It is extremely frustrating for some of us that just simply do not have access to high speed internet to be forced to sit through hours of new updates for other places around the Earth that we have zero use for. No doubt there are “essential updates” for the overall game/sim, but to force everyone to have to download every update every time is not useful. Please find a way that us users that have no interest whatsoever in flying our Icon to some far away land can bypass. I, as do many others, fly pretty much exclusively within my own geographical area, and it serves no purpose to force me to update 4 foreign languages, 99 foreign airports, and scenery. So I get to sit several hours YET AGAIN just to fly around my own geographical area. I get it that some want every square inch of the surface of the Earth to appear real, and wanna play airline pilot, but there are many that simply have other interests. More power to them, but don’t make the rest of us sit through hours of updates, and burn up yet more hard disc space if it something we have no use for. Give us a little choice, PLEASE!
Hi, and welcome to the forums.
there are no ‘constant updates’, it’s once per month.
Also; you’re not forced to download the world updates. They’re an optional free ‘purchase and install’ from the in-game marketplace. So nothing is taking ‘extra hard disc space’.
Since this sim does rely heavily on streaming data to you, you are required to be on the latest version to be able to connect correctly with the servers. This is not going to change. These updates replace older versions of the same files, so isn’t increasing your total installed size.
The update dates are made publicly available well in advance of patch day, so just let the update run overnight once per month, and you’ll be up and flying again the next day.
Thanks, I disagree … I am NOT given a choice to update or not update … that does not happen …
As for “constant updates”, please understand, I do NOT live my life in front of the flight simulator. I MIGHT choose to use it once every couple months or so. With this in mind, if I only attempt to use the program occasionally, it certainly appears from my perspective to be “constant”, as in - every time I try to use the program, it requires yet another multi-gb download for yet another update.
Please understand, it took DAYS to download the initial 170 gb install, because I simply do not have access to internet above 4 mbs at any price. And that is on good days … and then one day when I wanted to fly my huge install, it said you now MUST download this 79 gb update before you can use your installed program. You tell me it does not take any more space. My hd is of a specific size. It is not some dynamic number. When I clicked on the “go ahead and update”, the program told me "you only have 68 gb free space, and that I had to clear up space to even download.
I simply ask for the option to be able to fly my little airplane simulator locally, but seems others feel that if it does not suiit their desires, then my circumstance is irrelevant. I am told that this sim CAN be flown offline, which means it does not require streaming. I am willing to do that, but have no idea how to “insert Microsoft Flight Siomulator Game Disk” to do it.
Sorry, but you can’t.
MSFS relies heavily on streaming the world to you (instead of you having to store over 2 Petabytes locally). This requires you to be on the same version of the sim as the server. This was a main selling point of the sim, and available knowledge to you when you purchased the sim (an active internet connection is even listed in the minimum requirements I believe).
The installer does require some free space to temporarily store the downloaded packages before they get extracted and replace the current local files. If you don’t have that space available, I would suggest clearing out old files / remove unused programs, or add an SSD.
If you want a completely offline, locally installed sim, then sadly MSFS is not the correct product for you.
An active internet connection with the following bandwidth for streaming, was first listed on the pre-order FAQ and on the various store pages:
- Minimum: 5Mbps
- Recommend: 20Mbps
- Ideal: 50 Mbps
I agree that the user should have a choice whether or not to download scenery from parts of the world that he or she may never fly. Simers should have options.
You do have options.
The world updates are an optional download and install from the in-game Marketplace (filter for ‘free content’ or ‘bundles’ in the marketplace to find them). They will never be installed without you selecting them from the marketplace.
The patches that come out at the same date are required though.
It’s a common misconception.
The world updates usually consists of 2 parts:
- A game update which prepares the game to new possibilities of receiving photogrammetry, bug fixes, etc.
- An optional world content update which enriches an area with custom 3D buildings
The first is indeed mandatory. It’s a necessity because of the online nature of the game. Everything is streamed, so both server and client need to be compaitable.
The second, which is costing extra bandwidth, is an optional install. Personally I only have the BeNeLux installed, because that’s the one close to me. Japan and GB I leave uninstalled
So yes, there are updates once a month, because there are many issues that need to be addressed. And people want them addressed.
The answer to that could be: “Then you simply can’t play this game.” Please bare in mind that’s below the minimum requirements.
The game is very online oriented. During playing, you’ll get a degraded experience, because the scenery won’t be streamed to your computer quick enough, resulting in an empty landscape.
Thanks … as in my original post, I DO understand “essential updates”, and really have no quarrel with that. I knew it was a new release and had expectations that things would get “fixed and improved”. Again, I have no quarrel with that. My quarrel is with the forced updates of scenery enhancements (world content) that I have zero interest in. I am hearing on here that I do have the option not to install it, but I guess I am completely missing where I can opt out of that aspect. When I start the game/sim, it says “checking for updates” … then it presents me with “click here to begin” and tells me how big it is.
