Ace Combat is a scripted arcade game with ZERO chance to modify things. I really wish people would stop using it as a benchmark.
Honestly, I've been feeling the same way. Yes for $20 you get some nice stuff and some new features (the new TEWS RWR is excellent!). But with that, you take a few steps back on some others (FM) or Gen1 features are still broke (Red Crown).
I'm going to continue to support Thirdwire until I see what the Gen3 sims are like (post SF2I or SF2FE). I'll make my final decision then. Until that point, I'll continue to use the fantastic resources that have been made available to me here, to make the experience as close as I can to what I want.