15 minutes ago, YukonPete said:

Why on earth would you want to use Marketplace to manage your purchases. Its horrible!

Yep, I am going in the exact opposite direction: 100% of my purchases are made without Marketplace.

57 minutes ago, YukonPete said:

Why on earth would you want to use Marketplace to manage your purchases. Its horrible!

Doesn't look that bad to ne honestly, and I would rather have a unique / centralized source of addons.

34 minutes ago, jcomm said:

Doesn't look that bad to ne honestly, and I would rather have a unique / centralized source of addons.

It's called Addon linker

15 hours ago, jcomm said:

reinstall FS 2024 and all is fine now, but I also decided not to install ** any ** external stuff, well, other than the Navigraph database updates...

All is now what I purchased from the Marketplace or default.

I would like to convert my PMDG Purchases as well as iFly and even FSLabs to the Marketplace, but it's not yet possible I guess? Same with Inibuilds 350 - would rather have it in my Lybrary than having to manage it from the Inibuilds Manager.

I also have that World Trees height mod, and that's about all... For the time being and although I may miss the Fenix and the FSLabs, it'll stay default / Marketplace only, at least while I'm in the beta branch.

The 340 has flawlessly updated - I guess because I didn't find where to check the streamed version #...

I really like the convenience of the MP auto updates, even if they lag behind. 

and IMHO many of the best sales are on the MP, Which helps an airframe collector like me. 

in terms of my favorites, i don’t really mind keeping them updated by hand; tho I will say that if I could push them over into the MP, I would, just for convenience. 

In re the Beta angle, is it not possible to run two instances of MSFS like we can with XP / DCS / P3D??

Edited October 17, 2025Oct 17 by UrgentSiesta

I'm also getting tired of the dance between Contrail, Orbx, Simmarket, Justflight, Inibuilds.. If MS can make the marketplace more reliable in terms of update delivery, and do a better job of the search, I will slowly switch. 

Over the past 15+ years I've been buying addons, it's a pain to even remember what I bought and from where! I'm sure there are tools and sceneries I purchased on a whim five years ago which would still work in 2024, but I can't remember them 🙂

XP is also launching a marketplace and I think it just makes sense. 

I would not like it, however, if they force you to only buy through marketplace - as in, I have no problem with a developer deciding to only sell on the marketplace, that's their prerogative. But I dont' want Microsoft to force us to only use the Mp and cut off access to external marketplaces. The in-game marketplace should win if it provides a better experience. 

12 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

Interestingly enough, I actually just saw a developer confirming their willingness to honor purchases made in the marketplace. They simply requested a picture of your marketplace page with the purchased item, and also showing your username, and they would give you access to a download from their website.

I have done this many times with Contrail and IniManager, which (together with ORBx Direct) are the only online stores that I use these days. Airport addons that are purchased from the MS Marketplace do not have configuration options, which is annoying when some products include static airliners taking up parking spots that should be reserved for AI planes.

Edited October 18, 2025Oct 18 by Christopher Low

8 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

In re the Beta angle, is it not possible to run two instances of MSFS like we can with XP / DCS / P3D??

I'm afraid it isn't possible, although some users have atempted it in MSFS 2020 if I correctly recall ...

Multiple xBox account might be required I guess (?), and then the licensing and with FS 2024 binding it to at most 3 hardware platforms for running offline might bring problems too.

That is for sure a big advantage of X-Plane, DCS and P3d.

I would really appreciate to see MSFS and X-Plane using the DCS model, where the platform evolves to new versions that you don't have to start building every  x years from scratch, buy again, start moving your stuff and adapting while sometimes trying to maintain the previous one like with Xp10, 11, 12, MSFS 2020, FS 2024...

The ideal for me would be to have a single MSFS, that evolves as a whole, uses a single point of module / addon acquisition and management (marketplace / library) and you don't have to worry about having to buy again and again each time they decide to go for a new version.

Having centralized sales might bring MS / ASOBO the necessary income to allow them to go this way(?)

Sometimes I reinstall DCS World, specially when I am tired of some flight dynamics inconsistencies that plague my other sims (P3D, MSFS, XP) and it sooooo straightforward, with it's centralized store, and even the possibility to try modules for 10 days !!! I wouldn't ask for that much, but their model, also common to Condorsoaring, IL-2, War Thunder, and probably many other games, is by far my preferred.

