Can we use the forum to solve our problems with the sim?

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I recently had an issue with overly bright, washed out images in MSFS. I spent quite a bit of time trying to solve the problem and ran out of ideas. I decided to turn to the community to see if anyone else was seeing what I was. I described the problem with as much detail as I could including the steps I had attempted already and thus ruled out. I also included the specs on my system and my basic settings.

It only took a few back and forth posts from some helpful folks and problem solved. A setting I had not thought of was causing all my grief.

I have been a member of this forum now for almost 2 years (20 months now). Since the sim released I spent a fair amount of my time here trying to help other users get to the bottom of the issues they were having. Over time I have become less inclined to offer assistance. It seems that many of our members have forgotten how to ask for help.

Far too many topics are now focused on simply bashing the shortcomings of the sim. Opening posts that simply state that something in the sim is broken and whatever that thing is it makes the sim unusable. I have no doubt that many of these posts are made out of frustration and a need to vent. Sadly, the result is usually a lot of uncivilized banter that ends when the moderators close the thread. Nothing solved. Just another user that has been muted for “voicing a negative opinion”.

There are still a lot of members here that want to help others solve problems. To tap into the value of this forum one has to merely ask. If you are one of those users that is having a problem or seeing something in the sim that doesn’t look or feel right, please, take the time to present your concern.

Start with a Forum Search to see if a solution to your problem has already been addressed. If not, compile a description of the problem, along with some video or screen shots that clearly depict the situation. Be sure to provide your system specifications and settings. Provide a list of the things you have tried. Be sure to use a title that is descriptive of the problem.

I guarantee that there will be someone here that has some information that will either solve your problem or at the very least be able to indicate if this is an acknowledged bug or maybe something new that no-one has noticed before. This may not eliminate your particular complaint but you will know what the next step is. Things that cannot be solved by this community must be reported through the Zendesk reporting system. Sometimes it may feel that your report just goes into a black hole, but the developers have assured us that the Zendesk reports are a topic of every morning meeting. If you don’t report it, I can assure you that they won’t be discussing it.

There are plenty of problems with the sim that affect different people to different degrees. One users “unplayable” is another’s “never noticed” or “don’t care”. We all use the sim differently and have different expectations. What we ALL have in common is that we want to enjoy our experience. The occasional desire to simply rant or offer praise for the sim will undoubtedly just end in another “assault and batter” thread that will be closed without having accomplished anything.

If we could put as much energy into troubleshooting the things that we can fix and offering the developers usable data to solve the things we can’t, as we do into raving or ranting at each other’s inability to agree with us, we could have a much better experience all around. Not just with the sim, but with the forum as well.

Remember, this forum is a community of users, not a direct line to the developers.

Even if some members of the team may read the forum, I doubt they waste much time reading either the “thumbs up” OR “thumbs down” posts.

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Excellent post, my sentiments exactly!!!

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3 arrows into the triple 20.

Yeah, a vent feels somehow necessary sometimes, a stupid comment on s topic that feels stupid as well, I don‘t exclude myself :smiley: but if there is a problem „xy doesn‘t work, what a sh*t“ won‘t help anyone. Not the one who complains nor the devs nor anyone else. Information, description, patience however helps a lot. We‘re all here for one single reason: fun. If we take the fun either from ourselves or from others there is actually nothing left.

The sim released and is now in a certain condition, rants won‘t change that. Let‘s help the developers and other pilots to improve the sim and the experience.

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Can’t help but wonder how many know that is better than a bullseye?
Thanks.

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I’ve been on this earth nearly 70 years and I hadn’t heard this expression before! I thought it was some obscure reference to 3 Just Flight aeroplanes released, but now I realise it’s darts. Makes sense.

Anyway just wanted to agree with your post (mostly) especially:

I like your perspective.

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Thank-you.

Interesting that you chose that phrase. I believe perspective IS the source of most of the conflict that arises on ANY forum. We want people to see issues from our perspective and when they don’t we feel our position is being challenged. Funny thing is that if we take a step back before typing, it is really easy to see that other perspective, even if we disagree with it.

Usually not worth it to try to change the other person’s perspective. Better to just acknowledge, to ourselves, that we disagree and move to the next thread.

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Read and reply to these forums only in hopes to make it better, sometimes what should be simple fixes can become frustrating both ways 
 between program and user and user and keyboard.

