Two things; Encryption, and streaming.
One of the most appealing aspects of MSFS and flight simulation in general is the talented community, with Microsoft and Asobo often stating the simulator is “with the community, for the community.” Yet, when looking at the current state of the sim, these claims come across like pure bogus, with for example the hilariously stupid encryption of default aircraft. There will always be a need for addons!
From the outset, we were told that the mass encryption of default aircraft was a mere “mistake” to be investigated. But it is clearly not. By their own admission, this encryption is intentional, and any future decryption will be minimal and uncertain, applying only to select aircraft at some indeterminate time. This is a direct reversal of what made MSFS 2020 so vibrant: accessible default aircraft that paved the way for modding communities to thrive, making meaningful enhancements and even enabling entire third-party paid releases to take shape. The assertion that this encryption preserves some “competitive edge” is baffling in a context where the sim has no competitive backbone—no scoreboards, no arenas, just a shared passion for aviation.
The massively talented third party developer team of FlyByWire was instrumental to the early adoption of MSFS amongst the wider group of the technically interested, making needed improvement addons for the default, and frankly very lacking, Asobo 32N.
Repeating the success today in MSFS 2024 would NOT be achieveable with for example the Asobo B38M, which is also very lacking in system depth and flight modelling
Then there is the Horizon Sim and Heavy Division improvement mods for the 787 in MSFS 2020, again an aircraft model that has lacking depth out of the box.
The aircraft encryption of MSFS 2024 limits the scope of projects trying to achieve the same with 2024 default aircraft. If one desires to make liveries for default aircraft, then that would also be very difficult to achieve without some serious workarounds and file-digging.
Moreover, aside from aircraft, it turns out that airport data is ALSO encrypted. Seriously Asobo, why the hell is the entire sim encrypted? This is exactly the opposite of supporting and stimulating the community, - you are actively choking it and killing any addons for your sim.
There were so many praises about how this sim was constantly working alongside, for and with the community, well it is just not true. This sim is currently more limiting than the predecessor. Seriously, the encryption is incredibly stupid.
The piracy argument, often cited as justification, is weak. Encryption has not markedly slowed the appearance of aircraft files on illicit sites. What it has done is punish paying customers, limiting their ability to customize and refine their experience. This approach to “community interaction” is completely counterproductive: it alienates honest users, stifles innovation, and ultimately reduces the value of the product.
In stark contrast, look at how X-Plane has operated for years. The X-Plane ecosystem is open and community-friendly, allowing third parties to modify and improve upon the base product with relative ease. While not perfect out of the box, X-Plane’s openness encourages a collaborative spirit that continually pushes the simulator forward. Meanwhile, Asobo and Microsoft appear out of touch, ignoring the lesson that an engaged, empowered community lifts the entire platform.
All this talk about working “with the community, for the community” is laughable when the sim’s core assets are locked behind encryption, hindering the very creative input that was once celebrated. The direction taken here has stripped away the trust and excitement that originally accompanied MSFS 2020’s launch. Instead of building on that goodwill, the developers have made the ecosystem more restrictive than ever, distancing themselves from what once made MSFS a beacon of community-driven innovation.
The recent dev streams and announcements have only solidified these concerns. Many of us who cherished the sim’s initial promise are left disappointed and unwilling to continue investing in a platform that has seemingly turned its back on the very people who helped it grow. If this is the future of MSFS, then it’s a future without many of its formerly passionate supporters.
Modding in general is ABSOLUTELY necessary for this sim to thrive. Unless Asobo is willing to improve the default fleet of aircraft to a higher standard (to the same quality standard as the iniBuilds fleet of planes for example), then the only other way is via the community.
Here’s a list:
- Lack of Modding Access: The default aircraft are locked behind encryption, without any which prevents the community from painting liveries, creating mods, or adding features. Modding is a cornerstone of the flight sim community and one of the key factors that has kept previous simulators alive and evolving for years. By locking down default aircraft, you’re stifling creativity and limiting the potential of the community which is the LIFEBLOOD of this sim. Without it, MSFS would not exist.
- No Local Downloads: Not only are the default aircraft encrypted, but they are also streamed rather than downloaded. This introduces issues with textures and LODs failing to load properly and makes the experience far less enjoyable. Players should have the option to fully download and store these assets locally for improved stability and better access to the content we’ve paid for.
- Proper repaint (& paintkit?) - support or access to the texture files: While the efforts that have been done to bring real-world airline liveries into the sim is fantastic to see and something we should all be grateful for, it would be nice if the default aircraft, at least the most commonly flown, would have a proper photoshop PSD/similar alternative repaint-kit for community painters to make high fidelity liveries from, at the very least access to the texture files which are currently encrypted.
- Contradiction to the Community Promise: The current restrictions feel at odds with the claim that this simulator is for and by the community. How can the community contribute fully if we’re not given access to the tools and files we need to do so?
For a simulator that prides itself on realism, freedom, and immersion, these restrictions feel unnecessarily limiting. We’re not asking for access to proprietary technologies or systems that are integral to the simulator’s function—just the ability to download and modify the aircraft we’ve purchased as part of the base product.
The “purchase liveries” button in the aircraft configuration tab is also very concerning, if this would become a replacement of sorts to regular modding and repaints of default aircraft, then the backlash would be HUGE.
Encryption needs to go, it completely contradicts statements made earlier and makes everyone at MS/Asobo look like hypocrites. Please, don’t go the subscription and pay to play path, - liveries should NEVER have to be paid for, and especially not if it is forced onto the user by not allowing any other 3rd parties to chip in. If the simulator becomes so restricted to 3rd parties, then what is even the point in upgrading? Many will see 2020 as the better, more flexible option, and developers and players alike will stay with that platform for longer, impacting sales on the 2024 platform.
And just to add something about the streaming topic, which has been detailed in another great post:
The reliance on streaming for this sim is frankly a horrible decision, and something that NEEDS to change. It should be up to the user to choose how they install, operate and maintain their sim.