I’m trying to do a 2 or 3 hour flight in the pmdg 737 (but could be any plane). but real life often prevents it. To this day ive tried a few times, but only once, was I able to do it. Why? because I get called away by my wife, work or some other issue. Every time, I come back to the sim, im out of fuel or the autopilot goes nuts etc. I just want the entire sim to pause, I don’t want to take pictures or anything like that. just stop everything, time, engines etc… My Commodore 64 could do it 30+ years ago, why can’t this? I read posts and set buttons on my keyboard, joystick etc, to pause, but none of them seem to actually stop everything nor do they stop the engines from burning fuel. I sometimes need to walk away from it for 2 or 3 hours. Is there any way to actually stop everything and freeze the program just like it locked up and froze (but really didn’t)? Thanks in advance so any help or advice.
With the exception of time perhaps, suspending the Flight Simulator process using Task Manager pauses most everything else, and also reduces the PC’s power draw and temperatures.
Another option is to bring up the load/save dialog box, which is a more effective pause similar to suspending the process.
However, Flight Simulator may still try to synchronize to real time, if you have live time/weather engaged. That I am uncertain.
It’s exceptionally difficult to get MS/Asobo to add basic features that many other games already had from the start.
We asked Asobo to limit GPU Usage and power draw in the pause menus. Asobo said “No, you’re using the menus too much”. Then they realized that wasn’t an acceptable answer, so they said they’ll add something to developer mode in Sim Update 10. Too bad most of us don’t use developer mode…
I created a wishlist item that sort of relates to this topic, but I won’t kid myself. I know it’ll probably never come to fruition.
It is apparently possible, as the Fenix A320 is able to do a proper pause near top of descent, as well as being able to be properly paused at any time during the flight.
These options are on the MCDU Menu/Config page that come in very handy, for when the “dulcet tones of your partner’s voice” appear in your ears.
‘Proper’ pause, that pauses everything, is possible with FSUIPC7, by binding a key or button to ‘Pause Toggle’. I use the paid version so don’t know if it’s possible with the free version.
Fenix pause their systems that run outside of the sim in an external exe. They use the sim to pause the motion and simply stop THEIR systems to pause at the same time. PMDG which is flown by the OP works completely inside of the MSFS sandbox and has no possibility to put everything on stop, all they can do is press the pause button in the sim and go with what it delivers.
Sorry 'bout that guys and gals!