2 hours ago, micstatic said:

There is a reason you don't hear about many people switching back to 2020 after getting 24.  

well of course, I'm not saying it's not an improvement in many ways, so it's not surprising no-one (excluding those including me during the shambolic launch) would refund and go back

just don't see anything particularly groundbreaking or different in the streams I've watched

53 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

As you are no doubt aware, it took me a year to decide to upgrade to MSFS 2024. My decision to purchase a new PC made this choice a lot easier, although I had already concluded that the release of SU4 seemed to have lifted MSFS 2024 to a point where it was good (and stable) enough to be worth the risk.

I discovered that setting up the controls for my PMDG aircraft was easier than I had expected. I noted the significantly faster load time to the main menu, and the lightning fast load of my selected aircraft/airport combination. I was able to install everything that I had been using previously (including MSFS 2020 only addons) with very few problems. This was in part due to me taking the time to go through the list of all of my addons, and check to make sure that MSFS 2024 versions were available. MS Marketplace addons that did not have MSFS 2024 versions were "imported" from my MSFS 2020 account, and these only had to be enabled (and downloaded/installed, since I wanted everything on my local Nvme drive). For everything that did not have these options, I made sure to keep copies of the installed folders in the MSFS 2020 Community folder, and then simply copied them across to the new Community folder.

The only addon that does not appear to be working is GAIST, but this seems to be a universal problem that has little to do with my installation. To date, I have not suffered a single CTD or loading problem of any kind. There are a few small issues at certain airports (low resolution taxiway sign or vehicle textures), but these are few and far between, and actually occur mostly at airports that have been confirmed as "MSFS 2024 compatible".

The graphics are better than MSFS 2020. There is no debate about this. They just are. Better lighting, more realistic trees (and tree height/density), not a single one of those annoying "land bars" in sight, improved DEM data (particularly for certain small islands and coastal cliffs), improved vector data (there were plenty of black lakes near EFIV Ivalo in MSFS 2020, but these are no longer a problem in MSFS 2024), and better integration of water features in the landscape. What I mean by this is that lakes and ponds just seem to "fit" better in the landscape. It is a bit difficult to describe, but the water in MSFS 2020 has a tendency to look like vector data added to the scenery. In other words, the edges never seemed to quite blend with the surrounding terrain. After having used MSFS 2024 for the past month, I just feel that the water blends more naturally. Maybe it is an illusion, but it sure feels like that.

With respect to the overall atmospheric lighting, there is just something that feels more correct about it. Again, it is hard to describe, but every time that I look out of my aircraft window, my brain "sees" the lighting effects across the landscape, and simply accepts it as realistic. Not a very objective conclusion, but that is the only way that I can describe it. Dawn and dusk are also better, because that horrible thick red band at twilight in MSFS 2020 is now much more subtle and pleasing to the eye. Oh, and the horizon line is no longer visible through mountains.

I am very happy with my decision to upgrade to MSFS 2024, and that is exactly what it is......an upgrade. That may not have been the case a year ago, but it most certainly is now.

EDIT: It is also worth remembering that support for MSFS 2020 will diminish as the year progresses. Fewer addons will be made with MSFS 2020 compatibility in mind. We have already seen this with payware aircraft, but it will not be long before the same happens with addon airports. I have seen comments of this kind from various developers, and I suspect that the figures revealed by local Discord "polls" will be making them think hard. I wanted some addon airports that have only been developed for MSFS 2024, and it was getting harder for me to ignore them!

thanks for taking the time to write that 🙂 in the absence of any further feature additions, it will probably be that diminishing support for FS20 that moves me over

 

1 hour ago, JonathanC said:

It's not a compelling need. You can stay in 2020, or P3D, or even FSX.. not like those have stopped working. 

you don't think FS24 provides any compelling reasons to upgrade over P3D or FSX? do you understand what compelling means?

Edited January 9Jan 9 by EGLD

What is your PC specification, EGLD? That of course plays a part in any decision.

Ryzen9 5950X, 64gb, 3080ti 12gb

ancient now 😁

12 minutes ago, EGLD said:

just don't see anything particularly groundbreaking or different in the streams I've watched

Did you just watch the cruising altitude phase of those streams? Did you not watch any streams where people are bush flying in MSFS 2024? There is a huge world of difference between MSFS 2024, and every other flight simulator when it comes to low level flight and bush flying (and by every other flight simulator, I also mean DCS World, XP, P3D, MSFS 2020, etc). Here are some photos of MSFS 2024 vs real life photo locations:

https://old.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftFlightSim/comments/1h3igen/places_ive_been_over_the_years_revisited_in/

And this is another good example of the scenery you get when bush flying:

Maybe you are not watching the right streams. But if you watch streams where people are bush flying, the difference is eye opening.

