I can stand medium settings and a tweak here and there with 5Mbps set in the data settings as long as it doesn't throw the infamous Internet Connection Lost error.  I got this many times in Beta trying to fly in southeast US.  I dont think the error was due to internet but an issue with photogrammetry.  The two small airports near me, 21 miles apart, i rarely could fly fro. One to the other without this error.  KTOC-KCEU.  Both airports were missing all buildings - except each one had a small fueling station.  The runways, taxiway and taxi lines seemed pretty good.  I dont know if this was a Beta version issue or if it will be the same in the release.  Additionally, I could not fly out of 2NC0 with the Internet Connection Lost error.  I wasn't the only one with this error.  There were quite a few from different locations.  Very frustrating not getting any confirmation from MS or Asobo on the Beta build.  Im looking forward to feedback after release.

2 hours ago, OzWhitey said:

This is a literally a photo-scenery based sim. If you fly it, you're going to have to get used to the problems with this scenery type. Offline mode is not a feature, it's something to use if you just can't get an internet connection. 

I'm interested (but not dismissive) of the fact you dislike photoscenery so much, as that is the only thing I am willing to fly over, and this has been the case for many years!

 

Yes, I'm coming to the realization that either I adapt and get used to it or miss out on this great new simulator.

I am still curious to see what Offline looks like and it will be the first thing I do when I get the sim. Im still not clear on wether it reverts to landclass or a sort of very low-rez photoscenery thats bundled in with the sim. I will request youtubers to upload some Offline to see.

Coming to my dislike for photoscenery. Theres no question that from up high in the jet airliners the scenery looks like the real thing, which it kind of is since they are real sat photos.

My issue is when Im low and slow (most of my flying) and thats when I cannot shake the impression of a giant 2D photo glued onto the land thats low-rez when Im close to it. Add in the flattened cars and houses (2D photo) with autogen "sitting on the photo" and for me personally it ruins the immersion. I know im probably the only simmer who feels like this when it comes to photoscenery but at the same time Im being honest with my feelings about it. 

I greatly appreciate that you're interested in why this is, most replies tell me to "get lost" and "go back to FS4" etc. Specially on social media. Some people get very worked up!

Having said that I do agree with your reply - I must get used to it and I will work on that in the months to come. I will of course be getting MSFS for sure and look forward to flying about in the amazing virtual world Asobo has created 🙂

I have been at this for plenty of years and know that forums are always going to focus on the negative side of things. The news in this post is encouraging but for the life of me I can not understand why MS has come this far without any effort to explain the nuts and bolts of things like storage. It just seems plain old stupid to me. All of this alpha testers private club and the Dev's doing interviews that honestly always leave more questions than answers. Before you all go nuts and get triggered let me say that I don't blame the Dev's because Mother MS makes the rules. No, it's not sour grapes and I did not and would not want to be a tester for this or anything else. 

My point is simply this: As I set here like 18 hours before release of what some folks all calling the best Flight Sim ever, I have no clue if I would ever want to put this thing on my computer and based on the questions all over the net I am not the only one. There may come a day when I rate this new sim as a 10 out of 10. I can say this with all honesty....I will always rate the MS roll out as 1 out of 10 and leaning towards a .5 out of 10. 

Edited August 16, 20205 yr by shivers9

18 minutes ago, ThrottleUp said:

 

Coming to my dislike for photoscenery. Theres no question that from up high in the jet airliners the scenery looks like the real thing, which it kind of is since they are real sat photos.

My issue is when Im low and slow (most of my flying) and thats when I cannot shake the impression of a giant 2D photo glued onto the land 

I greatly appreciate that you're interested in why this is, most replies tell me to "get lost" and "go back to FS4" etc. Specially on social media. Some people get very worked up!

 

I’ve never been a fan of photo sceneries either. MSE even the better TE products didn’t convince me to give up my Orbx LC maps, regions and OpenLC.

However, I’ve the feeling that Asobo found the way to make photo scenery reach the stage where it is much better than LC except for one not unimportant thing, seasons. Better resolution at low altitude, better autogen integration, complete cover of the Earth.

Will it also palatable in offline or lower res. is an open question. 

As for those who tell you to get lost, look at them hopping up and down with their little squeaks of joy, and laugh at them.

23 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

I’ve never been a fan of photo sceneries either. MSE even the better TE products didn’t convince me to give up my Orbx LC maps, regions and OpenLC.

However, I’ve the feeling that Asobo found the way to make photo scenery reach the stage where it is much better than LC except for one not unimportant thing, seasons. Better resolution at low altitude, better autogen integration, complete cover of the Earth.

