Here is to the future of Microsoft Flight Simulator

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As someone who’s been passionate about Microsoft Flight Simulator for years, I want to say how much I appreciate what MSFS 2024 is trying to accomplish. While MSFS 2020 set a new standard for free-flight exploration, MSFS 2024 introduces something we’ve been asking for: structure, purpose, and a real sense of progression with Career Mode. For me, and I know for many others, this is the feature that defines this version of the sim.

Career Mode has opened the door to something bigger than just flying from point A to point B. It’s brought a mission-driven environment to the game that appeals not only to long-time simmers but also to people who might have never touched a flight sim before. The idea of taking on roles like aerial firefighting, search and rescue, VIP charters among quite a few others makes flying more engaging and meaningful. It gives players a reason to jump back in, not just to practice landings or cruise over scenic landscapes, but to accomplish something with purpose and progression.

That’s why I believe Career Mode deserves Microsoft’s full focus at this point. This isn’t just another feature - it’s the driving force of this version of the sim. Free flight is still there for those who want it, but let’s be honest, that’s what MSFS 2020 already perfected enough. The Career Mode is the thing that sets this version of the franchise apart, and it has the potential to bring in a whole new audience, while keeping long-time players engaged for the long haul.

But for that to happen, it needs to be polished and complete. Right now, there are gaps, like the missing certifications and missions. That’s a big deal for anyone who dreams of flying something like the A747 or Beluga on challenging missions. It feels like a key part of the experience is missing, and it’s something that needs to be addressed to keep players invested.

I also think it’s important to keep building on what’s already here. Adding more missions, refining the mechanics, and making the experience smoother would go a long way toward making Career Mode everything it’s meant to be. If Microsoft can keep investing in it, MSFS 2024 has the potential to be more than just another entry in the series - it could be the version that will define the future of flight simulation.

This franchise has always been about inspiring people to dream of flying, whether it’s crossing the globe or mastering a tricky landing. With Career Mode, MSFS 2024 takes that dream and gives it purpose. I hope the Asobo team with reinforced Microsoft’s financial support puts everything into making it the best it can be because this mode isn’t just a feature - it’s what makes this version truly stand out. Here is to hope that it will be made as great as it deserves to be.

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I concur. There will be plenty who say that the career mode is a half-baked shambles - which it is - and that it should therefore be abandoned and effort focused elsewhere.

While plenty needs to be done elsewhere in the sim, career mode could be so fantastic and breathe so much life into the sim that it needs to be fixed, not abandoned. I’ve been flying random free flights of my own volition in sims for twenty years now. Obviously, I love it. But like any sandbox, it’s almost impossible to surprise yourself. When the only limitations are those you define on your own, there’s an inherent limit to novelty. Even if you push yourself, you’ll know exactly how you’re pushing yourself. You’ll go to airports you think of going to, and fly aircraft you think of flying, in ways that you think of doing so.

Career modes are incredible popular in other sandboxes for this reason. Giving you a series of goals and unpredictable challenges, and pairing that with the incredible world made for MSFS 2024, is such a wonderful idea. It’s a shame the execution is so flawed, but please, don’t abandon the idea. Do it right and in a year or two we’ll be saying, “Wow, this is what I didn’t know I was missing all those years.”

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The issue isn’t just that the construction is incomplete, but that it’s foundation may not be stable. What they’ve built here is a money grinding game with a flying theme. As you expand upon that, it takes you to all kinds of unwanted places away from flight simulation. Things like click farming to maintain your fleet of passive income earning aircraft, or the adoption of dangerous and illegal flying tactics that most efficiently earn income or satisfy arbitrary mission rules.

Career Mode is a tech demo that needed to go through the committees and focus groups a few more times. It’s a napkin sketch that was rushed into production. But they went ahead and released it, so now the money grind is going to be the foundation for the franchise over the next few decades? It could just as easily collapse on itself as players write it off as a boring dead-end. The whole thing needs to be overhauled, but that might be too much to ask at this point. Years and millions in development was probably already dumped on this.

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To each their own, but I have no use for career mode. I have a career - and it was/is a grind to get to where I am now. When I want to use MSFS, it is to have fun, relax and maybe keep a little proficient on RW procedures. And I only use it on VATSIM or, until very recently, SayIntentions.

Grinding away at a career mode sounds exhausting and unappealing. But, again, to each their own.

I’d rather have a fully baked core sim that provides all the things that make flying great - accurate physics, accurate representations of the aircraft and great visuals.

But - once again, to each their own. :slight_smile: Cheers.

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I’ve played every flight sim up to FSX but got bored of free flight and only came back to FS2024 for the career mode, it’s nice when it works but sadly it doesn’t work.

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I have ‘zero’ interest in jumping through hoops.

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But it will… it’s only going to get better.

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As someone who plays career mode daily, certs are the last thing on my mind since they don’t really impact the core career experience. You do the test, you get the cert, you fly planes.

I can’t complete a 737 career mission without 10 or more bugs, mostly ATC related.

Two days ago, I was trapped in KC. Every time I boarded the plane, the boarding announcement was made and the mission failed screen showed up. I also got a huge bill for the landing gear. Before you ask, I all I did was shift+c to get in the plane and did NOTHING else. I board, the game makes the passenger boarding announcement - black screen mission failed. I have two videos of this happening, and it is not a rare occurrence based on discussion with others. I would upload the video except “new users can’t upload…”

Next, on to the horrific ATC. It talks over itself, it talks over the cabin crew, and it sends you to the wrong runway often. My favorite has to be the (place) center handing me off to the exact same (place) center every two minutes. My next favorite is it asking me if I got the last transmission before it even finished saying the last transmission. (points deducted).

