Please improve cloud turbulence, icing and weather in general

[stefanocosta]

Hello,

I would like to talk about the weather in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

Every time this subject is discussed in the Development Livestreams, it is said that this has to be discussed, that it has been noted, that it will be checked, that this is in the backlog. But when will this very important topic for simulation be really addressed?

And I’m not just speaking on behalf of us core simmers, but also gamers and the entire community. After all, who wouldn’t want to experience meteorological phenomena in the simulator such as hail, turbulence, lightning and the like?

I did some tests on the MSFS 2024 and had difficulty seeing the effects of cloud turbulence, even in the worst possible cloud (tested with the Asobo’s and Ifly 737 Max, Inibuilds A320neo, A330 and PMDG’s 777), both using custom and live weather.

Watch the video below:

MSFS 2024 - No cloud turbulence

What we really need are reasons to avoid certain clouds and to plan our flights while considering real weather conditions. At the moment, in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, you can fly straight through the largest storm imaginable and nothing will happen to your aircraft. There’s no incentive to divert or avoid dangerous clouds, which is completely unrealistic compared to real-world aviation.

In MSFS 2020/2024, there are no cumulonimbus (CB) clouds, no meaningful cloud turbulence, no realistic icing, no functional weather radar, no hail, and no true turbulence effects.

The entire weather system is lacking and desperately needs a complete overhaul, because all of these factors are essential parts of real aviation.

Please, pay attention on that and show us some love. This is important.

[Yuudai5178]

What is “Real TurbCAT”? Google doesn’t find it.

When FS 2020 was released they specifically said they didn’t want to add realism here because “players wouldn’t believe it’s realistic”. A stunning thing to say for a simulator but there it was. And people complain about light to moderate turbulence here so they are probably right.

Later on, it sounded like they were more interested in such realism but trying it now. I’ve had more turbulence flying around in clear weather in MSFS than when flying in a set of MSFS TCUs. It’s weird.

Active Sky makes it better but even at severe turbulence and all settings a maximum, it is not even “hard to control” let alone “uncontrollable”. If you stay below Va there is no drama. Even if you fly under Vno you’re unlikely to have issues. It is one area that X Plane can really shine in compared to MSFS.

The worst the sim seems capable of is no more than moderate bumps like flying on an average hot summer’s day. Very disappointing.

[stefanocosta]

@Yuudai5178

Real TurbCAT

It’s an addon. Search for REALTURB CAT AREAS GLOBAL V2 MSFS. It identifies where there are clouds and generates turbulence when crossing them, something that should be native to the simulator. The problem is that we don’t have anything yet that simulates icing and this addon seems to add the same amount of turbulence regardless of whether you are crossing a CB or a normal cumulus. But it’s something.

X-Plane really is much better in this regard. It’s a simulator where you really need to plan your flight according to the weather en route and need to avoid dangerous formations just like it’s done in real life. In MSFS 2020/2024, you can leave your plane in cruise, cross the biggest hurricane or the biggest CB in the world with anti-ice turned off and your flight will continue in the same way, flying level and straight without even shaking.

For me, this is one of the biggest priorities and what I most want to see in this simulator.

[n3bulaR8358]

It’s a shame! Significant improvements to the realism of live weather is the one thing I have hoped for in MSFS2024. But as it looks, might as well stay with 2020

You mentioned Active Sky. Is it better than Weather Force? The clouds in the promo screenshots for AS that I’ve seen look horrific. I’m almost traumatized by MS live weather volcanic ash clouds

[Yuudai5178]

Thanks, And, amen!
We have realism options, I don’t care if they call a “realistic” option “stupid and completely over the top realism” so that those that don’t believe can feel good about leaving it on a lesser setting. Just darn well let us have it!

I had such high hopes for it. Hopefully it is just a bug

[Yuudai5178]

Never tried weather force, I’ll have a look. Initial reviews weren’t very favorable.

I don’t really care what it looks like as long as a storm looks like a storm and I can get IFR to near minimums and the up/down drafts and turbulence are there. I think all products including Asobo’s do the first two. AS does the third and makes the fourth feel better.

I was a rec aviation flyer so never flew in or near a storm. Turbulence, had plenty of that! My expectations are based on real aircraft upset incidents and accidents. Of course, we can’t feel the effects so we lose a lot no matter what app we use.

[stefanocosta]

PMDG owner’s response to my question about icing

[Yuudai5178]

hahaha, poor ATR’s…

It sounds like weight is a reasonable compromise given the performance cost of trying to analyse the wing/engine shape to maybe make it more accurate. But now that 2024 has a much better modelling of wing/engine shapes, maybe it can come?

I had a nice flight under 100% cloud cover today. The turbulence felt by the A2A Comanche felt very believable. The one issue I had was trying to decide if I should fly at Ma. Measuring it is often based on feel… I flew at Ma for most of the trip because the aircraft was a lot easier to control. G’s were regularly around 1.2 and maxed out at 1.45, which was less than I thought it might have been.

[stefanocosta]

Thanks for sharing. Were you using the A2A Comanche only? Everything else is default?

[Yuudai5178]

Yeah, everything else default. I made a quick (and poor) video of the difference between Active Sky full and passive mode. Passive mode uses the default FS2024 visuals with AS winds and turbulence. Theoretically.

We can see that:

1. In this example, the turbulence model seemed pretty much the same between AS and FS 2024.
2. AS said vis was 10+ miles with light showers. That is certainly not what was displayed. FS 2024 was much closer to the description shown in AS.

Since my earlier flight in this region today, the clouds have gone up a couple of thousand feet at least and a lot more holes. Given the precipitation I saw in my earlier flight, that seems very reasonable.

