UrgentSiesta

Agree totally with @simfan1983 you do need ActiveSky for real time weather. Otherwise it’s just static presets in P3D. I personally really like Orbx True Earth, and I have their other older stuff for the regions not covered by True Earth. if you buy it, wait for a sale - many time it’ll go down to 40% off 😎👍

I have had remarkably few issues with either 2020 or 2024 (other than a few days after launch for both). Had a few with P3D, and a few with XP and DCS world. Nothings perfect. With MSFS I just don’t feel the need to buy airports. The ones that are included are adequate. And the freeware scene is just stunning - practically anywhere you might want to go, there’s an above average airport that someone’s made for you. And yeah, there are a few where I really want it to be “right”. Usually airports that I happen to know well. And I’m willing to pay for them because they look more realistic than anything in any other sim. You don’t need fsuipc with MSFS, Xp, or DCS. Well, at least I’ve never run into an issue not having it… You certainly don’t need ActiveSky - it’s built right in to the new sims. I say all this not to proclaim that one is better than the other, but rather that the only legit reason not to switch is the FSL Concorde. And I get it - for the longest time, I flew P3D for the MilViz T-38C & A, the PMDG 747-8i, the Majestic Q400, and the A2A Civ Mustang. After several years, other Hi Fi addons in other sims have now whittled that down to just the MilViz T-38C (which is the one they built for the IRL USAF) and the A2A Civ Mustang. It’s looking to be at least several more years until the Civ Mustang comes, and the T-38C will never come because the USAF yanked them from public sale. So I’ll have P3D for quite awhile yet (and I still have all my P3D addons loaded and ready to go if I ever “need” them). But in the meantime, the other sims & addons are coming along nicely and each has their own nice experiences to offer. 🤙

I bought the Aviator edition, mainly because I enjoy them for mostly historical reasons. BUT, most of them are still v2020 only and have a number of quirks in v2024. Previously, I bought 2020 Premium Deluxe for the Longitude and 787. And the extra handful of Hand Crafted airports give me a reason to fly atypical locations. I would’ve bought v2024 PE for similar reasons (such as the C-17, et al). In sum, the simulator remains exactly the same across editions, and IIRC, all the World Update freebies have been released for all editions. So, if you’re interested in any of the extra aircraft or airfields, then yes. But if you only fly 3rd Party addons, then stick with Standard.

Haven’t had a problem here. Sounds like your antivirus is interfering or the install went bad. In re your antipathy towards Discord, I say, “Too Bad”. And I say that as a guy who doesn’t even LIKE Discord. When I use it, I always use the web browser for access. I’ve never even had it installed. And when I’ve occasionally needed it for support from several developers, it’s been fine - even to an old geezer like me 😁🤙 After all, it’s not like FSW is telling you to send a letter or make a phone call 🤣

Have you folks decided on what the upgrade policy is? I haven’t seen anything definitive as yet…

Oh yes, I’m sure people will enjoy it. but for me, like I said above ☝️🙂👍

I mean…given the quality and significant overlap of the Longitude, I’m not in the least tempted by stuff like this. Particularly with the Praetor and FSR Phenom “coming soon(ish)”.

I was just saying in another thread about warbirds that this is something I do, too (my filters are a little tighter - has to be at least a good addon). 😁👍

Im gonna go with this, esp for any injected traffic.

How so…? theres no “porting” between the sims, other than some of the 3D modeling…

Uh…one can certainly compare and contrast! I will agree that the A2A and DCS Mustangs are significantly different, AND that the A2A seems to align more accurately with IRL pilot accounts, in particular for take off & landing. But I’d also say that it’s inaccurate to state that “combat sims” ignore the “realism” in the features you mentioned. In fact, it’s all the time that I’ve spent in the DCS warbirds that have made the A2A and MSFS warbirds so easy for me (relatively easy!). So, yeah, some of the warbirds in MSFS are good, but I’ve yet to find any that are generally at the level of A2A or DCS. I do hold hope for the FIS Spitfire for 2024 upgrade to further enhance it, but TBH, I’ve kinda given up on civ sim warbirds for “study level” flying. I do collect the better ones that aren’t available in other sims, as it’s a very nice “discovery” experience, and I appreciate the effort to keep them alive in simulation. 🤙

I took quick flights in them both yesterday. The core problem, as you say, is that we’ve experience with the Crème de la Crème addons in other sims (and I’ll definitely add A2A’s warbirds to that). So, yeah, these end up falling short relative to those. HOWEVER, I do feel like they’re a very good experience for those who only fly MSFS. 🙂🤙

@Daube Well, the good news is that Belatu reports it does actually work fine in v2024 except for some “minor” things that simply don’t exist in v2020 (walk around, etc). 😁👍 Now, I’m OCD enough that it’s still a No Go for me if there’s no “free upgrade”* to v2024. even better, he says the physics are top tier (something he doesn’t say too often). Overall, I’ve yet to find a helo review of Belatu’s where I’d feel like he steered me wrong. 🤙 The only thing I find overtly disappointing is the lack of ANY radio nav other than ADF(!). From DCS Russian helos, I do realize that’s genuinely a thing, but still, at least an optional 430 would be greatly appreciated (à la Just Flight 😁) * I normally don’t care about free updates, but only if I’ve gotten use in the original sim. I just don’t fly v2020 any longer, so…

Haven’t flown it in ages, but the FIS Spitfire is quite well regarded - used as a trainer for IRL Spitfire flying!

I’m fairly confident there are a “few” more of us left than just some hundreds 😎 if we are to conservatively believe Asobo, there might be as many as 10,000,000 MSFS “active” players (or more…!). Spreading that math out means there likely at least 150,000 P3D players…? Given the extremely small sample size, and obvious (unavoidable) skews in the data, it could even be significantly higher. 😎 The only sad thing is that it does seem to be a steadily declining number, tho…