Game Discussions Microsoft Flight Simulator

[Para Handy]

2 hours of mucking about and I can''t get the stupid thing to update - good lord what complete nonsense.

EDIT: For some reason it turns out one has to install the "XBOX" app on your PC - this is complete garbage, MSFS says go to one place - only after digging through fora does one find the tip to install another daft Micro$oft marketing tool application.

 

[Faded Glory]

2 hours of mucking about and I can''t get the stupid thing to update - good lord what complete nonsense.

EDIT: For some reason it turns out one has to install the "XBOX" app on your PC - this is complete garbage, MSFS says go to one place - only after digging through fora does one find the tip to install another daft Micro$oft marketing tool application.

The game updates have certainly been a bit clunky recently, but in fact this last update was actually (for me) better than any previously in that it didn't redirect me to the Microsoft store. When I fired up the game it immediately and automatically updated the core game (I noticed it was updated in the game's window), then after a few moments went to the actual updater in game and prompted me to download 2 and a bit GB of stuff.

As for the Xbox app, that's been needed all along, at least I have always needed it (bought from MS store, not Steam) and it's always been on my PC. There have even been a couple of occasions when I've needed to update the Xbox app for the game to function properly. Don't know whether you run it via Steam, and that may have been different.

 

[Juniper]

As for the Xbox app, that's been needed all along, at least I have always needed it (bought from MS store, not Steam) and it's always been on my PC. There have even been a couple of occasions when I've needed to update the Xbox app for the game to function properly. Don't know whether you run it via Steam, and that may have been different.

I have it on Steam, and don't have the Xbox app installed. Everything updated fine. Usual rule of clearing out the Community folder applies before you start.

Originally, I had this on MS Gamepass, but then I stopped that & bought it on Steam instead. I was having great difficulty in actually logging in to my MS account in the game, and one of the steps I followed was to completely remove the Xbox app. Don't have an Xbox, so don't care about it. That's the only real issue I've had keeping this game up to date.

 

[Para Handy]

The game updates have certainly been a bit clunky recently, but in fact this last update was actually (for me) better than any previously in that it didn't redirect me to the Microsoft store. When I fired up the game it immediately and automatically updated the core game (I noticed it was updated in the game's window), then after a few moments went to the actual updater in game and prompted me to download 2 and a bit GB of stuff.

As for the Xbox app, that's been needed all along, at least I have always needed it (bought from MS store, not Steam) and it's always been on my PC. There have even been a couple of occasions when I've needed to update the Xbox app for the game to function properly. Don't know whether you run it via Steam, and that may have been different.

I have not had that Xbox thing installed before now. What annoyed me was that the MSFS update sent me to the MS Store - with no mention of the Xbox app. I don't know whether others feel the same but ever since the Xbox release the whole MSFS "experience" seems changed (read dumbed-down / clunky). I'm probably just an old Luddite.

P.S. Not via Steam.

 

[Faded Glory]

I have not had that Xbox thing installed before now. What annoyed me was that the MSFS update sent me to the MS Store - with no mention of the Xbox app. I don't know whether others feel the same but ever since the Xbox release the whole MSFS "experience" seems changed (read dumbed-down / clunky). I'm probably just an old Luddite.

P.S. Not via Steam.

Ok, that's really quite strange as every update that I have had until SU5 did as you describe and took me to the MS store *, to the MSFS2020 page where it recognized an update was available and downloaded the first GB or so, then the game started in the new version and the bulk of the download was done from within the game, whereas since SU5 the two small updates took me to the store (homepage, not MSFS page) and the updates happened in the background, and this last one did not take me to the store but opened the game already updated (the version number was new) and then the game started and the major part of the download happened as it always does within the game. So seemingly the opposite to your experience!

As to Xbox stuff... I do not and have never owned an Xbox, essentially I play the very few games I play on a PC. When I purchased MSFS (on release and from the MS store) I had to make an Xbox / Windows account in order to play it as it's always been an Xbox game - it's the first splash screen that comes up when the game boots. I guess that is why I needed the Xbox app as I never voluntarily / consciously downloaded it, and it just sits on my PC doing nothing - well it obviously does something, but no idea what, other than the fact that I'm logged into my Xbox / MS account... And this was at release, way before the actual Xbox release of the game.

