41 minutes ago, Noel said:

Here's the AS CRJ-550 in the Sheltair plane port. 

Does that thang fit under there?  It looks like it might be a little close with the tail.

6 hours ago, CarlosF said:

Happy anniversary MSFS 2024, it's been a wild ride, it has matured slowly but surely, so much so, that I can now say, my sim life just cannot get better than this. Love it!

 

Truly correct haha...  the first days were well... let's leave that in the past...

Where we are today?  Plenty of addons are the list is growing daily...  I know my latest Black Square paints have done very well which means 2020 and 2024 is doing well!

I finally deleted FS2020 a few months ago, after barely using it for the last half year.   2024 was a train wreck of epic proportions when launched but I'm more than content at this point.   Plus, devs are now starting to release content solely for 2024, a trend which will soon be snowballing, and the airports that take full advantage of what 2024 offers are absolutely amazing.    Good stuff comes to those who wait. 

2020 got me back into the hobby but the sun is now setting on it and 2024 is the future. 

 

 

13 hours ago, cianpars said:

I guess it is going to take MS/ASOBO another 3 years before the sim is really anywhere near fit for purpose by which time they will be selling us MSFS2028 Beta but calling it a brand new and better sim which is ready for release, when of course it will not be for many months or years.  That would mirror the experience we have had since 2020.

Define "fit for purpose" please.

It would seem to me that it is sold as a game that a lot of people enjoy at its current SU status, with a significant upgrade in the works. 

6 hours ago, 11bee said:

Plus, devs are now starting to release content solely for 2024, a trend which will soon be snowballing, and the airports that take full advantage of what 2024 offers are absolutely amazing.

Are those offerings backward compatible with 2020? Airports for P3D were generally compatible with v4 and v5 and often with FSX.

It will be disappointing to those who spent a lot on airports for 2020 to have to buy them again for 2024 should they decide to buy that version.

9 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Are those offerings backward compatible with 2020?

New addons made for 2024? No. Why should they be? 

Most developers who upgraded their 2020 addons for 2024 provided a free update. It would be nuts for anyone developing a product made for 2024 to make it compatible with any past product. 2024 has been here for a year, a line has to be drawn somewhere. 

1 minute ago, St Mawgan said:

New addons made for 2024? No. Why should they be? 

Most developers who upgraded their 2020 addons for 2024 provided a free update. It would be nuts for anyone developing a product made for 2024 to make it compatible with any past product. 2024 has been here for a year, a line has to be drawn somewhere. 

I have no idea how different 2024 is to 2020 so consider it a legitimate question. A free update seems like a reasonable deal.

Just now, Ray Proudfoot said:

I have no idea how different 2024 is to 2020 so consider it a legitimate question. A free update seems like a reasonable deal.

It is very different. Addon developers making aircraft specifically for MSFS2024 and all it has to offer have long said that it is not practical to make it backwards compatible to MSFS2020 as 2024 is much more advanced. They would have to make two completely different versions. As for airports, the only one I am still waiting for is Southend, everything else I have (and I have plenty) have all been made compatible with 2024 and I didn't have to pay for any of it. 

12 minutes ago, St Mawgan said:

It is very different. Addon developers making aircraft specifically for MSFS2024 and all it has to offer have long said that it is not practical to make it backwards compatible to MSFS2020 as 2024 is much more advanced.

You’ll notice I never mentioned aircraft as I’m aware they are generally version specific. Airports far less so.

Airports built for 2020 generally work absolutely fine in 2024. I have quite a few 2020 airports which never even had a 2024 update, but have been using them quite happily. They may not be the best optimised, as native 2024 airports take advantage of the better LOD management in the newer platform, but they do work.

I think Inibuilds have quite a good model as far as 2020-2024 is concerned. To use the 2020 airports in 2024, or even versions which have had minor 'compatibility' updates are usually free. They do charge for the 'Premium' or 2024 native versions, but I think that's fair as they are generally complete rebuilds with new features native to 2024.

1 hour ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Are those offerings backward compatible with 2020? Airports for P3D were generally compatible with v4 and v5 and often with FSX.

It will be disappointing to those who spent a lot on airports for 2020 to have to buy them again for 2024 should they decide to buy that version.

I have been checking all of my MSFS 2020 payware addons (airports/city packs/regional scenery) recently, as my intention is to upgrade to MSFS 2024 when I start using my new PC (which is currently in production at a secret research facility)  Based on this, it seems that the vast majority of them have MSFS 2024 options that I will be able to install free of charge. Only one or two will require payment of a (relatively small) upgrade fee, and one or two more have dedicated MSFS 2024 versions that I will probably upgrade to (again, for a relatively modest fee).

Edited November 20, 2025Nov 20 by Christopher Low

Yea, the transition for airports took some time but was generally painless. Most of the 2020 ones work fine and I think I paid about 30 to 40 dollars for the few that needed an update. A few, however, were neve compatible but I believe all of these were ones where the developer disappeared. 

I moved to 2024 on day one, uninstalling 2020 a few days before. The first few months were certainly not the best but it has evolved into what I consider the best simulator platform I have ever used.

Edited November 20, 2025Nov 20 by Cognita

Happy Birthday MSFS2024!  

Despite all of its foibles, it is still the best we have, and will only get better.

Despite the belief that "a line must be drawn in the sand" the fact of the matter remains developers can do whatever they choose.  If a dev chooses to release something for both sims, has the dev resources and the revenue stream to sustain it then as I have said before it makes less than zero difference to me.  

Also, despite the belief that 2020 and 2024 are somehow completely different sims the fact most 2020 planes worked, almost all 2020 scenery worked and for a lot of dev's 2024 "native" meant a 2024 installer the reality is that like EVERY version of FS we have seen, there is still a great deal of common code, architecture and compatibility.  

'24 has OBVIOUSLY added improved features, LOD, new SDK and the latest SU4 Beta seems to fundamentally change the game with the resolution of the Main Thread issue and being able to leverage GPU resources however you can STILL take 2020 scenery and aircraft and chances are they will work in '24.  

This line in the sand us vs them 2020 development needs to be cut off entirely etc etc is truly baffling to me.    Even Asobo continued to improve 2020 into a digital twin of 2024 with the same Bing graphics, not cut it off at the knees and leave it forever with outdated graphics.

As I have said before if a developer chooses to support both sims and it has zero impact on my life I could literally care less.  Do I necessarily think it's the smartest business model, probably not but does it impact me or do I care, absolutely not... 

I mean how many years after 2020 did FSL release the Concorde for P3D?  Did I care? Sure but did I think users who stayed with that sim shouldn't have had it, absolutely not.  I would have "liked" them to do it in MSFS instead but again, every dev can do whatever they like and the only negative I can see is they got something I didn't... Oh well.  

So I am more of the let people do what they want, let dev's do what they want and let the market dictate course as it inevitably always does.

I personally do not share this it's been 12 months draw a line in the sand and cut 2020 off entirely mentality.  

Happy birthday '24, looking forward to moving over permanently post SU4 release so about when I predicted this would transpire and Happy 2020 and P3D day to anyone who still wants to use them.  

Edited November 20, 2025Nov 20 by psolk