First of all let me say, this simulator looks absolutely beautifull. Yes, there are lot’s of scenery bugs and issues. But overall it looks so much better then everything else, i can somehow forgive the issues related to scenery. The performance seems to be all over the place for the moment now but most of the time i get a descent frame rate. I’m on a 1080ti - i7 7700k - 32Gb 3200 ddr4 - sim installed on own ssd. I get around 40fps on average. go’s as low as 20fps with the 787 at busy handcrafted airport (EHAM for example) To well over 60fps in a cessna somewhere on an remote island.
that said, I’d like to talk about the actual flying. Because that’s the most important part if you’d ask me.
There seem to be a big difference in flying experience between GA planes and airliners. While the GA planes feel really convincing, the airliners feel terrible.
First, i’d like to mention that the sensitivity’s of the controls are really horrible. I’m on a simple thrustmaster hotas joystick (thrustmaster t flight hotas x) and i’m unable to find descent settings that allow me precicion control over the aircrafts. When i put my axis sensitivity curves to 0, It requires very little input to pitch up/down left/right. It’s impossible to make a smooth flight like this. So i tried lowering the sensitivity and found that between -60 and -80 i was able to make smooth and small corrections. The problem now is however, that i’m unable to make bigger movements because the sensitivity curve go’s from almost flat to very steep in no time.
example: cessna 208 i can easily make a smooth take off, But when retracting flaps. I have to pull on the stick. But i have to pull so much that it go’s to the steep side of the curve so it becomes very sensitive all of the sudden. That makes for a very jerky flight. (i hope this all makes sense)
It’s very different from aircraft to aircraft. Most of the GA aircraft i’m able to fly okay, but that’s only when flying with little corrections. Trying to stall an aircraft of make some steep turns i always struggle to keep it smooth and not jerky.
So now let’s talk about the airliners/jets.
What - a - mess.
I haven’t had a single flight (during alpha, beta, and release) where everything went how it suposed to go. These planes are completely broken still. The autopilot problems may be fixed, The flight models and performance are still really bad.
Let’s talk about take off first. All the jet’s are overpowered. Even with full load they just go like rockets. it’s v1 - vr - and flaps up and back to idle before v2 or you’re going 300knots overspeeding. I mean, they tested this with REAL pilots and they were okay with that? So maybe i’m doing something wrong? I don’t know but i’ve never experienced these kind of trouble with other flight sims. I can take of with 50% N1 and still i need to be carefull to not overspeed during takoff. Also vertical speed are insane. 8000 fpm directly after positive rate is not uncommon. I don’t know why this is happening and if this is how airliners behave in real life and it’s just me doing things wrong, But that would also mean that any other flight sim is incorrect.
Then there’s the trim settings on takeoff. So when rolling to vR. most of the aircraft start rotating allready at 80kts or 100kts. So easy fix would be setting the correct take off trim. So i do that. And the plane stays on the ground till VR. But the problem is. When i pull back to rotate it won’t let me rotate smooth. It feels like i first have to fight the negative trim. Then i have to pull more before it will actually pitch up. and then waaaaay over VR speeds it finally go’s airborne. And now we’re flying a rocket. Ofcourse this also has to do with the control sensitivity.
But okay, we made it to the sky’s. Thrust is set to idle to not overspeed. Autothrust is armed. AP is on with vs and alt set. heading is set (let’s pretend we’re not flying an flightplan) So the autopilot is stabilizing the aircraft. Speeds are getting normal again and finally everything is smooth. From here on most of the autopilot systems seem to be fixed. Works as expected so that’s good. BUT: It’s so freaking aggresive. flying 200kts and setting speed to 220kts the autothrust go’s full throttle, go’s well over 220kts. Back to idle. everyone in the back had a heartattack for sure. Anyway we continue our pattern to circle back to the airport and intercept ils. All gp’s well. intercept is going great. Follows the glide slope and loc. Time to dissengage so flying manually now.
Here’s the biggest problem: Ground effect. I really love the fact that this is replicated in the sim. But it’s so bad, that it completely ruins the experience. So we’re comming in for touch down. 50,40,30,20 we pull back to idle, 10 we start our flare and BOOM back to the sky with 1000fpm. Why? How can the plane start climbing again while flying low speed with full flaps and throttle back to idle. Yeah sure they tested with real world pilots. Now whoever those pilots may be, I hope to never have to fly with them.
It’s like the plane have no weight at all.
But okay… after floating above the runway for a few miles the aircraft finally starts to come down (at stall speed haha)
But seriously, It’s really bad.
Anyway. I thought i’d take some time to write a review. But seeing how much i wrote allready i think there’s no point of writing more. There are soo many bugs/faults/wrongs at this moment. it’s impossible to adress them all in one post.
And ofcourse there’s nothing wrong with a few bugs on release. And i get that for asobo this is just the “beginning”. But this beginning cost me (and thousands of others) 120 euros. So it should be at least enjoyable and working.
I’m flying most of the time with the GA planes now. Because they seem to be alot better. Bit bummed i spend the extra because i really love the 787 in real life. But the sim completely ruined the airliners.
Conclusion: It’s a simulator still in early alpha/beta. I’m not gonna call it an arcade because there is alot of stuff simulated in depth. It’s just not finished. It’s not the beginning. It’s month’s and month’s before “the beginning”. I also don’t like the statements like: “We tested with real world pilots” Or “these are bugs and being worked on”… It’s to late for that. And no real world pilot is gonna say: “yeah my plane also go’s from 0 - 300 like that with 50%ng in a 6000fpm climb. That’s absolutely normal”
So, i know i’m gonna get alot of comments saying, Yeah but every new game comes with bugs and issues. And it’s a simulator so it’s super complicated and maybe you’re doing it all wrong. Or: give them some time and it will be better.
Well, they should have give themselfs some more time before releasing it and let thousands of people spend alot of money for an alpha product. No one expected this to be out so early. So they could easily spend a couple of month’s more on development without people even complaining about it.
Good day everyone! I hope this doesn’t sound to negative. Because there’s also alot of good things about this sim