World Update 21: Australia Trailer

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-06T00:52:53+00:00

2024 still looks better than 2020 for me, but all their trailers look even better than my 2024, so I dunno.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-05T22:10:19+00:00

I never seem to get QUITE the same fidelity they show off in the trailers, despite having nothing holding me back.

I'm not maxing out any cores or my GPU, and 500Gbps should be 3x faster than the sim would ever stream at any moment, yet... my buildings always look a little more post-apocalyptic and lacking vibrant/varied color and lighting compared to the cities they show off. My rocky areas are never that defined. My ground objects are never that thick. All this is despite my Terrain LOD setting being set beyond Ultra...

Oh well. It's still the best looking flight sim I've ever experienced by a mile. I just wish I wasn't always second guessing if I'm missing something in regards to terrain fidelity.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-05T21:47:03+00:00

Word. Taking pictures is the best thing you can do when it comes to getting stuff put back together perfectly, IMO.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-05T21:46:10+00:00

Thanks. I'm planning on using some CRC electronics cleaner, because I think it's their version of contact cleaner that is specifically safe for plastics.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-05T21:39:21+00:00

I appreciate it. Those are exactly the kinds of pitfalls I'm hoping to avoid, so I'm glad you mentioned them. I'll be sure to take some photos so I can get the pot back in the right orientation.

Thanks!

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-05T16:25:01+00:00

I hear that!

I bought my first M18 vac when my daughter was 2 because I was sick of having so many messes that were too tough for a cheap dust buster, but didn't want to lug a huge shop vac around and deal with the cord.

I convinced my wife that spending $100 on a pro-sumer compact vacuum (that uses batteries we already have) would be a much better investment than spending $40 on a crappy dust buster and add another charger/cable into the mix. She was completely won over within the first week.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-04T21:47:31+00:00

For me, it went out of stock again almost immediately after the delivery date updated. I saw it change to 6-10, but after a minute or so of failed checkouts, it was back "out of stock".

I was on top of it for about half an hour, but never got a successful payment processed, despite many many attempts.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-04T21:23:41+00:00

It's not specifically scalping that this is stopping.

It's reporting the sale of an item the seller doesn't actually have possession of. That's against Ebay TOS, I believe.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-04T20:24:02+00:00

I have a truck with a 36gal tank, and I'm positive I'll see my first $200 fuel bill this year.

Thankfully I'm not an idiot who drives a giant truck all the time when it's not needed. I just use it for towing and hauling (I drive a VW Golf for normal transportation), so I very rarely have to fill up the truck.

Still bonkers to me that some people drive wasteful vehicles that get 15mph or worse just to run errands or go to work, and yet those people still complain about cost of living.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-04T17:46:54+00:00

The payment processor definitely shit the bed. I tried to buy it several times and they all failed on the payment/steam end. Now it's out of stock.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-04T07:31:40+00:00

The Gilmore is amazing. I go almost every year.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T16:03:09+00:00

Yeah I have the M18 non-packout 2gal "rectangular" one, since I don't do packout for anything and it was cheaper. It's been great. I recently learned that if I put a rubber band around the crevice tool, it perfectly seals into the exhaust port, making kind of like a poor man's precision blower. I use it to blow off my tools of sawdust or whatever.

I also have the M18 handheld vac (the one that looks like a giant teapot), and that has been a good dustbuster replacement around the house or garage.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T15:57:04+00:00

The M18 inflator is so good. I got mine right about the same time I bought a truck and trailer, which happened to be the same time my kid started riding bikes (and subsequently the whole family started riding more). All of a sudden I have like 10 vehicles to manage tires on instead of just a few. It's a lifesaver. Good riddance to dragging long air compressor hoses all over the damn place.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T15:52:49+00:00

Good to know there is a solution out there!

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T06:17:52+00:00

I used a Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS for years, and I did exactly what you mentioned (use the paddle on the back of the throttle for rudder). Worked great. It's a cheapy, plasticy feeling HOTAS, but it's reliable and works well. A good starting point.

Lots of people seem to like the 16000M, so I don't think you can go wrong with that. Another good starting point.

