Dumbing Down MSFS for Xbox Release is a Conspiracy Theory... Or Is It?

Well we won’t be seeing machine guns until they sap dry the younger market first. Can’t lose that PG rating

2 Likes

there is an option to turn mfs2020 arcade via assist menu.
my friend’s knowledge about planes and flying in general isnt that good but he still love amazing graphics and flying and what makes it possible are just in game assists

I don’t really understand why there is a discussion on this. The developers have said numerous times that they are not dumbing it down, nor on XBox or PC. There are several interviews/Q&A’s available online to check.

I think that by now people would be able to understand that they really see this as a simulator platform and not as an arcade game. Also, they have tried to make it clear that it is their intent to make it the best simulator possible. Bringing it out on XBox doesn’t change any of this, besides maybe some graphical/visual difference.

They did talk about enhancing the experience for newcomers via something like missions, “not exactly a career but more like, stuff to do” and getting stuff optimized for the controller. They are polishing the product as far as they can by optimizing, making it more user friendly etc. What more can you wish for?

I cannot think of any downside for getting this out on XBox besides maybe that they have invested a lot of time in it and therefore development on PC seems a bit slow/buggy at the moment.
I take it for granted; getting more people into this hobby is only a good thing and it benefits us all.

6 Likes

I agree. there are plenty of games out now that are having patches for the new generation “series”. they say “optimized for x/s” so why wouldn’t they have a lower setting optimization for the previous generation that would not effect the new generation. seems simple on paper without effecting the other platforms

1 Like

Look at DCS World. There are DCS full fidelity modules and there are Flaming Cliffs modules.

The simulator is the same for everybody and they can all enjoy the same airspace and play with each other or against each other on servers (multiplayer).

Yet the difference is stark. For the ‘full fidelity’ modules you need to use the cockpit switches and operate the systems physically (you can do a lot of stuff by keyboard, but that’s not the object of them) yet with Flaming Cliffs aircraft, everything must be controlled by the keyboard or controllers, as it isn’t possible to operate switches etc in the cockpit.

If this is possible to do in DCS World, why should it not be possible to do in FS2020 - with equivalent full fidelity models for PC, where you can play with switches and knobs to your heart’s content - and XBox, where you have simplified systems so that you can operate the aircraft with XBox controllers? Does XBox allow use of a keyboard? - if so, that could then be used in a similar way to FC.

These topics resemble the hostility aimed at the remake of Ghostbusters, et-al.

I see no good reason why they should „dumb it down“ - dumbing down in the sense of making it arcadey - as some seem to believe. Why should they release something and then take away features to make it more simple? Why have they contracted the WT guys? Why are they collaborating with Flybywire? They might be trying to implement new features to make it more accessible to the newcomers, but why would they make it less complex? That doesn‘t make any sense to me.
As for „dumbing down“ in terms of reducing visual quality (LOD, lights, clouds etc), this I could imagine, at least there hasn‘t been any noticeable improvement in this regard. It‘s not easy to tell because the sim‘s constantly changing. One day the clouds are grainy, then they‘re okay again. New mesh is introduced and suddenly we have sawtooth coasts and morphing terrain. Is that a downgrade? Kind of yes, but at the same time it‘s an improvement of the mesh. Then there‘s all the bugs.
Maybe there is some sort of visual dumbing down going on as part of the optimization for the XBox version. The big question is, will it be permanent? Maybe they’re just trying to find the sweet spot. Maybe after it‘s release we will get some new slider options as a result of this performance optimization so that we can increase the LOD further than before, have crisper scenery and all is better than before. Who knows? I think the time after the release of the XBox version will be very interesting.
The lesson I‘ve learnt in these first few months is that everything takes much longer and is much more complicated than we expected, at least many of us and probably the devs too. What I don‘t believe is that they‘re blatantly lying to us. They said that they‘re not dumbing it down so until we have proof to the contrary (medium-term) I believe them and I hope that the things we see that are getting worse are only temporary and that they will be sorted out down the hopefully not too long road.

1 Like

There are aftermarket planes with functional ordinance just not on the marketplace.

For example if you buy the Fiat G91 ( sort of a Cold War period European Sabre-like Mil jet) direct from the devs it drops ordinance and leaves craters. If you buy it on the marketplace that ability is removed.

1 Like

Well, it is and it isn’t.

