I sure this silly but I assume FS 2020 is far superior to FSX even with my huge scenery library?

11 minutes ago, rpowers said:

I sure this silly but I assume FS 2020 is far superior to FSX even with my huge scenery library?

Depends where you are and what you are doing.

A good FSX airport and surrounds may occasionally be better than the generic MSFS if its an area with poor 2D Bing Maps.

In terms of Runway and taxiway accuracy a good FSX payware airport will likely be better than a generic MSFS one.

Standard MSFS scenery in areas with 3D mapping though is spectacular and free.

A good MSFS Payware addon airport should be substantially better than the FSX version though in some cases they may have just imported their FSX product.

But generally yes the scenery is superior,  More to the point you can randomly decide to fly out of Botswana or the Punjab or Reykjavík and still get very good scenery without downloading anything at all

Edited October 29, 20205 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

Only if the airport or buildings are missing. 😀

Up until now, payware scenery is relatively less expensive. I hope it lasts.

I've flown around a bit in Australia and Asia, and I'm not working my way across Alaska toward Japan.  100 hours so far.

My impression is - for 95% of the world, the scenery looks good enough that I don't think I need any add-ons to be a nice looking world (much better than 'plausible'!), when I am flying around and exploring.  The need for lots of different scenery add-ons has been what has kept me away from flights sims in general, so this is great.

There are some glitches and areas that could be improved, but it's a 5% thing.  If your favorite airport in the entire world happens to be next to one of the glitches (like messed up terrain mesh next to an airport in AK that makes it look like it's about to be consumed by a tsunami) it might be understandably frustrating.  Some areas of the digital elevation mesh are a bit rounded off on sharp mountain peaks, etc but each World Update to a different area is improving that with the best data the team can get ahold of.

If you're flying simulated airline flights or something like that such that such that you're visiting the same airports over and over, and want them to match 110% with reality, handcrafted airports are still the way to go. 

The only thing I've done to my install is to install a Meigs Field add-on because....it's not MSFS without Meigs.

I have a lot of feedback about MSFS, but the scenery is a real achievement IMHO and if they can bring other areas of the sim up to that level we'll all be happy campers.

Edited October 29, 20205 yr by marsman2020

44 minutes ago, rpowers said:

I sure this silly but I assume FS 2020 is far superior to FSX even with my huge scenery library?

They say a pic is worth 1000 words.   This is a FREEWARE addon that took less than 2 mins to DL, extract and install.  Just as good if not better than Orbx's offering IMO, and I'm quite sure it looks far superior than any shot I could ever take in FSX...even with the right shaders, other env mods, weather addons, etc.

This is default Mt. Vesuvius....don't think even if FSX had an addon for this, it would look this good. 😉 

 

Not a silly question by any means...but IMO there are no amount of addons in FSX that could ever come close to what you see in MSFS....and mostly by default.

 

5 hours ago, rpowers said:

I sure this silly but I assume FS 2020 is far superior to FSX even with my huge scenery library?

@rpowers Not silly at all, as you have been asking questions in many topics to get prepared for MSFS, about hardware, scenery, etc... I think you said you are coming back to the hobby, or are brand new, I forget? The scenery to me is amazing and I have a Low End system and am perfectly happy with how it runs, for me ONLY! I'm actually surprised that it does run really as well as it does. This was my first gaming PC purchase, and was before MSFS was announced. In the far future I will get a better gaming PC next time or upgrade the existing one. Me also cheap, and don't have or want a Watson  ( think IBM, even though it is old now ) Super computer. That's not how I roll 🙂

I hope you get your new gaming PC soon, as it sounds like you will have a lot of fun with MSFS. I am sure you are reading all the comments about what needs work, etc...And you were asking about Game Pass, Steam, etc... hopefully someone can help you with it all?

Just to add, the default scenery is great, but some of the freeware scenery coming out is absolutely stunning. Literally 'payware quality' airports all made possible by the beautiful textures and materials included in the sim. 

The dev group NZA Simulations have made a few outstanding freeware releases. Including the one above and below.

I'm speechless every time.

Yep, I have all the NZA Simulations releases. Will be doing an Australia and New Zealand tour in the next few weeks.

 

CJ

9 hours ago, rpowers said:

I sure this silly but I assume FS 2020 is far superior to FSX even with my huge scenery library?