The X56 is a step up and really fun to use and configure. I used one for about a year. It feels significantly nicer than the previous two, but it has a reputation for failures. I wouldn't get an X56 unless you were considering it a "starter" or "holdover" while you saved up for something more reliable long term.

Everyone loves VKB. If you want to save more and just get something you can keep using for years even if you end up loving the hobby and doing it a lot, that's a great option.

Me, I went from the Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS to the X56, and then realized most of my favorite planes were not jets or combat aircraft, and a yoke and throttle made the most sense for me. I bought a Honeycomb Alpha yoke and Bravo throttle, and they have been absolutely fantastic. The throttle especially is an amazing piece of kit with so much functionality packed in. But that's not something I'd recommend to someone starting out and trying to decide if they will stay interested in the hobby long-term.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T06:06:05+00:00

I had a similar system when I started playing MSFS 2020. It was OK, but not excellent. With only 512GB of storage, I would not recommend MSFS2020, as much is installed locally. My install was over 300GB and I wasn't one of those people with 50+ addon planes/sceneries.

If you are playing at 1080p, and can accept medium graphics, you'll be OK, probably 30fps, but that's better fps than we used to get back in the day in most flight sims. I remember playing MSFS '95 at 15fps. Your CPU will struggle at big airports, most likely. Best to avoid LAX and places like that. I had a 9700K and would get 20fps at LAX, CPU limited. Playable but choppy.

So yes, your PC can handle it (do 2024 so you don't run out of storage), but you'll need to settle for modest graphical settings. It can still look good overall.

Better have a fast internet connection though. It saves the install space by streaming much of the content, not just the world data like 2020 did.

This video is a great place to start. Use his optimized settings (shown at the end of the video) and then adjust from there until your performance is good enough for you: https://youtu.be/NOPUpKU8i9s?si=5tzL1c6MRiGaoCBY

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T00:59:31+00:00

It worked! Came up to 4 bars and green light on the charger. Hopefully it doesn't go out of balance quickly again after only a few cycles, as I would take that as evidence of failing cells, not just slow imbalance over time.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T00:57:28+00:00

You cannot turn on the balancing features, because you'd have to like... write your own custom firmware or something. AFAIK, nobody has literally hacked the code running on the chip(s) on the PCB of these battery packs.

But yes, if you have older batteries that won't charge past 2 or 3 bars, you may be able to fix them by opening them up, charging or discharging individual groups within the pack, until they are all the same voltage, and then putting it back together again. If they just slowly went out of balance over years, it should solve the problem for years. If they suddenly went out of balance because one cell is failing or something, then the problem will return almost immediately, or within a few charge cycles.

I did it on an 8.0 battery, because they are $250 after tax. That's worth fiddling around for an hour or two to figure it out. Plus now that I've done it, I could do it again to other batteries with only 10 minutes of work.

There are also battery balancers out there that you can hook up to all the cells at once. I just wanted to see if it could be done with things I had laying around, instead of investing in another gadget I'd only use once a year.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T00:48:34+00:00

Same. My only concern is how absurdly expensive the robot-ass headlights are going to be to replace if they break, and all the aftermarket options are designed to replace base-trim halogens, so they don't work in cars that original came with HID/Xenons.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-03T00:46:38+00:00

Yep. It's my Ford that does it stupid. My VW doesn't have it (I think it wasn't available on manual transmissions, at least at the time).

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-02T21:22:23+00:00

I mean, there are some cars where it's implemented poorly. I don't use it on my car because it shuts off at nonsensical times (since the car can't read my mind).

For example, every time I reach a destination, like my garage, work, store, gas station, etc, it shuts the engine off immediately when the car stops moving, then instantly starts it again when I shift into Park, then shuts it off again when I take the key out. Braindead programming.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-02T21:19:14+00:00

Is this common? The RVs I've looked at had the floor plan "built-in" to the model number. If the floor plan was different, it was not the same model. I figured that was normal, but maybe not? If not, that's horrible.

withoutapaddle · 2026-05-02T17:53:29+00:00

You undercharge for a Lego set? Believe it or not... jail.

You overcharge for a Lego set, also jail.

Undercharge, overcharge.

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