Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Not recommended (Day 5)

 

Microsoft Messed up this game!

I honestly think Microsoft really did work hard at getting this Flight Simulator out before the end of the year and this is the results of their determination to release.   Some of the things people are having the problems with this game is suddenly returning to desktop and other issues with the game if you are using playing on the desktop.   I haven’t heard as much of problems on the XBOX gaming systems but I suspect that was how Microsoft wanted it.   However, I do think the Cloud idea was an idea and wasn’t the best idea.    I much preferred to download the game blob like I did with MSFS 2020 but they want to do it from cloud.   I have yet to get any good playable graphics like they show on the movies.

Career Mode

Great Idea and I love the idea of learning what it really takes to become a commercial pilot and to PPL(Private Pilots License).   I am glad to actually see how you would do it and the walking around the plane is good for the first few missions but is it required for the rest of the missions and flying?  I don’t know it is a necessary thing if you are truly flying the plane to check the plane before you fly it.   So I get the idea and how it is something a real pilot will do.  Doing all the things you learn from becoming a pilot may help you in actually becoming a pilot.  So I can’t say this isn’t a bad idea or part of the game.

World Photographer

Great way to explore the sites around the world and are a combinations of the MSFS 2020 and probably some new places in MSFS 2024.  So it is great resource for those who want to fly a plane and see these places.  You can probably walk around the explore them on foot in if you know how to do it.   However this isn’t anything new because it was somewhat available on the MSFS 2020 and was free for all to download.  I still don’t like the idea of using being maps to create the terrain on MSFS 2024 and I have yet to explore the idea of switching to something that has newer terrain images like Google or some other provider.

All in All

This isn’t really a better version such as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.   For the most part it can take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes to load the game because it being used in the cloud.   Multiple people complaining about how bad it is or put up a negative review of it on steam.   If Microsoft and Asobo wants to make this game better they will need to put out some major updates to address all the crashing and have the game utilize peoples GPU to make the game work even better and make it look like the intro videos that they show while the game loads.   Don’t get me wrong they are doing it in a way to draw people into wanting to play the game but I have a pretty good system myself and I have a 30 series GPU so it should be able to do everything that video is looking like.   However that isn’t the case and it will probably never look that way since the game is being played from the cloud and we aren’t able to use the graphics that they want us to use for the game.    This will be like the Last of Us and the graphics will eventually get better or at least become more stable to not be a problem.  However Microsoft kind of ruined the game by releasing so soon when they should of worked harder at making it a better experience with their customers.  I’m going to sit back and take a waiting stance they fix all these problems that users are complaining about and then I will decide if this is better than MSFS 2020 but for right now it’s not even close.  MSFS is winning in my mind because I don’t have to worry about the game loading and crashing all the time.

How Computers have changed the world

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

The History of Flight Simulator

In the early 80’s and 90’s, there was very few people who actually knew this but bases and other places had flight simulators for their pilots to practice.   In the early days we had simulators where you had to schedule to have a chance to work on their pilot skills.   It would be a big bulky room with Hydraulics and even had a preformed landscape that was used.   This wasn’t easy to setup or even to move if you had to.   The building had to have massive room to make the simulator move and feel like you were in the air.  The controls didn’t always worked as they should of and you had to have someone monitoring the simulator outside and hit buttons to make the simulator do things they wanted too.  Pilots only had so much time usually allocated a hour at a time to fly the sim to work on their skills.    It always left the pilot with stress because they would want to do even more than the simulator could do.

The early Simulators:

  • could not fly to far
  • Had massive heat issues.  (The Simulator had to have a cool off period between flights)
  • Be down for days to weeks due to hardware.
  • Need Racks of physical tape backups
  • cost a lot to make and maintain

The Downfall of Simulators

Like most who are reading this, you’re probably asking yourself why would they have those simulator?   In truth, they were required by the FAA and the Military to train new pilots before they could actually fly a real plane or helicopters.   Pilots also were required to fly so many hours in a simulator a week to brush up on their pilot skills, in the early days.   When new models came out, the pilots would come back to the simulator to learn how to fly the new models such as the Boeing 747 aircraft.   Each simulator facility, there was a massive undertaking to update the simulator to the newest model and keep their pilots up to date on the latest techniques to flying.

Fast Forward to today

In today’s era, there are some major upgrades to the simulator.   The building has been reduced to more than half.   The simulator itself can be used longer and acts more like a real boeing 747.   The controls in the simulator work even better because the heating issue was resolved by the way the system has developed.    You really only need a few fast CPU and GPUS, such as a I9-10850k with a Nvidia 2060ti or even better a 2 x 3060ti with SLI.   The Simulator now has few downtimes and less heat and even more realism than the before.   You can feel the aircraft and expect it to do what you want it to do and learn even more about aviation, navigation, and communication in the new simulators.   Pilots can now do simulations at home with very little cost to them compared to what it would of cost in those days.   You can buy a Microsoft Flight Simulator and fly anywhere in the world you want to and keep up your flight skills in 2020.  No more needing to schedule to use that flight simulator when you can do it at home and learn the techniques that are required.

Some Useful Links:

 

 

Micrsoft TerraServer, What are they doing today?

Just found this great way to get an aerial view of Los Angeles, Although the photos are old photos they still give you a sense of the area.   For example this one:

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Corpus Christi, Texas, United States 1/15/1995

Corpus Christi, Texas, United States 1/15/1995

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As you can see you can get a good look around the US.   If you want to check out your local area or maybe you know you Latitude and Longitude of where you live.  You can also enter that too and see it in the past.  It at least brings back memories for me.  For example, the Twin Towers, they still have that photo. You could also look at the White House before 9/11 also. Go check out the Micrsoft Terraserver and go have some fun looking at old pictures.