"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/28/2020 at 02:04 • Filed to: None
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"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
08/28/2020 at 02:04 • Filed to: None | 1
| 7 |
You’ve probably already heard of the Zibo 737 for X-plane. For those not familiar with it, it is a freeware aircraft that is sophisticated and complex enough to rival some of the 3-figure study-level add-ons that sell for various flightsims. As much as I like all of the complexity and accuracy that add-ons from companies like PMDG provide, I just couldn’t justify spending $100+ on one aircraft for a sim that I bought for less than $40. The Zibo 737 is an amazing product for X-Plane 11 and has really garnered a lot of positive attention, and lots of people were hoping that someone would do something like that for the new MSFS.
Screenshot: whatever...
Well, it’s already happening. I just downloaded this new aircraft after watching a YouTube video, but haven’t installed it yet; that’ll happen as soon as I post this. From what I’ve seen it’s well on its way to providing the accuracy and detail that the ha rd-core simmers are looking for. Most of my time has been spent in GA aircraft, but I did take the A320 out for a little flight the other day. Whilst it was nice that every button and switch seemed to be there in an incredible looking cockpit , it was extremely disappointing to see a vast majority of the functions listed as ‘inop’. This add-on, which I expect will be continually updated over the next several weeks/months/years , appears to go a long way to giving us sim geeks the type of thing we crave, and at the best possible price - free!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
08/28/2020 at 03:04 |
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I was actually just thinking about this earlier today. I think Microsoft’s gonna lock out the modders. Previous versions of MFS had huge communities of content creators with multiple websites for sharing. You could find and download pretty much any aircraft you could think of. Now? I dunno. The cockpit interiors are of such insane fidelity that I don’t think any amateur modeller will be able to come up with something that looks as good as the official content.
It’s one thing to match the quality when the graphics look like this:
but to match a cockpit where even the phillips screw heads are modelled? I think the modding “community” is going to dwindle down to just a few hardcore geeks willing to put in the work.
Look at this shit. They’ve even included grime buildup on the lip around the thumb button and flaking paint down below
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Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/28/2020 at 05:50 |
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Well, in the case of this particular mod, they are using the default aircraft but adding back the missing functionality, the stuff promised by all of the switches and controls that are present but not operational. For the average home gamer the default aircraft in its current state is probably fine, but for the hardcore simmer the simple nature of the aircraft is a bit of a let down. I’m sure Asobo didn’t want to make it too complex, and they were probably under time pressures as well, so the current state of it isn’t surprising.
I just can’t see Microsoft blocking modders - that would be the death knell for this program. As good as it is there is room for improvement, and the community will make it happen, as it always does. I remember signing up for CompuServe (remember them?) almost 30 years ago primarily for the flight sim community and files that could only be found on that service. Third party add-ons are already being released, but I see no reason why they should block non-retail changes. It’s the free market at work: if it’s a crap add-on it will either be modified or will die.
Remember Microsoft Flight? That was more game than sim and died before a community could spring up to support it. It was a cynical program at best, with the main focus be ing charging more for upgrades rather than replicating the flying experience and it died a much deserved death in short order. This new version, whilst appearing on the surface to provide everything you could want regarding scenery and aircraft still has plenty of room for improvement and they know it, hence the marketplace built right onto the program itself.
In its current form it’s acceptable for casual users, but for the hardcore types it’s just the beginning. Yes, the default aircraft are gorgeous to look at, but there’s nothing to say that a motivated individual or team cannot equal or improve upon the default aircraft. I’ve purchased or downloaded many aircraft over the years and those that suck are promptly tossed aside or just never used again . For years my go-to aircraft was a turbine Duke that was just fantastic and worth every cent. I’ve tried hundreds of aircraft, and many of them just end up being ignored; one that pissed me off was the Captain Sim C-130: I bought the full package, including the ‘J’ model, but was ticked off that it used their default C-130 cockpit. I spend most of my time flying from inside the aircraft, so I want the proper panel - the external views are secondary to the flight deck.
There are competitors out there, and if MS tries to stop mods people will move on, even if the competitors don’t look as pretty. I just did a simple LAX to SFO flight and was stunned at some of the shortcomings in the program as it exist now. Some are the typical newbie Airbus problems (I’ll take a bit of the heat hear since I am more accustomed to how automation works in Boeing aircraft), with lots of button pushing and knob twisting trying to figure out WTF it was doing and why it wasn’t doing what I expected, much like the crew of OZ214. And part of it was a lack of understanding on how things work in the real world, or just buggy. I spent years in commercial aviation ground handling, starting by tossing bags and working my way into management. Tonight’s flight had the following quirks:
1) I stopped the aircraft as per the marshaller on the ground, but then he just stood there giving me the signal to move forward even though I was in the right place according to his initial instructions. Engines were already off, and the program only gives you the option to hook up the pushback tractor for pushing back, not pulling you into the gate.
2) The program has me asking for ground services over the ground control frequency and not the intercom built into the aircraft. I had to wait for another flight to be given its pushback clearance and taxiing instructions before I could ask for the jet bridge - this is not how it works in the real world.
3) The jet bridge was 20 ft from the cabin door even though I was parked in the right spot. If it can’t reach the aircraft I have to wonder why they assigned me to that gate?
4) catering truck driving under the wing. You NEVER drive anything under the wing. We once had a guy take a shortcut and attempt to
drive a tailstand under the wing of a 747 we were about to push back, destroying the leading edge;
needless to say that was a very expensive fuckup, one that nearly killed the guy (if he wasn’t morbidly obese the steering wheel shafts
probably would have punctured his chest).
I’m sure that there were more issues, but hopefully some third-party will find a way to make this stuff work correctly, just like we need improved ATC. When you’re trying to replicate the real world these oversights and flaws really take you out of the experience.
Jetstreamer
> Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
08/28/2020 at 06:13 |
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More add-ons will be coming, it is just a matter of time. PMDG have already shown work in progress screenshots of their 737 and I’m sure other devs will either convert or rework their popular in-depth addons to MSFS.
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Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
> Jetstreamer
08/28/2020 at 06:33 |
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I know that they will eventually get here. I’m just happy to see a free third-party upgrade coming out just a week after release of the main program, something that implements the much-needed complexity that the hard-core simmer wants.
For Sweden
> Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
08/28/2020 at 09:04 |
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The modders will b e fine
Never underestimate the time, resources , caffeine , and borderline madness in the modder community
bhtooefr
> Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
08/28/2020 at 17:40 |
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Honestly the thing that I find the most annoying about FS2020, of all the bugs...
The jets are utterly broken. And by “utterly broken”, I mean, ridiculously overpowered.
Hopefully mods like this fix the engine power.
Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
> Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
08/29/2020 at 21:47 |
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Dunno, man. After 8k or so hours in airliner cockpits, having a ton of shit “inop” sounds like peak realism to me.