MSFS2020 is an amazing sim in the visual sense, and most would agree that its visuals are its strongest feature. I can say that quite confidently because most other features- flight models, ATC, IFR functions, etc. are not really much better or more realistic than past sims. I am one of those avid sim users who has had every version of MSFS since day one. I had countless hours with FS2004, enjoying the airliners even if they didn’t have real world startup procedures and systems. The ATC gave usable directions, and it was easy to dial in ILS frequencies and follow flight plans.They were fun and still a bit of a learning curve…just enough to satisfy. Now we have mind blowing visuals, yet I don’t enjoy the flights as much. Why? Because the FS2020 cockpits hide so much of it. When I want to really look around or get a good view of a runway I’m approaching I find myself continually going to external view. In FS2004/FSX I could do all this from the cockpit. If the panel or cowl was in the way I could change the seat angle/height or just hit “W” and see the same perspective with nothing blocking the scenery. No matter how much you play with the camera views (and you have to do it for every aircraft instead of globally) you can’t get that “W” key perspective and you can’t “look over” the panels. (The space bar gives you a little better view but then you can’t see your gauges- defeating the purpose). So I find the planes less enjoyable to fly. When I click on the heading selector or alt knob the cockpit bounces or moves and the cursor is no longer positioned to continue adjusting the knob. Yes, I can hit a new view and see the gauges close up but now there is no scenery- I am flying blind while adjusting things. What this all leads to is a bunch of aircraft that look wonderful, scenery that in mind boggling, but a flight that is just not as satisfying or “user friendly”. The moving, bouncing cockpit is a major drawback as far as user interface. The obscured scenery while in the 3d cockpit, unless you zoom way out which really makes accessing controls impossible, negates the ability to both fly AND enjoy the new scenery.
So, until 2D cockpits, or user friendly 3D cockpits, and a way to hide the cockpit altogether (or move it to a separate monitor), becomes a part of this sim, I find that it is only a visually stunning game, not a true successor to the lineage of past MS flight sims.
I know there are many threads about hiding the panel, incorporating 2D panels, multi monitor support, etc. I just wanted to kind of sum up what I think many users find so frustrating about this beautiful creation. We have this amazing scenery but so often we can’t enjoy it from the cockpit.
I’m always fiddling with the cockpit view, trying to find the right balance. I also get frustrated with the control dial bouncing out from under my cursor when rotating.
I have tried SmoothTrack and sometimes it’s better, and sometimes my neck gets sore from craning my head up and down. Right now I’ve stopped using it to try it the default views again. We’ll see if I switch back.
So, I get it. I spend a lot of time in external views to relax
After just finishing a flight full of turbulance i can only agree,gets very frustrating,kind of miss the old pop up panel windows where you would make your changes and close the window,fiddle free,rather than accidentally zooming in and out on the dash as the cursor slips off the knobs.Probably not realistic enough for many i guess but the option would be nice.Maybe im double left handed LOL.Otherwise im generally really happy with the sim.
Use the up down left and right arrow keys + mouse wheel for zoom, set the cockpit where you want your view, then press CTRL + ’ (or maybe it was S) to save the cockpit position, and it will always return to that perception when loading the aircraft. (search for save in the keyboard config and you’ll find the right bind to save the view)
This is the view I have saved in for the cockpit in the 208 :
Hit spacebar and you’ll get an elevated view over the dash and even the cowl. I hit reset view on my joystick and I’m back to a normal instruments view. I use this all the time on Approach.
You do know each a/c has between 5 to 10 preset toggle views. These that take your view directly to that area zoomed in a little and without any camera shake.
You can also set up a customized view quickly and easily.
Of course I know how to save views, etc. But even using arrow keys and zooming, you can’t adjust the “angle” like the old Enter or Backspace keys did in past sims so you could “look over” the cockpit. Those suggestions do help, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t quite match the flexibility of the old system. Plus, do you really want to completely lose the outside view while just seeing a part of the cockpit, as in ccrbc’s suggestion? It just isn’t the same and it makes it difficult. If I was asking too much of the developers I would accept the workarounds but, if it worked so well in past MS flight sims, why can’t they figure out a way to do it as well (or better) in FS2020?
If you were in a real cockpit in a real aircraft, would you have to sacrifice the outside view when adjusting your autoplilot functions? Would you have to choose between seeing your whole panel or the runway
(space bar in FS2020)? Surely they can do better. Or they should have.
I have hopes for the future but it’s been a year and still no better options. Here’s hoping…
I’ve just recently got the SmoothTrack iOS app (£8.99 and available on Android) and installed OpenTrack (free). This has added to the realism and allowed me to move around the cockpit more naturally. Not sure if this an option for you.
I´ve positioned one user camera in front of the cockpit outside the plane. thats the view i fly the most time. panels and glass cockpits i have placed on aditional monitors as far as its possible at the moment
