Since SU12 I would say the weather has improved, but is still missing thunderstorms and the vertical representation of those clouds in live weather. As an example over the last few weeks the USA has had numerous rounds of severe weather that has pushed through the central US and into the east coast. Not only squall lines, but individual super cells. From a distance I have seen live weather trying to render those, but when you get close to them they turn into two layers of overcast or just disappear. Some of this tunderstorm activity has been on the satellite imagery for 15 hours or more with thunderstorm activity stretching in a line from Michigan to Arkansas. I can’t believe MeteoBlue and the Sim can’t integrate this better than what it’s currently doing. The high altitude weather needs improvement along with thunderstorm integration. Are they working on this or has this just gone by the wayside? It just ends up being immersion breaking and a let down…lol
Yes, my general impression from recent communication from Asobo is that they are by no means done making improvements to the weather. If there are specific things where the sim isn’t up to snuff it’s probably more productive to be in the right subforum; venting in general isn’t achieving much except the venting: Weather & Live Weather - Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums
Ok thanks.
Personally, I feel the more places they are confronted with posts about weather depiction, the better. We’ve been trying to get improvements now for what feels like years. So many people seem totally satisified with the current weather depiction that I doubt it will change.
Yes,I am not sure the majority of users of this sim fly above 18,0000 feet regularly. I think a lot of people fly down low where the weather depiction is pretty good, much better than the weather depiction above FL180. Obviously, there is the group that fly airliners, and private jets, but I think John Q Public is more into taking the C172 out for a spin and therefore thinks the weather depiction is pretty good. The METAR is accurate, the clouds down low are generally good, the winds and temps are correct combined with great scenery and who’s going to complain? I just don’t think it seems to be a priority to improve the high altitude weather. We need better thunderstorm depiction, lightning, better high altitude clouds, better frontal weather depiction, and improved cloud appearance from the high altitudes. Just don’t think it’s a priority and think it will be years before that improves if ever. They don’t even mention it, it doesn’t appear to be on their “radar”.
I fly the C172 99.9% of the time and I fly at less than 8500 feet almost entirely but that doesnt mean I don’t want or care about a realistic flying environment. You might want to rethink disparaging C172 pilots (sim pilot). But its all good.
P.S.: I wonder why the moderators moved this post out of general discussion but not the one where a guy calls the Asobo team a joke?
I am not disparaging C172 pilots, I learned to fly in a C172 in 1989. I have many hours in the real airplane before moving on to professional airline flying. All I was saying is that with the millions of people using this sim most are flying general aviation airplanes. There are more of those available to fly than any jets or airliners for a good reason. This is supposed to be fun and it is, I would just like to see some significant weather improvements for the upper flight levels as it pertains to clouds, thunderstorms, etc. By no means does it have to be perfect but with the capabilities of this sim it’s not anywhere near where it could be today, and I feel the focus on that has been abandoned.
P.S. :Not sure why they moved it…go figure.
I second that 100%! Tks to bring that out… Same for the “crual” absence of convectives and especially downdrafts in CB!
Some users, pilots and passionate simmers who “beg” for more realism did a great job by spending hours of testing in this aera (TS, CB, Thermals, Icing Conditions) maybe you can take a look to the links below, you’ll see that you’re not isolated hh … since a while we tried to be loud about those crucial issues, also about thermals that are still a way too simplist ( some glider pilots and simmers did also very good investigations about this very important matter)
Asobo seemed to be aware about the missing realitstic features in the weather and we were full of expectations for the Live Weather. They did mention some of these issues in old Q&A and even said in the last one that vertical winds could be dangerous. Months ago it was “under investigation” in the road map, based on votes that we raised but at the end of the day, after SU12 nothing, unfortunately it seems abondonned… or ? I don’t know.
Let’s still hope, however I’m a little bit worried based on the fact that the “realisitc mode” is just “Cosmetic Mode” the CB: a joke in terms of realism (not a single turbulence linked to the clouds as it was well explained with details by another user)
As it was just recalled a few days ago it’s hard to believe that we had turbulence in clouds at the begining of msfs, it was a first step to move forward for the Sacrosanct Realism but too many complaints landed as “overdone!!!”, it even became “emotional” if you ever posted in return that TS in the real skies is already overdone made by Mother Nature. Anyway now we just don’t have any up/downdraft, any convective based on CB density and the absence of severe icing conditions in cells or in specific weather conditions and so on… (even the effect of icing on the envelop of the airplane has been removed, same it was not perfect at the begining but it was implemented! Currently you can fly straight on into a storm full of snow, Pitot on OFF and no problem, all good in “Realistic Mode”. Hard to figure it out what means “realistic” then?!
Therefore in this way I doubt about the implementation of TS in msfs soon including its danger that could be encountered by flying a C172 or a B777 into those lethal weather conditions which are represented on MeteoBlue yet! To make it happens it should have been on the top of the wish-list and it’s not the case at all.
The Devs did a great creative job about visual and performances step by step, it’s even amazing definitly! But what about the cornerstone in aviation: the weather, I don’t get it? … After 3 years there’s still no need to make a C172 VFR flight plan based on METAR/TAF like we do in RL or even in XPlane… in SU12 severe weather conditions finally don’t obligate us to avoid dark cells,CB, TS (TS in previous SU) just because msfs is way too friendly, too casual in severe weather conditons as we can still fly a C152 in any kind of bad skies, unfortunately.
How fun and challenging it could be for beginners, even for kids, for any simmers, pilots, former pilots, grounded ones who choose to fly in “Realistic Mode” in order to care about the weather in msfs, to care about it like a lunatic friend who can change his mood from nice to severe “conditions”!!!
It will be the best sim ever for the best of immersion ever, the potential is here yet however is it on the Asobo wish-list? if they decide to add or to remove stuff based on the users wish-list? Or will they get back to what they claimed at the begining: as the best Engine Weather released in Flight Simulation including phenomena?
It was 3 years ago…
That’s the one billlion question. 