I read through Don Eyles apollo memoir Sunburst and Luminary- great book. In the book he describes their simulator for the lunar landing (essentially a test harness for the landing code) which consisted of inputs of coordinates and speeds, and gave printed output of thrust changes and expected position over time. Mind blowing for someone so used to visual representations.

This is actually correct. You don't need visual fidelity for a good simulation, nor physical fidelity. The important thing is that your mind and your body goes through the motions. You don't need to actually believe you're doing the thing, just practise the motions, cognitively and physically.