OK, I installed it! -- Now, Some Preliminary Questions

[Mac6737]

In an earlier thread, I asked if my specs "could run this puppy" (received as a birthday present contrary to my preferences!). Two grizzled veterans said I could, and so I DLed and installed it. I must say, the graphics are astonishing. OTOH, there is indeed a steep learning curve, made steeper (unnecessarily, IMO) by the fact that most of the key strokes I've been using in FSX and P3D for at least the past 25 years are inoperative. (Why, oh why, can "P" not PAUSE the damn thing?)

 

The pdf "manual" touted elsewhere on this forum I find close to useless -- lots of pretty pictures, lots of needless info for new users (e.g., a history of MS flight simulation). Far more useful are some of the YouTube submissions, like this series:

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=flight+simulator+2020+manual

 

But after 2 days (and even a few successful landings), I have these preliminary Qs:

 

1. There seems to be no way to display your FPS on the screen, and the YouTube guy says you should DL "MSI Afterburner." (I have done so, but have NO idea how or where to install it.) Is there really no way to display FPS in the program?

 

2. How, if at all, can I program the POV hat on the joystick to look around? (I have found out how to use right-click mouse for this, but who wants to do that all the time?)

 

3. The YouTube guy says you PAUSE with the "Pause/Break key." Yep, it's there, alright, next to "Scroll Lock." But it doesn't work, at least not for me. Any ideas on simply freezing my screen, short of ESC and exiting the scenario? And yes, I've tried to map the P key. That didn't work either. (Unlike the joystick controls, there seems to be no "Validate" button for the keyboard assignments.)

 

That's all for now. I suspect I and others will be back here a lot. But the graphics may make it all worthwhile.

 

Thanks all,

 

Mac6737

[Stevemill]

Use the freeversion of FRAPS for fps. Despite what the download page says it works fine on W10. AS FAR AS i can tell ACTIVE PAUSE is of limited utility online as the plane might stop in the air but its attitude and state continues. I would just stabilise the attitude use the autopilot to hold heading and altitude While you do whatever you beed to do.

 

A small youtuber called Bevo Devo or maybe Devo Bevo has done 2 vids that IMHO are the clearest guide to autopilot VFR and ILR.

 

Hope that helps.

[g7rta]

The sim will actually display the FPS itself, although it means first enabling developer mode.

 

A simpler way is to simply press “Win+G” and select the performance tab :)

 

Regards

Steve

[W2DR]

I agree with the FRAPS recommendation. It is, IMNSHO, absolutely the best way to go. You can get it here: https://fraps.com/ ..........Doug

[FlyerDoc]

The POV hat can be set up on the Options/Controls page. Go to your yoke profile, hover the mouse over the profile name. The long list of setting categories will appear. In the far left column make sure that under Filter you select 'All'. Below that, press to 'collapse' the tree structure of the profile settings. Select Camera/Cockpit Camera. Scroll down to find the sequence of settings starting with 'Cockpit Look Down', but NOT the 'Cockpit Look Down (Lockable)' option. For each of the directions to 'look' select the left-hand of the two columns that are to the right of the action column. Then either: select the top option (search) and press the POV hat in a downward direction, or: Select an Input and choose the obvious one. Then click Validate. Do this for each of the eight directions to look.

 

All vaguely intuitive, but nevertheless part of the learning curve we're all trying to climb!

[Mac6737]

The POV hat can be set up on the Options/Controls page. Go to your yoke profile, hover the mouse over the profile name. The long list of setting categories will appear. In the far left column make sure that under Filter you select 'All'. Below that, press to 'collapse' the tree structure of the profile settings. Select Camera/Cockpit Camera. Scroll down to find the sequence of settings starting with 'Cockpit Look Down', but NOT the 'Cockpit Look Down (Lockable)' option. For each of the directions to 'look' select the left-hand of the two columns that are to the right of the action column. Then either: select the top option (search) and press the POV hat in a downward direction, or: Select an Input and choose the obvious one. Then click Validate. Do this for each of the eight directions to look.

 

All vaguely intuitive, but nevertheless part of the learning curve we're all trying to climb!

 

OMG! I am 80 effing years old. But I shall persist.

[Mac6737]

The sim will actually display the FPS itself, although it means first enabling developer mode.

 

A simpler way is to simply press “Win+G” and select the performance tab :)

 

Regards

Steve

 

Yes, simpler. But (1) it darkens the screen a couple f-stops, and (2) it displays the term "FPS," but without a NUMBER!

 

(I haven't tried developer mode -- above my pay grade.)

 

Mac6737

[FrankR409]

Yes, simpler. But (1) it darkens the screen a couple f-stops, and (2) it displays the term "FPS," but without a NUMBER!

 

(I haven't tried developer mode -- above my pay grade.)

 

Mac6737

 

After you press win + G just click on the screen, it will restore the screen, and display a number for FPS.

[chicagorandy]

the more I read these type threads on the complexity of this new & improved flight sim game, the happier I am that I use FSX-SE.

[davidc2]

MSI Afterburner is for overclocking your GPU

[amahran]

the more I read these type threads on the complexity of this new & improved flight sim game, the happier I am that I use FSX-SE.

 

Eh...the learning curve is just a standard learning curve from using any program. Just like playing any game. I mean any first person shooter has WASD controls to move, but all other key bindings will vary from game to game. Flight Simulators aren't very different in that regard.

[KiloWatt]

Hey Dave,

 

Quite apart from overclocking the GPU, MSI Afterburner can actually show a couple of neat and useful metrics. Including: Instantaneous FPS (as the OP correctly mentions), 1% FPS, 0.1%FPS, GPU usage, CPU usage (overall or per logical processor), VRAM usage, RAM usage, fan speed, temperatures, users blood type, Beyonce's current mood, etc...

 

You go to: settings, monitoring tab, click the check mark next to the metric you want to see, then select the check box called "show in on screen display". Now just configure the toggle key in the "on screen display" tab (also in settings) and you're off to the races! It's super useful.

[zswobbie1]

I think, that if you consider MSFS a totally new sim & not an update or upgrade to any sim, with a whole new infrastructure, it will be easier to learn. Yes, things are in different places. A whole new learning curve indeed.

 

The more you use it, the more muscle memory will take over.