Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Performance at 4K

[Brent_Justice]

Introduction



Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (also in the Microsoft Store) was just released on August 18th, 2020.  It has been no less than fourteen years since the last Microsoft Flight Simulator X game was released.  This highly detailed new version has been a long time coming, and now that it is here is really, just simply, one of the best flight simulators in existence.  This new version takes real-world realism to new heights and utilizes so many new and unique features to bring you real-world terrain, airport, and world detail that is true to life using Satellite Imagery from Bing Maps Data.  All of those graphics don’t come without the need for the proper hardware to push it, however. Microsoft’s Flight Simulators have always...

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[MadMummy76]

I was impressed by the promo videos, but not by the actual product. It doesn't look nearly as good. My biggest disappointment is the ai generated terrain. It's awful. I loaded up a city I know, I expected much better, most buildings doesn't have the right shape or even their height I've seen a lot of multi storey buildings that were just one level here. And they didn't even try to use real world textures. All the buildings in the entire city use the same brownish grey canned texture, which makes it look a kind of north korea, zero variation, zero color. Then there are rivers flowing over bridges. And cars drive underwater, where there is no bridge, cars that seem giant compared to everything else. And the bing aerial imagery is just very lowres and misaligned for the most part. Google earth's ai generated 3D terrain is 100 times closer to reality. I'd actually prefer to fly over that to this. I was struggling to get my bearings things are so off. Plus I noticed a lot of fake light sources just floating in the air, not attached to a building or a light pole.

As for the performance it seemed good enough for me, I definitely didn't notice drops to 10 fps, I played at 3840x1600, but also have 32GB of ram.
But this is the type of game where low fps is not that big of an issue to me.

 

[Brent_Justice]

I do agree with you on the terrain, I have noticed it can look low quality at times when it really shouldn't.

I also wish they had used Google Maps, but it's Microsoft, they have to try and make it look like Bing is worth it.

 

[Zarathustra]

Yikes.

That 3090 is really going to have to be something, huh?

 

[MadMummy76]

I do agree with you on the terrain, I have noticed it can look low quality at times when it really shouldn't.

I also wish they had used Google Maps, but it's Microsoft, they have to try and make it look like Bing is worth it.

Have you tried the game with 32GB to see how it affects performance?

 

[LeRoy_Blanchard]

I do agree with you on the terrain, I have noticed it can look low quality at times when it really shouldn't.

I also wish they had used Google Maps, but it's Microsoft, they have to try and make it look like Bing is worth it.

How long before someone makes a mod that uses Google Maps instead of Bing though?

 

[MadMummy76]

I'd guess: Never? You can't extract actual raw data from google earth. Only map tiles as 2D images.

 

[LeRoy_Blanchard]

I'd guess: Never? You can't extract actual raw data from google earth. Only map tiles as 2D images.

Oh I did not know that. I definitely assumed that data was available for download. Seems if Microsoft allows or has that ability they got something on Google Maps/Earth.

 

[Zarathustra]

Oh I did not know that. I definitely assumed that data was available for download. Seems if Microsoft allows or has that ability they got something on Google Maps/Earth.

Well, there are things you can do when you own the service that aren't necessarily offered to everyone...

 

[LeRoy_Blanchard]

Well, there are things you can do when you own the service that aren't necessarily offered to everyone...

I thought about that, too. Though, it seems a lot of the data is entered by a third party person. I seen an article that had a 212 story building in the Sim that was only supposed to be 2 stories tall. Turns out, someone who was entering data for a University project had a typo and entered 212 instead of 2.

While that doesn't mean anyone can, it does seem to lean towards it being more open than Google Earth possibly.

 

[MadMummy76]

I thought about that, too. Though, it seems a lot of the data is entered by a third party person. I seen an article that had a 212 story building in the Sim that was only supposed to be 2 stories tall. Turns out, someone who was entering data for a University project had a typo and entered 212 instead of 2.

While that doesn't mean anyone can, it does seem to lean towards it being more open than Google Earth possibly.

MS used an outside contractor to do the world terrain: blackshark.ai. I bet they used various databases and the kitchen sink to fill in all the blanks, and then used ai to fill what was still missing. It is safe to say they didn't use the best data available, just what they could get their hands on for cheap or free. So university project falls right into that.

 

[LeRoy_Blanchard]

Ah okay. Guess that makes some sense then.

 

[noko]

Seen over 20gb of system ram usage on TR 3760x system with 64gb and 1080 Ti. 1080 Ti was using around 9.8gb average. 1440p Ultra settings

For 16gb Ryzen 2700x system with Radeon FE, 11gb-12gb for system ram and over 15gb at times on the Radeon FE. Looks like the game can use the vram if you have it if the system memory is restrictive. 3440x1440p Ultra settings.

The 5700 XT AE system with 32gb of ram, Ryzen 3900x, 19gb-20gb system ram and up to 7.8gb vram. Radeon 5700 XT AE has issues flying around the San Francisco/Oakland area with frame time spikes going up to close to 200ns. Other areas or locations so far are OK. 1440p Ultra settings.

Brent please compare 32gb to 16gb system memory if you can update your computer.