I wanted to buy MSFS 2020 but...

[ScottishMike]

The time had come. Or so I thought. My win7 computer failed ; the motherboard was dead. It was after all just over ten years old. I managed to source an identical used motherboard so re built the computer, but this motherboard failed within two months, so I bit the bullet and bought a brand new win 10 machine of a spec to run MSFS2020 comfortably in the near future. I re-built FS9 and got it running well under Win10 (apart from some minor issues when running in full screen mode) all 1800 add-on sceneries (mostly free, a dozen or so pay) and 600 or so aircraft. So once again I was a happy bunny. My thoughts turned to MSFS2020, after all the idea of spending big on the new rig were partly driven by the thought of a computer able to run it well.

I have never had such a confusing and awkward process for the purchase of a piece of software.

First question DVDs or download? I have bought many Flight Sim upgrades from Aerosoft; they were offering the Deluxe version for Euros 109.24 (shipped on DVDs) with the following caveat:

 

Quote

An Xbox Live account is required to use the Microsoft Flight Simulator!
After a successful registration of your Xbox Live account, you can now use your serial number to activate Microsoft Flight Simulator from the Xbox Dashboard.

 

What is an Xbox account and why would I want one? I have no interest in an Xbox. Obviously more research required. The Xbox account was going to cost from £27.56 to £49.99 for 12 months or £ 7.47 to £ 9.99 for 3 months. I have been playing FS9 for 19 years so if MSFS2020 is as much fun and I use it for 19 years it will cost me £ 523.64 in Xbox fees plus the £100 or so for the software. Total cost of use (excluding hardware) around £ 650.

 

Another option is download direct from the Microsoft store. I searched for MSFS2020 but no matches, you have to type Microsoft F... before it finds it.

Cost £109.99 download. Does it need the Xbox account? Not sure. What the site does say under download is:

 

“Install on your XBOX one console and a Windows Pc plus have access when you're connected to your Microsoft account”.

 

What does “connected to your Microsoft account” mean?

The site said you could buy the game for £87.99 if you joined Game Pass. No idea what Game Pass is, more research required. Turns out Game Pass is a subscription service at £7.99 per month.

So if no XBOX account is required this route will cost (over 19 years) £ 87.99 + £ 1821 = £ 1909

If the xbox account is still required cost is £ 87.99 + £ 523.64 + £ 1821 =£ 2432.63

FS9 has cost me around £ 40

 

I was decidedly pissed off with the purchase process for MSFS2020, plus the reviews on the Microsoft site were not good, the majority 1*.

At this point I was too fed up to investigate the steam option :-((

Will stick with FS9 for the moment, however the scenery in 2020 looks stunning....Is the rest of it (including the buying and installation process) that bad?

[danbiosca]

I know buying MSFS can be a bit scary at first. It is such a different process from what we've been used to for many years, but it is worth it, believe me. Specially if you're comparing it to FS9 (you're not even speaking of FSX!!). And of course, forget about buying DVDs. It's much smoother loading it on-line, and you'll be updating it very often, so the DVDs will be outdated since minute zero. Such frequent updating is absolutely necessary in MSFS, since it is played on-line, which requires everybody to use the same version. Since you play it on-line, you need a MS account, which is free.

 

Now for the preferences (other may advice you differently). I bought it from Steam, which also requires an account (free of course), but everthing works smoothly and painless there. I wholeheartedly recommend it. And I also recommend the Standard Edition. The sim core is exactly the same as the Deluxe and Premium, and with these you'll be paying a good dough for a bunch of extra planes, which most probably you won't use, once you start buying the 3rd party add-ons you really like.

 

Don't give up. As I said above, it's worth it.

[tiger1962]

1 hour ago, ScottishMike said:

What is an Xbox account and why would I want one? I have no interest in an Xbox. Obviously more research required. The Xbox account was going to cost from £27.56 to £49.99 for 12 months or £ 7.47 to £ 9.99 for 3 months. I have been playing FS9 for 19 years so if MSFS2020 is as much fun and I use it for 19 years it will cost me £ 523.64 in Xbox fees plus the £100 or so for the software. Total cost of use (excluding hardware) around £ 650.

 

Another option is download direct from the Microsoft store. I searched for MSFS2020 but no matches, you have to type Microsoft F... before it finds it.

Cost £109.99 download. Does it need the Xbox account? Not sure.