BTW: what a smooth and simple transition it was to start FS 2024 and have my Inibuildfs A340 updated to 1.0.1 in the Library, or to go and buy the update for my Global trees mod that I had purchased long ago for MSFS 2020 to make the tress look the ay / size they do IRL, and have it flawlessly integrated into the sim, all from within my FS 2024 session. Love it !!!

As I wrote in another thread, I would really like to see my 2 preferred sims these days move to a Marketplace-only model. X-Plane and MSFS would surely benefit from it, bringing the necessary income to their development teams instead of just the result of their one time buy of each new version, and puleeeeze!!! make it a single evolving version XP-Forever / MSFS-Forever 🙂

Edited October 18, 2025Oct 18 by jcomm

Adding linker for the win. Love the map feature also which allows me to check on what airports I have installed or not. 

7 hours ago, jcomm said:

move to a Marketplace-only model. X-Plane and MSFS would surely benefit from it, bringing the necessary income to their development teams instead of just the result of their one time buy of each new version, and puleeeeze!!! make it a single evolving version XP-Forever / MSFS-Forever

Brilliant!

And to be a -Forever model it would have to be subscription-based, so we can happily pay every month. Microsoft would never arbitrarily double the monthly subscription.

And we wouldn't be able to do all that tinkering (that some claim to be fixing so-called bugs or attempting to improve what was already passed by Microsoft as 'good enough') that surely just causes more trouble than it is worth!

And we will happily wait the extra month for the market-place testing process to take place, that surely removes any bugs the developers might have accidentally left in.

And when the servers are down we will happily go and walk the dog or something more useful than simming, rather than leaping to the other sim.

And Microsoft would never suddenly decide that Flight-sims aren't strategic (as they never have before) and pull the plug, leaving us with the square-root of diddley-squat.

5 minutes ago, keithb77 said:

Brilliant!

And to be a -Forever model it would have to be subscription-based, so we can happily pay every month. Microsoft would never arbitrarily double the monthly subscription.

And we wouldn't be able to do all that tinkering (that some claim to be fixing so-called bugs or attempting to improve what was already passed by Microsoft as 'good enough') that surely just causes more trouble than it is worth!

And we will happily wait the extra month for the market-place testing process to take place, that surely removes any bugs the developers might have accidentally left in.

And when the servers are down we will happily go and walk the dog or something more useful than simming, rather than leaping to the other sim.

And Microsoft would never suddenly decide that Flight-sims aren't strategic (as they never have before) and pull the plug, leaving us with the square-root of diddley-squat.

I see your point, but whatever model is used if they decide to shutdoiwn the servers then no matter if you purchased from within the Marketplace or elsewhere...

If the go such a "closed" model, OFC their internal addons and updates testing and aproval processes would have to be different from what they presently are, and there could probably also be a more tighht technical support to developers selling through their store...

And, thanks for mentioning the subscription model, which is something I also find interesting and would probably adhere to in both X-Plane and MSFS should LR and MS / ASOBo go for it, depending OFC on the price ! At least when I don't have time to use the sims i can suspend the subscription for a while 🙂

20 hours ago, Bigmack said:

It's called Addon linker

Once you get it downloaded from the source, sure. 
 

but when you have as many sims and addons as I do, it becomes a chore to keep up. Especially with a game that advances as quickly as MSFS does. 

12 hours ago, jcomm said:

I'm afraid it isn't possible, although some users have atempted it in MSFS 2020 if I correctly recall ...

Multiple xBox account might be required I guess (?), and then the licensing and with FS 2024 binding it to at most 3 hardware platforms for running offline might bring problems too.

That is for sure a big advantage of X-Plane, DCS and P3d.

I would really appreciate to see MSFS and X-Plane using the DCS model, where the platform evolves to new versions that you don't have to start building every  x years from scratch, buy again, start moving your stuff and adapting while sometimes trying to maintain the previous one like with Xp10, 11, 12, MSFS 2020, FS 2024...

The ideal for me would be to have a single MSFS, that evolves as a whole, uses a single point of module / addon acquisition and management (marketplace / library) and you don't have to worry about having to buy again and again each time they decide to go for a new version.