The difference if measured in distance would be about the same as the the distance from Earth to the centre of our Galaxy, which is is about 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 km (about 100,000 light years or about 30 kpc) or 450,000,000 years at conventional speed! Better leave now 😜🙃

Thanks for the replies.Yes I am coming back to FS.Always have enjoyed it and the comradship from the forums.I am 74 and been doing this forever.Just started getting bored with FSX.Got in to photo scenery recently and that helped spice it up.Ron

31 minutes ago, rpowers said:

Thanks for the replies.Yes I am coming back to FS.Always have enjoyed it and the comradship from the forums.I am 74 and been doing this forever.Just started getting bored with FSX.Got in to photo scenery recently and that helped spice it up.Ron

All the "eye candy" aside (and there is enough of it to get ocular diabetes), the first thing that will strike you, even in the less detailed areas, is how accurate it is.  Instead of using generic landclass textures and plopping them willy nilly according to some rough set of rules, you get satellite imagery of the area.  So roads are where they should be, Parks and woods are where they should be, and buildings are where they should be.

Autogen is no longer randomly placed  within the land class to simply provide 3d texture.  The generic buildings placed generally are the same shape and height as their real life counterparts (within reason).

Perfect example.  In default FSX, if you start off at RWY 6 at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford CT, and fly the runway heading, you will fly over Wheeler Wildlife management area and Nells Island.  This is a wildlife preserve and is not developed in real life.  But FSX takes the surrounding residential landclass and paints the entire area with it.  

In MSFS2020, the wildlife area is in tact and there is no development there, even with Photogrammetry turned off, using Autogen.

Another example.  In south Florida, the North/South sections of the Sawgrass Expressway separates the Everglades from the towns of Sunrise,Tamarac and Coral Springs.  It is a very distinct boundary and serves as a very noticeable visual aid in real life.  In MSFS2020 this is accurately portrayed,  In FSX, the residential land class extends west past the expressway and does not accurately represent this.

Airports now are sloped and follow the ground terrain, they no longer need to all be uniformly "flat" which used to cause tabletop/carve out issues IRL airports where one end of a runway was higher or lower than the other end.

And now clouds casts shadows on the ground.  How we ever "simmed" as long as we did without it, I don't know, but it makes the environment look that much more real.


 

41 minutes ago, rpowers said:

Thanks for the replies.Yes I am coming back to FS.Always have enjoyed it and the comradship from the forums.I am 74 and been doing this forever.Just started getting bored with FSX.Got in to photo scenery recently and that helped spice it up.Ron

Hey Ron, welcome back to the community FS swimming pool!  A lot has changed if you've been away for a while.

For one, and perhaps the biggest change, is this new MSFS Wave Pool that is now the centerpiece of the complex!  If the P3D water slide was not built the last time you came here with your beach towel, flip flops, mask & snorkel, you need to head over to that forum to see the latest addition of 5.1.   Significantly better than FSX Kiddie Pool, with 64bit goodness from V4 onward. 🙂

You can see there are a lot of folks who like the MSFS Wave Pool,  They like the realism of the ocean waves and the excitement of each new wave....every one a little bit different..sometimes better than the last wave, sometime not. (all MSFS'rs who've been here through all the patches can attest...but I generally feel the waves will be getting progressively better)

For the P3D Water Slide, you slide down it, going at break-neck speed....with both great relief at the end when its over...and an atomic wedgey that will have you picking the threads of your swimsuit out of your bum for hours!  Its always a great ride, but in the end...you're climbing out of the deceleration pool, and looking up at the long line to get back into and wait if you want to ride the same old ride again. 😉

Pick whatever pool you want to set up your lounge chair by...but remember to put on your 1 million sun block if you choose to call one a favorite, and then go to a different pool and announce that or worse, try to change the opinion of those swimmers having fun there....there is a LOT of burning going on at this swimming complex. 🙂 

 

 

Thanks for the encouraging info.I only been away since last March when weather finally broke in Ill.Like I have said was getting bored then got real excited when new FS was announced.I knew would have to get new computer No problem.Only downside is I have get internet to run it.I live 2 locations and only 4 months in winter one where I use FS.We use our phone and tablets for limited amt of internet we use so now I need $50/ month internet.Then I think I 74 what $50 If I enjoy it.Just spending my kids money

Steve Dar I sorry but not understanding your post.I was looking at p3d last winter and thought it was going to be a whole new learning process which at my age I have reservations about getting into.That why I happy to see new FS finally..I figured it would be basically similar to previous FS` and therefore fun to and challenging but familiar.I am assuming your are promoting the positive aspects of P3D.Thank you,Ron