Don’t get me wrong…
I believe it is the right thing to fully embrace new technologies with MSFS 2024. 

It’s just that promises around easy backwards compatibility created this idea in the community that developers would be able to sustain both 2020 and 2024 for the coming years at minimal cost for the customers.
This turns out to be unachievable for aircraft addons. 

1 hour ago, Sylle said:

This turns out to be unachievable for aircraft addons.

It’ll depend on type and complexity of the add-on.  For example, most of Orbx/Partners airports and scenery was relatively painless to make work in MSFS 2024.

7 minutes ago, SayAgain said:

It’ll depend on type and complexity of the add-on.  For example, most of Orbx/Partners airports and scenery was relatively painless to make work in MSFS 2024.

Sure. I think that's why they specifically stated aircraft addons.

1 hour ago, Sylle said:

…
This turns out to be unachievable for aircraft addons. 

Your username checks out @SayAgain ! 😏😉

10 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

I assume that this "twin pipeline" development is not as much of a problem for airport addons? Most airport developers still seem to be releasing new products for both simulators.

Depends on the airport complexity really.  A simple airport could be relatively fine, a complex airport could be rendered in lots more detail in 2024 with modular sim objects, and there is always the issue of the different LOD rules, that will affect performance and how objects appear (remember those minimum LODs and eg undercarriage disappearing close to the user?  Airports will have similar issues...).

So on the face of it, yes things will 'work' with a simple pipeline, but no, you won't get the best fidelity and performance (certainly in 2024), by sound one version and selling it for both simulators.

13 hours ago, Sylle said:

Don’t get me wrong…
I believe it is the right thing to fully embrace new technologies with MSFS 2024. 

It’s just that promises around easy backwards compatibility created this idea in the community that developers would be able to sustain both 2020 and 2024 for the coming years at minimal cost for the customers.
This turns out to be unachievable for aircraft addons. 

You’re confusing native and compatibility. Most aircraft can be compatible with FS24 with a little bit of work.

You can’t have both a compatible and native product, severe concessions will have to be made. 

Creating a native FS24 product is a lot of work and isn’t financially feasible to maintain two native builds for FS24 and FS20 when they’re so different, especially for such a small team like ifly.

4 hours ago, Lucky38i said:

You’re confusing native and compatibility. Most aircraft can be compatible with FS24 with a little bit of work.

You can’t have both a compatible and native product, severe concessions will have to be made. 

Creating a native FS24 product is a lot of work and isn’t financially feasible to maintain two native builds for FS24 and FS20 when they’re so different, especially for such a small team like ifly.

And then when MS2024 gets another update, which will happen, they have to start all over again. 

16 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

And then when MS2024 gets another update, which will happen, they have to start all over again. 

Eh? They may have to make changes to support new versions but "start all over again" seems a bit far fetched. 

Edited August 16, 2025Aug 16 by Zangoose

15 minutes ago, Zangoose said:

Eh? They may have to make changes to support new versions but "start all over again" seems a bit far fetched. 

Depends what Asobo breaks. Look at how long it is taking them to get the iFly to work properly in 2024. 

44 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

And then when MS2024 gets another update, which will happen, they have to start all over again. 

You're being a bit extra, you have this habit of once you find something better, you immediately disparage and throw away what you previously used and I can guarantee you'll do the same to FS20 once you move to FS24. You did the same with PMDG when you manage to get FS20 working and we all know about the multiple threads you made regarding it.

No, another update isn't going to require them to start all over again, fundamentally FS20 and FS24 treat things like flight modelling, texturing and LODs very differently. This requires an immense amount of work but these are core differences, an update isn't going to suddenly change that.

 

15 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

Depends what Asobo breaks. Look at how long it is taking them to get the iFly to work properly in 2024. 

iFly is taking "so long" simply because they're a tiny team. Compare this to Fenix (which I'd hazard a guess is a larger team) that took several months, near a year even to release BFU to produce a native FS24 product. I mean we won't even see SP1 for another 3 months and how long has iFLY been out?

Come on Bob, try to be objective atleast.

How to get larger development teams, buy more and pirate less … problem solved.

1 hour ago, Bobsk8 said:

And then when MS2024 gets another update, which will happen, they have to start all over again. 

That hasn't happened yet.

15 minutes ago, Lucky38i said:

iFly is taking "so long" simply because they're a tiny team. Compare this to Fenix (which I'd hazard a guess is a larger team) that took several months, near a year even to release BFU to produce a native FS24 product. 

 

Sorry but what gives you the slightest impression that Fenix has a large team of (developers) even over the iFly Max? I do not sense any of that one bit. Its not not like they are PMDG, Inibuilds or even the FBW freeware group for sure. They are just a small and honest group that grind it out just like any other respectabe developers. 

Edited August 16, 2025Aug 16 by JBDB-MD80

6 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

That hasn't happened yet.

Give it time, it will..

 

1 minute ago, Bobsk8 said:

Give it time, it will..

 

Unlikely. Didn't happen in 2020 either, except for addons that depended on default aircraft, like the early FBW A320N versions.

Edited August 16, 2025Aug 16 by Tuskin38