Was it a good decision not to buy MSFS2020 after release?

[IgorBR 19]

34 minutes ago, spacedyemeerkat said:

Steam reviews are often a poor barometer in the hours following release since people usually give instant negative reviews if something goes awry during installation.

Yeah and from statistical point of the view, the amount of reviews is not that high yet.

[ludekbrno 302]

48 minutes ago, IgorBR said:

I am constantly taking a look at MSFS2020 on the Steam throughout today, the reviews went from very positive to mixed - which is very bad indicator. I know, reviews below 1K is not much yet. When reading the reviews, many complain of technical issues - such as buying premium deluxe edition and not having all the content, contacting steam support and steam support telling to contact microsoft and then the microsoft telling the opposite; buying it on steam but having to create x-box account etc.).

I do not think this is a good reputation for a high-profile product such as this one to have several screw-ups during the official release. I wonder if the publisher will be either willing to reimburse the unsatisfied buyers or going to give them some kind of compensation, discount, additional premium content down the line. Seems to be extremely buggy and I start to think about postponing my purchase. I was battling with my emotions which told me to buy this product straight away, on the other hand I wanted to see what the people will be talking about it just after the release.

My question is, if you have not bought MS2020 yet, are you going to buy it on steam or will you rather buy it straight from Microsoft?

 

Because Steam purchase has not any advantage, I decide to buy via MS Store and it was a good choice. On midnight of my local time i start instalation and downloading, when I woke up to work, it was completely installed. So i switched computer off and after return from my work I hope, that I will can play 🙂

Edited August 18, 2020 by ludekbrno

[IgorBR 19]

21 minutes ago, Jac_49 said:

i dit not have any problems so far.
I bought through Microsoft shop, download without problems took 1 hour 23 minutes.  the installation and update to premium version also went smoothly.  First short flight and my impression is positive.

Glad to hear that. Hope you will be enjoying it. I will buy straight from Microsoft then.

[Sethos 4,622]

31 minutes ago, IgorBR said:

My question is, if you have not bought MS2020 yet, are you going to buy it on steam or will you rather buy it straight from Microsoft?

Really doesn't matter at this point. You buy access to a small launcher, which is downloaded through the respective store you buy from. However, the main game and the bulk of the download is handled through the launcher's interface and you get it off the same servers. 

Current differences;

- Microsoft Store version has its .exe locked due to being UWP, which is sandboxed. That means you won't be able to use ReShade. However, you can use Nvidia Freestyle and even use many of the same ReShade filters.

- Microsoft Store version is 'Play Anywhere' compatible, so if you plan on ever getting the new Xbox, you'll be able to play the game on that without buying it again

- Microsoft Store version seems to be the one being sold everywhere, in terms of digital keys. So you could snag a cheaper key than you would otherwise find on Steam or Microsoft's own store. I could save almost $30 buying a Premium Deluxe key from a legit third party site, than getting it from Microsoft's own local store. 

- Steam has integrated support with SteamVR and has Microsoft's own Mixed Reality application on there. That means you might see better and faster support for VR when using Steam, to my understanding. As people could even 'hack' the early G2 only support to work with any headset. 

- Steam has a lot of built-in functionality, FPS overlays, broadcasting, screenshots, music etc. including social features that a lot of people use. So some prefer extending that functionality into MFS. One thing that might be very beneficial, is Steam's unique controller setup, that allows you to emulate controllers the sim might not identify or you can't calibrate properly, including flight sim peripherals. 

Not sure if you can extend the latter mentioned to the MS Store version, by running it through Steam, especially when the .exe is locked down.

[IgorBR 19]

Just now, ludekbrno said:

 

Because Steam purchase has not any advantage, I decide to buy via MS Store and it was a good choice. On midnight of my local time i start instalation and downloading, if then I woke up to work, it was completely installed. So i switched computer off and after return from my work I hope, that I will can play 🙂

I would say it became some kind of habit of my to use steam for games. All in all, it the simulator that is really important not my loyalty to steam for buying every single thing.

[omarsmak30 4,069]

Reading Steam reviews, I think most of these reviews from people whom having problems installing it. I do have Steam version as well and so far I didn't face any issues, my installation is at 50gb so far. 

[Der Zeitgeist 1,575]

1 minute ago, omarsmak30 said:

Reading Steam reviews, I think most of these reviews from people whom having problems installing it. I do have Steam version as well and so far I didn't face any issues, my installation is at 50gb so far. 

