cobalt

Key question, for me: Are there any advantages in Windows 11 vs. Windows 10? If not, why update?

Yes, you are expecting too much at this point in time. Hobart is a great place (I have visited there), but there are thousands of small cities and towns on the planet that have not yet been rendered in detail, and it will take a while before they are. Meanwhile, appreciate the fact that all the buildings in Hobart and everywhere else are in their proper places and with the correct footprints -- you won't find this in any other sim. As for the bridges, this is a general problem in MSFS that is (I believe) in the process of being fixed. MSFS is a fantastic achievement -- enjoy it for what it is now, and look forward to what it will be.

The "end" key and num pad 1 are the same.

The default is num pad 1 -- at least that's what mine is. This toggles between a cockpit view and an external view of the plane. The insert key mentioned below brings up the drone camera, which I think is not what you are asking about.

I think you need to argue with Asobo, not me. They have clearly laid out the reasons for mandatory updates. Take it to the source.

The fact that other apps have non-mandatory updates is irrelevant. MSFS is different -- an unfinished project that is undergoing continual refinement. Clearly many people bought it without realizing this.

There is a simple reason why updates have to be mandatory. Each update builds on previous updates, and therefore each new one has to be based on the presumption that all previous updates have been installed; otherwise there would be chaos. Imagine SU6 being installed on a system in which SU5 had not been installed -- no way that could work, clearly. For better or worse, MSFS is work-in-progress that involves constant updates, and was described as such before it was released in September 2020. Whether this whole process could be done better so as to avoid the frustration it causes some users, I don't know. I certainly sympathize. But the mandatory aspect is inescapable.

Which is true of all flightsims, including those that have been around for years and have problems that have never been fixed. We all want perfection, and I have my own list of issues in MSFS that need correction. But in a sim that absolutely blows me away, I manage to keep those in proper perspective.

Is your photogrammetry on? Since SU5, I find that with it on, I get stutters on or near the ground. For that reason I keep it turned off until this problem gets fixed. Others have reported the same issue.

Post-SU6, I have a loading time of 3 minutes 15 seconds from start to the appearance of the main menu, with 159 files in the Community folder (actually links, via Addon Manager). This is comparable to what I was seeing before SU6. My graphics and performance are unchanged as far as I can tell, with 50-60 FPS most places. Since some others are seeing a major increase in loading times, this looks like another case of variance due to local factors. I hope this gets fixed soon. Alienware Aurora R11, 32 GB ram, Intel i7-10700F, GeForce RTX 2080 Super, Ultra graphics settings

Thanks, but at this point I don't think it is MSFS that is the problem -- it is the photogrammetry. This has been reported to Zendesk, and I assume it will be fixed in due course.

Sorry to report that today's update did not fix this problem. I still have major stuttering on or near the ground when photogrammetry is turned on; once the plane is well off the ground, everything is smooth. I tried changing some settings (normally I have everything on ultra), and found that the stuttering is reduced when "low-end" graphics are selected, but that's not a solution for me! For now, I will just turn off photogrammetry and hope this gets fixed eventually.

Update -- I am now able to see photogrammetry in NYC and Paris -- looks good -- but I still have the same old problem that since SU5, when it is turned on, I get stuttering at or near the ground; otherwise not. For now, I am going with photogrammetry off and no stuttering, but I hope at some point I can have both!

There is a lot of truth in what you say. Every so often someone considering buying MSFS writes to this forum (and others) asking for advice: should they buy it? The stock advice that I offer, which is hardly original, is that MSFS requires four things for success: some basic familiarity with PCs; a decent system (not high-end but reasonably fast); a willingness to spend time learning; and a lot of patience and perseverance, because MSFS is a work in progress and needs to be understood as such. For those who don't possess all four, MSFS is not recommended; at least for now, they should stick with an older flight sim, and indeed some do. Hopefully, in time MSFS will be refined to the point that the last requirement can be relaxed. But that may take a while. In the interim, I am personally willing to deal with the glitches (especially involving new updates) because the rewards in this sim are far beyond anything I ever expected to see. Alienware Aurora R11, 32 GB ram, Intel i7-10700F, GeForce RTX 2080 Super, Ultra graphics settings

FS9 was my favorite too, years ago. Then FSX came along and I enjoyed it even more, for over a decade. With add-ons like Ultimate Terrain, it was a terrific flight simulator-- and still is, within its limits. But for me, when MSFS appeared a year ago it blew them all away, and it is getting better all the time. We all have our favorites, and that's good. I have certainly found mine, and there is no going back. Alienware Aurora R11, 32 GB ram, Intel i7-10700F, GeForce RTX 2080 Super, Ultra graphics settings

My judgement of performance is based more on smoothness rather than whatever numbers appear for FPS. After SU5 and WU6, I saw two things immediately: butter-smooth flight (which I had hardly ever seen before) and an increase in FPS from 25-20 to 50-60 (mostly 60, locked at that number) with superbly detailed graphics practically everywhere, even over NYC, London, and Paris. It blew me away, and still does! Alienware Aurora R11, 32 GB ram, Intel i7-10700F, GeForce RTX 2080 Super, Ultra graphics settings

False rumor. Nothing has been dumbed down. Many simmers had problems with SU5, but the subsequent patch and WU6 corrected this for most users, and a whole bunch of posters have reported that for them, MSFS is now better than ever (especially the graphics). This has been my own experience as well -- i am seeing crisper scenery with higher frame rates that I have ever seen before (50-60 FPS practically everywhere). Any deliberate lowering of graphics would be noticed, certainly by those with mid- to high end systems, and this has emphatically not happened, despite problems reported by some. It is regrettable that anyone is unhappy, but the cause is simply not to be found in conspiracy theories.

