GSX is a very nice addition to the sim suite, a must-have for complete simulation of a commercial flight. Most of its functions (refueling, catering, parking services and boarding/deboarding) are very nice and professionally looking/sounding (let us ignore for now the pilots boarding when they are already aboard, or the forward catering truck going through theright wing when finished). In short: effective and realistic. Nice immersion.
Since GSXv.2, and even more with v.2.7, the GSX development took a radically different twist: a plethora of menus were added to essentially simple actions (jetway operation, pushback), which led to multiple nested menus for the sake of multiplying options, often unnecessary (in one case there is even a menu entry to confirm the choice already made!). In some cases, menu items even change function dynamically during operation.
Rather than becoming more attractive to the simmer, the net effect is quite annoying, with actions requested from the pilot becoming:
- longer and more complex, with waste of time on details unrelated to real-life operations;
- impossible to embed reliably into MCE flows (for unstable timing issues at system level, plus variable menu structure);
- much less realistic, requiring unnerving chains of keystrokes with menu screens having also variable persistence. No real pilot would do that, they don’t care about providers choice or subtle options!.
Please stop this clumsy evolution, which is definitely moving away from realism and immersion. Most options for visual impact could be well replaced by random choices.
If you wish to keep all these options for the sake of amateurs or programmers do it, but PLEASE put all this stuff into GSX Settings options and provide simple and straightforward shortcuts or defaults bypassing all this nonsense (i.e. one single jetway attaching/detaching to the main door; Left/Right/Straight Pushback). All the rest should be optional. Period.
Thank you for your attention,
Giorgio