Getting the most out of MSFS world graphics

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Hi,
I’m new into the world of MSFS. And im a little bit confused becausr of all the videos, info and downloadable content there is out there on MSFS.

I saw a lot of videos on youtube and I really like the sim. For me its more about sightseeing the world and the feel of controlling an airplane from a gamer perspective, than that it has to be a hard core sim in every aspect of flying. But I do like to learn more about flying a plane.

Because of that, I find the graphics of the landscape and buildings very important and I’m also confused about that.

I see a lot of videos on youtube where the graphics are almost like real life, insanely beautiful. Like this:

But I also see videos where the graphics are much less overwhelming. Even from high end PC’s.

I thought this was because of the difference in hardware, between XBOX and PC and between a high end PC or a lower end PC. But I saw some comparison videos between a high end PC and Xbox series X and they were pretty comparable, but both not that great, especially for the buildings. Like this one: XBOX vs PC Graphics Comparison - YouTube
The differences between a PC with very high end Video card and Xbox series X are very small. and I’ve seen videos much prettier than this, but a much higher spec PC isn’t possible I think.

So that made me wonder, is this because the very beautiful videos have all sorts of DLC and add-ons downloaded to make certain parts of the world more detailed and realistic? Is that making the difference in graphics that I notice?

And what kind of add ons or mods do you need for that? Do you like need to download specific area’s or airports? Or are there overall add-ons that make the world more realistic everywhere at once?

And are these also available for Xbox?

I also see videos on settings. How much of a role does that play on graphics and realism? Is this also a factor for Xbox? It does seem you need to have a video card and PC to alter these kind of things, like in this video: MSFS How To Make EXTREME REALISM in 5 Minutes! - YouTube

Then something Ive read on this forum. That the weather is less dynamic, even on high end PC, because it also has to run on Xbox series S. Does that also apply to other graphics?

As a last factor, does having a 4K screen have any impact on it as well, instead of an HD screen? I saw some comparisons about that as well, but not with a lot of differences but maybe thats because I dont have a 4K screen :wink:

I hope you can help me out for what I might need if I want to discover the world in MSFS with the most detail and graphic realism of landscape, buildings and clouds etc.

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Hello,

yes you can download add ons for the sim, if on PC there is www.flightsim.to where you can find great free scenery for all areas of the world. If on Xbox then you have the marketplace with purchasable content on there, though far fewer items work on Xbox compared to PC.

Some people have up to a TB of add-ons placed in their community folders. It can get quite addictive finding add-ons for places you love to fly.

As fas as I know Xbox has very few settings you can change, PC has a much greater amount of flexibility in that regard.

As regards to your question about the weather, I’ve had no problems with it, it’s dynamic and with the realistic turbulence setting, is very challenging.

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Thank you!

So these world updates are the best way to enhance detail and graphics.

Is there a difference between these free ones and the official world updates from the makers of MSFS?

Are there also other mods or add ons that improve graphics for the whole world at once? Maybe in the way the map translates into the game or something? Or for clouds?

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Are you on PC or Xbox?

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“Photogrammetry”

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I dont have msfs yet, i think i will buy it for pc, to have more options in updates and graphics settings.

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Thank you. Is this a setting for the whole world that you can turn off or on, or do you have to download them for specific parts of the world, like world updates?

Ive read different opinions on quality of the photogrammetry. It should be very good in sunny areas, but not so good in cloudy areas or when you get close to buildings. So might me a matter of turning it of and on, depending of where you fly.

I also saw something about an update, where the data would come from google maps instead of bing maps. Would that make things more beautiful and realistic?

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If you have the option switched on then it downloads automatically from the cloud as and when you are in range, if photogrammetry is available for the area in question.

Weather has nothing to do with quality, only the quality of the source imagery impacts that, and it can be variable at times.

And no comment on your final question. Don’t ask about that again on this forum.

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Part of the problem is that the phenomenal world graphics is limited to certain higher profile places.

For example:

  • Places like Columbus Ohio, or St. Louis Missouri, will be modeled very well.
  • Less well know places like Racine Ohio, or the Crimean peninsula (especially along the coast) are not modeled at all and have “generic” scenery.

The problem is that for 100% brass-ring, high precision graphics EVERYWHERE, it would require insane amounts of storage, bandwidth, and computing power to display accurately.

Not to mention that the folks at Asobo/Blackshark would need access to world-class supercomputers, (note that I said “supercomputers” - plural), to create all the 3D photogrammetry needed.  Also, computer time on those beasties costs like oil rights for every second you’re using them.

That level of excellence is becoming more and more possible, (note what we already have!!), but we’re still not 100% there yet.

I just thought of something else:

It is likely that some countries limit the amount of photographic detail that things like MSFS can use.  If we don’t like it, that’s just our tough luck.

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Ok so, can I conclude that, next to having a beast of a PC to get high enough FPS on Ultra settings in 4K resolution, add-ons for specific parts of the world and photogrammetry and screen setting is everything I can do to get the highest level of detail and graphics, to match the most beautiful MSFS videos I can find on Youtube?

Please add your response if you know more elements to improve detail and graphics.

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One thing that helps greatly improve the look of the sim (game) immensely is to make sure you have a system capable of displaying HDR, then using filtering software to tune RGB colors,sharpness,detail, contrast, brightness, gamma and other parameters.

nVidia used to have decent filtering software call Freestyle that was part of GeForce Experience (optional install when you install their drivers.) Some people complain that GeForce Experience - especially when using Freestyle - causes their computers to crash from time to time. I’ve never experienced that, and use GeForce Experience for access to their screenshot and video capture tools.

I used to use their Freestyle tool, but it disappeared when I updated to a more recent driver version.
I’ve read that Freestyle was causing a lot of problems in the newer drivers, so they removed it.

I recently installed software called Reshade. It has more filters than I can ever use (or even understand :stuck_out_tongue:) And it’s not super easy to install. Without getting into details (search for ‘Reshade, MSFS’ for more info) you have to install a special version for MSFS because of Microsoft’s encrypted files, and run a batch file as administrator to get it to work properly with the sim (game.)

I only use a few of its filters, but it does a great job, and reports are that it’s quite stable.

I wish Freestyle would come back. It was very easy, and produced some excellent graphics with minimal work.
To me, Reshade is a great tool for high-end video production people. It works for MSFS, but it’s like driving an elephant through a grocery store. :crazy_face:

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Thanks, i didnt read anything about this before. It sucks that they made it this difficult to use though.

So for the HDR, you mean I need a screen with thwt function, right?

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DuchPuma,
You need to just go ahead and get MSFS 2020. Get the highest level available, I think it’s Premium. Get a good gaming PC and enjoy. If you have lots of money to spend on a PC go all out, you’ll probably need it in the future. My PC, in it’s current configuration, is about 5 years old and still works great with MSFS. You can spend all your time making tweeks and adjustments and changing hardware or you can spend your time flying. That’s the way this sim is.

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