My issue with the night lighting in MSFS is that airports are WAY too easy to see at night. In the sim, I can climb to 2,000’ and see six different airports, large and small. IRL, I was headed straight for a little airport I KNEW was there, with an instructor POINTING AT IT, and I still couldn’t see it.
Beacons at night IRL are tiny little pin lights that get drowned out by any other lights in the area. Small airport runway lighting is also nearly impossible to see from the side. When I fly at night in MSFS, it feels like cheating. (Admittedly I try not to fly at night in MSFS due to this.)
Of course it’s like that with highly visible position lighting on aircraft during daytime, too. I’ve flown fairly close to many airplanes IRL during the day, and have YET to see any lights.
At night, it’s a different story. It’s very easy to see other aircraft’s lighting IRL. Less bulbous / orb-like than MSFS displays, and more of a pin light, but other planes are easy to see, at great distances
The “other” sim’s use of crisp pin lighting, especially for small airports, beacons and navigation lights is far more accurate IMHO.
Save the glowy stuff for street & ambient lights.
(Please.)