Having centralized sales might bring MS / ASOBO the necessary income to allow them to go this way(?)

Sometimes I reinstall DCS World, specially when I am tired of some flight dynamics inconsistencies that plague my other sims (P3D, MSFS, XP) and it sooooo straightforward, with it's centralized store, and even the possibility to try modules for 10 days !!! I wouldn't ask for that much, but their model, also common to Condorsoaring, IL-2, War Thunder, and probably many other games, is by far my preferred.

BTW: what a smooth and simple transition it was to start FS 2024 and have my Inibuildfs A340 updated to 1.0.1 in the Library, or to go and buy the update for my Global trees mod that I had purchased long ago for MSFS 2020 to make the tress look the ay / size they do IRL, and have it flawlessly integrated into the sim, all from within my FS 2024 session. Love it !!!

As I wrote in another thread, I would really like to see my 2 preferred sims these days move to a Marketplace-only model. X-Plane and MSFS would surely benefit from it, bringing the necessary income to their development teams instead of just the result of their one time buy of each new version, and puleeeeze!!! make it a single evolving version XP-Forever / MSFS-Forever 🙂

For sure! 

The only time I have to reinstall DCS World is when I buy a new computer 😁🤙

(and FWIW, that’s the very last sim that would ever come off my hard drive! Just too many extremely good things there that aren’t well represented in the other sims 🤙)

Whenever XP launches their MP I will surely give it a try if for no other reason than to support the further development of X-Plane itself. When I think of all the $$ I’ve spent on 3PD addons, and LR could’ve made incremental revenue off that…

as a few others have said, tho, I want the OPTION of choosing my addon vendor for various reasons. 

Sometimes I want all my money to go directly to a small dev, sometimes I want the bleeding edge addon updates asap, or whatevs. 

But like you, usually I just want an easy buying and maintenance experience

5 hours ago, keithb77 said:

Brilliant!

And to be a -Forever model it would have to be subscription-based, so we can happily pay every month. Microsoft would never arbitrarily double the monthly subscription.

And we wouldn't be able to do all that tinkering (that some claim to be fixing so-called bugs or attempting to improve what was already passed by Microsoft as 'good enough') that surely just causes more trouble than it is worth!

And we will happily wait the extra month for the market-place testing process to take place, that surely removes any bugs the developers might have accidentally left in.

And when the servers are down we will happily go and walk the dog or something more useful than simming, rather than leaping to the other sim.

And Microsoft would never suddenly decide that Flight-sims aren't strategic (as they never have before) and pull the plug, leaving us with the square-root of diddley-squat.

It’s been working rather well for DCS World for almost 20 years now. 

the concerns you’re raising are only a factor when one limits themselves to a single simulator or addon. 

if I run into a bug or a service issue with anything, I just fly another sim or addon until the issue is resolved. 

in re subscription, we’re essentially all on a 4-year “subscription” cycle, anyway…

Edited October 18, 2025Oct 18 by UrgentSiesta

2 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

It’s been working rather well for DCS World for almost 20 years now

Could be something to do with DCS applying a modicum of quality control, the MSFS Marketplace in contrast being infested with huge amounts of unregulated tripe!

Quote

the concerns you’re raising are only a factor when one limits themselves to a single simulator or addon.

Well, this is the MSFS forum...

But my comments were slightly tongue-in-cheek 🙂

On 10/17/2025 at 4:41 PM, YukonPete said:

Why on earth would you want to use Marketplace to manage your purchases. Its horrible!

I agree. As a PC user, I would never choose to use the Marketplace unless it was absolutely necessary. The only product I have purchased there was the FlightFX CitationX, and I have decided to avoid any products in the future that are MP-exclusive no matter how good they may be.

One big problem is how long it takes for 3rd party developers’ updates to appear in the MP. PMDG releases regular updates to their products, which are immediately available to download and install via OC3. The same updates for the MP version of their aircraft might take days or even weeks to show up. That is not something that PMDG (or any other developer) has any control over. Once they submit a product update to the Marketplace, they are at the mercy of Microsoft to make it available.

Another major objection I have to the MP is that when you purchase something there, you get no itemized product-specific receipt - only “credits”.