December 24, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
Just a short message to wish all my wonderful readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 2024 has been an exciting year in both the world of simulation gaming as well as in my own personal life. Looking back, it’s hard to believe the major feat my wife and I completed with the move to Texas. Buying the new house, selling the old house and the whole out-of-state moving process was both a challenge and exciting endeavor that neither of us are wishing to repeat anytime soon.
I’m taking the next couple of weeks to just chill and relax and enjoy simulation gaming. I have a lot to catch up on since both Farming Simulator 25 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 have released in the past month or so and I’ve only had a few hours here and there to enjoy. Needless to say, both of these new titles have been exciting and challenge which I hope to discuss in the new year.
So until then….and once again, I do sincerely wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you have some spare time to enjoy your favorite sim game and also spend quality time with family and friends.
Goodbye 2024 and hello 2025.
Jerry
December 17, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
We’re quickly closing in on having completed our first full month of living in Texas and in our new home. We’ve been steadily unpacking and organizing the best we can over the past few weeks and while I wish I could say all the boxes are unpacked and everything is done, it just simply isn’t the case. But the vast majority is done and we’re OK with that.
Most likely we will have boxes in the garage and a few unpacked boxes in the closets for a few months. This is just the way it goes when undertaking a large move like this. We could stress over this, but life is too short to worry about the little things and like I said, we’re OK with the progress we’ve made.
Unfortunately a lot of my time the past few weeks have been dealing with my dad. Since we’ve been in Texas (just 4 weeks now) he’s been in and out of the hospital several times. But this is one of the many reasons why we moved when we did and I’ll try to spend as much time as I can with him as I never know when it might be the last.
All-in-all we’re very happy here. The weather has been amazing with day-time high temps in the upper 70’s. The grass has stopped growing and a few weeks ago I put down some winter formula fertilizer. Hopefully we’ll have some moisture in the spring and the grass will come back nice and green.
I did manage to unpack all my gaming gear and have spent some free time flying and farming. I’ll have an update on my impressions of Farming Simulator 25 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in the new year.
As Christmas is quickly approaching, this most likely will be my last blog posting in 2024. I look forward to the new year and writing more about simulation gaming for all you to read. Until then, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!
Thanks for reading! I’ll return soon in the new year.
Jerry
December 10, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
To my knowledge, or at least what I can remember…this is the first reader email I’ve received from someone who has been playing MSFS 2020 on the console platform. Isaac is asking a very good question and one I have a few opinions. Let’s dive into his email.
Hello Jerry! My name is Isaac and I’ve recently found your blog and enjoy reading your content regarding Microsoft Flight Simulator. For the past few years I’ve been enjoying MSFS on the Xbox. As I was brand new to flight sim I honestly didn’t know what I might be missing out on between the Xbox and PC platforms. I’m seriously considering purchasing a PC to take advantage of things like the VATSIM network. Do you have any advice for me with regards to just what type of a PC to buy and anything else I’ll need to know? Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you. Isaac
Isaac, first off….thank you for your email. I think you might be the very first Xbox console user to reach out to me. Unfortunately, as I’m a PC based MSFS user, the content I write about is mostly geared towards PC users. I don’t own a gaming console and the only games I do play (other than MSFS) are all PC based as well. But you are right, there are limitations which do prevent you from truly taking your flight simulation experience to the next level with the Xbox platform and you’ve mentioned one very important one with regards to the VATSIM network.
Unfortunately, with the limitations of the Xbox platform restricting some 3rd party applications I don’t ever see platform users being able to take advantage of the VATSIM, IVAO or other similar multi-player networks. So if this is something that is important to you in the future, then the only way to make that happen is to move to the PC version. But of course, this will come at an added expense and you are the only one that can justify if that expense is worth it.
As for a PC, I would build or buy the most powerful PC which your budget will allow. I would thoroughly research the published minimum system requirements for MSFS 2024 and get as close as you can to the “Ideal” Spec and certainly meet or exceed the “Recommended” spec. I would advise not trying to build or buy for just the “Min” spec. (See below for the current MSFS 2024 Specs as published by Microsoft).
When I build a new PC, I always try to build it based on the most powerful systems specs I can obtain. This isn’t always possible due to budget restraints, but the more powerful you can build/buy today the better off you’ll be in the long run. When I built my current gaming machine last summer, I made sure it would last me at least 5 years and I’m so glad I did, because it should run MSFS 2024 without any issues.
