4 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

SU1 has cleared up a lot of the initial problems and is now much more stable

And I'm not in the beta and so far after the exasperating controller setup it's worked just great! 

There is a difference between P3D and MSFS in terms of how UI and other stuff works but it is just of matter of getting used to. The default aircraft are reasonable but don't expect PMDG/A2A's level of detail from them. A2A's comanche is available for MSFS and I would highly recommend getting that. Unlike P3D - MSFS does not need active sky or any other weather program to run live weather, it has it's own built in weather system - there are some minor glitches with that here & there but it works. One of biggest advantage of MSFS over P3D is updatable nav database - either you can use navigraph service to update all of the sim navigational database or Asobo typically releases update every month for NAV data. In terms of airport scenary - default airports are somewhat okay but just like P3D - if you want them to look realistic, You will have to get addon sceneries. Fortunately - Most sceneries are are not as that expensive as P3D ones and performance is also very good. 

Flightsim.to is good website to have a look at for some freeware options. 

I would stay away from 2024 for now there are bugs with it - MSFS 2020 is stable with lots of addons to choose from. 

38 minutes ago, Noel said:

That 'smaller step' seemed that way to people super familiar with 2020.  But someone not at all familiar with MSFS?  And if you're a Game-o-Phobe I have to give the grand prize to 2024 for feeling much more so.  That being said I can certainly appreciate where 2024 is going and look forward to its progress.  And this too:  just because there are game-like features does not detract at all from the base, core sim.  It only adds, and all of that voluntarily.  Even so I see 2020 for the OP as a perfect, complete transition product well worth the pittance to get it up and running while 2024 gets up to speed in terms of full compatibility with cherished 3rd party planes.

And this is probably way more important even than frustrating:  the completeness, the full compatibility with PMDG/Fenix/FBW320A/FSLTL for traffic models is nothing to sneeze at.  After a lovely first flight into KTEX yesterday started my day back in 2020 and was again struck by how clean, how excellent performance is and really the visual differences as someone focusing on piloting airliners aren't all that stark.  Seems odd to address someone who's initial words were, "How do I make the switch from P3Dv5 to MSFS feel easier" by directing them straight into 2024.  

If OP goes there most important will be finding the best overview of controller setup (I found one half decent, but the rest didn't really address places where one might get mixed up).  It also took me a couple of days to get 2024 setup as I prefer and all of that having to do with controller bindings.  2020, is 2024 'lite'.

I think the OP needs to tell us more about their personality.

I will say that some MSFS 2020 users were really, really, angry about the MSFS 2024 screen to bind keys and peripherals though.  I think if the OP is the type of person that gets frustrated easily and they may only use MSFS 2020 briefly until PMDG, iFly, etc, get ported to MSFS 2024, it's better to just start with MSFS 2024.

At least if they start with MSFS 2024 and bypass MSFS 2020, they only get frustrated with the screen to bind keys and peripherals once, rather than getting frustrated once with MSFS 2020, and again with MSFS 2024.

For me personally, I didn't find it all that hard to bind keys and peripherals in MSFS 2024, but to be fair, I only use a Thrustmaster 16000m and I mainly fly a few planes.  But I read a lot of posts of people that were very unhappy with the screen to bind keys and peripherals.

14 hours ago, Amrick615 said:

Hello everyone!

This is a rant, but I am looking for some advice from anyone who felt this way before completely moving to MSFS after using FSX/P3D for the last 15 years, like me. 

I'm having the hardest time getting myself to make the big switch from Prepar3dv5 to MSFS2020/24. I have MSFS2020 downloaded and ready to go in its out-of-the-box state, but everytime I load it up, it feels like it's just a game. I think I'm just too used to the way FSX and P3D were, in that they were just raw flight sims that cared about nothing other than flying airplanes and making the world your own. At the same time, the visuals in MSFS are simply too gorgeous to ignore and not smile at. I'm also annoyed at how different the keybinds are as compared to FSX/P3D. I also put so much money into all the addons that make P3D feel life-like, so moving away from it feels pointless, in that regard. 