This is just one example so we shouldn’t assume it is representative. One issue in Australia is that we have few METAR stations so apps like AS have to do some severe interpolation. Europe and US don’t have that issue.

One thing we lose with AS though is that in FS weather, I can see different weather in the distance. EG: It might be sunny here and rain just over there. We lose most of that in AS and Weather Force. And it is a cool feature.

In Australia at least, I think FS does a pretty good job in general. It’s just those limited up/down draught and turbulence affects that make me look elsewhere.

MSFS 2024 with Active Sky Weather

[lknfly1]

@stefanocosta thank you for this wish!

It concerns the only way for which I use msfs 2024. Of course the flight model/physics means a lot in general but what is the purpose if the bird flies in Live Weather where there is no “danger in the skies” no matter what if the METAR TAF provides unsafe weather conditions?

When msfs 2024 was released, I wait 48H before buying it, I didn’t read any comment about the lIve Weather and realism but issues for installing, lauching so that I had hope, certainly too much expectations based on advertisings, first I recalled that Asobo promised that thermals/up/downdraft turbulence in clouds will be implemented in SU 12 and nothing happened (of course) then I easily noticed that they were more focused on Arcade stuff as activities, races etc but my hope was based again on advertisings and especially one interview of Seb who said that the Live Weather was very optimised, he even mentionned the turbulence (I’ll share the video) …
Anyways what such a disappointment, big frustration, I felt screwed somehow when I realised that it is exactly the same missing realistic features in severe weather conditions, I even flew the C152 through TS… I was like WxxF!
I even though about political rethoric before election where politics try to attract the big number of voters by promising stuff that once they are elected they fiind an other rethoric to justify themselves for having not keeping their pormises and voters accept that again and so on…

msfs 2024 is definitely unrealistic in Live Weather, that kills the immersion totally! It’s just arcade philosophy however I couldn’t imagine that they won’t give their priorities to such crucial realistic features that were requested since 2020, four years so that shows that they don’t care at all about realism, it is just cosmetic and I hope I am wrong that based on the wish list they won’t pay attention to improve the live weather because they play numbers, see only 25 votes, it is a niche and they understood that.

They don’t care about harcord simmers/pilots even if they still claiming that msfs 2024 will satisfy everyone, just by checking the videos online it is the same rethoric copy/paste in 2020/2021/2022 and so on…

I hope I am wrong, really.

I installed the last updated of Real Turb, in France now it is very bad weather, impossible to fly GA in RL. LIke in XPlane 12 my C172 couldn’t handle the flight, I don’t expect that Real Turb will change a lot as it didn’t in msfs 2020, the dev does his best, I did update Active SKy as well, nothing helps at all, a little bit more turb in CB but you know, I don’t even talk about TS…

So far msfs 2024 is a pure deception and a disappointment!

Well, of course you have my vote!

[stefanocosta]

Thanks for the comment and vote!

Unfortunately, this type of topic really focused on simulation and realism always has a tiny number of votes compared to others. If I create a topic “please add a cup of coffee to the cockpit of the 737 Max with 1/3 of the cup full” it will get 400 votes. Unfortunately. I just hope they can speak out about this weather issue and release an update really focused on improving this.

Without a good weather simulation and physics, I’m sorry, but there is no simulator and no simulation.

[lknfly1]

@stefanocosta

If I create a topic “please add a cup of coffee to the cockpit of the 737 Max with 1/3 of the cup full” it will get 400 votes

Sadly that is so true! But let’s hope, last year with this king of topic we reached a certain number/votes (with time) and we have been heard by Asobo 3 years later but of course it was under investigation until today and nothing happened despite that it was mentioned several times in Q&A and see the same rethoric from Asobo, we plan to SU12 and blablabla…
Sure that this information doesn’t feed hopes but let’s hope anyways, no choice! Unless this game that is not a flight simulator yet will find its way in the trash, still have Xplane 12 to enjoy realism but we paid for msfs 2024 so that…

No good weather simulated and physics no simulator, I second that 100%

[stefanocosta]

We are already in 2024, I think it is time to have a minimally good weather simulation. If Asobo can’t do it, at least open the API so that other companies can do it. Not having clouds like CB in the simulator after 4 years is absurd. Clearly they are not focusing on that. Not even trying.

[stefanocosta]

Another company depending on Asobo to do something regarding the weather…

[Fornax4188]

Absolutely agree. Where is the cloud turbulence?

Tried the 172 into several severe CBs/storms.
Zero in-cloud turbulence! Absolutely no problems to take a balloon into CBs in 2024.

Sabastian have talked several times about the cloud density levels in 2024: been improved and that we will experience severe turbulence inside clouds, strong up-/downdrafts (didnt he say like up to 8000ft/min?), and the AC will be thrown violently around…

Where is it?

Give us a reson to avoid bad WX. Now/still clouds are just for looks.

Logged it as a bug: Still no in-cloud turbulence in live-WX (2024)

[AurumUsagi]

Seconded. We’ve held MS/Asobo to such high standards, yet here we are: still waiting for those improvements. This also links into the whole WXR debacle, since we’ve been waiting years for a better radar simulation to come to fruition, despite Jorg recently saying that tilt is now possible. Third parties are still being held back because they’re all waiting for the expansion of the weather engine. Come on, MS/Asobo, give us the weather depiction and WXR we all need and rightly deserve!

[taylorswift8111]

Sea shells are far more important than some weather, sighhhhhh

[OrLoK3D]

id like to see this implemented, Aircraft, especially light ones are far more “alive” in real life and the environment is part of that.

MSFS2020 and 2024 are great, but theres room for improvement, and is doable

[awemeter]

Here is a topic that I opened two years ago requesting improved icing physics. Improve icing physics on aircraft