cobalt

I just have to disagree. There is no need to spend $4800 to achieve great performance in MSFS, as I described earlier. It IS overkill.

This system is similar to mine, purchased in August (Aurora R11 with an RTX2080 graphics card, 32GB of RAM, and an i7 10700F Intel Core) and MSFS runs very well with graphics settings all on ULTRA. The cost was just over $2000 before taxes, ordered from Dell via Amazon. Although the system you describe is a bit more powerful, I cannot imagine that it is worth all that extra cost -- $4800 sounds ridiculous to me. This looks like overkill, for sure.

This one is excellent: flightsim.to/file/1572/msfs-addons-linker

Just trying to help, and I agree with you -- the wait times are unnecessary, as I said earlier.

I am certainly not an expert, but if your community folder is empty and you are still experiencing unreasonable load times, it seems there is a problem with your installation of MSFS. This should not be happening.

Correct -- they ARE unnecessary. As many of us have pointed out repeatedly in this and other forums, use an addon manager, several of which are available as freeware. Problem solved, assuming you can tolerate a 1 or 2 minute load time.

Use Addon Manager, which is very easy to use and allows you to load into Community folder only those files needed for a particular flying session. In my experience this reduces load time to 1-2 minutes. Also, with Addon Manager I have tons of files organized in an efficient way, making life a lot simpler.

Who cares, really? Let those who prefer to stick with older sims do their thing (FS 98, anyone?), and the rest of us will move on. This discussion has about run its course, hopefully.

The problems occur even with new mods, eg. the Greenland package and Stuttgart, Germany (EDDS). As I mentioned, it's not just the runways -- the airport locations do not show up in the MSFS world map or search tool, even though they are in the data base (as shown by the fact they they appear in the VFR map and Little Nav Map). It must be something about my settings but I have no idea what it could be. I should repeat that I am talking about new addon airports, i.e. ones that were omitted by MSFS (e.g. EDDS).

Tim, I am having problems with addon airports not showing up properly in MSFS. Typically, the buildings are there, but no runways! Also the ICAO codes do not appear in the airport search function, nor do the airports show up in the world map. However, this info DOES appear in the VFR map application addon and also in Little Nav Map. Any ideas?

Good idea. I will try it in a 747 in fog -- more challenging.

Update, weeks later: the problem is solved, evidently via an update at some point. The detailed KSFO now works for me -- no CTD!

It already is, for me.

The analogy to buying a car vs. a flight sim program is not valid. Cars are not designed as projects to be refined and improved over time. There has never been a flight sim that was perfect and complete on launch, and likely never will be. This is true in part because computing and data-managing technologies are continuously changing, but also because individual computer systems, as well as the computer skills, level of experience, and priorities of flight simmers vary so widely. It is very clear from this and other forums that, while MSFS certainly has its bugs, many -- not all, but many-- issues that come up have arisen because of the considerable differences between this new sim and its predecessors and the resulting learning curve. After many years of experience with FS9 and FSX I have had to learn to fly all over again with a whole new system, and it takes time and patience. No one is making me do this; it's my choice. Others have chosen to stick with older sims, at least for now -- their choice.

Well said. Good job.

But why is the seductress so selective, abusing some folks a lot, and others hardly at all? If the sim is really a mess, why isn't it a mess for everybody?

My point exactly. "...but when it comes down to landing at Rockcliffe CYRO and looking at the clubhouse..." Good to know. I will keep this in mind next time I'm in that area. And thanks.

Ultimate Terrain is an excellent product that I used for years with FSX, but it is landclass scenery, which designates urban, rural, suburban, desert, tundra, etc. landscape -- and only roughly so, as it does not accurately model actual fields, farms, forests, and towns, for example. UT itself does not contain information on the locations of real buildings or street layouts in cities, and therefore cannot accurately model cities and towns without hand-crafted addon scenery, which is rare (most of the buildings shown in UT are generic autogen, randomly placed). Therefore, good as it is, UT cannot be used for VFR navigation. This is in sharp contrast to MSFS with its satellite-based worldwide imagery. It is therefore incorrect to describe MSFS as merely a "better Ultimate Terrain". It is far more than that.

I agree 100%. Brace yourself, though -- the trolls are coming. Expect to be told that the ground isn't wet, you are!

Thanks for this positive post. My sentiments exactly. I can't prove it, but I think your experience and mine far outweigh the naysayers!

Oh, I think you are much more famous than I am. What really makes me angry, is when someone like yourself uses a tragedy such as the Titanic sinking with 1400 drowned, including children who were trapped in steerage, as a source of humor. I guess this is just a case of my not appreciating that there is "another answer". Well, that would certainly be true. I plead guilty.

This from the Troller-in-Chief, who reminds us all every day how much he despises MSFS (and hangs around the MSFS forums just for that purpose). Pay no attention. This is a great sim that has revolutionized flight simming and, notwithstanding some bugs which are being fixed, is a ton of fun to fly and explore every corner of the world! Go for it!

Happy Thanksgiving to you too, and the descendants of the Titanic's victims, who to you are a source of humor. Who's next on your list, Holocaust victims? Covid victims? Or maybe the Black Plague of the 14th Century? The possibilities here are endless. Have fun.

Sorry, I was mistaken -- I underestimated you. It could get lower, and did.

Not my experience -- I have installed over 250 addons for MSFS (mostly freeware) with no trouble.