MSFS 2024, how the new purchase SHOULD work

Discussion Hub MSFS 2024
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So Asobo’s handling of this announcement has rightly created some concern, many of us have spent hundreds, if not thousands on add ons for MSFS and certainly do want to see the sim abandoned, and have to purchase again.

I can’t imagine Microsoft/Asobo would do that however, it seems an insane decision from a consumer satisfaction point of view.

Here’s what I ‘think’ will happen.

MSFS 2024 is a brand new game, BUT it replaces MSFS. It makes no sense for Asobo to manage, support and provide updates for two versions of the game, and for Microsoft to host two separate servers.

New users, will buy MSFS 2024, 2020 will be retired from Steam and the Microsoft Store.

Existing owners will have the choice to upgrade to the new MSFS 2024 Career edition. All of the career enhancements will be analagous to the deluxe premium edition of MSFS. An optional additional purcase, but doesn’t affect the core sim.

If existing owners don’t purchase the career enhancement then they will continue to get MSFS 2024 base game, and all future development will continue with MSFS 2024.

All add ons will be compatible as the underlying engine is the same, (expect problems early, especially with freeware) and developers will not charge extra to repurchase. Asobo might compensate the developers for their time if extra additional work is required, or maybe they charge a very modest service charge to users, but we will not need to buy everything again.

In the end, it will ultimately be very exciting, lots of quality of life improvements, potentially seasons, better trees as well.

Ultimately, we won’t need to fork out for more duplicate add ons, but we might need better hardware again to cope with the extra graphic demands. 15900K 5090 here I come.

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This is basically what I also mentioned in the other thread.

I think FS2024 will be a “new” version of the same sim, that will REPLACE MSFS. Keeping the same base, servers, marketplace, addons, etc.

Flight Simulator is more (SaaS) Software-as-a-Service than a standalone game. It relies so much on servers and online services, including the marketplace, that it makes no sense to maintain 2 different versions of everything.

I do not think it will be a separate product in the store, your current MSFS will simply become FS2024, just like MSFS became 40th Anniversary Edition a while ago. But this time, in addition to the inclusion of missions, it will also include enough technology improvements to justify a new name/version of “FS2024”.

Upgrade to FS2024 should be free, similar to what Microsoft does when you upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11. “New Windows”, but not really… just a new version of the same thing with the with mostly the same programs supported. They give you the new version for free as an incentive to upgrade, precisely because maintaining old versions is expensive.

This is what makes sense to me and what I hope will happen. I don’t care if missions are purchased separately, as long as the core sim and addons remain one.

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I hope you’re right. It sounds like a sensible approach.

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I hope so too, rather than the Train Sim World approach, which allows people to have TSW 1, 2 and 3 installed at the same time as different games.

The TSW approach seems far more likely though.

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So. You’re saying it’s like a WoW update, where you have access to the legacy content, but need to pay to access the new stuff?

I’m down with that. I think it’d be insane to do anything different.

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They’re referring to it as an “all new sequel” in the promotional tweets.

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I don’t trust them, I don’t trust most developers, the biggest insult is the timeline of MSFS being a 10 year project but they turn around announcing a new project to exploit the platform and draw in more casual users when it could just be integrated into the existing.
Looking at the announcement video I see lots of effects that we have been asking for to fulfill immersion on the existing platform but now are the selling points for something new.

I feel lie we should be organizing a union of players to start pushing our demands of MS/Asobo finishing the product that they have already promised before they are announcing a new title to exploit those demands.

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Yes, but as Icecold says, Windows 11 is an all new sequel to Windows 10 as well, but you don’t need to pay to upgrade.

Microsoft create services rather than products now. I believe even Microsoft Office is an online service now too.

I feel pretty relaxed about this now, I am sure it will be fine. I’m more than happy to pay an extra £40 or so to get whatever premium content they add to, I spend about £30 a month on add ons anyway.

