From a marketing standpoint, Asobo, the developer behind MSFS, made several mistakes with the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launch. The first mistake was calling it MSFS 2024. Knowing that the program would not be released until late in the year, they should have called it MSFS 2025. They could have then released a pre-release version in November. If it had been a pre-release, users would have been more forgiving of the numerous glitches. Instead, they released a program that was out of date two months after its release; they weren’t prepared for the amount of interest in the program and did not have the user base to thoroughly test the program on release.
I have been using MSFS since very early on. In 2011, I used it to help me prepare for upcoming training events after having been away for flying for three years. Several months before retiring from American Airlines, where I was an international captain on the Airbus, I decided to invest in a new computer and VR headset. I wanted to continue flying. I contemplated buying a share of an aircraft. Flying MSFS in VR seemed the best way to enjoy my love for flight without the high cost of airplane ownership. I invested $5,000 in the computer and an HP Reverb G2 VR headset, which is about the price of a month or two of shared aircraft ownership. Not only was flying in VR a less expensive alternative, but I was also not restricted by aircraft or destination. Let’s say I buy a quarter share of a Cirrus twin-engine DA62 aircraft at $5,000 monthly. I would be flying out of the same airport forever. I would be limited in where I could fly due to range and cost. In VR, I can fly whatever aircraft I want to wherever I want, whenever I want.
I spent the first few months of retirement learning how to fly in VR. It wasn’t just load up the program and go. There were subscriptions and paid aircraft, like the Fenix A320, to buy and learn. I also needed to spend hours watching YouTube videos. After three months of learning, I was able to fly in VR. I’ve been hooked ever since.
I decided to switch to MSFS 2024 due to space limitations on my hard drive. I have two one-terabyte hard drives. The drive that hosted MSFS had less than 200 gb of free space. Switching to MSFS 2024 freed up over 100 gb of hard drive space. It never made sense to me to download the entire world to my hard drive. It makes much more sense to download only the route or area I happen to be in and stream it to my computer. Eventually, Asobo should be able to vastly improve the streaming experience so that the user will see the latest imagery in their headset as they fly from A to B without constantly downloading upgraded graphics for specific locations.
My initial experience with MSFS 2024 was reminiscent of my first experience with MSFS 2020 in VR. The program crashed almost every time I switched to VR. Asobo released an update in early December that eliminated my CTDs. Then I had an issue with my Thrustmaster joystick that made flying anything impossible. I bought a new joystick, and that solved that issue. The aircraft I like to fly the most, the Fenix Airbus series, is still not officially available for MSFS 2024, though they have released an experimental version. I have completed a few flights in the Fenix with no problems. I’ve also had to restart the simulator and Fenix numerous times due to things not working correctly. Some functions, such as pushback, still don’t seem to work as they should.
Right now, my graphic settings are set to high or medium. I plan to start upping to ultra one setting at a time. I also plan to resume my around-the-world flight, which I began in early 2022 from Dallas, Texas. I am currently sitting on the ramp in Melbourne, Australia, with New Zealand set as my next destination. On my flight around the world, I do the initial A to B leg on the Fenix Airbus. Once I’ve reached a new destination, I take off in the Cirrus Vision Jet to get an aerial view of the topography and to examine various POIs. I do this mainly on weekends and don’t fly every weekend. When I finish sometime this year, I plan to make another trip around the world with all new destinations.
No matter when you plan to jump to MSFS 2024, you will need time to get used to the new interface, deal with compatibility issues, and watch YouTube videos. Once you get over that hump, you will see that MSFS 2024 is worth your investment in time and money.
All of my time in MSFS 2024 has been in free flight. I’ve been a pilot for fifty-plus years. There isn’t anything in the career mode that I probably haven’t already done in real life. I’m also not that interested in activities. I just want to see the world.
Here is a short video of the Vision Jet on a short Sedona, AZ (KSEZ) flight. Most of the graphics are set on medium or lower.
G’day from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Great enjoyable article!
In my case, I hold an Australian Private Pilots Licence which I have held since the mid 1970s. Most of my ‘real’ flying has been in Piper aircraft such as Cherokees, Warriors and Archer IIs.
With Flight Sims. I have been actively using Flight Simulator to assist me with maintaining my flying skills since the very first Fight Sims appeared back in about 1980. So, that’s well over 40 years experience with Flight Sims.
I currently use MSFS2020 but did purchase a copy of the high end version of MSFS2024. To be completely honest, I have not been impressed with MSFS2024. I expect ‘hope’ that in time it will be great, but for the present I am having no end of trouble with it.
Accordingly, I find myself using MSFS2020 much more than my copy of my recently purchased MSFS2024. I expect that a year from now, we will see MSFS2024 sorted out. But for now I find MSFS2020 is the better sim.
Perhaps having both MSFS 2020 & MSFS2024 on my desk top computer is causing the issues I have. Who knows???