I was an Alpha and Beta tester for the FS2020 and have noticed all these basic functionality that we used to have for many years in previous generations of FS and they are all taken away from FS2020 without no explanation from Microsoft. I was hoping to see them fixed by the time the sim is released but they are all still here as a finished product! The intention of this thread is to make a list for Asobo studio to hopefully work on them for the next updates. I start with the ones that I have noticed myself and the list can grow in the comments.
The ability to change aircraft while flying without the need to return back to the main menu. I know this feature is available via Dev mode but why?
Ability to change airport (location) while flying without the need to go back to the main menu.
In FSX there was a 2D world map (while flying AND in the main menu) where we could see all NAVAID information (VOR, DME, ADF, ILS Appraches, waypoints…) with vital detailed information such as radio frequencies AND ILS courses! The last one is soooooooooooooooooo annoying that I have no clue about the ILS course. Not everyone has access to approach charts…
It is almost impossible to get the “CLEAR TO TAKE-OFF” option from ATC without passing the taxiway hold short! I always should get super close to the runway when taxing to be able to ask for clearance…
I personally have encountered so many bugs (Alpha, Beta and also the RELEASED version) such as getting my controls frozen (the throttle moves but the engine doesn’t respond or the yoke doesn’t move!!!) and also recently I have been getting the sim frozen for a while when selecting an IFR flight plan (like for 30 seconds) and sometimes in the air while flying…
Where are the 2D panels? Although 3D cockpits are the ultimate to go for many people, many of the flight simmers use the pop-up 2D panels on different screens (such as PFD, ND, overhead panel) while flying…
The vibration and shaking in 3D cockpit adds a lot to the realism but it makes it really difficult to use the cursor over knobs. For instance when turning the HDG knob often it get’s out of the zone causing the mouse wheel to zoom instead of turning the knob. At least the vibrations can go off when turning a knob.
Please add to the comment your discoveries and I will add them to my first post…
Great post! I agree, and not just FSX functions but even going back to FS9 which, aside from the outdated scenery, actually was very functional in terms of flying.
I have already posted about things that made flying, and especially landing, easier (and I don’t mean that we want an Arcade Style flight sim!). The 3D cockpits often obscure the view of the terrain. In FS9 you could “raise” your seat to look over the nose of the plane and get a better view of land, not just sky. You could also hide the cockpit and see the scenery and look around without changing perspective (yes, drones and external cameras are fun but they are not part of a real flight). I of course second your views on the hard-to-understand lack of frequencies on the maps.
FS2020 is leaps and bounds ahead of those older sims as far as graphics and power but the planes are not any more “real” in terms of functionality. I even miss (don’t get angry!!) the ability to switch to 2D cockpits where you could see all the important features in one screen, for tweaking knobs and switches during a landing, takeoff… now I have to try to grab a tiny knob on a 3D cockpit that is zoomed far out in order to see the entire cockpit, or bring up a new closeup view of a section of the cockpit that excludes the rest of it and the outside view as well.
Too many things that worked in the past have been changed along with the things that did not work. Can’t we have both?
I already made a thread for this but I’ll add it here. I miss the “extra” compass that was in the top left corner of the screen even when in cockpit view. We still have it if we go to the exterior view of the plane but I would like to have it on a toggle in cockpit view as well where I could turn it on and off as needed. It’s much easier for my old eyes to read than the one on the instrument panel.
Thanks for reminding me the 2D panels… One usage of customizable 2D cockpit was to be able to draw different panels in different parts of the screen. Specially now that the usage of multiple monitors is more common, it is super useful to be able to draw different panels on other screens.
I also can’t agree more with the 3D cockpit usability, specially that when you want to turn the HDG knob it is so easy to mistakenly get your mouse off the zone and start changing the zoom instead of the knob… They should at least turn off the shaking feature when you want to turn the knob…
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I find it very difficult to use the mouse for knobs and buttons in FS2020. Not everyone will use 2D if those panels are available but many will, I believe. To be able to switch them during certain times in a flight when one or the other works better would be a very useful option.
100% agree with QuietCandy and Roadspider … little to add to their comments … pop-up 2D panels … raise pilot seat to look over the nose … hide the panel and see the wonderful FS2020 scenery in VFR flights … … independent windows to see in a second monitor etc etc …
Replays and post flight analysis. multi monitor support show/hide panels Proper flight school for pro version EASY camera system intuitive drag and drop location spawn
Of course, for the majority, these above sim issues are absolutely unnecessary. For the minority, it is just unfortunate that MS went the route of dumbing down a historically immersive feature set franchise sim to cater to a larger audience.
You said it exactly. It was tailored for gamers, first, serious simmers second. Understandable from a “bottom line” perspective but misleading as for all the pre-release hype and updates.)
But I think I’m mainly “preaching to the choir” at this point. All we can do is wait… if MS/ASOBO hears the complaints (and sees the sheer number of them) perhaps we’ll get the features we need. If the flight models and systems catch up the the level of Graphic advancement, it will be one Hell of a sim.
Sorry to close this. This Wishlist topic was okay in August 2020 before voting was enabled in the forums, but with voting, we cannot have megathreads. They make it impossible to merge when duplicate topics get posted, among other things.
Please use the following topics and vote for the things that you want for some of the items addressed in this Wishlist topic:
Replays and post flight analysis.