 

You don't need a subscription to run MSFS - once you've bought it, it's completely free and so are all the past, present and future updates. As you've already found, you can buy it via the Microsoft Store app on your PC or via the Xbox app which is also on your PC. Either way you're buying the same thing and it'll run just the same way on your PC. You already have a Microsoft Store account, it's your MS Outlook email address & password. If you buy from the Microsoft Store, an Xbox Account will be automatically created for you free of charge and it doesn't cost anything from then on. Your Xbox account credentials are used to access the online servers where MSFS is streamed from, so it IS vital and you should never delete it!

[budreiser]

Bought from MS store. No probs.

[Nels_Anderson]

I bought the standard MSFS 2020 edition through Steam, since I already has several other sims I'd bought from that same source. Other than the very long download time the process was fairly painless.

 

After the initial purchase, there are no additional fees required. You'll benefit from the regular free updates, something which FS2004 and FSX never had.

 

As some are all too eager to point out, it's not perfect. But then, FS2004 and FSX are not perfect either. We learn to work around the flaws...

 

What needs to be understood is that the world of software (er, "apps") has changed. You no longer buy on a CD and then likely use that software, unchanged, forever. Today, software is downloaded and constantly being patched and updated.

[ScottishMike]

Well, following advice (thanks for responding :-)) I bought standard edition. It started to download ( I think about a quarter downloaded) then the message in the Microsoft store changed to play, clicking on the play button launches the game's intro screens but then a warning box appears asking if I want to play in safe or normal mode, selecting either causes the game to crash and return to the store page. It has created two new folders in C:\XboxGames:  Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator Digital Ownership.

How can I check everything has downloaded or restart the download. I suspect the download crapped out before completing.

[ScottishMike]

Managed to uninstall from the Xbox store (obviously microsoft store and xbox store are linked) as both said the app was owned, but only the xbox store had the facility for un-installing which I did, then re-installed and the Xbox has a download indicator which went fro 0% to 100%, so it went to 100% then changed to play and I was also able to specify an icon on the desktop and the icon appeared.

However clicking on the icon loads the startup screens but I am still getting the warning box with the option to start in safe mode.

Whatever mode I choose it moves onto the startup screen then freezes and crashes to desktop.

This is getting extremely frustrating :-((

[beroun]

Considering MSFS 2020 but still bit hesitant. Would definitely need new PC with recommended specs and even bandwith upgrade from my provider. 

Also, I am more into flying than into scenery and FS2004 with add-ons (120GB now) suffice. It also offers variety of ad-on aircraft and panels and I enjoy hundreds. 

Have plenty of my own mods also.

So, will eventually go for MSFS 2020 but have it still on hold for now.

 

 

 

[tiger1962]

2 hours ago, ScottishMike said:

Whatever mode I choose it moves onto the startup screen then freezes and crashes to desktop.

This is getting extremely frustrating :-((

 

Assuming that you checked that your PC meets the minimum specs for MSFS, see this troubleshooting guide from the flightsimulator.com website: https://flightsimulator.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4405896696210-How-to-install-Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-via-the-Xbox-app

[tiger1962]

1 hour ago, beroun said:

Considering MSFS 2020 but still bit hesitant. Would definitely need new PC with recommended specs and even bandwith upgrade from my provider. 

Also, I am more into flying than into scenery and FS2004 with add-ons (120GB now) suffice. It also offers variety of ad-on aircraft and panels and I enjoy hundreds. 

Have plenty of my own mods also.

So, will eventually go for MSFS 2020 but have it still on hold for now.

 

 

 

 

Peter, if you can do it, just do it - you'll be blown away by flying into airports you've actually flown into and seeing the real-life reference points in the sim. No other sim can compare or prepare you for the MSFS experience. It might just divert you into a light aircraft to fly over your own house lol - we've all done it!

[jgf]

9 hours ago, danbiosca said:

... forget about buying DVDs.

Never.  If I can't get a hard copy, or download something i can burn to hard copy, I'm not interested.  I wanted to try P3D, my system will run the previous version but not the new version, but I cannot buy the previous version nor currently afford a system that would run the new version;  I'm so glad this attitude has not yet permeated RL, or there would be no used car lots, second hand book stores, or thrift shops, and probably yard sales would be outlawed.