The other consideration you’ll need to think about is the repurchase of any add-ons. While this isn’t an issue for those of us on PC as most everything purchased for MSFS 2020 will be made available for MSFS 2024 at no cost. But for example, If you purchased the PMDG 737 for Xbox, most likely you’ll need to purchase it again for the PC platform. So these things can add up quickly.
But you’re absolutely correct, the PC platform is much more robust when it comes to things like the VATSIM network and participation in Virtual Airlines. But when the rubber hits the road, the decision to buy a PC and make the move from XBox to PC is going to come down to your own budget.
Best of luck to anyone who is compilating this move. If there is anything I can assist with once you make the move to PC, then please contact me.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
December 3, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
If you’ve been around the flight simulation community more than a day or two, you’ve probably heard or read someone reference “The ABCD, XYZ aircraft is study-level or is of study-level quality”. But what exactly does the term “Study-Level” mean when it comes to our home based simulators?
A Little History
I first heard the term “Study-Level” somewhat late in my use of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 or what can be referred to as FS9 (circa 2005/06. The term really took hold during the early FSX days and continued to be a popular term throughout the life of P3D. 3rd party aircraft developers like PMDG, FSLabs, Majestic, A2A, Level-D (B767), QualityWings and Leonardo are a few that come to mind who developed study-level aircraft for the home simulator.
Overused Term
There are many in the community who feel the term “Study-Level” is misused and/or certainly overused to describe 3rd party add-on aircraft. Their argument, is the only way to truly experience a true study-level simulator aircraft is to experience a full “Level-D”, high-end simulator such as the airlines use to train pilots. While I understand their position on the matter, I do believe it’s OK for us home simulator enthusiasts to use the term.
What Makes a Study-Level Add-on Aircraft
In my opinion and I know others will agree with me, there are a list of areas which if developed into a 3rd party add-on aircraft will make it study-level quality. This list would consist of High-Fidelity Flight Dynamics, Accurate Flightdeck Replication, Complex Systems Modeling, Realistic Avionics, Accurate Aircraft Performance, Detailed Engine Modeling, Accurate and Interactive Checklists/Procedures, Enhanced/Accurate Sound modeling, Failure and Damage modeling.
I think it’s near impossible for any 3rd party developer to meet 100% of each of these above mentioned items outside of a true Level-D simulator. But most who are actively developing study-level aircraft for home based simulators meet these areas within a 90% threshold just fine.
Study-Level Aircraft for MSFS
Before I list some current aircraft developers who produce study-level aircraft for MSFS, allow me to state what is NOT study-level. Default aircraft, and NOTHING from CaptainSim. Yes, I’m still a CaptainSim hater.
Here’s my short-list of 3rd party aircraft that lives up to the standard to be called study-level and are available or planned to be available for MSFS. PMDG, Fenix, A2A, Bluebird Simulations (757), Leonardo, Horizon Sim and Kuro mods of the default Dreamliner comprise the majority of the study-level aircraft that either are currently available for MSFS or soon have plans to be available. I would probably also throw iniBuilds and the team behind the FlybyWire A320 project in this list as well.
More about my own history with study-level aircraft
As I stated at the top of this article, I really became intimately familiar with study-level aircraft back in the FSX days. There was a time in my sim experience that I didn’t feel comfortable and didn’t truly understand the complexities of those early aircraft. But my first foray into a study-level aircraft was with the Level-D Boeing 767. It quickly became my “go-to” aircraft of choice and I took the necessary time to learn the systems and she was a joy to fly. Then came the PMDG 737, QualityWings 757. I soon became somewhat of a study-level snob and would only ever fly these types of aircraft. Today we are truly blessed with so many choices for MSFS in the study-level category with many more on the horizon. While each take a level of effort to learn and truly understand before ever attempting to fly them, I look to these developers as true quality in their overall craftmanship and dependability in the sim. With a few exceptions in the GA or general aviation category, the only airliners I will use are those who produce a study-level aircraft.
If you are new to the world of flight simulation and you are just fed up with the default aircraft or have made the mistake of falling for a CaptainScam aircraft….divert your hard-earned money towards those I mentioned above as you will not be disappointed.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
