I am enjoying the game so far (despite the plethora of issues - crashes, long load times and general new game problems) but I assume a few things.
The game keeps repeating ’ go anywhere in the world’. I thought, it was a no brainer about the search thing. Just type in a real world location, like you would in Bing Search/Bing Maps Search, and boom, it comes up in the results, and makes available the co-ordinates to add a custom point.
Right now, I have to look up the co-ordinates on a second computer (for some insane reason, Apple does not show co-ordinates on its maps app), enter it manually into the game and do this everytime the game crashes of course.
Please guys. Come on. You have the Bing Maps API. This has to come soon. and make the custom point adding easy.
I watched this video of this editing notepads (which freaked me out, until I realized, we dont need to do that anymore). Actually, allow me to fly anywhere.
This problem becomes even more worse because, maps like that of India, have literally zero points of interest. It’s like a country with a 4000 years old history, has no points of interest apparently I understand that India is not a major market for these games, but at let me search for things on my own.
Not talking about AirField. For example, the Mysore Airport shows up just fine.
I am talking about a real world location. For instance, we have this hundreds of year old temple in our city. I should be able to search for it, get the co-ordinates automatically so I can add it as a Way Point or Arrival or Departure point.
This is a flight simulator. You get airborne at airfields. Real-world-location-airfields. Not at 100s of years old temples…
The point of this “game” is that you load up the nearest airfield and then indeed ’go anywhere in the world’ by flying there. If you don’t like to be bothered with a flight but want to see that temple instantly, you don’t need MSFS for that. Just look it up in bing maps search
I would agree though that for flight planning purposes it would indeed be worth to consider to implement some sort of maps, think of the VFR layers accessible on skyvector.com.
Not sure why you need to add waypoints for VFR though.
Then the game should be called “Go Wherever (as long as it is a Airport) in the World” now does it not, he he
I can look up airports on bing maps search too, lol. dont need to pay MS for a simulator for that now do I.
The game is trying to welcome regular folks who want to visit more than just airports. At least, I assume it is not made just for sim fans who want to visit airfields.
I tend to agree with you. This is much more than a flight sim. It’s a virtual facsimile of the entire world and, as such, its appeal goes far wider than to flight simmers. They struggle with that concept - that anyone (like me, for instance) could possibly want to use this amazing software more as a virtual airline to go visit places than as a mechanical, technical flight sim. There can be a certain sniffy attitude from particular types, although I have to say generally I find even some of the most hardcore technical simmers very accommodating and extremely helpful.
I would like a far better world map, much more fully-featured and I would like the option to have the in-game world show far more of those ‘pop-up’ signposts (say, for every city and large town) - if I so wished. So it would be optional - you could switch it off in the menus if you didn’t want the visual distraction.
For instance, yesterday, flying down from Bangkok to Pattaya, it wasn’t obvious to me where Pattaya began and where the city centre was located. One of those pop-signposts would have helped with that - and it would definitely help with finding many other points of interest, as you suggest.
I guess it would be time-intensive to put a small team on implementing such a feature - and it looks like the devs are going to be overwhelmed with requested features, so maybe somewhere, sometime down the line we might get a refreshed world map with a lot more data points and usability.
“There can be a certain sniffy attitude from particular types, although I have to say generally I find even some of the most hardcore technical simmers very accommodating and extremely helpful.”
Yes, I do get the feeling some of the more hardcore simmers dont like us casual players. Hopefully, that wont be the case all the time. Right now, I am just sitting and working, while also flying to my small village home town from the nearest International Airport. My family is thrilled to see all these landscapes and how they look from the sky.
Its just fun man, and with everybody at home, this is like entertainment for them too.
I would like a far better world map, much more fully-featured and I would like the option to have the in-game world show far more of those ‘pop-up’ signposts (say, for every city and large town) - if I so wished.
I would love that too. As I am flying, if the game could show places. I mean, the data is already there on Bing. It’s a matter of pulling it in and letting us customize what we want to see.
But, its true, they probably have more important technical issues to fix. As of now, I am making do by entering co-ordinates and adding multiple waypoints myself and remember what they are. Later, adding the real world place names on my own when I upload videos to youtube and share with friends.
There is no such thing as “hardcore simmers” Most of these guys running their mouths and berating others are middle aged to older men who never flew a minute as PIC and can only follow a magenta line with an AP. And somehow they think their opinion matters more than others. Seriously, when you hear them “Stupid Simulator, I wanna fly procedures, but I can’t because it is broken” tells you everything. A lot of procedures can be flown quite fine with charts and the nav equipment we got. And lastly very few of other pilots I met were ever so berating like these guys are. So I have taken to just ignore most of it. Here, on Avsim and on every other outlet.
Do not let these guys drag you down. It is not their product, go ahead enjoy it anyway you can and continue making great suggestions that help getting flight simming out of that grumpy old men zone that it is in right now.