These kind of reviews tend to average themselves out after a while. The Steam review system also has some viewing options to filter out cases of "review bombing", where people are piling onto a single issue without reviewing the entire product in an honest way.

Still, I think the download, installation and setup process is an important part of the overall experience, so these reviews should also be heard.

[Gavin 99]

I plan to wait a year, let the sim settle in and then see what financial position I'm in with this Covid misery. For now I'm on FSX and Win 7 and it will just have to do.  As an aside, I'm old enough to be patient 🙂

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

1 hour ago, Der Zeitgeist said:

That's a valid point though. If the sim counts the install and download period as game time, it essentially undercuts the Steam refund policy, which is a problem.

1 hour ago, IgorBR said:

And that is exactly what is happening.

I've allegedly got three hours in the sim now but still haven't turned a prop in anger 😎

Edited August 18, 2020 by spacedyemeerkat

[IgorBR 19]

1 hour ago, VBHB said:

Bought it straight from MS don't regret it. I don't use steam.

There are like two options when buying it from Microsoft right?

1. One is accessing it by subscribint go Xbos pass
2. The other one is just buying it the full amount, right?

I just hope that when I buy the full game, I do not activate somehow the game pass and pay additional one dollar every month.

[Dillon 2,206]

1 hour ago, IgorBR said:

I am constantly taking a look at MSFS2020 on the Steam throughout today, the reviews went from very positive to mixed - which is very bad indicator. I know, reviews below 1K is not much yet. When reading the reviews, many complain of technical issues - such as buying premium deluxe edition and not having all the content, contacting steam support and steam support telling to contact microsoft and then the microsoft telling the opposite; buying it on steam but having to create x-box account etc.).

I do not think this is a good reputation for a high-profile product such as this one to have several screw-ups during the official release. I wonder if the publisher will be either willing to reimburse the unsatisfied buyers or going to give them some kind of compensation, discount, additional premium content down the line. Seems to be extremely buggy and I start to think about postponing my purchase. I was battling with my emotions which told me to buy this product straight away, on the other hand I wanted to see what the people will be talking about it just after the release.

My question is, if you have not bought MS2020 yet, are you going to buy it on steam or will you rather buy it straight from Microsoft?

Like other's have said for a release like this it's best to go to Microsoft and not deal with a third party vendor for download especially with this being a new release.  What's ironic is any issues arising on Steam they tell you to go to Microsoft anyway so why not start there to begin with.  I had a few snags with the download but it's going fine now without issue. Wish I had the CD's to make some of this a little faster.  

[g-ciao 1]

I purchased MSFS a month ago having used all versions of flight simulators from 1976 in Bruce Artwick days to PDSv5. On the 29^th of October 2020 I downloaded the latest version, 1.10.7.0 of msfs only to find this is still far from what I would call a flight simulator. Having said that, the scenery is very good. The operating system leaves a lot to be desired and the flight characteristic of the aircraft are poor. The control of the aircraft makes them un-flyable.

At this present moment if anyone purchases this so called simulator expecting it to operate similar to previous simulators i.e FSX, P3D versions or X-Plane, they will be very disappointed, it is a waste of money as I have found, almost a confidents trick. One gets the idea that the developers are devoid of anyone who knows how an aeroplane really flies, but has experience of X-Box type games and this is what MS has produced.

I make the above comments as having been flying may types of aircraft as a commercial development pilot since my RAF days in 1955 until last year.

Brian Barber

[Ricardo41 5,965]

The majority of problems are user-side. But it's easier to bash Microsoft than to troubleshoot ones set up. 

I bought it the minute my Gamepass subscription expired. No regrets on my part. 

[kerosene31 350]

According to Steam, there's 8 billion video games and they are all terrible.  😀  Steam reviews are useless because basically everything gets "negative review bombed".  Also, many reviews reference legit issues, but that have been long since patched. 

I buy a lot of video games beyond flight sims, and I wouldn't purchase any game based off Steam reviews. 

If people are still on the fence, why not wait for a sale?  There's likely to be Black Friday sales coming up in November.  I'd bet there will be a sale on Steam and maybe even MS. 

I bought the full game from MS and haven't regretted it.  People wanting a bug free, polished experience should wait.  Time is often our most valuable resource even over the cost of the software, and it is important that people spend that time wisely as well as their money.  I've had some bugs (luckily fewer than some), but I've had hours of enjoyment as well. 

[Fielder 3,787]