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Yours is a better explanation than mine, I think you are spot on with your Windows 10/11 analogy. It makes no sense for them to have two versions to support, and they won’t want to alienate their customers by forcing them to rebuy everything.

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I’m not familiar with TSW, but I googled and it’s not a Microsoft product. Microsoft rely on users paying for Gamepass and their games are services more than one time purchases. They would alienate their customers and kill future add on sales if they made everyone repurchase them.

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Although I’m pretty unimpressed with this announcement and the lack of clarity in how it was relayed -as many in the community are - I would like to mention that when purchasing content on the marketplace, it states you’re buying the “flight credits” needed to acquire the content (not sure how it’s done with the Steam version). Perhaps that’ll somehow come into play? Maybe the amount you’ve spent in FS20 will be added to a FS24 bank as a “premium currency” to redistribute to the new aircraft/content. But that also raises other concerns like how those credits will equate to newer content if that’s an option they’re considering. Would it be a 1:1 value? My 20 dollars 3 years ago are definitely not the same value today.

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MSFS is a great platform that they could sell additional services to; many of use would have paid for the what they added with the Top Gun branding; Reno sucked but could have an audience; 40th anniversary was really great to offer to everyone for free but some would have paid.

And if you want to compare MSFS (Windows 10) to MSFS24 (Windows 11); not going to move to W11 until they support all of my ■■■■ that Windows 10 still needs work around for. As a network engineer I don’t see that platform working for a few more years.

And the biggest insult is asking us to invest into a platform that they are promising was a 10 year project when MS/Asobo hasn’t delivered a fully functional product yet.

Its time we organize as a player base and not accept all of the requests that we have asked for in the decade long project be moved into another project just to milk more dollars out of us for a new base system for use to re pay for things that we have already paid for.

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I think the main reason they are calling it a new sequel is for marketing. A brand new sequel attracts far more attention than calling it an update. They need to keep the userbase high and this helps with that.

That is all I think is happening here. They probably could have called it ‘our largest update ever’, but that just doesn’t have the same impact.

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I hope you guys are right because I’m in deep with MSFS. So much so that a new offering would be a hard pass for me. On top of all the Airports, Aircraft, Hardware and software addons I also Purchased the Premium deluxe version on day 1. It took them 3 years to fix the longitude and that is only because of working title. And if they actually do the unthinkable I will be very angry for putting my money and trust in Microsoft / Asobo.

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I remember i bought FSX Acceleration new for £25 back in 2007. Adjusted for inflation, that’s just over £44 today.

Personally I think £44 is a little on the high side, but if this ‘MSFS 2024’ cost between £30-£40 (at least for existing 2020 owners) & all progress, settings & addons are transferable. I’m perfectly happy to pay that.

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Yeah, just thinking of all the effort they are putting into the marketplace alone to streamline it, so the devs can test their own stuff and make addons available faster… No way they are creating another separate marketplace for FS2024…

Back to my win 10/11 analogy, it would be like creating a new Microsoft Store for Win 11, and all your Win 10 apps don’t work anymore. Or your Google Play Apps stop working when a new Android version is released…

That’s why I think Flight Simulator will continue as one service/platform. They will just keep improving and adding stuff. Microsoft/Asobo will continue making money from the marketplace commissions and their addon planes. But for that, they need one robust platform/marketplace with lots of simmers and devs.

Even if we have to pay somehow for the FS2024 upgrade, I would be ok with it and would be fair if it’s really a substantial upgrade and considering all the free stuff we got for the past 3 years, as long as the sim remains one platform and everything continues working and compatible. That would be my biggest concern.

I might be wrong, but this is what makes sense to me. If they mess this up, simmers and devs will not thrust them anymore, the platform dies, and they know it.

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I just hope my aircraft and addons work on the newone, if not will be a realy mess after all that o spend.

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The community manager just posted in the other thread and seems everything will be compatible.
Sounds like a new standalone sim, connected to the same platform. That’s good news; Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - Announced - #1264

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good news!

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Amazing, thanks for the link. Time to get excited!