Thanks for typing this man. Thank you very much. I am not only new to these SIM things but also new to gaming (Last time I played games was back in college, like some 10 years ago). Only returned to gaming recently because, there is just so much free time because of the pandemic and sitting at home all day.
I just want to fly and see my country and India is a large country. This game will keep me busy for years.
Of course not, since it is labeled Flight Simulator, common sense tells that flying wherever in the world still envolves the use of an airfield at some point.
It very much is. Hence the name. You can’t fly without visiting some sort of airfield beforehand.
You already noticed that the world map focuses on selecting airfields to start a flight. Now make up your mind why they did it that way.
Totally, wishing you fun flying. Try to not depend on jumping to coordinates that much. Grab a paper map of that area, take off from a close by airfield and then navigate to your destination by comparing the scenery to the map on your lap. Real world navigating isn’t much different. Try it out, loads of fun. You can go everwhere with this.
Btw I think places like India will now add a huge new customer base for flight simulator. In the past, flight simulator coverage was clearly dependant on the quality of stock scenery and then the ever increasing market of addon sceneries. I never understood why this market always focused on the US and Europe so much and found it very unfortunate. Of course, developers probably expected to sell more in these countries, but I don’t think it is valid to assume that better-paying western customers are only interested in flying inside the western hemisphere.
Now, with an acceptable global coverage right from the start, Asian and African areas finally can expect more attention, as the fine stock scenery there now also invites customers from there to enjoy flying there. China and India together field 2 billion people. I am happy for all aviation enthusiasts and world explorers there, to now be able to enjoy their homelands right out of the box…
So explain to me then how you actually CAN create a point anywhere and start flying from there already in the air?, your arguments fall short there…just sayin
Ah, look like we are beginning to have some common ground here. Good good, and thank you.
Grab a paper map of that area, take off from a close by airfield and then navigate to your destination by comparing the scenery to the map on your lap.
In this pandemic, buying a local map is next to impossible. However, what I am doing is have my second laptop open with the bing maps open. Essentially replacing the paper map with a digital but achieving the same effect you are saying. Yes, it would be cool to get paper maps, but sadly, we just dont have that facility here. My country is too big and flying (even for daily life and work) is still a rich people game.
but yes, your advice is good with me using digital maps instead of paper maps.
Btw I think places like India will now add a huge new customer base for flight simulator
I highly doubt that. Just like with people not knowing what Bing is, and no clue what Xbox is, hardly anyone buys games here. Also, high end PCs that can play these games are taxed at 40 to 60 % on top of regular tax, so gaming machines and gaming hardware including consoles (which also attract 40 % to 60 % on top of regular tax) is very much a niche.
The cost of games (4000 rupees aka 60 $ bucks can feed a family of 2 for a month). Ton of issues to overcome for gaming to really take off in India. Especially a game like MS which will inevitably require additional purchases down the line for new planes and locations and such.
That is sad to read. Especially for India, it is hard to grasp why regular income is still so far down the line…
I will add you in the sim when coming home later. Maybe you can show me your hometown or that palace at some time in a multiplayer flight
Yes, it is still very bad. I got lucky. I got into software development and ended up (thanks to some good luck, hard work and support from family and wife and good education) escaping the poverty trap but not many are this lucky. I had the money so I can afford to buy these relatively powerful computers and consoles and TV. Wife is supportive too, which helps. Indian women are super cool, but, when it comes to gaming, ah, the attitudes are in line with the general public. frowning and looked down upon.
Then, there is the social stigma about gaming. A grown man gaming is a sign of immaturity and frowned upon. the insane taxes and general costs that keep people away, and the slow broadband speeds is the final nail on the coffin.
Of course, mobile gaming is taking off on low end, budget android phones but thats just fornite and PUBG which is better than nothing I suppose.
Meanwhile, yes, please invite anytime. My xbox ID is the as this forum id. JAYLIVE510
See you in a match some time, once i actually learn how to land in this game
You can let click anywhere on the world map and click the"CUSTOM" label that comes up. This will set your departure to be in the air at that location. Then click FLY
People would rather run to complain on forums…without fully trying out every feature in the sim obviously.
I figured this feature out my first 10 minutes in the sim.
That is just like your opinion man… After having to quit flying due to health reasons I went into IT and subsequently software development. And the first thing you learn is that you cannot imagine how people think and use your software. So yes you may have figured it out in 2 minutes. Someone else may not. The lack of understanding for other people is astonishing. And the quality of posts that are something like “But there is.” as answer to “Is there such and such?” without actually telling where is also sad. But to each their own I guess.
Ok this feature has been around since FSX…
Simply double click anywhere on the map…teleport there…wah lah
The game devs need to hold your hands for everything?
Where’s the fun it that?
Lets not get to far from the context of the OP here…who was making a complaint about something lacking in the interactive map feature but had no knowledge of it actually being there, due to inexperience and not fully exploring the sim.
We all learn differently… some venture off and go exploring on their own for answers and some would rather be informed by others.
I understand that India is not a major market for these games, but at let me search for things on my own.
let me be.