* Edit - Previously I would start the game and it would come up with a screen saying a mandatory update was available / required, clicking on that would open the store and the core update was downloaded there, within the store. After that, clicking play in the store the game would open and then the subsequent larger downloads happened in-game.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

Well, I finally uninstalled MSFS. Not because I don't want to fly it, but because DCS is so good even though I'm failing at basic tasks.
I will definitely re-install it at one point, but I guess after the steep learning curve in DCS I'll probably want to fly study level aircraft only.

Ok, that's really quite strange as every update that I have had until SU5 did as you describe and took me to the MS store *, to the MSFS2020 page where it recognized an update was available and downloaded the first GB or so, then the game started in the new version and the bulk of the download was done from within the game, whereas since SU5 the two small updates took me to the store (homepage, not MSFS page) and the updates happened in the background, and this last one did not take me to the store but opened the game already updated (the version number was new) and then the game started and the major part of the download happened as it always does within the game. So seemingly the opposite to your experience!

As to Xbox stuff... I do not and have never owned an Xbox, essentially I play the very few games I play on a PC. When I purchased MSFS (on release and from the MS store) I had to make an Xbox / Windows account in order to play it as it's always been an Xbox game - it's the first splash screen that comes up when the game boots. I guess that is why I needed the Xbox app as I never voluntarily / consciously downloaded it, and it just sits on my PC doing nothing - well it obviously does something, but no idea what, other than the fact that I'm logged into my Xbox / MS account... And this was at release, way before the actual Xbox release of the game.

* Edit - Previously I would start the game and it would come up with a screen saying a mandatory update was available / required, clicking on that would open the store and the core update was downloaded there, within the store. After that, clicking play in the store the game would open and then the subsequent larger downloads happened in-game.

I think Eggs Box account is needed for the data streaming/multiplayer service aspect. Once I noted that I have severely tiled and downgraded terrain and it went hand-in-hand with issues logging into it. Once I fixed that, the scenery got upgraded again.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

When I have the funds for a new box, I will install. Curiously, that might be the time they get the bugs worked out...

 

[Faded Glory]

I think Eggs Box account is needed for the data streaming/multiplayer service aspect. Once I noted that I have severely tiled and downgraded terrain and it went hand-in-hand with issues logging into it. Once I fixed that, the scenery got upgraded again.

Could be... I just recall that when I purchased it I needed to have an xbox account to play - I have no other MS account, so perhaps that is why.

I have to say that I have been having some really fun flights recently, performance is on the whole really good (although it heats up my PC like nothing else). As I've said before, I am a great fan of the working title mods for the Garmin 1000 and 3000, and also their CJ4 mod. Did a really nice flight from Oakland to Salt Lake City in the CJ4, total VNAV descent and approach, really good, and then yesterday a short flight in northern Alaska in the 172 through heavy cloud cover, again a VNAV descent and approach. Clouds were really good, it even felt disorientating, and the runway only coming into view about 4 miles out. Almost feels like I'm flying.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

Could be... I just recall that when I purchased it I needed to have an xbox account to play - I have no other MS account, so perhaps that is why.

I have to say that I have been having some really fun flights recently, performance is on the whole really good (although it heats up my PC like nothing else). As I've said before, I am a great fan of the working title mods for the Garmin 1000 and 3000, and also their CJ4 mod. Did a really nice flight from Oakland to Salt Lake City in the CJ4, total VNAV descent and approach, really good, and then yesterday a short flight in northern Alaska in the 172 through heavy cloud cover, again a VNAV descent and approach. Clouds were really good, it even felt disorientating, and the runway only coming into view about 4 miles out. Almost feels like I'm flying.

Don't get me wrong, I still love it and did not rage-uninstall or anything like that, it is just DCS looks really interesting. I might fail at really unlocking it though as it is very difficult.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

I had a chat with a friend of mine who is about to become an airliner pilot, and it made me reinstall the sim... I still cannot finish a flight.

