Automatic cleanup on sim updates performed by the package installer

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Wishlist
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As there were issues in the past related to corrupt or outdated caches a general cleanup should happen on each sim update imho. This should include a hard wipe of all caches the simulator uses exclusively.

There are many reasons behind this wish, I’ll name just a few:

  • Drivers have been updated in the meantime
  • Terrain tiles and photogrammetry had some update likely
  • Saders changed somehow
  • Legacy content handling changed

All caches are not intended to be persistent but the “Rolling Cache” which is intended for the user to keep map tiles which should not be downloaded everytime. The user should still be able to decide if the cache should be kept or not in this case, at best by a message after an update was found like:

“Rolling cache detected (last updated yyyy/mm/ddd), do you want to keep it?
Yes/No”

The other caches content can basically be removed so they rebuild on sim load (list non-exhaustive):

  • mapscache folder
  • shadercache folder
  • LocalCache folder

Besides caches there is also other stuff worth to be cleaned:

  • _CVT folders in package folders as these act also like caches for legacy files (also found in “official” on some addons
  • SceneryIndexes folder to create indexes from scratch
  • $PC$ folder
  • DCE folder

Forced cleaning/wiping these will likely help users to get a more smooth transition between builds.

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Sounds like a great candidate for a “Cache Clean” Utility tool .

A job that is easy enough to program by someone who can write a basic script, but difficult to do manually for anyone who is not so familiar with file management on their PC.

X-BOX would be a different matter !! (but whats new with that )

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Yes, that’s the reason I also tagged XBOX :wink:

If the paths of these caches are known (which I really hope :stuck_out_tongue: ) it should be an easy task to just wipe them when the update progress has been started :slight_smile:

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fully agree with the wish. At least for the folders which the game “owns” , so app-data and the rolling.cache should the game-update-installer do a cleanup with each update. As example simple an invalid rolling.cache folder cause for a lot of users so many trouble which had can easily avoided.

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I delete and rebuild my 16Gb rolling cache file almost every time I start MSFS on Xbox Series X and especially after Sim and addon updates. I also move as many applications as possible to the expansion card so MSFS has all the space it could reasonably want.
I have almost no performance issues with MSFS except for slowdowns at busy airports eg O’Hare and at the end of long flights.
It would be convenient to have this 3 step process be automated (delete, disable/enable cache, save setting) be automated with a settings option to enable or disable it. It would work best for folks like me who fly somewhere new and often a different plane every time we sim.
By way of example - the old Windows trick of purging the temp directory every few weeks to improve performance became an automated startup option.

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I thought the Rolling Cache was intended to ‘speed up’ loading of scenery that is repetitively flown over. What’s the point of using it at all if you’re flying in new places every time? Seems to me it’s just taking up space without providing any benefit.

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My understanding is the same. If you have a “home” airport that you fly from on a regular basis, or regularly fly patterns around a particular airport, caching that data could help, though in both cases, creating a manual cache for those areas would be a better option, IMO.

The rolling cache is really only necessary if you have a metered, limited bandwidth and / or high latency Internet connection. It was useful to me when I had such a connection, but I turned off the cache when I upgraded to a faster unmetered service.

Depending upon the size of the ROLLINGCACHE.CCC file, flushing the data could also increase the time required for an update to complete.

[Edit 05/02]
There is some evidence that on Xbox, users on the SU15 beta build v1.37.16.0 who had enabling the rolling cache saw improvements to both stability & performance. See this post by @Nikita .
[End Of Edit]

[Edit 05/04]
… Apparently the evidence is not conclusive. See this post by @dreampage & the following one by @GeraldvRiva8311 .
[End of Edit]

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I tried that early on. It performed better with cache enabled.
I guess that without cache it loads data from internet when needed, but with cache it can download and store data locally, then load from cache which is faster than even gigabit.
And in theory at least that is less prone to problems when every connected gadget in the house asks for something at the same time
I could be wrong… But it works better for me

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If you do find the Rolling Cache helpful, to avoid any issues, don’t forget to empty it after any sim updates.
Lots of issues are attributable to conflicts between current and old saved files.

