The ability to create a total and complete image backup of the entire game context sufficient to reinstall a complete and working game.
All game files.
All game preferences.
All game settings.
All game metadata.
All added content.
World updates.
Marketplace purchases.
Installed 3rd party aircraft, scenery, airports, etc. This can be qualified by the requirement that it be installed in a “standard” location like the “community folder”.
Any additional data, metadata, registry entries, purchase rights, DRM protected content, and anything else required to completely re-install the game from this local backup.
The ability to restore a complete and working game from the backup image, such that it is exactly identical in every respect to the original game at the instant in time when the image is taken, including any settings, preferences and such other data to make it work identically as it was before.
The ability to store these images as named images on whatever local or networked media the user desires.
To the maximum extent possible, allow the Xbox user to save and backup named images to whatever internal and/or external media that is available to the Xbox users.
Why this is important:
It has been proved by bitter experience that downloading and installing/reinstalling MSFS is a painful and time consuming process that can, and often does, take days to complete.
It is a known and proven fact that updates and upgrades to MSFS can cause significant disruptions to the game.
Significant regressions can be introduced.
Previously configured settings can be overwritten with default settings without the user’s knowledge or permission.
Windows Updates can, and do, reset necessary configuration data for the proper operation of the game.
It is also a proven fact that certain 3rd party content can seriously disrupt the game to the point where it crashes and burns at startup after installation.
As the game evolves, the minimum standards for reasonably smooth gameplay will increase, requiring the game to be moved to a new system, requiring a complete reinstall.
The game’s user may wish to upgrade/replace their existing system requiring a complete reinstall.
Due to the inherent difficulty in completely reinstalling the game from bare metal, I respectfully request the ability to save and restore the complete and entire game context.
Note:
It is permitted to require the reinstalled game be associated with, and registered to, an existing Microsoft user account.
This is a non issue, we can already do all you ask.
When I moved from my old pc to my new one I merely made a copy of the “Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe” folder and pasted it to my new pc. After entering my credentials on the new pc MSFS recognised this folder and I was 100% up and running within 30 minutes.
That is not always the case, and your method excludes the essential C:Xbox games/MSFS game executables folder and any necessary system/registry entries.
I have tried your method with indifferent success to the point of needing a reinstall, even on the same machine.
This is something that needs to be officially implemented and supported.
I like one point in the OP’s request, that the sim should know which packages I want. It’s a bit worrying that on first startup it downloads many optional packages aside from core. I often delete a/c and airports that I do not need from content manager, but after a while a hiccup may appear, and on the next boot up it asks me to download those I removed.
I use Macrium Reflect and do a complete image file of both my C: and D: drives once a week.
I use Acronis for my corporate workstation backups.
Both companies make good products that will accomplish what OP wants to accomplish.
Of course I speak only for PC users.
I’m not sure how Xbox users back up their other games.
That’s all well and good, and a periodic system backup is a good idea, (and yes, I use Acronis), but. . . .
A system like Windows-10+ isn’t the tiniest thing around.
A total bare metal backup of the entire system is overkill.
A bare-metal system backup takes a non-trivial amount of time and storage space, even when compared to the size of the MSFS installation.
It would be nice to be able to “roll back” an update or install that borks the game. Note that often an “uninstall” isn’t sufficient as these things leave more trash in the system and registry than Macy’s New Years Day Parade!
This would be good for game/mod/updates/etc developers.
A bare-metal system backup isn’t useful for someone moving their system to a new machine/install.
Etc. . . .
There are any number of use cases where a complete and total backup of the game itself would be very desirable.
Yes, I know that if I start doing THIS, interrupt it and do THAT, by the dark of the moon, while crossing my fingers and standing on my left leg, it might work. Unfortunately not all simmers have “A+” computer certifications, and many may be adverse to hacking around with their systems.
Therefore, I respectfully recommend that a capability like this be given full consideration.