Does the Ocean Look Like This for Other People?

This is between St. Maarten and Virgin Gorda. There is supposedly a light wind at the surface.

I generally avoid flying around islands because it just doesn't look right. Can this be improved upon?

Mac6737

This is between St. Maarten and Virgin Gorda. There is supposedly a light wind at the surface.

 

I generally avoid flying around islands because it just doesn't look right. Can this be improved upon?

 

Mac6737

Try adding more surface wind, that looks like a calm day witch is very unusual over the ocean.

Try adding more surface wind, that looks like a calm day witch is very unusual over the ocean.

Thanks.

1. I have started 2 threads on this and the other forum asking how you define the boundaries of the wind layers. Not a single response. This leads me to believe nobody really understands the wacky wind icons in the Flight Conditions window. So: How does one "add more surface wind"? (Oh, have mentioned THERE'S NO MANUAL!!!)

2. A while back, someone advised me to get wave action by upping the wind to 50 mph. Not really possible to fly in. I just want the world to look something like it does IRL. (Barring that, I'd settle for the way the waves and clouds look in P3d with Rex add-ons.)

The only wrong thing is the wind surface parameter at which ocean starts showing wave activity. Right now waves are beautiful only at very high winds. Someone only needs to find which file controls waves according to wind speed and make a mod instructing the sim to show decent waves from 5kts

Right on. Good to know I am not an outlier.

Doesn't the Waves option in General/Graphics make any difference? Ive got mine set to low to help the overall performance but never noticed flat calm over the ocean - I actually did a Caribbean tour and didn't see that.

The answer to your question is No. Mine have always been set on HIGH. In the pic I posted, there was supposed to be some wind at the surface.

This is between St. Maarten and Virgin Gorda. There is supposedly a light wind at the surface.

 

I generally avoid flying around islands because it just doesn't look right. Can this be improved upon?

 

Mac6737

Mac, I use Rex as my weather source and get beautiful waves and do not worry about setting wind layers. I have my wave action set to medium and on days I fly over water and it's gusty, the waves and white caps are beautiful.

Mac, I use Rex as my weather source and get beautiful waves and do not worry about setting wind layers. I have my wave action set to medium and on days I fly over water and it's gusty, the waves and white caps are beautiful.

I didn't know Rex was into MSFS 2020, so I looked at their site. Do you mean Rex Weather Source 2020?

Do you mean I could have whitecaps? Oh, be still, my heart!

If anyone's still watching this thread, Steve is sorta right. I bought Rex Weather Force for MSFS. Using its "Dynamic Weather Preset" entitled "Breezy," I was indeed able to see water texture, including some whitecaps. But that disappeared at around 1000.'

I hope Asobo sees Kapitan's suggestion.

If anyone's still watching this thread, Steve is sorta right. I bought Rex Weather Force for MSFS. Using its "Dynamic Weather Preset" entitled "Breezy," I was indeed able to see water texture, including some whitecaps. But that disappeared at around 1000.'

 

I hope Asobo sees Kapitan's suggestion.

Actually no, if it's windy and I am using the real weather option in Rex I will see waves and white caps as I did yesterday flying into KSAV, even in the inland waterways. Depends on the weather. And I was coming in at around 1900 msl. So sure, the higher you are off the water, as in real life, you wont see them as pronounced. Yesterday there was a breeze of 19 knots coming out of the west and I had waves and whitecaps. No dynmaic setting just Rex injecting real weather.

Actually no, if it's windy and I am using the real weather option in Rex I will see waves and white caps as I did yesterday flying into KSAV, even in the inland waterways. Depends on the weather. And I was coming in at around 1900 msl. So sure, the higher you are off the water, as in real life, you wont see them as pronounced. Yesterday there was a breeze of 19 knots coming out of the west and I had waves and whitecaps. No dynmaic setting just Rex injecting real weather.

OK, I'll keep experimenting. But when I saw waves yesterday and they disappeared altogether as I flew higher, descending to as low as 500' did not bring them back. Another mystery.