• First flight: pause menu bugged out, I could swap between monitor and VR, but apart of save flight, no other function worked, could not resume either
• Following flights: unable to switch back to VR, this is a new issue for me. When I decided to still complete the landing, I CTD'd in front of the runway
• I have garbage framerates, much worse than before, I am limited by mainthread at 25-30 fps even on monitor when the load on GPU is 30%. This is again a new issue and MSFS exclusive, DCS at times runs at 90fps. Plus according to MSI Afterburner, my CPU doesn't seem to be that stressed at all.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I had a chat with a friend of mine who is about to become an airliner pilot, and it made me reinstall the sim... I still cannot finish a flight.

• First flight: pause menu bugged out, I could swap between monitor and VR, but apart of save flight, no other function worked, could not resume either
• Following flights: unable to switch back to VR, this is a new issue for me. When I decided to still complete the landing, I CTD'd in front of the runway
• I have garbage framerates, much worse than before, I am limited by mainthread at 25-30 fps even on monitor when the load on GPU is 30%. This is again a new issue and MSFS exclusive, DCS at times runs at 90fps. Plus according to MSI Afterburner, my CPU doesn't seem to be that stressed at all.

Sorry to hear about your issues - I don't have any of those (but I don't play in VR), in fact the latest update fixed a lot of issues I had with the sim since SU5. Performance is smoother again while looking around via TrackIR, and ground textures load in correctly again (though sometimes still on the blurry side in mountaineous areas, although the Alps look absolutely stunning now). Locked my framerate to 40fps now, i7 9700 RTX2060S 16GB RAM - I prefer overall consistency over max framerates. It still drops below that in busy areas, but I'm running it at Ultra (clouds set to High though) in 2k so won't expect wonders. Very stable these days, haven't had a CTD in ages (jinxed it now probably).

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

Sorry to hear about your issues - I don't have any of those (but I don't play in VR), in fact the latest update fixed a lot of issues I had with the sim since SU5. Performance is smoother again while looking around via TrackIR, and ground textures load in correctly again (though sometimes still on the blurry side in mountaineous areas, although the Alps look absolutely stunning now). Locked my framerate to 40fps now, i7 9700 RTX2060S 16GB RAM - I prefer overall consistency over max framerates. It still drops below that in busy areas, but I'm running it at Ultra (clouds set to High though) in 2k so won't expect wonders. Very stable these days, haven't had a CTD in ages (jinxed it now probably).

This is why I'm not very optimistic about the state of the sim, especially since the latest updates it produces such a myriad of different experiences that it is unlikely any of these issues will get resolved.
It seems VR issues started with an OpenXR update, I'm not sure if it is possible to roll that back, but at least it seems to be up there in terms of known issues. The CTD ahead of busy areas, I have not experienced them since assigned a generous m.2 drive-based virtual memory file. While CTDs do get attention, people get it in very different scenarios.
I will try to go through the MS forums before giving it up until the next major update.

On my PC it really ran the best when I bought the 3080 back in January, been on a downhill ever since. It's a shame as the FBW A320 has improved a lot...

 

[Juniper]

Supposedly, Sim Update 8 is going to be the Everything Patch, where they don't introduce any new features, but instead fix everything that is currently broken or a bit hokey.

 

[Faded Glory]

Yes, sorry also that you are having these issues. I have to say that in the main I am having a pretty good experience with the sim. I do get the odd hang where the HMD goes black and the game has frozen (although sound still continues) and these last anything from 10 seconds to maybe 30 seconds, and once it resulted in a CTD. But this is not even every flight, and other than that I think I'm getting pretty decent framerates (it feels smooth) and it certainly looks pretty good.

Switching between VR and flatscreen I tend to do on a one time basis per session. I start my session in flatscreen to program the FMS of whatever plane I'm flying, then switch to VR for taxi and flight. From past experience, switching back to flatscreen and then again to VR severely messes up framerates, so I don't bother doing it, would rather quit the sim and restart it.