Does anyone here resonate with what I am saying? What was the switch like for you all? I think I speak for a lot of us when I say we put a good amount of money into the prior generations of flight sims, so switching is easier said than done. I do recognize that MSFS is meant to be cheaper overall given the amount of freeware and stunning sceneries. 

 

Thanks all for reading my incoherent rant. I appreciate any and all responses! 

I really don't understand this whole "It's a game, not a sim!" thing. Just like MSFS 2020, FSX is also a video game. The flight model/physics of 2020 is equal or better. Just like FSX, 2020 has several "study-level" planes with more on the way. What exactly are you missing from 2020?

Obviously MSFS is a completely new product compared to FSX/P3D so there is a learning curve expected. Addons are different, UI is completely different, etc. But these are common problems when switching platforms. However the core experience for hardcore simmers remain the same. You get the simulator, then buy all the planes/sceneries addons. 

MSFS 2024 is a bit of a different story. It launched with technical issues that (IMO) shouldn't have been there. So it might be wise to avoid it until the developer have fixed the majority of the issues. Personally I plan to stay on 2020 for this reason.

 

Edited February 10, 20251 yr by UltimateAntic

8 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

For me personally, I didn't find it all that hard to bind keys and peripherals in MSFS 2024

And you came from 2020, no?

It's a coin toss but again, for transition for someone after making the transition 'easier', I think 2020 is the far better option.  I don't have the hours yet in 2024 but can say unequivocally 2020 now especially with DLSS4 has reached a level of perfection that isn't that far off from what I've seen so far with 2024.  It's a nice jump in detail but 2020 was already very decent with all of the benefits of satellite imagery fully there.   And performance is stellar as is stability and all the rest.   By the time the coveted aircraft are fully compatible and stable, and no one knows exactly when that will be, the OP will be facile with the franchise.

 

Change can be hard especially when you’re used to how FSX/P3D works, but I found I got used to it pretty quick and could change most keybinds to how I had them setup in P3D.

In terms of it feeling like a game…you don’t have to engage with anything other than free flight if you don’t want to, that’s the equivalent of what you would normally do in P3D.

55 minutes ago, regis9 said:

In terms of it feeling like a game…you don’t have to engage with anything other than free flight if you don’t want to

Yep I couldn't agree more!

 

To OP - if you want to just get in and do a flight just like P3D then you can ignore other bits and bobs. Just go to set your airport (starting location), aircraft and you are good to go. Sim time syncs automatically with your local system time unless you want to do a flight at different time which can be changed either there or once your airplane is loaded. 

Edited February 10, 20251 yr by CAP1234

2 hours ago, Noel said:

That 'smaller step' seemed that way to people super familiar with 2020.  But someone not at all familiar with MSFS?

I think you misunderstood the comment - I read it as the step from 2020 to 2024 is a smaller step than from P3D to 2020. Why put yourself through two migrations when one will do?

I keep a variety of sims...there's no need to "switch" to MSFS--you can keep your P3D installation and add MSFS, too.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the value of having a backup sim available that isn't server-based.  On a busy weekend when the servers are getting slammed or when internet connectivity somewhere between you and the server has issues and you get the resultant server dropouts and error messages in MSFS, you can fire up P3D or XPlane and they will still run just fine. 

I converted from P3D to MSFS 2020 about 2 years ago, and there was admittedly a fairly steep learning curve, particularly with setting up controllers, learning the sim’s camera system so that you can utilize and customize your preferred views, and just getting used to the different user interface. There really aren’t any manuals to help you but there are any number of helpful YouTube tutorials that you should spend time with to learn the ropes. 
Frankly, at this juncture, I would advise against starting with 2020 and would instead go directly to 2024.  Yes, 2020 is a great and stable platform, but the enhancements and new development effort will focus on 2024, so why put yourself through two learning curves? If you start with 2020, you will likely be inclined to stay with it to justify your investment, and you’ll just be missing out for too long on 2024’s improved graphics and other features. My two cents  

