Although this is called a “game”, the nature of activity is to simulate the flying experience.
It was never intended to provide anything other than the experience of flying an actual aircraft within the simulated world. That is what I interpreted it to be, and its why I “play this game”
Clearly, many people want more of an action type game, and it is not uncommon for people to post that they want MSFS to be a combat flight simulator or to have action like Ace Combat. Those are different genres.
You continue to identify an excessive grind? What do you identify as the achievement you expect for that grind? I was able to achieve all the available certifications within a week and with more than half of the specializations in both Airplane and Helicopter branches.
The type of missions one selects dictates what rewards and effective progression one will have in their “career”. Also, the “professionalism” dictates the bonus one can receive.
I don’t question that if one chooses to only do the “easy” flights or never flies outside of the region they want to fly, the grind can seem enourmous. There are different levels of experience that might temporarily limit one’s ability to fly advanced missions. However, it is a person’s choice if they want to learn and progress in “their career”. The opportunity is there. The resources and information to facilitate this have been available for the last 30 years - both from IRL and simulation sources.
I’m only a casual simmer. In my opinion, the level of grind is dependent and different for each person. And, it doesn’t have to be excessive. I don’t consider one week to unlock all available certifications and most specializations excessive.
And no, I don’t use cheats or those crazy time hacks. I want to fly. I don’t need anyone’s validation that I’m a succesful virtual pilot or a sucessful Company CEO. So, I can see.how some people might consider the efffort to achieve whatever goal they want to promote themselves as acheiving can and might be excessive. It depends. It’s definitely arguable.
However, a legitimate path to achievements exists without any skipping or other time cheats.