The planes I tend to fly are the 172, the DA 62, the TBM 930 and the CJ4, and I fly probably most often in the USA, sometimes in the UK and occasionally in Europe, and typically use live weather. In VR I have AI traffic set pretty low, so while there are a few planes around, even busy airports tend to be quiet. The only mods I have in the community folder are the Working Title G3000 and CJ4 and I also use their G1000 nxi mod installed via content manager.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

Have to say I completely disabled the AI early on, and never gave it another go. Is it still as CPU intensive? I'm sort of on the edge performance wise so rather have the eye candy instead of some dumb NPC planes getting in the way.... though I feel a bit lonely at times all the same.

The only issue that currently bugs me a bit is the autopilot in the stock A320 - or it could be ATC, not sure - used to be able to get a proper ILS approach to work but lately it won't initiate the glide after pressing the APPR button and (presumably) being at the right altitude. And sometimes the sim doesn't recognise take-offs or landings in my logbook, although I wonder if that's because I didn't use the proper procedures via ATC (sometimes it would bug out on me and not respond).

The flying itself though has been pretty great again lately, especially with the scenery updates. Am quite tempted to buy the Ju-52 as that seems like a bargain and pretty well received (on top of it being a unique and iconic plane).

 

[Faded Glory]

I think the AI was buggy a couple of updates ago and was contributing to CTD's, but that was fixed. I suspect it's quite resource heavy as by default it's dialed way down in VR settings. I generally see a few planes on the ground, either parked or taxiing, but it's far from real world. I don't really mind.

I don't know the A320, so don't know whether the AP is bugged or not. I will once again give a shout out for the WT mods, as they enable VNAV descents and RNAV approaches (as well of course as ILS), and the G1000 nxi has visual approaches for pretty much every runway which tie in with the VNAV descents. Obviously they are not for every plane. And I agree, that for me the sim looks very good visually even in VR.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I've read elsewhere (avsim forum entry iirc) that it may have also to do with ATC and/or the flight plan including too aggressive flight level changes, which means you may not be at the correct altitude for the ILS descent. Could well be as ATC has been a bit flakey and to be honest one of the last mishaps was my own fault because I second guessed ATC and took control because it didn't descend towards the runway, but that's because I overlooked an additional stage in the flight plan that I was supposed to follow (and of course ended up with a stern "you have no clearance to land" from the tower... oops).

Still quite amazing how far things have come - only a few years back I wouldn't have imagined to be able to experience MSFS on this level of fidelity. The weather in particular still has me in awe on a regular basis even a year on.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

I had a chat with a friend of mine who is about to become an airliner pilot, and it made me reinstall the sim... I still cannot finish a flight.

• First flight: pause menu bugged out, I could swap between monitor and VR, but apart of save flight, no other function worked, could not resume either
• Following flights: unable to switch back to VR, this is a new issue for me. When I decided to still complete the landing, I CTD'd in front of the runway
• I have garbage framerates, much worse than before, I am limited by mainthread at 25-30 fps even on monitor when the load on GPU is 30%. This is again a new issue and MSFS exclusive, DCS at times runs at 90fps. Plus according to MSI Afterburner, my CPU doesn't seem to be that stressed at all.

Sometimes, simplicity is best.

Steam's MSFS X, while much less pretty, works as an IFR trainer quite well. Yes, it's two decades out of date. It also works.

 

[Para Handy]

Sometimes, simplicity is best.

Steam's MSFS X, while much less pretty, works as an IFR trainer quite well. Yes, it's two decades out of date. It also works.

... also it doesn't cook your GFX card, doesn't need gigabytes of updates every month, has a huge amount of addons available, etc, etc. (The nav data can be updated.)

It does have some drawbacks though, you do need to "tune" it with some addons to make it look great but, in the end, it can be very satisfying. (I still use it a lot, much more often than X-Plane and Prepar3D and an awful lot more often than I load up MSFS 2020.)

 

[Deleted member 182079]

Interesting to read that some prefer FSX over 2020... the former got uninstalled as soon as 2020 arrived, haven't looked back since tbh. But I admit my focus is more on the audiovisual experience than hardcore sim detail.