I think the generic board does not work because the default settings are not sufficient for ms. Be sure the settings match your actual esp8266 module. Did you pull down gpio0 when you powered on the module? This activates the programming mode. If you want to go the easy way just get a node mcu compatible board like wemos d1 mini. It has an onboard USB port and you don't have to manually put it in programming mode. Mqtt adds complexity. If you don't need it you should choose plain ms.