, CJ4 with Working Title, TBM 930 (also with WT) and a recently fast developing Salty 747 dev.! There is no need for me anymore to put up with the XP-graphics.
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Still have XP and P3D with loads of addons installed on my PC but at some point I am going to drop them. In my opinion I do feel that MSFS is the future.
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