As for the “I was told of all these necessities beforehand”, I DID read them. According to the bandwidth i “purchase”, the package is specified as a 5 mb service. That “specification” DOES meet minimums, however, as with most ISP’s, that specification means “up to that speed”, very few will ever guarantee it because they have no control upstream of them. So please, enough with the “if you don’t have a Caddilac or Rolls Royce or Mazzerati, you really should not be playing this game” … that mentality leaves out a HUGE percentage of the market that Microsoft has already collected the money from, and is really not helpful.
Nowhere in any of my comments did I complain of the quality of simulation (although I do have some issues I am not fond of) … those issues have absolutely nothing top do with bandwidth.
My complaint is of having no apparent choice about being forced to wait through hours upon hours of new world content that has absolutely no effect or usefulness to my use of the program.
While on that aspect, as for “I have the option”, I would absolutely cherish if someone would explain exactly how I can opt out of those world content updates.
Also, on the streaming is essential for quality scenery … I have purchased every single version of MSFS since the very first release in 1982. MSFS was at that time the defacto standard to determine if your PC was indeed a true IBM-PC compatible. I say that to point out this. This new release seems to be seriously lacking in even some very basic “scenery” that pretty much all previous versions had at least a sketch. Example, previous versions, including FSX at least had structures of some semblance at the small 26R airport in Texas. This new “enhanced scenery” version has nothing more that some tarmac/runway layout, and a beacon tower that is actually not even in the right place.
I really do appreciate that MS/Asobo is in the process of constant improvement/development. I really do wish that they would respect that not all of us live in the big city, and our money is the same color green. PLEASE don’t try to shove all of us into the same box, and tell us to just shut up and play like all the big city kids. We do not have the same toys or sandbox to play in.
World updates are “opt-in” not “opt-out”. You have to explicitly buy them for free in the marketplace.
Sorry, but I have never seen ANY option whatsoever. When I start the game, THE GAME says “checking for updates” … I have NEVER chosen to “opt-in” or “opt-out” for world scenery. I have never seen the option for either. I only get a “continue” or “quit” button.
Unless you manually go to the store and download those enhacements, you don’t get them. Updates we’re seeing are for the core sim. Content you have the option of downloading or not.
It check for core sim updates. Not for content. It doesn’t even tell you that there are content updates. You have to go find those on your own in the marketplace.
and content manager
WAIT! Are you telling me that when I recently started my MSFS, and it “checked for updates”, and gave me the choice to continue or quit, the Netherlands content, Japan content, and the other countries and airports content were just part of the core sim? REALLY? Exactly where was it in this process that I went to marketplace and asked for that content? I merely started the game, and the game presented me with “continue or … no other choices” … THEN and ONLY THEN, as part of the forced updates, did I ever see what it was updating.
If there is some setting, anywhere in the thing that gives me the ability to un-select “opt-in” for this stuff, please let me know where …
I am trying very hard to explain … I NEVER SEE ANY OPTION TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN CONTINUE, OR QUIT. I can assure you, I do NOT even know how to go to marketplace to even ask for this world scenery content, let alone ask to download it.
Hi @ForbidCellar894,
There is no physical “opt-in” or “opt-out” option.
When updates come out, it’s for the core, not World Updates. These are optional from the in-game marketplace.
You can’t skip mandatory updates.
I agree … apparently it seems to be very difficult for some to understand that what I am seeing is a plethora of world scenery as part of these “mandatory updates”, and that is at the heart of my aggravation. I have no way to opt-in or opt-out of the world scenery portion of the mandatory updates. Once again, I have no objection to improving the quality and performance of the basic sim. My objection is being forced to occupy my time, bandwidth, and storage space for updating scenery in other parts of the world that I have no interest in flying. I hear some that just do not seem to comprehend that distinction. I am never given the choice for that aspect, in any form. I merely press the “start program” button, and the ONLY next option I get is to “continue” or quit, after it tells me of the impending multi gb “mandatory update” download. It does NOT tell me what is in it, nor does it give me any option to select that portion (world scenery) as optional.
you just refuse to read.
The world updates are an OPTIONAL download from the in-game marketplace.
Go to the marketplace, filter for ‘free’ or ‘bundle’, and you’ll find the world updates.
You’ll see that none of them are installed (unless you manually ‘purchased and installed’ them in the past).
What you got was the mandatory background core sim content for those updates. The actual optional (the actual buildings, POIs, etc) have to be downloaded separately from the store or content manager after the fact.
What you got is the mandatory core sim updates. Nothing more. If you didn’t download those other parts manually, you don’t have them.