I Feel Cheated...

[Nels_Anderson]

One of the most fun things to do with a flightsim helicopter is land on challenging spots. So, why are so many of them "broken"?

 

Here's a cruise ship, with a big "H" on the front...isn't that supposed to be a helipad? Let's check it out...

 

 

Down and landed...oh wait, I'm still several feet above the deck...

 

 

Come on Microsoft, if you're going to make something look like a helipad, make it properly landable...

 

 

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

So smooth it felt like you didn't even land, oh wait... 

I so agree, worse when you settle onto the helo spot, and the ship isn't even a landing surface, and you go right through the deck.

Nice pics though.

 

[kalizzi]

I don't have the MSFS 2020 (yet) but these graphics are eye candy and the composition of the shots is lovely too. This reminded me of me toying with landing a DC-3 on an aircraft carrier deck, after watching a documentary with footage of Doolittle's B-25s taking off the USS Hornet. Mercifully the deck was solid with my ancient FSX. 

 

 

 

 

[Nels_Anderson]

2 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

I so agree, worse when you settle onto the helo spot, and the ship isn't even a landing surface, and you go right through the deck.

 

 

Oh, don't get me started on that! I don't know if you can tell, but it's Gibraltar in the pictures. That's "The Rock" in the background. I tried to land on it, and fell right through

 

[jgf]

Lol, some things never change.  I found so many places i couldn't land in FS2004, including Governor's Island and an aircraft carrier.

[loki]

That does seem like something they should be able to automate through the AI scenery generation they're using from Blackshark.ai. At the very least turn any spot with an "H" symbol into a helipad. On the other hand, helicopters can land anywhere, so there really shouldn't be any limits other than things like whether it's water (if you don't have floats) or too steep of a slope etc.

[Nels_Anderson]

5 hours ago, loki said:

That does seem like something they should be able to automate through the AI scenery generation they're using from Blackshark.ai. At the very least turn any spot with an "H" symbol into a helipad. On the other hand, helicopters can land anywhere, so there really shouldn't be any limits other than things like whether it's water (if you don't have floats) or too steep of a slope etc.

 

That makes sense, the right software should be able to fix this on the scenery that is AI generated.

 

In this case, though, I've got to believe that the cruise ship deck I tried to land on was a hand-made scenery object, placed into its location as part of the world update for this area. As a custom made 3D object, it really should be standard that the physical (landable) edges should match the visible edges. This just seems like sloppy work by the 3D object designer.

[Buck Turgidson]

On 7/22/2023 at 9:01 AM, Nels_Anderson said:

One of the most fun things to do with a flightsim helicopter is land on challenging spots. So, why are so many of them "broken"?

 

 Mate, don't sweat the small stuff.  Except for Antarctica we can land in most parts of the globe with varying degree of accurate depiction.  Some are definitely better than others.  I like the 500E because the developer made the tail rotor particularly sensitive to strikes and those deck landings where you sink in the ship become crashes if the tail rotor hits the mushy deck.  This makes the practice better since you have to feel for the landing.

 

There are also some real gems like Gump's box of chocolates.  A hotel complex on the windward side of Bora Bora is one of those.  Tight dock with enough buoyancy to support the helo, just enough room for the skids, flag pole to port and plinth to starboard keeps your attention.  Great view over to Bloody Mary's.  I remember this area from before the hotel and it looks pretty good.

 

 

 

 

Then there is the random mountain top with varying degrees of support  on dirt, rock or snow.  Granted they are working on making the terrain more jagged but here are a couple pics near the 4 corners region with the skids sinking in.  It was a challenge to get the skids sort of level as you could feel the rocks underneath pivoting.  Look how the skids sink in and consider the programming to get the variable sink based on compressive value of soil, rock or snow.

 

[Nels_Anderson]

Looks like you've found some really cool landing spots. But I still find it frustrating that it's so hit and miss. And I really cannot excuse a custom made 3D object with a big "H" on it not being properly landable...there's really no excuse for that.