Reality is a simulation, FS 2020 is a game to distract from the simulation.

  

On 12/21/2020 at 9:08 PM, Sabinede said:

MSFS2020, 2 million

 

Lol, there's nowhere near 2 million current users of MSFS. Peak players on Steam was 60,000 last year, now down to 10,000. Average players at any time is half that. There's 4986 people playing it now, which places it in 112th place, behind some pretty obscure titles. If we compare it with some other sim titles:

Euro Truck Simulator 2: 21,473

War Thunder: 20,511

Farming simulator 19 15,242

FSX-SE: 1316

My take: given the cost of making, updating and delivering orthoscenery to this program, MS would have been hoping for a much higher player base than what these (Steam-only) stats suggest.

Edited April 22, 20215 yr by OzWhitey

It's a bit sad when you discover that the best handling aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator is the Drone.

Saying that I've been flying Rob Young's excellent G36 Turbo mod this week and that aircraft really makes the most of what this sim/game has to offer at the moment.

Until I flew that I would have definitely said this is just a game. Now I'm confused...:)

 

If MSFS2020 was released only to be for PC I would say it could develop into a very good simulator about flying.  However since it's also going to be developed for a gaming console that needs a controller I would currently classify it as a game masqerading as a simulator and not to be taken too seriously.   In the meantime have fun and just fly.

Edited April 23, 20215 yr by Isaiah53six

3 hours ago, OzWhitey said:

My take: given the cost of making, updating and delivering orthoscenery to this program, MS would have been hoping for a much higher player base than what these (Steam-only) stats suggest.

Really?  What exactly is the cost of making, updating and deliverying orthoscenery when you also own Bing which is used for other purposes beyond MSFS?  And what % of users bought thru Steam v MS Store?  They have a few $$ to continue to support it as they complete their 10y vision--$300B in assets, $40B in net income in 2020 alone.  MSFS is ultimately still barely beyond wet behind the ears when you do a fair comparison to its rivals.  Much of the currently lower active user base right now I'm sure is directly proportional to its current state of disrepair--I know mine certainly is and greatly look forward to when the current performance anomalies are sorted out as I've become bored stiff using P3D again while MSFS issues addressed.  The Xbox/DX-12 port is sucking up resources to solve issues in the PC realm currently, and my sense is both venues will benefit from the results of work being done now in their quest to deploy to Xbox.

 

Edited April 23, 20215 yr by Noel

2 hours ago, Isaiah53six said:

If MSFS2020 was released only to be for PC I would say it could develop into a very good simulator about flying.  However since it's also going to be developed for a gaming console that needs a controller I would currently classify it as a game masqerading as a simulator and not to be taken too seriously.   In the meantime have fun and just fly.

So you think it's the hardware that define sim v game eh?  Interesting.  You are aware Xbox One X supports wireless USB devices--keyboard, mouse, etc?

I don't think it really matters what you "play" this software on. It doesn't simulate flight accurately whatever device you use. It's the software at fault not the hardware.

For example - Where are the weather effects? I flew from Gatwick to Ibiza last night on a live YouTube stream. I used live weather (whilst comparing it to real route weather) and the visual generation was pretty accurate but my aircraft (modded Longitude) received not ONE bump or hint of turbulence even when flying through multiple layers of cumulus off the Spanish coast.

It's just like flying in a vacuum. Not realistic.

 

 

On 12/21/2020 at 9:43 AM, Tuskin38 said:

It’s both.

  ding, ding, ding!! You can use it as simulator or as a game.

14 hours ago, Isaiah53six said:

If MSFS2020 was released only to be for PC I would say it could develop into a very good simulator about flying.  However since it's also going to be developed for a gaming console that needs a controller I would currently classify it as a game masqerading as a simulator and not to be taken too seriously.   In the meantime have fun and just fly.

So since X-Plane is also on mobile, that means it is an arcade game masquerading as a sim and not to be taken seriously, right.....right?

Edited April 23, 20215 yr by Krakin

14 hours ago, Isaiah53six said:

However since it's also going to be developed for a gaming console that needs a controller

The X-Box Series X supports mouse an Keyboard, and Jorg confirmed on Wednesday's Stream that the console version of the Sim will support them.

There are also flight sticks for the X-Box (or at least in development).

FSX/P3D supports the X-Box controller and flies absolutely fine with them. MS even released FSX adverts showing people using the 360 controller.

The sim being developed for console as well means absolutely squat when it comes to defining the sim. PC version will actually benefit from the console development, according to a recent Q&A, the console team have managed to improve memory optimization by 20%.

  

16 hours ago, OzWhitey said:

(Steam-only) stats

And there it is. Steam Only.
We have no idea the numbers on windows store, where you can either buy it out right, or play it with game pass.

Edited April 23, 20215 yr by Tuskin38

16 hours ago, OzWhitey said:

Lol, there's nowhere near 2 million current users of MSFS. Peak players on Steam was 60,000 last year, now down to 10,000. Average players at any time is half that. There's 4986 people playing it now, which places it in 112th place, behind some pretty obscure titles. If we compare it with some other sim titles:

Euro Truck Simulator 2: 21,473

War Thunder: 20,511

Farming simulator 19 15,242

FSX-SE: 1316

My take: given the cost of making, updating and delivering orthoscenery to this program, MS would have been hoping for a much higher player base than what these (Steam-only) stats suggest.

I agree, when people talk about the million people using MSFS 2020, my guess is the vast majority of those million tried it once or twice if at all, and that was that. The numbers using it on a regular basis, is probably in the thousands. 

1 hour ago, TrafficPilot said:

I don't think it really matters what you "play" this software on. It doesn't simulate flight accurately whatever device you use. It's the software at fault not the hardware.

For example - Where are the weather effects? I flew from Gatwick to Ibiza last night on a live YouTube stream. I used live weather (whilst comparing it to real route weather) and the visual generation was pretty accurate but my aircraft (modded Longitude) received not ONE bump or hint of turbulence even when flying through multiple layers of cumulus off the Spanish coast.

It's just like flying in a vacuum. Not realistic.

 

 

You experience is different that mine with regard to turbulence and weather. 

I find these threads ironically amusing when you consider the vast majority of serious “simmers” are a bunch of old guys in their home office, garage, basements, etc pretending they have a bunch of passengers getting on their fictional plane, calling out over their gaming headsets to “controllers” who are also in their office, garage, or basement, clicking on fictional switches and knobs, pretending the “souls on board” are all trusting their lives to said simmer’s elite skills at greasing a landing with their Thrustmaster joystick.

... and yet we’re worried about calling that a game?

Perspective people.  It’s all a game.

1 hour ago, Bobsk8 said:

You experience is different that mine with regard to turbulence and weather. 

Can you explain further? 

How are you comparing your experience? Are you a current and licensed Pilot?

1 hour ago, Bobsk8 said:

You experience is different that mine with regard to turbulence and weather. 

Same, I'm getting turbulence right now in the A320 off the coast of Italy near Rome.

Mind you I am using the FBW Neo, dunno if they changed the flight model any.

Edited April 23, 20215 yr by Tuskin38