I have seen several YouTube videos that seem to show that the so-called VFR Map in FS2020 has been updated to allow for clicking on airports or navaid symbols in the map and having a display of information presented in reply. Although this feature seems a bit less far-reaching than the equivalent features of the map in XP 11 and 12 (no auto tuning of navaids via clicking on them in the map, for example) it still is a big improvement over the pretty-much-useless VFR Map as it originally existed. These improvements were said to have been embedded in one or another of the sim updates, apparently around a year ago.
Of course, my sim is updated - it is impossible to even start it up when an update is pending without installing the update. But I do not have the updated VFR Map, only the crippled original one. What gives here? Was there an update that was not mandatory, or one that my installation somehow managed to miss and still operate??
VFR map is part of the core sim so there is no optional update for it. Could you post a screenshot of your VFR map indicating what you think incorrect or missing ?
The first image is what I have on my sim even now - the original (I presume) VFR Map with no capability to interact and get additional information by clicking on anything showing on the map.
The second image is from a review video by SimHangar, which appears to show an improved version with interactive capabilities.
Thanks for the screenshots, with that it makes clear what your issue is.
You should be able to see the same VFR map than the 2nd screenshot.
Do you have any addon installed ? if yes, could you make a test with you community folder empty or even better starting in safe mode ?
For that, once in the sim terminate msfs.exe through the windows task manager and restart the sim, you’ll get the safe mode option.
Running in safe mode, with the community folder cleared out, I do see the new VFR map.
And yes, I have a good number of add-ons, including several that augment the G1000 and/or the G 750. Mostly, though, the add-ons are planes or scenery.
While we are at it, let me add my vote to those advocating for the remote tuning of navaids through interaction with the VFR map, as is the case in XPlane.
What you’re seeing in the YouTube video above is new features that were added to the default VFR map in Sim Update 10 (released September 20, 2022).
VFR Map
Added a navaid ident search bar to pull up navaid and airport data
Added ability to click on navaids and airports to pull up navaid and airport data
Accessing navaid and airport data will now open a pane with the following details:
Intersection: Ident and location
NDB: Ident, location, name, and frequency
VOR: Ident, location, name, frequency, and magnetic variation
Airport: Ident, name, region, location, runways with surface type and length, available COM frequencies, available ILS frequencies, METAR
Fixed issue where scrollbar would erroneously not appear when facility details pane was longer than display
Fixed issue where map zoom level was not remembered when reopening map
Fixed issue where waypoint icons would not appear when using external flight plan system
Fixed an issue where the own airplane icon could appear underneath the navaid icons and labels instead of above them
Added current range legend to bottom left map corner
Added radio ident and localizer course to airport ILS/LOC details in facility details panel
If you are not seeing these features in your VFR map, the most likely reason is that you have a mod/addon installed that is causing a conflict as @DementedCorn327 suggested above.
Well, that’s good to know. Finding out which one will probably be too much work (adding one at a time back in, and going through the lengthy process of starting up the sim time after time). Until such time as tune-by-click may be introduced, I can live with the old VFR map, since I have ForeFlight and full access to all of the info I need from that.
Yeah I hope to see an improvement for managing addons in the future. Trying to troubleshoot nearly a couple thousand addons each between the Onestore and Community folders and then having to wait nearly 25 mins to load the sim each time and test the results is an absolute nightmare.
The easiest way to find the conflicting mod is to cut your collection in half. Remove the other and copy it elsewhere. Restart the sim. If VFR starts working, then the conflict is in the other group. Remove the good group, cut the suspect group in half, install one of the halves, restart the sim.
Rinse and repeat until you get down to the suspect item. This is not rapid, but certainly faster than one-by-one elimination.
The half-split is a fascinating tool! I will remember it. Fortunately, it did not come to that. It turned out that when I removed the Working Title G3000 add on from the community folder, I was greeted by the “new” VFR map! Problem solved, so it would seem, and thank you to all who replied.
Definitely helps find the culprit in a packed Community folder.