 

 

9 hours ago, danbiosca said:

 

...bought it from Steam, which also requires an account (free of course), but everthing works smoothly and painless there

Matter of opinion.  Not being argumentative, just looking at the other side of the equation.  The account is not "free", you must accede to the installation of The Instrument of Obedience ...er, "Management Software" (several hundred meg of unwanted, unnecessary, legal snoopware which gives Steam full access to your computer).  When I purchase a product, whether a hamburger or a new car, the merchant gets my money and I get the product;  end of relationship (as long as that product meets advertised specs).  I once heard buying from Steam is like buying a new car and finding out the salesman gets to ride around in the back seat forever.

 

9 hours ago, danbiosca said:

 

Don't give up. As I said above, it's worth it.

Lol, again, matter of opinion.  Monetarily it's worth it, but there are things more important than money.

 

(The opinions of this article do not necessarily reflect those of the owners of this station nor its affiliates or sponsors.)

[tiger1962]

13 minutes ago, jgf said:

I once heard buying from Steam is like buying a new car and finding out the salesman gets to ride around in the back seat forever.

 

You heard right - as Bob Dylan once sang: "The times they are a'changing". As is the way with progress, there's no going back - to quote Bob Dylan again: "He who is not busy being born is busy dying".

[jgf]

From the moment you first draw breath you are dieing.  Not all change is progress, nor is all progress improvement.

[tiger1962]

2 minutes ago, jgf said:

From the moment you first draw breath you are dieing.  Not all change is progress, nor is all progress improvement.

 

Everything that lives is born to die; software must have one of the shortest life-cycles on Earth since it's 'at the cutting-edge of technology' as they say. For better or worse, it's always going to change.

[jgf]

Change is fine, as long as it is an improvement;  and this is where I take exception with most software and website developers.  Loss of privacy is too high a price for that shiny new toy.

[tiger1962]

I honestly don't see how installing MSFS has lost my privacy - they already had my email address, phone number, home address and bank details!

[jgf]

MSFS will only run on a certain version of W10 or later which, unless you've hacked the OS to kill all the telemetry, means you've already sacrificed privacy to Microsoft.  They probably know more about your computer than you do, including what software you have installed, what websites you visit, your email contact lists, etc.  Add to that MSFS requires a constant high speed internet connection "for cloud access" ...and who knows what else.  

 

FWIW, I do not use the cloud at all simply because no provider will guarantee me privacy.  They claim it but then state they can block or delete anything they find unacceptable;  if it's truly private how do they know I've uploaded anything "unacceptable"?  I view this as I do a safety deposit box at the bank;  whatever i put in there no one, not the bank president or even the police, can open it without my consent or a court order.

 

My Farcebook account was disabled when I refused to give them my private phone number "for security purposes".  I asked them how secure was I to feel giving my phone number to a company that has for years openly stated anything we post to Farcebook - text, images, video, whatever - becomes their property to do with as they please. including "distribution to any third parties, at our discretion".

 

My apologies for hijacking the thread.  We now return to our regular scheduled programming.

[RocketRod737]

You will have to create a Microsoft Xbox account purchase to from Microsoft store and to use flight simulator.  The account is free, no subscription required.  You can use your existing email and should.  Purchase from MS Store unless you already use steam.

[RocketRod737]

or here is a link to a video if you would like:  

 

[kingnorris]

16 hours ago, danbiosca said:

I know buying MSFS can be a bit scary at first. It is such a different process from what we've been used to for many years, but it is worth it, believe me. Specially if you're comparing it to FS9 (you're not even speaking of FSX!!). And of course, forget about buying DVDs. It's much smoother loading it on-line, and you'll be updating it very often, so the DVDs will be outdated since minute zero. Such frequent updating is absolutely necessary in MSFS, since it is played on-line, which requires everybody to use the same version. Since you play it on-line, you need a MS account, which is free.

 

Now for the preferences (other may advice you differently). I bought it from Steam, which also requires an account (free of course), but everthing works smoothly and painless there. I wholeheartedly recommend it. And I also recommend the Standard Edition. The sim core is exactly the same as the Deluxe and Premium, and with these you'll be paying a good dough for a bunch of extra planes, which most probably you won't use, once you start buying the 3rd party add-ons you really like.

 

Don't give up. As I said above, it's worth it.

My new PC doesn't even have a disc drive.

 

Bad news for me, as I have several CD-ROMS I can't play anymore. But much like radio and TV, streaming services and downloads are becoming the norm...