OK, this is Cobalt again. I simply cannot get photogrammetry to work, at least in New York City and Paris (my test cases). The sceneries look exactly the same regardless of whether photogrammetry is turned on or off, even with an empty Community folder. I have tried the cycling routine (turn photogrammetry off - exit MSFS - turn it back on - etc.) but this makes no difference, except for one thing: when photogrammetry is turned on, I get stutters when the plane is on or near the ground, but otherwise not; when photogrammetry is turned off, this problem disappears. Therefore, having photogrammetry turned on is clearly doing something, albeit a negative thing! I believe this is likely a server problem, do you agree? in any case, since NYC, Paris, London and everywhere else look great to me without photogrammetry, especially with all the wonderful add-ons such as the NYC landmark scenery, I don't feel the need of it all that much anyway. Maybe the next Update will fix it; maybe not. It would be nice to have this fixed, but am not going to worry about it.

The story is complicated. I tried your suggestion, and at first saw no change; in fact the extreme sluggishness at ground level was there even with photogrammetry turned off -- weird. However, on retrying the sim later, I find that I am now back to where I was last week, i.e., performance is great as long as photogrammetry is turned off. There seem to be two issues: the photogrammetry (obviously) but also a server problem, as some have suggested. The latter issue seems to be intermittent. MSFS is a pain at times, but when it's working right it is magnificent. Anyway, thanks for your help

Same here. The Orbx changes do not fix it. Nor did the latest MSFS patch that came out today. In fact, the problem is worse than ever -- there is severe stuttering/pausing on the ground, regardless of whether photogrammetry is on or off! (Before, it was only a problem when it was on). I have nothing in Community, so it is not an add-on problem. I will add that once the plane is well off the ground the problem disappears and I have FPS 50-60 most places. One curious note: before today, whenever I turned photogrammetry on or off, there was a pause of a minute or two while the change was made; now, it is instantaneous -- no pause at all. Any idea what is going on here?

Sorry, me again. I think there really is a problem with the photogrammetry, at least in the NYC area. Deleting the cache fixed it (as I reported earlier), but only temporarily. When I left MSFS and re-started, the same issue returned: photogrammetry would not work. This time, I had to turn off the on-line functionality and then back on, to see it. I have never had this problem before. Hopefully a patch will fix it.

Deleting the cache did it! (I don't even use cache -- at least not intentionally -- so this seems odd, but it worked). Many thanks! I hope the OP of this thread sees this.

I have the same problem, or so it appears. There seems to be something wrong with the photogrammetry in New York City. With photogrammetry and Bing graphics turned on, the buildings look good but do not have the ultra-realistic appearance they have in the video you posted; instead they seem more autogen-like, albeit well done. Also, Freedom Tower is missing. I have no add-ons in Community. I know that the photogrammetry is actually on, because waterfront items such as piers do show up (and disappear when photogrammetry is turned off). All six of the World Updates are up to date in Content Manager. Photogrammetry does work in European cities such as Paris and Vienna. Any ideas? I do think there is a problem here.

To install LNM, create a folder on whatever drive you choose. Then download the LNM zip file, unzip it, place those files in your new folder, and you’re set to go. For convenience, it is good idea to create an LNM shortcut on your desktop, which you do by right-clicking on the application (.exe) file and selecting that option. This, of course, enables you to start LNM any time from your desktop. (For future reference, note that there are frequent updates for LNM. You are not required to install any of these (in many cases, the update may concern features you don’t even use), but if you do decide to update, first remove all the files from your current version of LNM before replacing with the new ones.) When you start LNM, go to Scenery Library (on the task bar), left-click, and select “MSFS 2020” [which does not have to be operating at the time] and “load scenery library”. This will load the default airports in MSFS as well as any add-on airports you may have. It may take several minutes depending on your system. The .pdf file contains detailed info on LNM and all its features, but you can learn a lot just by clicking on them and seeing what they do. As to your bush trip: on any bush trip, you need to land safely at each airport in order to continue to the next; if you crash, you have to re-start at the last completed leg. In your case, since you crashed on the first leg, you will have to re-start the bush trip at the point of origin. Sorry, but better luck on your next try! As I mentioned earlier, I think an independent detailed map is essential on bush trips. There may be some purists around who think this is cheating, but I am mainly interested in having fun sightseeing and this helps me do it.

I strongly recommend that you get Little Nav Map, a free add-on that I think is indispensable. Some of the bush trips I've done would not be possible, for me, without it. The one I am on now, for example, has numerous back-country dirt strips that are almost impossible to find because there are no airport buildings and the strips are nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain. Only with LNM can I locate these strips. But LNM also is loaded with features that tremulously enhance MSFS, not least a great flight planner.