Generic textures locally in Bing maps. Why?

[David_CSA 36]

I get generic textures replacing the real satellite ones locally in Bing maps.

I can see them already in the World map when zooming sufficiently in and then of course when flying (e.g. on several locations in the Czech republic, e.g. close to LKVR).

It doesn't happen at many locations, just rarely, but when it does...it is pretty disturbing. 

It has nothing to do with my rolling cache settings. It's there with the cache on, cache reset or cache completely off. I am convinced it is done either by hand or by AI already during pre-processing the maps for use by MSFS. But what could be the reason?

I can only think of:

1. The texture is of such poor quality, that it cannot be used (but why? The rest is very good).

2. The texture is blocked by a cloud,

3. The texture is blocked on purpose, e.g. to hide military installations.

Do you get this as well? And why does this happen in your opinion?

Thank you.

[Adamski_NZ 942]

Have you tried the Google Map Enhancer?
https://flightsim.to/file/19345/msfs-2020-google-map-replacement

You might be able to try other map providers to see if it makes any difference.

[tangerine 148]

8 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

Have you tried the Google Map Enhancer?
https://flightsim.to/file/19345/msfs-2020-google-map-replacement

You might be able to try other map providers to see if it makes any difference.

How does it work?
Is really that good?

I'm talking about the premium version (Google Maps Pro)

[Adamski_NZ 942]

3 minutes ago, tangerine said:

How does it work?
Is really that good?

I'm talking about the premium version (Google Maps Pro)

No need to go for the Premium version, IMHO. The free Google maps server works fine for me. As to whether it's that good - it depends on which part of the world you're flying in. For some areas, Bing (latest) is better - for others it's Google. There's also a high definition/LOD option - very nice but a bit of a frame rate hit.

[David_CSA 36]

18 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

Have you tried the Google Map Enhancer?
https://flightsim.to/file/19345/msfs-2020-google-map-replacement

You might be able to try other map providers to see if it makes any difference.

Thank you very much for thinking along, I am aware of the Google replacement. I tried it 1.5 years ago, but as you say, it has some drawbacks. Especially the border between land and water (e.g. at St. Barths) and water representation was weird.

Anyway, I would prefer to discuss the default MSFS maps in this thread, if possible. Thank you.

[Adamski_NZ 942]

11 minutes ago, David_CSA said:

Thank you very much for thinking along, I am aware of the Google replacement. I tried it 1.5 years ago, but as you say, it has some drawbacks. Especially the border between land and water (e.g. at St. Barths) and water representation was weird.

Anyway, I would prefer to discuss the default MSFS maps in this thread, if possible. Thank you.

I was only suggesting it to see if the problem occurs with other map providers (not as a permanent solution). That could tell you whether it's "protected" for some reason (ie. Military installations etc.). Have you tried the same area in Bing Maps (desktop)?

I just tried the same location ... yes ... I see exactly what you see. I'll try the Enhancer (for you) - just as an experiment.

Edited March 18, 2023 by Adamski_NZ

[David_CSA 36]

6 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

I was only suggesting it to see if the problem occurs with other map providers (not as a permanent solution). That could tell you whether it's "protected" for some reason (ie. Military installations etc.). Have you tried the same area in Bing Maps (desktop)?

Oh, I'm sorry! Now I can understand.

If I run the BIng Maps in a web browser the areas display properly, nothing is blocked. This means no military installations, just normal villages full of peaceful people.

BTW, I have high admiration for your FSX optimization guides, sir (if I recall the name correctly). I used them back then a lot, together with the excellent work of Mr Andrew Heard. They were the only way how to make FSX run on normal hardware.

[Adamski_NZ 942]

Wow - that guide - I'd totally forgotten that, LOL! FSX seems like decades ago now!

Anyway ... not a solution if you don't want to run the Enhancer, but here's what I get (using Bing Maps/Latest):

So it appears there may be some Bing<>MSFS mismatches for all those areas you describe - or MSFS is just using the old Bing data, whereas the desktop app must be using the latest (as does Enhancer).

[David_CSA 36]

48 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

So it appears there may be some Bing<>MSFS mismatches for all those areas you describe - or MSFS is just using the old Bing data, whereas the desktop app must be using the latest (as does Enhancer).

Yes, the Bing maps in MSFS are old AND locally patched by generic textures. I have seen some areas not only in Central Europe but in Caribbean as well.

Thank you very much for  your help with tracking this down. It helps to know that other users see what I see.

And after seeing your screenshot...I guess I will give it one more try, we are one year further after all 🙂!

[Adamski_NZ 942]

4 minutes ago, David_CSA said:

And after seeing your screenshot...I guess I will give it one more try, we are one year further after all 🙂!

Let us know how you get on!! 🙂

[Tuskin38 6,435]

2 hours ago, David_CSA said:

2. The texture is blocked by a cloud,

3. The texture is blocked on purpose, e.g. to hide military installations.

These are the most common reasons

[David_CSA 36]

I just discovered that the issue described in the initial message is not only function of a specific location but also a function of time !!!

I made a landing on 2/7/2023 at Cheb airport, LKCB, Czech Republic (btw not included in MSFS, but I could clearly see the runway in the default Bing imagery in MSFS). I also took a lot of screenshots.

Now I come to the same location 17 days later (19/7/2023) and I try to fly from the same location. But the default Bing, real, satellite textures have been replaced by the ugly default, generic, universal textures!!! Just as in the images in the 1st post. And not only for the airport, but for the complete town of Cheb. The rest of the area is O.K.

What's going on, please? Does anybody know? Are the servers busy?? Do they randomly stop providing some textures???

My internet speed is 78 Mbits p/s , just measured. I do not use the rolling cache. I anyway deleted the cache once again and restarted the sim. Didn't help.

[Dominique_K 10,133]

See here, I have opened a thread early this year at the official forum and got an answer from the team 

The offline texture replaces the satellite imagery in some large swathes of land - Bug Reports / Scenery and Airports - Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums

Not much has unfortunately changed since 

[ErichB 3,637]

Are you able to do a Google/Bing map swap on the fly, or must the map be selected before starting the sim?    I've not used Google maps yet, but would like to start doing so to circumvent this issue.  Would be great of you could switch to Google maps on the fly, when you encounter this issue using Bing.

[David_CSA 36]

3 hours ago, Dominique_K said:

See here, I have opened a thread early this year at the official forum and got an answer from the team 

The offline texture replaces the satellite imagery in some large swathes of land - Bug Reports / Scenery and Airports - Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums

Not much has unfortunately changed since 

Oh, thank you for the update! Your thread exactly matches the issue described here. 

I also agree with you that the reply of developers doesn't take into account the fact that some Bing tiles with good LOD are suddenly replaced by the the generic ones for no apparent reason.