I do believe that the devs have said that they want the exact same software running on all platforms. Besides, considering how much emphasis is placed on the XBox release, the last thing they want is for the XBox variant to look like it has fewer features than the PC variant. This is perhaps because Microsoft also wants to boost XBox sales besides FS2020 sales.

Keeping that in mind, yes, there is a real possibility that if they cannot get FS2020 to run on the XBox they might reduce capability for all variants. But it may also be the case that rather than reduce capabilities, they will optimize instead without reducing quality or capability. We know they said they massively optimized RAM usage. But it remains to be seen how exactly they did that.

Secondly, trying to fit FS2020 on an XBox doesn’t necessarily mean that they will stunt the main game to make it happen. They can simply reduce the graphics settings, for example, just as you would on PC.

And lastly, when it comes to older generations of XBox, i am running a 5 year old PC which was built on the previous (at the time) hardware generation, and i can do 30-35fps with high to ultra settings. I wouldn’t be too worried about them reducing the graphics quality on PC in order to get it running on XBox.

What i am worried about, however, is them placing training wheels on the simulation in order to try and cater to a more laid back user base. I think that is far more likely to happen than any graphics stunting.

Get back to us when features are removed as part of that “dumbing down”.

They said that they want both variants to run the same code, so if XBox requires a code change, it will also be present on PC. Which is something of which you are aware of, despite the contradiction in your statements:

Considering they already have a working version, it looks like the decision was made that if it can’t handle it, make it work any way.

1 Like

They have already did that with certain aspects of the sim. Make sure your joystick curves are linear and sit down in an Icon A5. Now look at the in sim joystick as you move your joystick, and you will see a massive disconnect between the two.

It doesn’t mean they’ll do it with the XBox version, and therefore with the PC version too, but they have done it in the past.

2 Likes

The real competition is going to be XPlane for Sony Playstation based on Google Maps :smiley:

Though the P3D on iPad will give Sony a run for their money.

Of course the collaboration between Facebook and DCS to bring out a standalone Quest 2 based sim will also be popular.

1 Like

The upcoming freeware marketplace (which will hold stuff like the FBW A32NX) will be available on XBox as well.

This will not be happening. User experience on the console is important, but the strategy being adopted faces the other way. Make it so that new console users can learn and opt into the complexities, not reduce the complexities to fit a lower common denominator.

-Matt | Working Title

9 Likes

That is good to hear. Still, while i’m definitely not saying it will happen, i am still worried about it :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Well, if the price for good World Updates simply consists in removing single LEDs, I would be very happy. I surely pay more attention to the external world than to the inner details of aircraft lights. And sincerely I think that this Is the same for many users.

True that there will be free stuff in the marketplace, but it will be very limited. Mircosoft’s end goal is to make back the money they invested into the sim. They know its the way of XBOX. They are gonna look at where they can make the most money and focus on that.

MSFS is unique that its been PC only platform from the beginning. Once they find a way to make bank on console, the sim quality will suffer. Its always about the money. Their decisions go from what can we do to make the sim better, to what can we do to make the most money. XBOX being the best way to that goal.

I hope I’m wrong but given that this mindset is the trend of the gaming industry, it doesn’t look promising. Oh course MS/Asobo will say it won’t happen, but so does every other gaming publisher.

2 Likes

Imagine a world where there was no XBox release in the works. Now imagine a sim that has had so many more bug fixes than we currently live with.

1 Like

I hope they will have two separate branches: one for xbox and one for pc, that can truly use all cpu and gpu power that is available

I am having a hard time believing MSFS2020 turns into a giant money cow on consoles. They might sell the main title for a while, but I can’t imagine casual gamers buying study level aircraft addons or spend hours on flightplanning. You can throw a career-mode into it, or engaging missions and it would probably help.

I never even understood why Laminar Research seemed obsessed with getting X Plane onto tablets and phones… Must be because you are trying to convert it into something else.

Xbox and Playstation gamers are generally “instant action” with shooters, racing or role-playing - and as far as flightsimulators are concerned, they probably see it as the digital version of collecting stamps

In my opinion, theres a good reason why we still have companies willing to make public flightsimulators; it’s because of stubborn middle-aged fanatics like my self who have endured the history of this franchise since the early 80s. We have been the steady subscribers and put our money into the industry keeping it alive.

In the end, it’s all about the dreaming of flying :heart_eyes:

3 Likes