An underlying Q, though: Rex is supposedly a weather engine, not a wave engine. Why should winds generated in Rex produce waves, when winds of equal velocity in MSFS w/o Rex do not?

This is between St. Maarten and Virgin Gorda. There is supposedly a light wind at the surface.

 

I generally avoid flying around islands because it just doesn't look right. Can this be improved upon?

 

Mac6737

You can make multiple wind layers. You have to click on "Add Wind Layer". The new "layer" appears over the previous so you need to click and hold to move it up and then set a new wind layer.

I was having the exact same issue as you - ie the sea looks rubbish unless there's a strong wind. This solved it and I saved the preset for when I fly over water.

The ground wind is set around 20-25kts for a nice looking wave effect and the next layer is something more manageable.

Hope this helps!

Cheers

TrafficPilotUK

OK, I'll keep experimenting. But when I saw waves yesterday and they disappeared altogether as I flew higher, descending to as low as 500' did not bring them back. Another mystery.

 

An underlying Q, though: Rex is supposedly a weather engine, not a wave engine. Why should winds generated in Rex produce waves, when winds of equal velocity in MSFS w/o Rex do not?

Rex seems more up to the minute and realistic than the engine in MSFS in my opinion, but others may disagree. I know when I look outside and open Rex up to my local airport, that's the weather I see and I never have to set wind levels. It does the job and at $21 bucks, - I think it's a deal and it works.

You can make multiple wind layers. You have to click on "Add Wind Layer". The new "layer" appears over the previous so you need to click and hold to move it up and then set a new wind layer.

 

I was having the exact same issue as you - ie the sea looks rubbish unless there's a strong wind. This solved it and I saved the preset for when I fly over water.

 

The ground wind is set around 20-25kts for a nice looking wave effect and the next layer is something more manageable.

 

 

Hope this helps!

 

Cheers

 

TrafficPilotUK

Well, it's getting close to helping.

1. Do the wind layers have tops and bottoms? If so, how do you set them?

2. How do you save a preset?

3. What do you mean "the ground wind is set around 20-25kts." Am I supposed to set this? If so, where is the top of the "ground wind," and how do you establish that?

Thanks for your help.

Again, if anyone's still following this thread, I've figured out a lot of what TrafficPilotUK was getting at.

There may be other ways, but I discovered the "Custom" choice under Flight Conditions. You can design your own preset, save it and name it; then it will show up in the Flight Conditions menu in the future.

Also, when you click on a wind icon, you can slide it up to establish the upper boundary of the layer you are creating. And the bottom altitude of your layer is stated at the top of the window. (You might miss that, as I had, if you don't scroll up to see it.)

I'm still experimenting. Not sure what happens above the upper boundary of the Ground Level if you haven't established a second layer.

I've been able to get more realistic water, including some whitecaps, by upping ground level wind to 20+. Of course that makes it challenging in GA aircraft.

Oh, have I mentioned THERE'S NO MANUAL!!!

So I am trying to decide on buying a really good monitor or a TV to connect to my computer to play/fly in msfs2020. I want to get the best graphics I possibly can. I know the specs for the computer and I bought the best, but I don't know how to choose the screen. Any help would be appreciated.

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You would think ASOBO would take the wave effects out of there trailers for the sim seeing it is impossible for the end user to create these without also creating unflyable conditions with GA air craft at the surface.

Indeed.

Hi sorry for late reply - I've also been experimenting.

I can't seem to replicate my earlier wind layer experience. I thought I had saved it in the custom presets but it's not there now. I wonder if their most recent sim-destroying update was responsible.

I have been recording some comparisons between the MSFS wind/gusts and those in FSX. I'll post a link once I've uploaded to my YouTube channel.

For now I've just switched off any wind/gusts in MSFS as it appears incapable of producing anything even remotely realistic.

As for the flight modelling in MSFS - it's a real step back in simulation. Awful just awful.

Cheers

Adam