Dipping my toe

[thecanarian 16]

I have just decided that as there have been a few updates (I never buy V1.0 of any software) now is the time to get to grips with MSFS 2020 after 15 or so years with FSX/FSX:SE/P3D v4.

My first experience has not been good. I had to get a refund from STEAM as they supplied me with the Standard version instead of the Premium Deluxe Bundle I had paid for. This was a DLC package and it took 22 hours to download, with the USA update another 2 hours on top. Then to find out I'd got the wrong version and tried (and failed) to grapple with the unHelpful support process within Steam : then decided on a refund.

My question is : Would it be best to sell my soul to the devil and use the DLC from Microsoft themselves OR buy the 10 DVD box set from a third party supplier ?

 All answers welcome

Peter

[Chock 17,769]

I've had no real problems with having bought MS from their store (The premium super-duper version). I pre-ordered it, figuring that going to the source was probably the smarter choice. I've nothing against using Steam, I've got tons of stuff from them, but in this case it seems that going to MS was the better decision based on what people are reporting.

Now, given the somewhat iffy extras you get with the super-sexy full-on version (i.e. the 787 is not exactly a must-have, and the 152A is not all that different from the default one in the standard version), I'm not entirely convinced it was worth the extra dosh for what you get, especially given the amount of freebies there are out there, but traditionally I've always bought the super-duper versions of FS because on occasion, it proves to be less problematic to have those when it comes to add-ons (you may recall that not having the super-duper version of FSX caused some problems when they released Acceleration if you didn't have the Deluxe version, and some A2A stuff needed the full-on version to function properly).

So if you can afford it, I'd recommend getting the Premium version of MSFS, from the MS store. It's been entirely problem-free for me to do that. The boxed version Aerosoft made, like all boxed versions of things, was out of date the moment a patch came out, so it is of somewhat dubious merit unless you want it for 'completeness' and really want the coffee-table booklet which comes with it. You'll still be downloading big patches if you use that.

I know some people think MS is the antichrist, but really, they aren't. Well, Steve Balmer might be, but apart from that... 🤣

Oh, and I'd recommend sticking a dedicated SSD in your 'puter for MSFS, they are not expensive and it definitely helps with loading and downloading/patching times. A 500Gb one will do the job.

Edited December 24, 2020 by Chock

[thecanarian 16]

Thanks for the info and insights Chock. I've just ordered the 500Gb SSD in preparation for the DLC from MS, I hadn't realised how cheap they were ! I was tending towards MS, and the no hassle updates from the word go is a bonus, so your helpful nudge sealed it.

Peter

[pmb 5,137]

I had a horrible experience with the MS Store when I tried to install to a drive different from C. I finally applied to and was granted a refund from the MS Store, bought the Steam Premium Deluxe and I am happy since.

I think you will get suggestions in both directions as both are liable to fail under certain circumstances.

It may be required to download the additional Premium Deluxe contents via the Download Manager in the game, at least I recall this from some reports, although I think I got it straight during installation of the main program.

You may also consider that the main 4GB of program files including the flightsimulator.exe are hidden behind protected directories which you can't access, at least not in an easy way, in the MS Store version, while all the file structure is transparent and accessible in the Steam version. Some consider this MS Store protection a good thing, and some don't (I don't).

Kind regards, Michael

[Bosco19 198]

Since the advent of PC’s I have mostly tried to keep the operating system on a separate drive/partition from program installations. After the move to Win10 - and I’m not sure it’s 10, or the way software is designed most recently - I discovered that I had difficulty getting some software that was not installed in the default C:/ program directory to run properly. Seemed to be path issues. I gave up and installed a large SSD, and now just let everything install in default C location. I am bothered by the lack of control I have over my PC these days, but accept that it seems to be part of the trend to dumb down systems and give users less control,  Win10 being a prime example. 

[Los 416]

If I could do it again, I wouldn’t have bought the premium deluxe version.

