This has been an interesting thread to follow. Here are some resultant thoughts that have occurred to me for whatever they’re worth. I don’t speak for anybody else, just myself.
Exactly! At 82 all I want to do is relive my previous days of flying real world pre-1960 SEL planes (including antique/vintage/classic). Get in and fly in uncontrolled spaces, sans ATC, sans flight plan, sans POI’s, sans live weather, sans everything but me, the plane, and the sky – have fun flying around my local area just like I used to do. No GPS needed. Aerobatics as available. So now you know I am at the opposite end of an airline flier. KISS. But that’s just me. To quote an old 1960s/70s saying – different strokes for different folks. But I truly respect, honor, and am in admiration of those MSFS users who go beyond my “tricycle” flying. It is wonderful that MSFS can cater to the whole spectrum of simulated flying! From my perspective there is no “tubeliners” vs the-rest-of-us issue. The tent is big enough for everybody.
Another thought regarding “Users vs Asobo”…
It was very disappointing to me to discover that only a small percentage (like 3 or 4) of the 2020 wishlist (WL) items were included in 2024. The word in 2020 seemed to be that many of the WL items could not be implemented because of the nature of the “base code technology” used to develop 2020. That’s why 2024 was needed – to implement a better “base code technology” that could facilitate moving forward with improvements. An example of this is the WL for true multi window/monitor capability like was available in FSX. Now from my perspective, this is a way higher priority than “windshield wipers”. Yet the latter seems to be getting more of Asobo’s CPU cycles than the prior. Who it is that has the clout to make this happen I will leave to your imagination.
Another thought regarding Asobo priorities…
There is discussion in this thread, and even charts, related to the “who does what” question, and it’s influence on Asobo’s deployment of resources. The survey chart is interesting, but relies on user incentive for input (garbage in/garbage out). Asobo has a “telemetry” system that tells them who is flying what, and in what conditions, and for how many hours, and using what hardware. So they really don’t need a survey – they already know. How they use these data points (which are unpublished) is unknown to us users. But let’s assume they use it to guide how their resources are used. Let’s also assume it is done in a logical manner, and is not influence detrimentally by sales/income, budgets, prejudices, or SIGs (Special Interest Groups). That it is used to improve the product to the enjoyment (and needs) of its users, and thus create a larger installed user base (more income). If this is true, then it is incumbent upon the users to “trust them”. What other choice is there?
Another thought regarding PC’s vs Xbox…
Not owning an Xbox, I have a very one-sided perspective of this issue. Like others here I have thought that surely MSFS is being “de-tuned” in some ways so that it can run on an Xbox (a simplified, lower cost, entry level PC used for gaming). Like many, I thought there should be a PC version and an Xbox version. But the more I read on this forum over the years, comments by others have helped me realize that this is really a non issue. MSFS is coded such that if it finds itself on an Xbox, it limits it capabilities and hardware resources and operations such that the Xbox user has a satisfactory experience. Not the same experience that can be achieved on PC, but a satisfactory experience all things considered. So, in affect there really is two “flavors” of MSFS – it’s done automagically. So a PC user can trust that MSFS is using all the hardware and software resources available, creating an expanded experience for the PC user (even more so with 2024’s advanced core coding).
In closing…
From my very limited personal perspective, there is nothing in 2024 that makes me want to make the jump from 2020 at this time. In fact there are some negatives for me, like cloud sourced resources (bandwidth/network dependency), and significantly changed hardware configuration/setup. I am willing to have patience and wait for 2024 to mature – get debugged, get tuned, get WL items implemented, get stable, UI streamlining, get optimized, get “ground scape” better than 2020 options, etc.
Thanks for listening. 