Will it also palatable in offline or lower res. is an open question. 

As for those who tell you to get lost, look at them hopping up and down with their little squeaks of joy, and laugh at them.

Yes, I initially thought that if you play in Offline the sim will revert to landclass - but a landclass a gazillion times bettter than FSX. Thats what I was hoping for but I dont think this is the case. Well, we'll soon know , its just a matter of hours now!

I wont let go of my X-Plane 11 and FSX with Orbx Global and all the other cool scenery packs I've bought either.

I will of course get MSFS and approach it with an open mind, it might just be the time I accept and warm a little to photoscenery, lets see.

Yea thanks, I will laugh at those people. I dont understand why some get so angry. Its like "How dare you question all that is holy , this is MSFS and its the ultimate" Theres so many threads on forums and social media from people saying they dont feel good about the flight model, wind, etc but if you dare mention that satellite photo scans are not really your thing...they will come for you  with pitchforks 😅

 

6 hours ago, MarcG said:

 If you want to download the entire world it's 2000 terabytes!

um-mm....  I have 47TB to start...

39 minutes ago, VFRflier said:

um-mm....  I have 47TB to start...

47 TB is decent amount. You could cover the world in ZL16 ortho with that (think: Orbx TrueEarth), with plenty of space for some ZL17/ZL18 around high-usage areas.

I think the "2000TB" is a marketing number, no way you need that for worldwide ortho at a decent resolution. 

 

 

1 hour ago, ThrottleUp said:

I dont understand why some get so angry. Its like "How dare you question all that is holy , this is MSFS and its the ultimate"

Good grief!!  How many times do I have to say it?  Offline looks almost identical to online!  You may not even notice a difference if you lost connection during a flight.

It's not that you are questioning "all that is holy."  I do enough of that myself.  MSFS is enough better than anything that came before to make it the current "ultimate."  In a few years we'll have a new current "ultimate"... and personally I can't wait. 😄 

Hook

2 minutes ago, LHookins said:

Good grief!!  How many times do I have to say it?  Offline looks almost identical to online!  You may not even notice a difference if you lost connection during a flight.

I.

Did you fly offline with minimal autogen, like for instance in an agricultural field landcape  or over grass savannah etc ? I understood that you flew in forested areas to check this mode. Sorry, if I was mistaken.

Another question, when your internet connection is cut, I suppose that the offline mode kicks in only when you have exhausted the buffered scenery which was already streamed down ? It may take time ? 

22 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

in an agricultural field landcape 

I took off from the southmost airport at Grenada and flew to a small airport up the Orinoco River.  Mixed rural terrain.  No idea what New York would look like.
 

23 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

Another question, when your internet connection is cut, I suppose that the offline mode kicks in only when you have exhausted the buffered scenery which was already streamed down ? It may take time ? 

I don't know how far out the buffered streaming data goes.  But it's a case of "if you can't tell the difference, what does it matter?"  It might be different in heavily populated areas.

Hook

14 minutes ago, LHookins said:

 

I don't know how far out the buffered streaming data goes.  But it's a case of "if you can't tell the difference, what does it matter?"  It might be different in heavily populated areas.

Hook

The question is, you didn't see the difference because there is not much difference between on and offline terrain or because you never left the area already streamed and never actually saw the offline terrain ? 😉

15 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

The question is, you didn't see the difference because there is not much difference between on and offline terrain or because you never left the area already streamed and never actually saw the offline terrain ? 😉

Measure the distance on a map and decide for yourself.  I have no way of knowing, but it was a long flight.

In the end, all you can do is try it for yourself and see.

Hook

15 minutes ago, LHookins said:

Measure the distance on a map and decide for yourself.  I have no way of knowing, but it was a long flight.

In the end, all you can do is try it for yourself and see.

Hook

It depends where you were disconnected and I don't have the experience of a tester to see when  FS20 calls for a downstream reload. Every 15 minutes, every 100 nm, etc. ? Mysterious. This is not a theoretical question for people having a subpar connection.  

5 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

It depends where you were disconnected

I was disconnected before I took off.  A lightning strike had taken my provider's tower down and I had to start the sim offline.

Looks like it's doing a downstream reload continuously.

Hook

Just watched the interview video. They say you will have all the geographical data, just not the beauty.

I am really curious how detailed the offline mode will be. The size of the sim suggests it could have some serious quality even offline. Basically going down that road which XP12 is expected to go.

Edited August 16, 20205 yr by tweekz