[danbiosca]

13 hours ago, jgf said:

(several hundred meg of unwanted, unnecessary, legal snoopware which gives Steam full access to your computer).

 

Full access, uh?

[ScottishMike]

Well thanks to Tiger1962 for the link to download problems. Finally managed to download (who would of thought it was important to change language to English (US) rather than English (UK)) for MSFS2020 to install? Also changed to Xbox game pass sight probably helped.

I have a lot of sympathy for JGF (always use a non microsoft browser and VPN, have a look at Protonmail and VPN, fully encripted e-mail and browsing, based in Switzerland and keep NO LOGS of customer's browsing) and both free.

Back to MSFS2020, had a fly from Edinburgh (my home airport) and flew over my house in the Cessna 150, very good scenery but the aircraft is more difficult to control than the 150 I flew when training for my PPL (I guess it had a full compliment of controls, it helps!) rather than controlling the aircraft from a keyboard and mouse. The beech36 and diamond40 I found more stable than the Cessna 150 but the glass cockpits were in both cases too small and dark, virtually (pun intended) useless. Also a great joy in FS9 is having the spot plane open as well as the cockpit view so you can see how the plane is oriented while flying (in real life we have the inner ear balance to help us know how we are oriented). The camera view in FS2020 is very pretty and having the main instruments dotted around is a help but I still could not land from the camera view alone. It would be nice to have the camera view in a seperate window open at the same time as the cockpit view.

Anyway thanks all for the help especially Tiger.

[Nels_Anderson]

11 hours ago, kingnorris said:

My new PC doesn't even have a disc drive.

 

Bad news for me, as I have several CD-ROMS I can't play anymore. But much like radio and TV, streaming services and downloads are becoming the norm...

 

Should you ever want to use those old CD-ROMS, there are USB CD-ROM drives available, very cheap like around $10 or so.

[Nels_Anderson]

2 hours ago, ScottishMike said:

Back to MSFS2020, had a fly from Edinburgh (my home airport) and flew over my house in the Cessna 150, very good scenery but the aircraft is more difficult to control than the 150 I flew when training for my PPL (I guess it had a full compliment of controls, it helps!) rather than controlling the aircraft from a keyboard and mouse. The beech36 and diamond40 I found more stable than the Cessna 150 but the glass cockpits were in both cases too small and dark, virtually (pun intended) useless. Also a great joy in FS9 is having the spot plane open as well as the cockpit view so you can see how the plane is oriented while flying (in real life we have the inner ear balance to help us know how we are oriented). The camera view in FS2020 is very pretty and having the main instruments dotted around is a help but I still could not land from the camera view alone. It would be nice to have the camera view in a seperate window open at the same time as the cockpit view.

Anyway thanks all for the help especially Tiger.

 

One thing that I found that helps is that some of the instruments can be undocked from the cockpit and then enlarged or even moved to a second monitor. Usually you hold down ALT and click on the instrument to undock it.

[chicagorandy]

3 hours ago, ScottishMike said:

Well thanks to Tiger1962 for the link to download problems. Finally managed to download (who would of thought it was important to change language to English (US) rather than English (UK)) for MSFS2020 to install? Also changed to Xbox game pass sight probably helped.

I have a lot of sympathy for JGF (always use a non microsoft browser and VPN, have a look at Protonmail and VPN, fully encripted e-mail and browsing, based in Switzerland and keep NO LOGS of customer's browsing) and both free.

Back to MSFS2020, had a fly from Edinburgh (my home airport) and flew over my house in the Cessna 150, very good scenery but the aircraft is more difficult to control than the 150 I flew when training for my PPL (I guess it had a full compliment of controls, it helps!) rather than controlling the aircraft from a keyboard and mouse. The beech36 and diamond40 I found more stable than the Cessna 150 but the glass cockpits were in both cases too small and dark, virtually (pun intended) useless. Also a great joy in FS9 is having the spot plane open as well as the cockpit view so you can see how the plane is oriented while flying (in real life we have the inner ear balance to help us know how we are oriented). The camera view in FS2020 is very pretty and having the main instruments dotted around is a help but I still could not land from the camera view alone. It would be nice to have the camera view in a seperate window open at the same time as the cockpit view.

Anyway thanks all for the help especially Tiger.

Keyboard and mouse IS a challenging approach. My 1st upgrade, before going to a full yoke/throttle/trim/rudder "cockpit" was to get a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick - about $30 USD on Amazon - really improves the sim immersion.