 

I'm still using P3D but will get MSFS as soon as my new machine is built within the next month or so. No point in doing it till then. Anyway, I'm a PC guy who uses realistic aircraft controls and am not interested in using an Xbox controller to fly airplanes. Being a former Airline Pilot, realism is paramount for me. I'm curious as to how you people feel about the direction MSFS is taking with respect to whether it's being optimized for Xbox and if PCs are going to play second fiddle with respect to sim functionality. I'm not criticizing anything here and will plead ignorance. I'm just interested in getting everyone's take on the subject. Thanks.

1 minute ago, tamba765 said:

 I'm curious as to how you people feel about the direction MSFS is taking with respect to whether it's being optimized for Xbox and if PCs are going to play second fiddle with respect to sim functionality. I'm not criticizing anything here and will plead ignorance. I'm just interested in getting everyone's take on the subject. Thanks.

You don't have to worry about that. The divergence between PC and XBox increased with MSFS 2024.  Free Flight is relatively stable in MSFS 2024 if you have a medium spec PC or better.  On XBox, a lot of users are CTDing with Free Flight, because even the XBox Series X which is the better XBox, doesn't have enough RAM for MSFS 2024.

It's like a day and night experience between a medium or high spec PC and XBox.  Right now, it seems like XBox is getting the shaft.  Looks like the MSFS team have two different coding paths now and they are allowing MSFS 2024 to flourish with powerful PCs.

My new machine is going to have the best components I can get, with the exception of a 5090, although I guess there are some issues with the new card according to some of the PC youtubers I've been watching. I still have a new and, in the box, 3090ti which should do the trick. 

40 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

You don't have to worry about that. The divergence between PC and XBox increased with MSFS 2024.  Free Flight is relatively stable in MSFS 2024 if you have a medium spec PC or better.  On XBox, a lot of users are CTDing with Free Flight, because even the XBox Series X which is the better XBox, doesn't have enough RAM for MSFS 2024.

It's like a day and night experience between a medium or high spec PC and XBox.  Right now, it seems like XBox is getting the shaft.  Looks like the MSFS team have two different coding paths now and they are allowing MSFS 2024 to flourish with powerful PCs.

Let's hope so, because long time PC users do not want the alternative option.

35 minutes ago, tamba765 said:

I'm curious as to how you people feel about the direction MSFS is taking with respect to whether it's being optimized for Xbox and if PCs are going to play second fiddle with respect to sim functionality. I'm not criticizing anything here and will plead ignorance. I'm just interested in getting everyone's take on the subject.

I don't quite understand the distinction because at the end of the day an X-Box is simply a mid-range pc. And you can connect pretty much any third-party controls -- Honeycomb, etc., to it and it works, no need to use an x-box controller.

The concern could be that they are developing to specifications that enable MSFS to work well on an x-box, while if they freed themselves from that requirement they could potentially add more features as PCs can be much more powerful than x-box hardware. They are definitely doing that, both the specifications and the interface are designed for the higher end x-box. This to me is a great thing. Whether I am first fiddle or second or third fiddle I don't really care because MSFS has been the most stable best performing flight sim I have ever used by orders of magnitude.  Dropping out the first month of 2024 with its CDN issues I have had 3 crash to desktops since I started using 2020 in August of that year, that is less than 1 a year! I ran 2020 on a 10700K and 3070 and run 2024 on a 14900K and 3070S on high and ultra settings with no stutters and have an excellent, realistic looking world, and fluid flight instruments. So I suspect we have all benefitted from Asobo developing to those specifications.

But beyond that, I can see no way that MSFS would be a viable title without consoles. One of the things Asobo and MS figured out this time is not to wall off MSFS to some niche PC game suitable only to people with sufficient discretionary income to purchase a $5,000 to $10,000 pc every half decade or so. It has more users because more people can access and use it reasonably well. So we have all benefitted tremendously from those decisions.