Absolute disaster!

[Sinkrate]

I got the disk version as I only have adsl broadband. The disc loading took just over two and a half hours to complete. Then I had to log on to Microsoft to activate it – that’s when the trouble started! They insisted on sending me a code on my mobile phone (which I do not have) or an alternative email address. I chose the email address and they sent me a message saying my account had been locked and I would have to wait a month before trying again! £68 and 2 ½ hours wasted!!!

There seems to be no way to contact an actual human to sort the mess out.

DAMN MICROSOFT TO HELL

[cevans]

A month? Are you sure?


That seems weird. If it is true then MS have hired some complete freaks to do that part.

[Sinkrate]

A month? Are you sure?


That seems weird. If it is true then MS have hired some complete freaks to do that part.

Yes, that's what it said. I have tried to recover the account but their robot keeps sending me round in circles and insists on me having a mobile phone.

My hatred for Microsoft now surpasses that previously reserved for Rockstar!

I wish I'd gone for X-plane 11 now; at least you don't get any DRM B/S with them

[Hagar]

It seems that Microsoft, like many other organisations, assumes that everyone has a mobile phone nowadays. From what it says on the MS support site you can unlock your account but need that code which is sent by text --> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13956/microsoft-account-locked

Do you not have a friend or family member who would let you use their phone number to sort this out? That would seem to be the logical solution. Hope this helps.

[expat]

I would not go as far as saying it was a disaster for me, but a very frustrating process to install and activate.
Once installed, as Sinkrate says, log into Microsoft, and then get sent to Xbox. Set up an account. That was 20 minutes of finding a name that someone else did not have. They kept suggesting a name each time mine was refused, however I am not 12 years old.....examples were Amoebakiller and Sloppyride.....
Once past that it was finally into the game. Not as intuitive as FSX, the airport selection is in my opinion rubbish. It would appear you need to know where you want to go and not just select an airport in a region you want to fly in. Just a map with white dots that do not ID themselves when you put the mouse on them.
Lastly the, go fly over your house, the AI needs a lot of tweaking.........I found my house. On the zoom in map, my house is my house. Once in the air, it would appear the AI thinks all houses are in Germany were build between 1930 and 1945.....Also so many trees in the town you hardly see the houses.

I suppose thing will change with updates, but as usual the end user is the the real Beta tester.....

Matt

PS....I bought Premium Deluxe and for that money I would expect a bit more instruction than a print of a key layout with the bear basics...and I mean basics...Brakes, throttle, flaps and number pad controls for the control surfaces.....The rest of the Sim is DIY.........

[Sinkrate]

PS....I bought Premium Deluxe and for that money I would expect a bit more instruction than a print of a key layout with the bear basics...and I mean basics...Brakes, throttle, flaps and number pad controls for the control surfaces.....The rest of the Sim is DIY.........

As far as I could ascertain, you just get 20 planes instead of 10. The basic scenery has to be improved by downloading detailed areas form them. By all accounts, it takes a long time to get the finest detail. I could live with that, as I only wanted a good map of the UK. It would be unrealistic to expect the whole world to be modelled in high detail on 10 DVD’s! The format sounds similar to the X-plane one, where you get a full scale model of the world with very little detail and it has to be filled in bit by bit. As far as the Microsoft account fiasco is concerned, I have been reading many tales of woe on the internet from people who have been locked out. Some have lost their emails and have to wait a month to get it re-activated! This goes to prove what I have always suspected about Microsoft:

THEY SUCK

[expat]

The whole world is not on 10 DVD's. Your computer downloads the world as you fly from Bing Maps.....I have to say I am quite impressed. I flew around places I know well and apart from the houses not being right, everything was recognizable. Given time and a few updates it will get better.....So far I like.

Matt

[Sinkrate]

The whole world is not on 10 DVD's. Your computer downloads the world as you fly from Bing Maps.....I have to say I am quite impressed. I flew around places I know well and apart from the houses not being right, everything was recognizable. Given time and a few updates it will get better.....So far I like.

It sounds like you are flying online then? What happens if you fly offline - is that even possible?

[expat]

The whole world is not on 10 DVD's. Your computer downloads the world as you fly from Bing Maps.....I have to say I am quite impressed. I flew around places I know well and apart from the houses not being right, everything was recognizable. Given time and a few updates it will get better.....So far I like.

It sounds like you are flying online then? What happens if you fly offline - is that even possible?

Yes I am flying online and you can fly offline. If you fly off line, then the detail is of course reduced, however you can cash a favorite area or region to fly around offline with the online detail. You can also dictate how much hard drive space you want to give this function.

Matt

[Sinkrate]

OK, so I got hold of a mobile phone and managed to get back into my account and….NOTHING! Nope, nada, zippo, nietski, I’m still no further towards getting this abortion of a program running! There is no launcher anywhere that I can see and flight sim will not resume the verification process. I’ve been to the Microsoft store and have been given an Xbox identity with a ludicrous name but it has got me nowhere! Guess I’ll have to write it off as a dead loss.

[expat]

OK, so I got hold of a mobile phone and managed to get back into my account and….NOTHING! Nope, nada, zippo, nietski, I’m still no further towards getting this abortion of a program running! There is no launcher anywhere that I can see and flight sim will not resume the verification process. I’ve been to the Microsoft store and have been given an Xbox identity with a ludicrous name but it has got me nowhere! Guess I’ll have to write it off as a dead loss.

I was expecting a desktop icon after install, but nothing. Took me a while to realise that the launcher is the one and only icon in the program list.

Matt

[Sinkrate]

I was expecting a desktop icon after install, but nothing. Took me a while to realise that the launcher is the one and only icon in the program list.

Matt

The only icon I can find in mine is called icon and when I click on it, it just says "package could not be registered" without any explanation of why not. I tried it while logged into my Microsoft account and I have already redeemed the code.

[expat]

I was expecting a desktop icon after install, but nothing. Took me a while to realise that the launcher is the one and only icon in the program list.

Matt

The only icon I can find in mine is called icon and when I click on it, it just says "package could not be registered" without any explanation of why not. I tried it while logged into my Microsoft account and I have already redeemed the code.

If you log into your account, you should be able to see the sim in your download library. Try running it from there and see what happens, may have to click install first.

Matt

[eno]

I went through Steam....... no issues what so ever .... yes it took a while to set up .... but no issues other than the usual gremilins from a new program ..... which i hope will be addressed and improved on in later updates.

[Sinkrate]

Disaster has turned into catastrophe!

In my vain attempts to get FS20 working Win10 has been mortally wounded. I have tried all the recommended methods to revive it but to no avail. I am now faced with the daunting task of formatting C: and reinstalling Win10 from scratch. Thus the FS20 problem has been “solved” by replacing it with a much bigger problem!

I write this from my old Win7 laptop which is now my only window on the world.