By allowing people the choice to stay on older versions, it creates a real pain from a development standpoint (both 3rd party and for Asobo).

Asobo are right to force latest versions and not give users the choice.

This community here/flightsimmers aren’t used to it, because people here often like to stay on outdated releases (yes, there may be more stability and less bleeding edge), but ultimately, it becomes a nightmare from a support and development standpoint.

Edited August 7, 20214 yr by flightskyc

The biggest issue with allowing older versions is with addons (both freeware and payware). People re-compile their addons using the latest version, and then that would cause CTD in running an addon with an older version of the SIM (only true when they change major stuff, but it happens). 

Edited August 7, 20214 yr by Alpine Scenery

Uh oh...this morning over Florida...near Georgia border...going to be a rough ride...(gulp)

Loving this....

Updates are sometimes uncomfortable. But complaining about updates is a litlle silly.

5 minutes ago, hansb57 said:

Updates are sometimes uncomfortable. But complaining about updates is a litlle silly.

It's not when it breaks DEV efforts, it can be silly when it is just a simple thing. Most devs are still stuck in an unproductive DEV environment until SU 6 (hope it fixes it).

10 minutes ago, Sesquashtoo said:

Uh oh...this morning over Florida...near Georgia border...going to be a rough ride...(gulp)

Loving this....

Wow!  If you had shown me that a few years ago I would have ripped your arm off for it.  superb - we got it back! 

Unfortunately, we won't be able to skip out of the update cycles for many reasons.
The answer isn't to let people skip out of the updates (at some stage you will want the extra features and potentially even better graphics anyway), but the answer is to have updates with better testing and quality control.
I think SU5 was a bit of a one off occurrence in terms of issues, as they had to line up with the Xbox release, which couldn't be postponed, and they were under time pressure without a doubt.

Let us hope we continue to go onwards and upwards (I think we will), and I look forward to many more pictures like yours above.

11 hours ago, Sesquashtoo said:

As far as my system is concerned...SU5 (with latest Hotfix), I want to jump off the Update Train, and just stay now in SU5 HF city.

Great performance, great visuals...smooth as silk....PLEASE...please, give me the choice to stay with this, or chance moving on in updates.   Can you Asobo do that for me, please?

Smooth sim. GREAT FPS,  totally 'happy with' visuals....I don't wanna get on the next stagecoach to whatever...happy to stay here in SU5HF town...called Hope Valley....Mountie Jack, tell the Stage Coach driver, he can peel on out, without  me....

Ses

I thought exactly that way after SU4.. Didn't happen. 

13 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

the answer is to have updates with better testing and quality control.

Yup, exactly. The QC and testing is clearly a major headache of course, but they could probably also help matters a bit by streamlining the requirement for massive downloads when a lot of it is clearly just the same stuff coming down the pipe again with a few lines of code having changed. This is fairly apparent when we see 400 Mb updates to store-bought add-on aeroplanes just to add a click sound to a flap lever or something. 🤣

28 minutes ago, Alpine Scenery said:

It's not when it breaks DEV efforts, it can be silly when it is just a simple thing. Most devs are still stuck in an unproductive DEV environment until SU 6 (hope it fixes it).

And then there will be SU7

Just now, Bobsk8 said:

And then there will be SU7

I'm waiting for SU35. I suspect it will add a Russian Air Superiority fighter. 😉

1 minute ago, Chock said:

Yup, exactly. The QC and testing is clearly a major headache of course, but they could probably also help matters a bit by streamlining the requirement for massive downloads when a lot of it is clearly just the same stuff coming down the pipe again with a few lines of code having changed. This is fairly apparent when we see 400 Mb updates to store-bought add-on aeroplanes just to add a click sound to a flap lever or something. 🤣

I don't understand why 20 GB updates are released, seems like an invitation for problems, rather than much smaller updates,which could much more easily fixed if there was a bug in one of them. 

56 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I don't understand why 20 GB updates are released, seems like an invitation for problems, rather than much smaller updates,which could much more easily fixed if there was a bug in one of them. 

A lot of times it happens because they want progress, but some of it is just because you put your least experienced developers towards the installers and update process, at least at a gaming company.

They need more oversight, but programmers are hard to manage, especially during Covid, they are working from home. I'm not using that as an excuse for their process, but you have to be more aggressive as a dev manager these days. It kind of sux managing people working from home. Do you know how many times in the last month I've heard "sorry i missed that deadline, but my ISP had to rewire my Internet connection".

 

Edited August 7, 20214 yr by Alpine Scenery

I read a post on the official forums on how this one gamer reverted back to SU4 by using a disk backup image. He said to disconnect the internet when launching the game and only reconnect it when you are on the main menu system (or in the airplane)  - i cant recall which. 

I have no idea if such trickery works, interesting nevertheless. 

2 minutes ago, ThrottleUp said:

I read a post on the official forums on how this one gamer reverted back to SU4 by using a disk backup image. He said to disconnect the internet when launching the game and only reconnect it when you are on the main menu system (or in the airplane)  - i cant recall which. 

I have no idea if such trickery works, interesting nevertheless. 

It might work, I have run the game for a while I think when an update was pending, but i don't know if I ever tried to completely ignore an update when restarting the SIM. The problem is the addons will get outdated, you'll pretty much be forced to update to ever play any new or updated content.

Edited August 7, 20214 yr by Alpine Scenery

I think beta testing is the way... although this update was special since I think the hard date came with pressure to release it then. Probably su5 would have had more testing and maybe even been delayed if beta didnt go well...  as often happens with the sim updates. I dont get upset.. but its more my nature...  although i having been able to fly the CJ4 since SU5 came out.. i have been flying the caravan and the NXi early access which has been fun. (i havent even tried my dc-6 since im just assuming it wont work with the update)

anyways im saying I think future updates will be more like su4 .. maybe not perfect but not sim breaking... (i dont recall having any issues with 4)