I'm about to pull the trigger on FS2020 and I'm wondering which version I should get. How do the deluxe handcrafted airports like O'Hare compare to the ones in the default version? Are they significantly better? How do the FPS compare between the different versions? How do the deluxe version of the airports compare to third party addons like FSDreamTeam O'Hare?

Get the standard version. 🙂

You can buy addons later... there is enough there to keep you busy for a looong time..

Nooo, get the premium deluxe version! 😉

The handcrafted airports are significantly better than the default autogen ones. They're not super optimised and I generally get a few more stutters around them than at add-on airports but they look pretty good.

It really depends on what type of flying you want to do and where. If you're primarily a VFR pilot, standard will be fine - Bert's right, there is plenty to keep you occupied. But if you like flying airliners to and from big airports, and there are airports in the pricier editions that you will actually use, I think it'd probably be worth it.

On 2/12/2021 at 5:19 PM, wims80 said:

I'm about to pull the trigger on FS2020 and I'm wondering which version I should get. How do the deluxe handcrafted airports like O'Hare compare to the ones in the default version? Are they significantly better? How do the FPS compare between the different versions? How do the deluxe version of the airports compare to third party addons like FSDreamTeam O'Hare?

Either way!  If money is less of a concern buy the deluxe version--even the default airports in MSFS are vastly superior to the garbage default airports you find in Prepar3D or FSX.

There are maybe 500 custom airports for free at flightsim.to . But I would still buy the Premium edition of MSFS. The extra $60 is a bargain, in my opinion.

I upgraded to the Premium Deluxe, if you compare the cost to payware it's pretty cheap really.  My main reason was to to get the Steam Gauge 172 though. 

Basically you are getting a batch of aircraft and airports for something like $3 each so even if you rarely use the extra aircraft and airfields and they never add any other extras for free it is still a bargain.  If you combine the cost my payware Carenado Mooney with my FSDT Key West airport together, you will find one aircraft plus one airport cost more than all 20 MSFS deluxe/premium addons.

Personally the ones I regularly use from the Deluxe/premium package are the Steam Gauge 172 and the Cirrus Sr22 from the aircraft addons and Chicago O'Hare from the airport list.  I occasionally also fly things like the Longitude, the Pipistrel or sometimes the Aerobat or Shock Ultra.

However I am not a good person to judge by as I tend to mainly fly things like the Bleriot XI in remote locations like Milford Sound NZ  😄

Edited February 15, 20215 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

This sim will probably last you for years to come.

You have almost 600 posts so you're not new to simming,

If you can afford it, buy the deluxe.

 

I'd normally recommend the 'super-duper' version of any flight sim and traditionally I've always bought the super-duper versions of FS in the past. There's a good reason for that too; in the past, some of the expansions and add-ons for FS have been dependent on assets in the expanded versions and this did in fact lead to problems with FSX when it was patched, whereby the patch used assets from the expanded version, meaning people with the standard version then had problems with the patch. With FSX, it was also necessary to have the tweaks the Acceleration expansion added to the sim's capabilities in order to make the Accusim engine stuff of A2A's products function. But...

The souped-up airports of the super-duper version of MSFS have to a large extent been eclipsed by the amount of freebies there are out there for the sim, and the additional aeroplanes are not much to write home about either to be honest, but for the above reason I'd still say get the expanded version so long as you can afford it. But don't sweat it too much if you prefer to spend less; you can always upgrade it later should that prove necessary.

Frankly, it's only the standard steam-gauged version of the Cessna which makes it worth having as far as the aeroplanes go because, the 787 isn't especially brilliant and the F152A isn't much different from the bog standard 152 in the sim. So if cash is a consideration, I think you'd be better off getting the standard version and spending the extra on maybe the Mooney M20R or the Piaggio/Focke Wulf P149 payware add-on aeroplanes and deferring the expansion until later should it prove a requirement to have it for an add-on down the line.

Edited February 15, 20215 yr by Chock

3 hours ago, Fielder said:

There are maybe 500 custom airports for free at flightsim.to . But I would still buy the Premium edition of MSFS. The extra $60 is a bargain, in my opinion.

premium is currently discounted to 95 USD so "just" 35 bucks more than standard. I would - as I did - go for premium. As to how deluxe version of the airports compare to third party addons like FSDreamTeam O'Hare: the 3DP airports are still way more detailed and complex. 

6 hours ago, stefaandk said:

I upgraded to the Premium Deluxe, if you compare the cost to payware it's pretty cheap really.  My main reason was to to get the Steam Gauge 172 though. 

Same here. I wanted the DV20 and the steam gauge C172. The 787 as well, until it turned out that airliners are garbage. 😄

If you like the additional content, it's worth the price. They aren't payware quality, but decent enough.

Go for the premium version, especially if it's on sale. No brainer.

DISCOUNT:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/microsoft-flight-simulator/9nrrjllxm68v?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

==================

NO DISCOUNT:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1250410/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator/

This might help, just a little, although it is a quick video! Shows all aircraft and airports in each version, but very quickly. I got the Premium Deluxe, as I wanted everything offered at the beginning. And hopefully over months and years, things will be improved, by MS/ASobo, and/or third party developers. Your choice though. Sounds like you are more interested in airports at this point than the aircraft. Whatever you choose, enjoy! I would imagine the FPS depends on your system and graphics card?

 

 

Edited February 15, 20215 yr by in2tech

10 hours ago, Chock said:

The souped-up airports of the super-duper version of MSFS have to a large extent been eclipsed by the amount of freebies there are out there for the sim, and the additional aeroplanes are not much to write home about either to be honest... I'd still say get the expanded version so long as you can afford it...

Frankly, it's only the standard steam-gauged version of the Cessna which makes it worth having as far as the aeroplanes go because, the 787 isn't especially brilliant and the F152A isn't much different from the bog standard 152 in the sim.

This. I got the mid-range version so I could get some steam gauge versions of the bundled aircraft (C172 and DA40. Plus the Aerobat for spins and DV20 for faux gliding). The 787, Longitude and SR22 from Premium Deluxe are full of problems that are difficult for the community to fix as they are encrypted (only base version planes are unencrypted). You can look at the airport lists to see if it's worthwhile going for top spec, but for me it wasn't.

Edited February 15, 20215 yr by ckyliu