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As an American of ■■■■■ of the Isles decent I’d like to reply with a bit of Sean Lock sauciness but that wont do here and bless that comedic loss :smiley:

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Humour is difficult with all the different mother languages. I’m german and learned english at school which I left 15 years ago and since then all practice I’ve had was forums and youtube, basically. So what I got to know at school was high english with almost 5 of 8 years having an english teacher who studied and used to live in Oxford. American or british “slang” and all the regional differences are difficult to get sometimes, all above when some dry english humour comes into play. It often reads offensive but from the PMDG forum with several people coming from there I got used to the idea that they mean it differently from what I read into it. It might be MEANT offensive but I just tell myself it’s not and keep my good mood.

Other people who studied english as their second, third or nth language might struggle even more depending on how well they know the language. In this forum we automatically expect the language as the first world language and MS being an english speaking company but actually most people here might hardly be able to read the sense from a longer text, not to mention lingual humour. Add a total different script on top of that, cyrillic, hebrew, arabian, chinese, japanese etc etc and it gets confusing quickly. So as said above, stepping back, thinking twice and not reading offense into every second sentence would help a lot in the internet.

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This is a VERY good point.

Language is interpreted by so many different factors that are not included when posting. Emojis can help convey intent of a comment but are woefully ineffective. Even two English speaking users can end up in an argument due to misunderstanding. Google translation will compound that problem. Cultural differences change the meaning of phrases.

Many of you will recognize that most of my posts tend to be long winded. That is intentional. It has been shown that what you think is a short, “to the point” post, is more likely to be misinterpreted simply due to a lack of context. Our inflection, body language, facial expressions, tone and even volume, changes the meaning of what we say. Just see how many different ways you can say, “excuse me”. In my posts I generally try to convey meaning by using carefully chosen words. As we become more familiar with certain users, we tend to use language that we THINK they will understand. Often that backfires.

Sarcasm, humour and slang, really have no place in text communications. If we are to use those forms, it MUST be done carefully and in a manner than cannot be mistaken.

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Good post OP, you should write a book on how to post in a forum.

A couple of things stand out for me: firstly, maybe there should be a “Rants” forum, just for members to vent their spleens. Wouldn’t do any harm.

Secondly, one of the glaring (to me) problems is the following, and I can illustrate it thus: imagine a Windows forum where someone asks for help with a problem with Internet Explorer. Half the answers will be along the lines of “Download and install Firefox, it’s better”.

Now, you may hate IE (I’m a FF fanboy myself too), but it’s the OP’s choice what browser he uses and it doesn’t answer the question.

Translate that into MSFS problems and posters’ favourite addons/fixes/mods and you get the idea.

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Reason why I stopped visiting the forums as much as i did previously.

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Since this is a topic, i feel free to respond to the following.

I have to dissagree with this, this is not a job where you have to be serious all of the time nor are we each others cliënt, Simply if there is no place for some humor or a bit Sarcasm, nor is it a study, and if someone does not like some reply your free to block someone replies.

If replying, does not bring the wanted answers than it is up to the other to reply to clean the sky, even a loud thunder can make this happening it is a public forum.
By adding a set of rules about what can and can’t be said in written posts is up to visitors and their
opinion, as long as they follow the rules of the forum.

For example

Also it is with communication on any kind of device there is simply the effect that each of us lives in their own reality, and who knows of what, happend in that reality can be anything we just dont know until it is told.

Should i not be reading the forum and reply to a topic, even if i did reply with this sarcasm, if proven wrong by concearning the replied to, than i will make excuse for this and im sure others will do so too. Simply because people are here for their hobby and not to offend each other.

With this said i hope it is not taken by offense for i like a topics as started ( awarded it with one of those hearts) like this but im uneducated in English for it is not my native language im Dutch and sometimes i speak double dutch, because words can trigger this in ones mind.

Sincere

Sebstiaan

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Sebstiaan, you are correct. This is not the same as business communications, where we must be sooo careful to be clear in our meaning. As long as we are mindful of the other users different perspectives and in many cases, different languages, then humor and sarcasm and all the rest of the fun part of communication can be used here.

I only ask that we be a bit more respectful and remember why we are here. Just like you said


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How can you change the sim to stop the bright washed out views?

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Your color settings either with NVCP or the AMD equivalent or even your monitor or TV. Just remember in RL a cockpit can be a very bright environment.

Reading the SU6 release notes they have addressed the issue

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Take a look at the thread I linked above.
The brightness was not a bug. Or a case of needing sunglasses.

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It could be a lot of things 
 for example on a TV it might be set for dynamic contrast.

Most of us don’t seem to be complaining which should really tell you something.

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Just read the thread.

Maybe take the time to read this one too and you will maybe learn why it is antagonistic to tell someone they do not see a problem when it is right in front of them.

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