This is in NO WAY an improvement from the system we had previously in 2020.
It adds complexity where none existed before. It is slower to use. You have to click on ever seat to see how much weight it in it. Previously we could see all that on one screen and could adjust it.
You often get loading errors with no reason for the error given. Plus even though you get an error it looks like it did accept the new value as when you go back in and out the new value is their? So did it load that cargo or NOT? Who knows!
You have no reliable way to know for sure what the weight or cargo is in your airplane when you get a loading error.
It is not adding anything to realism because clicking something in real life on an iPad is not loading an airplane in real life.
Lets just bring back a system where we have a simple screen where we edit the values and it works. Plus make it a weight icon on the pull down menu like it was in 2020 so we can go and edit it as we like we can do to the weather.
Also, when using KG (as we do in the entire world except the US), you canāt get above 91kg. My weight is 99kg and I would love to set it
Being able to change CG makes zero sense. This is dependent of the airframeās configuration and built in equipment. You canāt āchangeā this in real life.
I think I know what youāre saying here, but for clarity: empty CG at a specific aircraftās BOW will always be the same, true. But that CG will change as passengers, cargo, and fuel are loaded. Itāll even change in flight as fuel is burned. We sometimes had a certain amount of fuel that was made unavailable for use in the CRJ for CG purposes.
I think the point about the CoG relates to the slider which lets you move it around. Canāt say as Iāve ever touched it but I have seen it. It was in MSFS 2020 as well.
As for the new interface, I have mixed feelings.
Positive: I like the visual layout of where the seats/slots are located in the airframe, but sometimes it doesnāt work out very well (e.g. the airship, which needs immense amounts of left/right scrolling to even find the seats!).
Negative: I agree that not being able to see all of the numbers āat a glanceā is a step backwards.
Suggestions:
A compromise would be to replace the small boxes with larger boxes containing the numbers, or something to that effect.
The dots could change colour to help distinguish āemptyā spaces from āfullā, or something in between. Or dots that act like little pie charts (I hate pie charts, but in this instance it might work).
Hereās an example of the airship, which I tried last night. Had to drag the tiny blue scroll bar at the bottom to the left just to find the seat spots. Looks like one seat has been defined in the wrong spot because it overlaps another seat!
My only conclusion is that the W&B section is still under development as this cannot be the final product they imagined. There is basic information missing that are in the MFS20 version and all other 3rd party add-ons.
The whole UI is a confused mess and the weights and balances pages are definitely the worst. I just hope a 3rd part developer can figure something out because I canāt believe Asobo will.
We should all be sure to report our beta feedback to Asobo so when they finally release this to paying customers theyāll have a better experience.
Oh wait
(Seriously though, the thing where you type in a number and then it disappears when you submit it seems really confusing. I donāt understand how this is meant to work and I feel like I might be using it wrong but I donāt know what would be right.)
The new weight and balance section is actually a step forward as no longer does the fuel reset to the initial value (when making a turnaround) when you edit the cargo weights.
The fact they fixed a bug is not a reason to say this is a better interface. I agree in 2020 that was a bug. The interface in this one is less powerful and more confusing and harder to edit values. Before we could see all the information in one place.
For me itās just a thing of getting used to, I find it much better than the atrocity that the UI in 2020 was. Now I can at least say that I use this interface when doing flights via OnAir or Airhauler. Also it shows the relation of the seat and payload stations so I can adjust for CG much more easily than in 2020 where all I had was the station name. As loading a plane involves some manual effort anyways, going through the tabs and adjusting the weights makes the process a bit more immersive. The 200lbs cap for the pilot and copilot seat is BS, though.
