I’m not sure if I just uncovered something about the included planes.
I just tried to run an AI-controlled test flight, using the 747. I wanted to see if the AI could launch, land, and park the thing. Apparently, there’s extra docking content when you land the plane and bring it to the gate. I had never used any of the airliners. I prefer small, agile craft, always flying below 1000 feet, because I wanted details on these far-away regions. The game I envisionned was the one hinted at in the old opening cutscenes. Specifically, where the AI takes the A5 for a spin around the Seattle Space Needle.
The plane didn’t follow the proper trajectory when landing. It landed (brushing the water )but never made the gate. I never got an option to force the AI to park at gate. Most important: I got, for the first time ever, a “not enough bandwidth error.” The performance, already lacking on other planes, was now unbefitting a released product. Literally a slide show. (Only weeks ago, I had my best NYC runs on an Icon A5. Near max settings, 4K HDR. Mostly flyable, with the odd slowdown when nearing community bridge content.)
I started wondering…is the game actually streaming the plane you fly? Is it treating the entire PC version like the PSnow service ? Even if you’re not using real-time traffic? Is the terrible, half-rendered, clay sculpture NYC skyline (and later UK/Paris photogrammetry) because none of the content is reaching your PC in time to render? If so, no setting will save you, and no card. Not my RTX 2080. Not the RTX 3080 I’ve been trying to buy since September 2020. And not the RTX 3090 I’d never consider, constrained by finance and 2 slots.
And having FIOS high-speed won’t save you, either. This is outrageous.