[Polls] Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Sim Update 16 & 16.1 Feedback

If SU17 is scheduled in July we will at least get SU17 beta 1 to 2 months prior, except if the update would be very small like 16.1. I guess it would start after SU5 release in tandem with SU6 beta like SU3 and SU16 last year. Just wondering what would they bring on the update if they call it as major update.

Excellent points and I should clarify perhaps further. If they had downgraded the maps alone, and kept options to leverage third party solutions unchanged that provided the much higher detail anyway, it would be a moot point and those that did not wish to accept the decrease in quality of default could work around it.

However in what ever Asobo has done, we have worse default aerials, we have an non aligned height field (assumed) so that cliffs etc are a mess, removal of 512 resolution aerials that third party solutions allowed for and transformed the sim, and limiting of map zoom levels (again assumed based on testing and evidence) so detail whether default maps or otherwise is again reduced beyond that which which the reduction from 512 to 256 tiles alone should bring.

As noted previously I had not leveraged default aerials in a long time due to the order of magnitude difference to that which third party option could deliver. As such I do very much appreciate that the gulf from su15 aerials to su16 may not be as dramatic for all. However whether combined with other issues as noted above or not, the outcome regardless I feel is a substantially worse experience than we had for years up to su16.

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I guess after Jorg’s embarrassing and shameful excuse and wordings, along with the aerials and tiles being completely messed up, those pathetic scenery pop ins are to remain as well.

Now have zero faith or trust in any of the 3-member panel that we used to listen to with dare I say excitement
they want flight Sim for 8-year-olds
they simply don’t care about their original user base that got them where they are today.

17 Likes

Agree, but with caveat that Seb and Martial (along with all the devs that work with them) I feel are highly capable and skilled. They will be tasked with objectives and then do their best I would trust to complete them. But when the direction given is wrong, then so is what is then developed by the team.

In su16 we see this as “make it faster, make it smoother” for example, from which we see these degradations of quality across all the areas.

I appreciate that changing of map providers is outside of even their control, but then breaking of immersion through all the other downgrades can not be so easily excused I’m sorry.

But yes, Jorg’s comments of “if anyone is still following” 2020 really was a clear insight wasn’t it that any return to visual splendor that was 2020 is now a lost cause (driven from above to the rest of the team undoubtedly)

14 Likes

Might have better if that were true. We’d not have SU16

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To all you MSFS2024 users out there - welcome to our world
.

Can’t wait for future updates to 2020 and 2024. I can see the ads now - 
’join us on our journey that is the future of flight simulation- we’d especially like to welcome aboard all of our Atari and Sega Genesis users- enjoy those colorful pixels kids’

8 Likes

Ha ha. Yes watched same video and thought exactly the same thing! I do appreciate that over last 6 months that YouTubers that used to only say good things are now becoming more balanced and highlighting the bad also.

If quality downgrade is true, then Asobo’s ruthless attack on visuals in order to optimise and stabilise continues and let’s see how the 2024 only simmers like how it feels.

I have tried su5 and to me in pc is smoother yes, but aerials I saw no difference (still a step back into 1990’s cartoon land). On Xbox and as it was for last few beta releases, it’s taken a hit to performance and fluidity (but much like su16, Asobo just release sim updates regardless so sometimes I don’t know why they even do beta’s other than to give community impression of aiding in the process).

We will see how the same people that have downplayed our feedback as “old timers wanting to keep an old sim alive” react when Asobo starts downgrading 2024 too.

9 Likes

Anyone noticing worse scenery popping recent days? Just flew around several cities in US and Japan. I got severe autogen trees and PG popping at very short distance which I have never seen in months. Reminds me of days when SU16 had just been released :frowning:

5 Likes

Thanks for that last sentence. I totally agree.

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I’ve noticed square reflections in water when viewing from very low level. I’m sure this wasn’t always the case. Anyone else get this? Nothing has changed on my system driver wise. All graphics settings are set to max except variable TLOD.

I believe there is still hope that they will fix some of the poor terrain imagery for both 2024/2020. Jorg does mention about one of his favourite cities now looking worse. Both sims use the same source data so if they do have the capacity at some point to work on it I believe the changes would roll through to both sims. I doubt we’ll get 512x textures again though sadly, probably was a server load minimisation change. But remember before MSFS we had P3D/FSX which was nothing on what exists now. So there is reason to be grateful even if things don’t look as good. I did capture some screenshots of when 512x and the High LOD option was available and it was an amazing sight.

6 Likes

Amazing sights indeed, back in the days. Sad to be stuck with worse aerials now, in the Alps particularly.

9 Likes

Yes indeed.

I will note that using the 3rd party solution and “something a day to keep the doctor away” aerials do give a huge improvement in the alps or other high elevation regions. (Even after Asobo stripping out 512x512 texture map injection being supported in su16). The same solution though I think due to other su16 changes does not give as good results at lower elevations unfortunately has been outcome of EXTENSIVE testing.

Alps using the above solution:

2 Likes

I was reading through a weather-related post and somebody linked to this official video from October 2019 showing the original weather system. You can also see the very sharp and clear city and landscape textures that were available in the stock release of MSFS 2020 back then.

While it’s understandable that some compromises had to be made to improve overall performance across a broader variety of hardware since that initial launch version (and to be fair FS2020 does run fairly smoothly and had relatively sharp scenery textures until SU16) it’s also interesting to see what could have and arguably should still be possible at ‘ultra’ settings for gaming PCs at the top end of the spectrum.

6 Likes

First video = gosh I really miss the wow that we had until 9 months ago :frowning:

Second video = what sim is that!!?? Can’t be 2020 as that looks better than I ever saw. The buildings and lod in those shots are incredible!!

How or how Asobo have you taken the sim backwards from this and then even further to the ai slop / cartoon world of MSFS 2024??

Thanks people, I WAS having a good day till I saw these.. :slight_smile:

Oh and found this one if you really want to be sad at where Asobo ended up:https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/BZL5PCZO8cc

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Simply put, MSFS 2020 would have been far superior in quality to MSFS 2024, which would have been a significant drawback in encouraging users to migrate and purchase the latest version.

9 Likes

Personally, i’d prefer to go back to the older scenery at the higher resolution, than the new maps at the lower quality.

10 Likes

I’m still waiting for MS/Asobo to bring back accurate textures to the FS2020 simulator. If they don’t, I’ll quit the whole simulator hobby!

3 Likes

Community managers
. please send this to Jorg and the team
. give them this reminder of how good the sim once was
. maybe they will appreciate why are so disheartened now. This sim has been like buying a high end BMW, you take it in for a service and decide to strip the gorgeous leather interior out and replace with some old style 1970s fabric
they also remove the powerful v6 engine and replace with a Morris minor 1.1l engine
.the service department hands you back the keys and says they’ve made improvements and your car is ready
.enjoy your day happy BMW driver

9 Likes

Cute analogy. Not sure how accurate it is, but I’ll try to remember it for future applications of my own!
:grinning_face:

1 Like