For low level flight and bush flying, the difference is like a generational difference in consoles - like the difference between a Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.  It's quite a noticeable difference.

Edited January 9Jan 9 by abrams_tank

 

9 minutes ago, EGLD said:

you don't think FS24 provides any compelling reasons to upgrade over P3D or FSX? do you understand what compelling means?

😄 

Some people on this forum, I tell ya. Only want to pick a fight. I'm a happy person and don't want to fight, so please, by all means, you are correct in every way, and I shall leave you be. Please have a happy 2026. 

4 minutes ago, EGLD said:

Ryzen9 5950X, 64gb, 3080ti 12gb

ancient now 😁

Don’t count it out yet for MSFS2024 without further investigation…

There was someone here whose PC refused to move to Win 11, but he successfully transitioned to MSFS2024 for the time being, and building a new PC now…

Good luck.

Maybe we should turn this into a Poll? Who actually cares if you moved over to MSFS2024 this week? 

12 minutes ago, JonathanC said:

 

😄 

Some people on this forum, I tell ya. Only want to pick a fight. I'm a happy person and don't want to fight, so please, by all means, you are correct in every way, and I shall leave you be. Please have a happy 2026. 

Fighting is ok for politics, religion and sports but not for our fav hobby.

dd

What would be interesting is if the spike on users on 2024 just after SU4 released continued high or lowered again to pre SU4 levels.

1 minute ago, alexcolka said:

What would be interesting is if the spike on users on 2024 just after SU4 released continued high or lowered again to pre SU4 levels.

Interesting how? 

11 minutes ago, St Mawgan said:

Interesting how? 

By looking how much of a curiosity it was, if SU4 was worth and final decision to finally move over to 2024, in my case as I said before, made me use 50% 2020 and 50% 2024 from 0% 2024. Is only a curiosity nothing more.

42 minutes ago, JonathanC said:

 

😄 

Some people on this forum, I tell ya. Only want to pick a fight. I'm a happy person and don't want to fight, so please, by all means, you are correct in every way, and I shall leave you be. Please have a happy 2026. 

some people on this forum assume anyone challenging them is looking for a fight 😄

you said there was no compelling reason to upgrade  from P3D or FSX to 24 - even I could name a few reaosns 😁

46 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

Did you just watch the cruising altitude phase of those streams? Did you not watch any streams where people are bush flying in MSFS 2024? There is a huge world of difference between MSFS 2024, and every other flight simulator when it comes to low level flight and bush flying (and by every other flight simulator, I also mean DCS World, XP, P3D, MSFS 2020, etc). Here are some photos of MSFS 2024 vs real life photo locations:

https://old.reddit.com/r/MicrosoftFlightSim/comments/1h3igen/places_ive_been_over_the_years_revisited_in/

And this is another good example of the scenery you get when bush flying:

Maybe you are not watching the right streams. But if you watch streams where people are bush flying, the difference is eye opening.

For low level flight and bush flying, the difference is like a generational difference in consoles - like the difference between a Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.  It's quite a noticeable difference.

yeah i think that's exactly my point really, no compelling reason for me personally - no interest in that type of flying

4 hours ago, St Mawgan said:

Maybe we should turn this into a Poll? Who actually cares if you moved over to MSFS2024 this week? 

It may not be EGLD who seems pretty set in MSFS2020 at the moment…🙂…driven by good personal reasons, I’m sure…

However there may be others here (on the fence now) who might care who has moved over and what’s their experience.

Some of us need just a bit of push…from the community…🙂…I would not have moved myself on the 2nd day of release of MSFS2024, if I did not care who else here took the (blind-faith) leap into it on that historic first day…🙂…

17 hours ago, alexcolka said:

What would be interesting is if the spike on users on 2024 just after SU4 released continued high or lowered again to pre SU4 levels.

I've just looked at the Steam Player Charts and since MSFS2024 over took 2020 (Su4 release) the player numbers have become pretty similar, there was a gap opening up with 2024s numbers but that's much tighter with 2020. Overall 2024 is still rising in a general sense but there is still practically the same currently with 2020.

SU5 might become the turning point whereby 2024 creates more of a gap and 2020 starts to dwindle perhaps, it'll be interesting to see either way. As ever this is purely on Steam, we don't get to see MS Store/Xbox numbers unfortunately.

I think the turning point has happened, we just haven't seen the results swing around yet.  As more payware planes release 2024 only, it will continue to push more and more simmers that way.