I think it is worth providing an update on my experiences with SU16. I got a new driver update from NVidia yesterday, and did some flying around Ukraine. I didn’t see the weird terrain “rippling” I had noticed with the previous driver, so I’m thinking that may have been the issue there. Colors, greens in particular, continue to look overly bright in places, but I still can’t tell how much of that I’m only seeing because I’m looking for it from following this thread. I’d really have to do some deep dive comparisons with old screenshots to get a better feel for it. I did notice terrain blurriness when zooming in, and some low res textures for airports and roads, as well as weird artifacting in the clouds when holding a zoomed in shot for a screenshot, and I have clouds set to ultra. All in all, I still wish SU16 had never come out. SU15 was perfect (for me).
The terrain popping is also for me biggest issue. I can deal with everything else although I wont spend any more money on asobos stuff. The popping trees and buildings ruin the game totally!
That was during SU5, when they told us, that they would make SMFS2020 compatible with consoles. So, everyone was upset about the “downgrading” of the sim.
At the cost of downgrading a product and peeving off the customers? That conflicts with that direct line to the customers. I get what you’re saying and it’s a good, educated guess. Companies have been doing it for years (think the size of a can of tuna). But’s a fine line.
Actually, the size of a can of tuna is a good analogy. We just went from 6oz to 5 and there’s nothing we can do about it. Typical cooperate America.
I don’t know, this move by MS/Asobo was so harsh that I can imagine any losses have already been factored in. Besides, all users have already paid so far.
On the other hand, there could indeed be the future costs described, which is why greater focus may now be placed on acquiring new customers elsewhere.
Pure speculation, of course. But if the licensing fees for the satellite data skyrocketed because they had to cover two sims, they probably had to weigh what was more important: cutting costs or upsetting existing customers.
If that’s the case, it would have been a calculated risk.
I didn’t not have that blocky contrails before and clouds look very flat and grainy down there.
Please give more options to PC users to benefit from their systems. I don’t want and need everything fixed and optimised for weak consoles.
Bring back LOD and texture sizes from before SU16 for PC users. Make it selectable, please. So far unhappy to be forced to this update.
I installed CU12, did a couple flights and the sim exited normally. I reloaded the sim, did a flight and the sim exited normally. Sorry but I don’t know why you are having this issue.
I am having the same problem. But I do not have the City Update 12 installed. So yes this is just one of many issues rearing its head.
I was very skeptic about this update when I saw users iimages in beta. But I must say I like the update. I only fly airlines and have a high end PC with a 48 gaming monitor. All settings on ultra except trees and so on that is high.
OK I tested the terrain popping near Olbia as you show in your video. It is doing it, but I think if I have my TLOD up high like you do, it’s doing it when I’m at a greater distance than you appear to be in your video (although it’s hard to tell how far you are). I only seem to get it quite close like you do if I turn the TLOD down to around 120 or so. When it does it farther away, it’s much less noticeable and doesn’t stand out.
I have TLOD at max and get terrain popping at even a closer distance than in the video.
Microsoft /Bing already paid for the satellite data . Sim uses Bing map data ,already owned by microsoft . There is no additional licencing fee for “satellite “ data . There is licensing fee for using Bing map data but since msfs is Microsoft’s own baby , does not make sense to put fee using their own map service?
Does not make sense . msfs2020 used older bing data , data microsoft obtained from satellite imagery providing companies years ago . So following your logic it would add more additional cost to switch over newer bing map data . In reality , microsoft already paid for those satellite images/ data , there would be licencing fee for using the bing data but very unlikely that they would put licencing fee using their own product , and again in that case switching over would add that additional fee, not staying with the old “paid for” version .
It would be nice for the MSFS team to comment on this. I really don’t care about any other city updates or freebie aircraft, my main concern like others is for MSFS 2020 to be enjoyable and usable. Do what you want to 2024 but please leave us with one sim that was working well.
Well apparently the ‘system’ didn’t see the funny and has blocked it. Oh well, and yes does make one feel better..
Microsoft licenses data from a number of companies, e.g:
What we don’t know are the terms of the licenses. They may have no restrictions, but more likely have clauses specifying time (i.e. expiration dates), application use (i.e. which MS applications can use the data - e.g. Bing, MSFS, etc.), usage (e.g. usage over a specified amount requires additional payments) etc. etc. Furthermore, the terms may not be the same for all, which could cause complications when trying to merge data from multiple companies into a unified look at all elevations in MSFS 2020 & 2024.
It may be that the changes seen in SU16 and being debated in this topic have a root cause in the license terms of use for the data.
In companies like Microsoft with multiple divisions, it is common for financial charges to be implemented between divisions. For example, an IT division has costs (operating and capital expenses) but rarely generates any income, so other divisions that use its services are charged a fee to cover their costs.
I suspect that the Xbox division is charged for services provided by other divisions in the company to cover the costs of those services.
Where did you get the information that they only paid once for the data and that there are no ongoing costs?
As far as I know, Asobo is the development studio and MS is the publisher. The satellite data on Bing Maps comes from Earthstar, Maxar, and Vexcel Imaging. Too many parties involved for me to be able to judge how the fees for that data are structured.
But you seem to know that for sure, right?
To be frank, no one knows. We shouldn’t be arguing..anyone of us could be right what matters is the state we are in with su16