I say that to say this: The core functions of the game are too problematic to assign scores and charge “credits” for maintenance issues considering this is all caused by the errors in the game itself. And these issues (and many others) drive people away from career mode and the game in general.

Recommendations:
-Make the aircraft invincible until on the runway for take-off until you fix the issues causing the “mission failed” errors and damage
-Do not make ATC calls punitive in terms of scoring. It is just too bad right now to penalize people for something that doesn’t work right.

Look at this screenshot. I got -13% airline procedures. I couldn’t reply. I couldn’t do anything. They just kept docking points every time the ATC would ask if I was there. It is absurd.

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As a person who, never did challengers etc in FS2020, I thought I won’t touch Career mode, but one day when no friends were online to fly bush helicopter flights with, I thought stuff it I’ll try it, and I quite enjoy it.

Now when no one’s around it’s my go to for flights, don’t waste time thinking where do I want to fly then get bored because I know the area anyway.

My hope is that 3rd party developers will be able to add packs in that add more fun to it

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I’m sure career mode appeals to many and I know it was requested. Yes, it is a “distinguishing factor” among flight simulators, but so is the amazing scenery and, to an extent, the flight model.

As far as how MS/Asobo time is relegated, that is up to them. Only they know what can be done with the resources they have.

As far as priorities, personally I would not like to see all time and resources put on Career Mode. Yes, MSFS 2020 evolved to have a very nicel flight simulator core. But that has not yet been completely transferred into the multi-core, multi-threaded MSFS2024. There are still many bugs to be fixed which pertain to aircraft, scenery, the user interface, etc.My point is, IMO, Career Mode is only one aspect of MSFS 2024 and is not the only important part.

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PC users had allready much better career mods than that been cooked by Asobo in 2024 :thinking: As consoler it was me who was really looking forward to 2024 career, but now only ashes remain from my expectations and 2024 was refunded. Im back to 2020 for looong time (considering fs2024 progress on “nothingfixing” su1).

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Game:ification of MSFS continues. It was supposed to be a simulator. Now it’s a game.
There are so many things in MSFS that needs fixing (weather, aerodynamics, ground handling, clouds, turbulence, icing etc.) and Asobo put their work into career mode, animals and other junk.
MSFG (Microsoft Flight Game) is a more appropriate name for it.

Simmers - back to Xplane.

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I’m really enjoying flying MSFS 2024 flight simulator. Sure, it has its issues, but I trust they are working hard to address them and get everything running smoothly. Call it what you want… game/sim/junk etc. Oh, and nothing says “sim” like X-Plane’s beautiful, um, default graphics and, um, user interface from 2005.

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If this is where the future of flight simulation is headed, then the future looks bleak for real flight sim enthusiast. I stopped flying the missions a long time ago because as a real world pilot, they’re far from reality. I remember the first mission I flew was taking a couple of passengers up in the Cessna 172 for sight-seeing around their neighborhood so they could take photos. The passengers kept complaining I was going too fast. As I continued to slow the airplane down they started to give me praises. Well the problem with that was I was nearly at the brink of stall speed and was actually performing what’s called in real world “slow flight” where you have to be really careful to not stall the airplane to the point of an unrecoverable stall/spin and crash. The sim gave me an A but in real life, my instructor would have failed me and not signed off on my logbook because I didn’t get the aircraft properly configured.

On another mission I started off flying a small cross country flight and in order to fly the mission properly, it had me flying in the clouds with no ATC clearance and at the wrong altitude for the desired heading. Again, in real life, my instructor would have failed me.

This career mode is just a game. There’s not much realistically about it unfortunately.

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Yes as a real world pilot (I’m now retired but accumulated over 20.000 hours in my aviation career over 35 years) you see all the things that are incorrect in this so called simulator. It has very little to do with aviation simulation. It’s far away from being a simulator.
It’s a kids game for consoles flying with a game controller.

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Correct. We want a great simulator and not a wannabe a pilot game.

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As mad about FS24 as I am, I must say that you will never get this from a piece of software that costs around $100.00.

For that you need the ‘real’ stuff that costs thousands if not millions.

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Why can’t MSFS2024 be designed for everyone? It’s not just for hardcore enthusiasts, but also newcomers and those seeking adventure. If we want to ensure the continued success of this genre in the future, it can’t be for selfish reasons…the key is to create an experience that resonates with all types of players…

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Hmm - I only paid £59.99 for X-Plane. Weird.

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I’m glad that some people enjoy the ‘career’ mode of MSFS 2024 and I realise that console players do not have access to some of the (arguably much better) career options, virtual airlines, etc available to PC users.

However, I am also grateful that we still have MSFS 2020 which, for real world pilots (including retired RAF pilots such as myself) offers a much better and more realistic flying experience than is ever likely with MSFS 2024.

I say the above because wheras 2024 is trying to be a low-level flying/sightseeing/photography/racing/challenge game suitable for all levels, MSFS 2020 is currently a very reasonable domestic flight simulator which, with suitable harware, ATC, aircraft and other aviation centred addons, VR etc, is able to offer a fairly realistic imitation of the real flight experience.

Honestly, I really do hope that people enjoy their 2024 gaming but for me, I will be sticking with MSFS 2020; always hoping that Microsoft repay customer loyalty by keeping the servers running for the forseeable future.

Whichever is best for you, please enjoy it.

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