Kind of ugly on the inside isn't it 🥴

Mind you the Comanche isn't very pretty to sit in either, I don't think. 

Some devs are more interested in putting out the absolute best version of their software that they can than how much money they can make. Right now, the 2024 SDK allows them to do that. I'm sure they've done their market research and noted that they'll be fine launching on one platform that happens to be the future of the franchise moving forward.

4 hours ago, CAP1234 said:

I'm bit disappointed that they decided to go with 2024 version only as there are still thousands of users using MSFS 2020, I understand from development point of view it would have been challenge to develop for two separate sims but from financial point of view - if they also develop for 2020 version then more people would buy it, just think about the potential sales that they might lose from 2020 users. Considering it is A2A they have a strong reputation so even when it comes to releasing early access products, people would still buy it. 

If they can only justify the resources to create a version for a single sim it has to be the one which has a future ahead of it

2 hours ago, St Mawgan said:

Kind of ugly on the inside isn't it 🥴

Mind you the Comanche isn't very pretty to sit in either, I don't think. 

yeah, that video did not do it justice I hope. Made me second guess getting it

I have been a long time fan and customer of A2A, and haven many, many hours of enjoyment in A2A sim aircraft, so I will be looking forward to this release just like I have with all the other A2A Accusim planes.

18 hours ago, ryanbatc said:

I'm SUPER curious what people here think about early access - well many have disdain for it but since it's A2A maybe everyone will change their mind lol?

Since it's A2A, I'll keep an open mind, but won't buy until we have some reliable independent reviews. In any case, A2A's "Early Access" is better than most devs Gold Release 👍

I've seen other information that indicates this is a Native 2024 addon, too, so it's possible that some sim fix is required for it to go Gold.

Looking forward to it, and the fact that it's one step closer to the Civilian P-51 Mustang 😁

9 hours ago, St Mawgan said:

Blackbird are doing it now with the D30, although the Aerostar seems a lot closer to being finished. 

Critical difference being that the Blackbird C-130 released at roughly half price. 

If A2A made a deal like that, it'd be a no Brainer to jump on it.

8 hours ago, abrams_tank said:

I wonder if A2A will backport it to MSFS 2020.  Maybe they are just testing MSFS 2024 first, to make sure their products work in it, and also before they make the Comanche officially compatible with MSFS 2024.

Does anybody know if there is an exact statement from A2A saying they won't backport it to MSFS 2020?  If A2A just said the Aerostar is for MSFS 2024, but they didn't say specifically that they won't backport it to MSFS 2020, then there is still a strong chance that they will backport it to MSFS 2020 later.

It reminds me of when the Comanche was converted for the XBox. If my memory is correct, A2A didn't say the Comanche would be ported to the XBox when it was initially released for the PC. The porting to XBox announcement came after the Comanche was already released for the PC market.  I am going to guess, unless A2A make a specific announcement that the Aerostar will never be ported to MSFS 2020, the assumption is, they will likely port it to MSFS 2020 at some point, because there is money left on the table and it's probably not a difficult port.  Just as there was money left on the table for the XBox market, so A2A took advantage of that, and ported the Comanche to the XBox.

Eh, a LOT of assumptions in here.

A., A2A is a very small team.

B. I bet most money is being generated by v2024 players these days.

My (admittedly anecdotal) perspective is that folks still on 2020 are there because of a certain addon(s), or being hardware limited, etc.

The folks spending money are likely to have already spent on 2024, so IMHO there's less and less incentive every day to go to the work of dual-platform development.

Ideally speaking, I'd rather they bring the Comanche forward to 2024 rather than backport the Aerostar.

Edited June 27, 2025Jun 27 by UrgentSiesta

7 hours ago, abrams_tank said:

I have always thought SteamDB figures give a good picture. Not only for MSFS 2020 vs MSFS 2024, but for the other competition too, for the PC market.

And the SteamDB figures have been consistent with the Navigraph survey too, albeit Navigraph tends to target the more hardcore flightsim users.

Maybe you are mistaking me for someone else?

They really don't.

And the most misleading Steam metric is that it only shows concurrent users, NOT total users.

And then there's the user demographics of Steam. It, like Game Pass, is purpose built for and succeeds based on people who play many games.

Which by definition is people who may spend a lot in total, but not much on a specific title, or DLC associated with that title.

So, this is good for Valve, and MS, but not necessarily good for 3rd Party devs who make Premium priced add-ons.

Also, Xbox is nearly 50 percent of MSFS customers, exactly NONE of whom are represented in Steam, and only infinitesimally in Navigraph.

Finally, we need to realize that we have very little perspective on the overall metrics. BOTH Steam and Navigraph are soda straw views into the flight sim market...

A classic case of The Blind Men and The Elephant.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Krakin said:

I'm sure they've done their market research and noted that they'll be fine launching on one platform that happens to be the future of the franchise moving forward.

Well said, Sir!

Looking at crumbs of data from Steam and Navigraph is inevitably a view of the past.

Now that v2024 is in a much better (and rapidly improving) state, the uptake is undoubtedly increasing rapidly.

2 hours ago, Ron Lefebvre said:

yeah, that video did not do it justice I hope. Made me second guess getting it

I very much dislike the Comanche aesthetic, but it's inversely proportional to how much I enjoy flying it 😁

1 hour ago, UrgentSiesta said:

 

Looking forward to it, and the fact that it's one step closer to the Civilian P-51 Mustang 😁

Sign me up!  One of my favorite a2a birds in P3D!  I loved flying it online on Pilot Edge... big workload for a single pilot at warp speed LOL!

6 hours ago, ryanbatc said:

Time for an upgrade.  Lots of great GA products almost out (and existing 2020 ports that work fine).

Oh I'm pretty much ready in terms of how the support for "the stuff I use" has come along.  I'm just not quite ready for the computer upgrade I've grown to believe I'm gonna need.

I'll get there eventually.

 

Scott

1 hour ago, UrgentSiesta said:

I very much dislike the Comanche aesthetic, but it's inversely proportional to how much I enjoy flying it 😁

I wish I liked the Comanche more IRL, but I just don't and never have.  But, of course, I miss the A2A planes I used to fly in P3D.  A conundrum, but so far my "Comanche?  No thanks!" side has held its ground.

 

Scott

1 hour ago, tttocs said:

Oh I'm pretty much ready in terms of how the support for "the stuff I use" has come along.  I'm just not quite ready for the computer upgrade I've grown to believe I'm gonna need.

I'll get there eventually.

 

Scott

Let's start by upgrading that Cubs logo, to a Cardinals one.  😃 😁