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Good day, I don’t know if you use Xbox Series X version, but if yes, could you please tell me how much does the expansion memory card you use to put the addons cost and how much gb has stored within, maybe i would use your “trick” to have more free space on console’s standard memory and where is plugged on console?

My thanks for your answer.

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I cant comment on the cost. They go on sale frequently so the price bounces around. Check Amazon or Best Buy.
I got the 1 TB. I don’t know if you can move the MSFS addons alone (didn’t look). I just moved all the apps and my kids games to the second drive and now the main drive is somewhere near 50% full.

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I also use Rolling Cache. I went one step further and set aside 16GB of my 64GB as a RAM drive for it. Much faster than either internet or the fastest data drives.
It’s set up to copy the contents to a physical drive when I log off, then copy that image back to the RAM drive when I log on. That way I never lose any data.

I don’t remember his name, but one user pointed out that he liked to fly in a new location every time, and erased his RC before every flight He too believes that the RC helps the sim experience. Others do not…

EDIT: I looked for the Xbox tag, but don’t see it.

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image1046×143 44.2 KB

So my comment is obviously intended only for PC users.

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How big should the Rolling Cache be?
I am using a 1Tb SSD exclusively used for FS2020 installation. Windows and other apps are installed on another SSD.

Of the 1TB, just over 600Gb is occupied with FS2020 footprint.

I currently have the Rolling Cache set to 128Gb and delete each time there is either a WU/SU.

Is there a recommended size?

I do a lot ok UK/US/Europe flying so, decided better to have the cache on, than off.

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Hi @PiperWarrior74,
I have not seen any official recommendation specified by MSFS, though there are posts that say the recommended size is 16GB, e.g.:

I’ve seen many different sizes mentioned on these forums.

The way I sized my cache reflected where I most often fly & for how long (I no longer use a rolling cache).

One way I estimated the size was to use was by multiplying my average download rate (as viewed in Task Manager) by my average flight-time.

For example, I see MSFS streaming between 1 to 30 Mbps when bush flying, but around major cities and airports it can be a lot more. Yesterday, flying around Frankfurt am Main, I was consistently seeing 35 to 80 Mbps, with bursts as high as 105 Mbps. So, let’s say the average is 50 Mbps.

(Note - the values shown in Task Manager include the TCP/IP overhead required to get the actual MSFS data, so the MSFS data amount is actually less than what you see, but the values are OK for our estimations. If one wanted the actual average, one could use a tool like HWInfo to record the download Mbps values & then calculate the actual average).

So, if I want to fly for 1 hour around the Frankfurt am Main region - or any other major city / airport hub area, that would require, at 50 Mbps, a ~22 GB cache (if my math is right). This would allow all the data to be stored in the cache without the earliest data being overwritten during my flight.

Another way is to look at how big the Manual Cache would be for Frankfurt am Main. I download this too, yesterday - the downtown city area by the river plus the airport - and that came to 14 GB.

When I used the rolling cache, I found that a 5 GB cache was enough for my bush flights, but since that time, I’ve noticed a significant increase in data streamed by MSFS since the recent WUs & CUs. All that extra DEM, TIN and other details appears to have almost doubled the amount of data being downloaded. If using it today, I’d replace it with a 15 GB cache.

My personal opinion is that your 128 GB rolling cache is ample & possibly too large for most flying scenarios. I’d suggest experimenting with various sizes, from none (rolling cache off) to 128 GB, flying the same flight plan or area each time & comparing visual results & performance, then choosing the size that provided the best results.

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Thank you for your detailed reply.

I will reduce mine to 32Gb and experiment.

I am unsure if the cache is emptied after each flight sim session, (i.e. emptied on FS shutdown) or fills up over several sessions and when full, removes the oldest data first.

I always delete it on every SU and WU release.

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It’s saved on shutdown.

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