World updates are free because it’s keeps everyone on the same common platform that keeps us interested with a drop feed of content. In return, Asobo/Microsoft continue to make money on game pass subs and of course the micro/macro transactions in the store. Lots of games have gone this route, Call of Duty is a good example. Keep the player count up and therefore revenue.
It may be a ‘free’ update but Asobo are very much winning here too, they are not a charity. Their job is to keep us engaged in the SIM so we keep spending more money. So far they have done a cracking job.
I believe that MS / Asobo actually target for the simulator to function perfectly in both avionics and graphics. I’d find it unfair to compare it with XP every now and then as it’s a totally different platform in many ways and superior.
That’s why they’ve just recently shifted to the two separate update scheme, ie World Updates for better graphics and Sim Update for better avionics.
I still don’t quite understand how a graphics update delay ends up with a flock of criticism that MSFS2020 is not a simulator but a scenery game again !
You’re assuming that the work on the World Update 3 didn’t start until the pre Christmas patch was released on 22/12. Almost certainly not true. These things are running in parallel. They will already be working on World Update 4, and the fact that they are alternating sim updates and world updates suggests that they are essentially separating the teams between those working on the simulation aspects and the scenery aspects which probably makes a lot of sense given the likely different skill sets needed.
They have acknowledged that there will be a knock on from the delays to WU3 - and that is most likely due to testing and a common route to live - where both paths will go through the same final testing and release process. In the meantime, the dev work will continue on both streams simultaneously. Personally I doubt that ditching the world updates all together will speed up the sim updates to any great degree.
Sorry, but they are. Check these forums.
Complaining is fine. Being abusive (as some have been on this thread) is not.
Refunds were given for MSFS (although I’m not sure if that is still going on to any great extent).
Your view is clearly that a replay system is essential to the sim. Others would say that helicopters are essential to the sim. Still others would say that gliders are essential to the sim. Some have said that trains are essential to the sim (I may be exaggerating that slightly). But you get my point. Their choice was to wait until the had done everything and it was perfect and release complete in 2030, or release something that (literally) millions of people can get some enjoyment out of and then gather the feedback from those users to help them shape the development agenda for the next 10 years.
Personally I’d rather enjoy myself with the sim over the next 10 years and be on that journey with them as it grows and expands.
I’m sure people who argue helicopters are essential, would argue that a replay system is essential. So which one seems more important?.. Releasing this game without a replay system it’s like releasing COD and not being able to watch your mates when you die… It’s fundamental, in my opinion.
Orbx TE is good but does impact X-plane performance and eats your drive space. For VFR flying it has all the VRP that match your charts. It’s just a pity that X-plane colours, weather and lighting is dull in comparison.
For me MSFS performs so much better, looks better and has a higher fps even with shadows, reflections and clouds which kill fps in X-plane even in Vulkan.
Now a new modern engine not an upgrade in a new X-plane with their flight model would be interesting especially if they could use Google’s map data and photogrammetry.
Something to think about is that if you wanted that quality of scenery for the world (similar to MSFS) it woudl cost you in the hundreds of thousands of pounds plus the tens of thousands to buy enough SSDs to store it. TrueEarth may be slightly more accurate than MSFS scerney wise, but you get the whole world for £60.
Out of the box, xplane scenery is stone age v MSFS.
I don’t think they are tied to avionics. They are just updates to the platform. The contents will vary from month to month, it just happens to be that the G1000 item on the dev. blog is pencilled in, and I choose my words carefully there, for the next sim update in March. The next one may not have avionics tweaks at all.
I think one of the issues here is people feel like the wheels are falling off a bit at Asobo. It’s ok to say the release didn’t go as planned, we need more time, but to say they are pushing it a week and then actually come back 2 weeks later and push it a further week makes people think they are amateurs. They are clearly not, as I am amazed every day at the quality of this software (ane even more so with the FBW mod and some of the 3rd party scenery).
The thing that makes me concerned is they seem to have no concern about the community. If they think this is “normal” software then it is clear they don’t understand flight sims… the people that buy this (at least a large portion) are hardcore sim fanatics. These people want replay mode to analyse their landings! Not to mention replay mode is great for producing youtube videos… what better PR than gamers showing videos of their gameplay?!
Sure, they will sell quite a few on XBox, mainly via Game Pass, but I wager my house that most of these people will play for 2 weeks and never again. It’s the PC crowd that will keep this alive for years to come.
They would do well to put a propper sim “customer” in charge of the product roadmap, and definitely someone else in charge of PR… it’s clear Asobo themselves are very bad at the PR side of things.
Anyway, on a positive note, the FBW team have done an amazing job with the A320 and that gives me hope for the future of the sim and the 3rd party planes to come… Microsoft/Asobo would do well to polish the ATC and the basic features of the shipped aircraft (to the level xbox gamers want) and leave the planes to the experts (and focus on the scenery glitches and rubbish ATC)
It’s true MSFS2020 is a great 3d scenery generator and Asobe made it possible without a large amount of storage space. But is it a great flight simulation?
There’s a lot of people replying here that need to take a good look at themselves. Attacking Asobo and the people who work there for a delay is not acceptable.
Those same people complaining about the delay would also be the very same people complaining if it had been released and didn’t work properly.
Exactly! Completely agree here. We have a very very nice simulator and it needs some work, Asobo is very clear with that that it is a multi-year project. I am very happy that the team is working on it with so much dedication. A few days delay for a free update is not a problem at all. Just enjoy your flights and look forward to all the improvements to come!
I don’t know who else here works in software but MS/Asobo seem to be using the agile model of software development. This means they usually have a set “cadence” for releases and they will work wherever possible to that but sometimes things really can creep out of the woodwork at the eleventh hour that you may know nothing about, sometimes completely unrelated to the area under development/test. They want to keep us with a stable product, not something that crashes so I appreciate their willingness to not just push ahead and ruin everyone’s experience, as frustrating as it might be for some.
