megasus

Could be, however targeting an announcement at the XBOX event was probably always the plan.

I know that. Still, the passengers look kinda blue-ish compared to the rest of the cabin.

I know that. Still, the passengers look kinda blue-ish compared to the rest of the cabin.

Something seems off with the lighting

You're reaching. No one really said that. You'll have a working sim, with all of your purchased content, that is supported for 10+ years, without fearing online services get shut down. No one ever implied that the sim will receive free feature and content updates for this long time. Before the sim came out, who really expected post-launch development to be this active? Compared to other games and other simulator products out there, we seem to be in quite goods hands now. This level of support is quite rare in the industry. So in my opinion, it's perfectly alright for them to stop active development of FS2020 after four years. This is more than we could have ever hoped for, and something that was never promised nor implied to begin with. That the journey continues with FS2024 and its announced backwards compatibility is remarkable.

I'm surprised how mixed the reception to this new announcement is. Looking at what the team at Microsoft/Asobo accomplished over the last few years is just astonishing and to me they proved their commitment to this platform with their continuous updates and their pricing policy regarding base sim updates. MSFS is a complex piece of software, a tremendous undertaking, and there are many things still left for them to address (ATC, AI, Systems, etc.). But it's obvious that while that takes time, they do show willingness to tackle these issues. Sure, MSFS features a lot of stuff that is targeted at more casual simmers/gamers. But the community has to accept that this platform can cater to multiple groups simultaneously. If not, there are still other alternatives out there you may find more appealing. Having such a large installed base ensures that the platform is alive and will continuously be enhanced. This includes features that you might not care about and others where you do. Concerning how this new version will be deployed/adopted: I see no room for both games to coexist. It's not feasible to host two versions of the same cloud architecture for a game that is so heavily dependent on it. And there is no need to, since this product is obviously an evolution. Benefitting from all the system and game updates developed through the years. As such, it's in Microsoft's best interest to have a smooth transition to this new version and migrate the current user base in an easy manner. Addons and existing purchases are part of that and I don't see any reasons why they wouldn't just carry over. We are not in the FS8/9/10 era anymore, where every two years a new version comes out, receives little updates, and disregards backwards compatibility. To me, today's announcement shows a commitment from MS to support the FS platform for many more years to come.

This being announced as a sequel doesn't necessarily mean it will require a repurchase or even invalidate MSFS 2020 addons and content. Of course they market it as an entirely new thing, because that's the most clever way to generate hype and raise expectations. MSFS is a platform now. Ever wondered how they could release free system and content updates for over 2 years? It's because their main revenue stream is the marketplace, not the game itself. They subsidize the consumer side to keep or even grow their installed base. As such, it is very likely that in one day in 2024 you will download an update to your flightsim as usual and it will suddenly show up as MSFS 2024 on the title screen. You head to the marketplace and you will not only find your existing addons and scenery still in tact, but you will also find the new missions/scenarios available for purchase there. As usual, general sim enhancements (seasons, flight model, UI) will be part of the base sim. I bet they could even go for an entirely free 2 play model. But we'll see.

I got the same impression. The way they reacted suggests to me that they are working on an ATC revamp, but like they said... it's a long road.

Broomstick support is only coming in SU 12

The purchase of all variants will definitely be significantly more expensive than in the past. Why shouldn't it cost more? 1. It's still a re-release. Sure PMDG spent a lot time remaking things, but at the end of the day it is nothing like creating a complex airliner from scratch. 2. The potential installbase on the MSFS platform is much larger, resulting in more sales faster, resulting in development costs being covered much quicker. 3. They can no longer draw their "Professional Prices on Professional Platforms"-Card. Unlike P3D, MSFS is licensed for entertainment use. 4. The product does not offer more features than previous versions. Quite the contrary, it launches with fewer features. Sure they promise to deliver more free updates, but what you are paying for is the release version of the product. Not some eventual product in the future. Why will it cost more? 1. 💰💸🤑💸💰

No more day/night cycle on the world map. Was this an intended change?

Has anyone checked the new map feature of the marketplace? It doesn't work for me. Filtering or clicking on airports e.g. has no effect.

Could someone post screenshots of the new marketplace functionalities? Joerg mentioned improvements to marketplace usability in the last dev Q&A.

If you use the TCA Sidestick in addition to your Throttle Quadrants, make sure to unbind the sidestick's thrust lever.

I think the first screenshot shows a pretty convincing representation of a city based purely on autogen. Sure, you would notice the differences to the real world If you are familar with the place, but considering that this is the default level of quality across the whole world, only generated by AI, is simply amazing. Even the variety in autogen buildings is quite cool.