This is not to start a sim war, but to make MS/Asobo aware of just how far behind MSFS’ skies (colours / clouds / lighting) are falling. MSFS still has leading scenery and that’s what’s keeping me in its ecosystem, but unless 2024 shows some serious improvements, I’ll be going to the competition.
Just have a look at these screenies:
Have fun with your X-Plane.
I flew xplane for months and once I got my FS2020 working I loved 2020 so much I can’t fly xp…Better fidelity aircraft 737 wise and Payware isn’t clogged
Nice screens… I agree X-Plane is a respected flight simulator, however MSFS2020 features make it far superior and a more comprehensive flight simulator in my opinion. MSFS2024’s imminent arrival holds immense promise, destined to elevate it even further. I wouldn’t call it a competition with the resources MS/Asobo have.
A reminder to please stay on-topic per OP:
Love to see it! I hope for nothing but success for both sim platforms.
Would rather stay with MSFS. Want them to regain their edge. To do this, they first need to be aware of what the competition is doing, and I don’t know if they see every corner of other platforms’ development.
I remember when XP-12 was coming out and I commented many times on these boards that MSFS had better watch out because of all the ongoing problems it was having. Crunchmeister offered an opposing view (quite politely I might add) in which he said they weren’t going to be a threat. Well it’ll be a year in September since it was released, and boy, was he right. I thought they’d at least give em a run for their money, but I haven’t really heard that much from them.
The screenshots look really nice, and being XP 12 provide a good approximation of performance as well. 
Hopefully lots more cloud types in 202x (where x>=4) as MSFS does them very well too.
Good to see. Any competition I would think would be healthy. Send it MSFS2024, and full sends on clouds!!! 
The clouds look very soft, low resolution, and low density.
Not super impressed to be honest. The only real advantage I see here is that high altitude cirrus are much better represented. It’s a badly missing feature from Microsoft Flight Simulator, but switching platforms wouldn’t even cross mind looking at this.
That doesn’t look realistic to me at all. I’ll take MSFS. I’ve never seen weird hump clouds like that myself. Not to say they don’t exist as I’m no expert, it just doesn’t strike me as realistic looking.
Yep, they’re weird shaped. It’s like somebody put marshmallow fluff in a jello mold
What would really turn my head is some features we don’t have yet. Show me some wispy mare’s tail cirrus, or a 60,000 ft tall Cb with an anvil. Then I’d start to really look at XP.
Pretty much every cloud architecture has its anomalies. And that doesn’t begin to discredit the better overall look of the clouds and the lighting / colours coming in XP12.
Occasional issues aside, MSFS’ skies are falling behind.
Clouds only rate at 0.01% of my reason to use the sim.
You know what clouds I can’t get over? The DCS Clouds. Them are some nice looking clouds if you crank the settings
Those are some nice clouds, I’ll tell you hwhat
I don’t know XPlane, but I guess they use textures for the coulds, whereas MSFS uses shaders to produce clouds.Everything has its pros and contras!
Well I for one fell for the marketing hype with FS2020 and I am still disappointed in what we received. I will not fall for marketing hype for FS2024. I also think Asobo has been in way over their heads this whole time. One step forward and 2 steps back. I see it with every update. I like what I see with X-Plane 12. I’m going to try it.
I get it… It’s completely understandable that you might have had a disappointing experience with MSFS2020. However, it’s essential to keep an open mind and recognize that MSFS2024 will most likely push the limits in a much more positive direction overall. I think the development team likely faced numerous immensely complex challenges and difficult limitations with MSFS2020, which could have impacted the overall experience and marketing hype for you. I truly enjoy it, and love their communication with users, but a key factor for me is the reflection of the team’s transparency and commitment to refining the product and continuously pushing it forward with the announcement of MSFS2024. While X-Plane 12 might seem appealing to you and many others, it’s also essential to be aware that it is facing similar challenges, which might not entirely meet expectations for some, including yourself… just my opinion.
Interesting.
The OP can create a Topic that will “draw fire” but since the OP states,
“This is not to start a sim war”, no one is expected to respond or stand up for our beloved FS2020.