I fly only the standard edition planes and have not flown to any additional airports provided.

Hindsight is 20/20, I didn’t expect that this sim would turn me into a GA piston pilot, being I was a tubeliner all the time on PMDG aircraft kind of guy...

I might not go back, having too much fun!😁

[HiFlyer 9,343]

6 hours ago, thecanarian said:

My first experience has not been good. I had to get a refund from STEAM as they supplied me with the Standard version instead of the Premium Deluxe Bundle I had paid for.

I wonder if it was actually the standard version, or if you might just have missed that after download you have to go to content manager to access the additional stuff.

[109Sqn 1,554]

6 hours ago, Chock said:

I know some people think MS is the antichrist, but really, they aren't. Well, Steve Balmer might be, but apart from that... 🤣

 

Besides, even if you by through Steam, it's still an MS product. By an iPhone from Apple or Amazon, it's still an Apple product. Buy a Logitech keyboard from Logitech or ebuyer or Newegg, it's still Logitech you're buying into...

[wandelen 0]

In had no problems paying the Premium de Luxe version from the Microsoft Store, but couldn't find what to do next (no mail with a link to the download). It took me some time to figure out how to obtain Flight Simulator, but I found out and had it installed. Then I couldn't find the extra's of the Premium De Luxe Version, found all the wrong advise from Microsoft. Finally on Avsim, someone suggested that you  had to download the extra's from within the simulator. That was correct and now I am a happy customer. 

You can buy the DVD-version, but  MS store will be faster, depending on you internet connection. Good luck with buying and installing!

Jan

[Car147 2,276]

No issues at all with installation or updates with my purchase Premium Deluxe MS Store

[Cognita 1,054]

I also had no difficulty purchasing and downloading from the MS store.  But I also purchased the standard edition, as I did not have too much interest in the additional content offered in the more pricey options, and I do not regret that decision.

[decker89 110]

For what it's worth, i installed It on a separate drive, drive 😧 in my case through the xbox store and had no problems, I've installed add ons with no problems. My updates have all been smooth. 

[rjquick 219]

I purchased the deluxe version from the MS store and I haven't had any issues. I also have FSX from Steam and that is OK as well. Probably can't go wrong either way.

One thing to note if you are planning to load onto a separate drive. I bought a new 1T SSD for the FS2020 install and that is where I installed it... But.. I would note that after selecting that drive to install it, the installation process later would still say that it was installing it on my 'C' drive (not the new, separate drive), however, it also listed the open capacity of my (supposedly C) drive and it was well over 900G (the new drive), so I continued and it did indeed load it onto the new drive. So, go by the capacity and not the drive it's displaying. Even updates still claim to be going to my C drive, although the capacity available listed say otherwise.

It should also be noted that, even though it physically loads the data on the separate drive, it mirrors all the files on the C drive. Not the actual files, but the file structure and file names are there, but they are links to the actual files. It's kind of weird. It looks like the program wants to reference the C drive no matter where it installed the actual files. So you will see the file structure for the game on both the C drive and your separate drive although the files themselves will only be in one place.

[hedbonker 5]

I bought from the store and installed it in it's entirety to a dedicated SSD.  After the first patch I had to do a complete uninstall and re-install.  Not fun.  The next patch also had me repeat this with an added twist of having to uninstall the game center software from my machine before the sim would run again.  The next patch had the same behavior so upon that reinstall I told the installer to install the application on my boot drive and then I told it to install the scenery/content portion of the install to the SSD The large 90GB+ portion of the sim).  Ever since doing that I have had no issues. 

I also recommend  checking the news section of the official forums before running the sim.  If a patch has been released for the sim and you run the sim up it will redirect you to the store to get the new patch.  I have had a conflict occur between the sim and the store app that messed up the update so that I had to reinstall in the past.  If you check the news section of the forums and see that they have released a new patch you can run the store app first and get the update and ensure no conflicts occur.

[Jetman67 517]

No issue with ms store purchase either