DISCLAIMER: If you have a monthly limit for internet data, I highly recommend unchecking the "High LOD Enabled" option. The high LOD option tells the server to load larger tiles which means that you will be using a lot more data than you realize. You could end up reaching your monthly data cap within several days if you are not careful which could be very costly. In my personal experience, the high LOD option has never been important because I rarely fly at high altitudes and even if I did, it would be pointless as I would not see much detail of the ground at 30,000 ft anyway.
Hello Island Sim Pilot. You say to run the mod without admin permissions. On my system which has an admin account and a user account for security, my system will not allow me to run the mod without admin permissions. Please see my comment below (@bobsmith-st2ms). Kindly tell us how your system is set up and how did you install and run this mod without admin permissions? Thank you.
Honestly, the main difference I see in all of these photos is that the new satellite imagery was taken at a different time of year. There are insane changes in color depending on season which current satellite data often doesn't take into account.
I thought the same thing. The images above LSZK (Switzerland) seem to show exactly that. The greener image must have been taken in spring Arpil or rather May and early in June. Those color levels aren't unnatural for this time of year. The other image is from late July or August.
This mod is amazing. When I mow my grass I use a lawn striper. The default scenery, my property is horrible looking. With this mod, I can see the stripes on my lawn when I fly over my house. Thanks so much!!
@@KahluaMike67i've been using the pro version for 1 while. It's pretty cheap all thing considered. Google maps are more detailed, you also get Apple maps and many others. BUT honestly the Bing maps also do the job.
I had to go back and listen again to make sure you said Griffiss in Rome, NY! I was stationed at the Griff 1982-87 with the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron working on T-33's! Used to live downtown on S. Jay Street, then in base housing which was torn down years ago. Thanks for the very informative vid. I never knew this was possible!
Thank you for another extremely helpful instructional video! Your videos over the last few months like DLSS swapper, optimizing settings and so on really added up making MSFS so much more fun. I just flew over areas which I know very well with the latest Bing Satellite Imagery and the difference to the default Bing is really a significant improvement.
Great comment, and couldn't agree with you more! I was borderline playable before his videos, and taking his advice from the videos you mentioned, i now average 75fps, and low 50's in built up area, very enjoyable. Cannot thank him enough.
One of your best videos and video subjects! I downloaded this last year and didn’t use it. However, knowing the BING is the same server data stream is a game changer for me and other simmers! Thank you for pointing that out!
Best mod for changing the landscape in MSFS, using it since a long while now, always with google maps because they do have the best imagery in my area, it's so much crisper and the colors match the real thing! Can't fly without it, especially when flying low and slow ! Never seen any performance difference with the google tiles, even if the definition is way better and that's not the default server... Thanks for your vid! I'll try again the last bing imagery to see how it's going...
THanks for posting - High Lod & updated textures are great - a lot more detail and realism. I really like the simple colour/hue/brightness/contrast sliders to get it all looking a lot more realistic en route. Good to take away that greenish-yellow hue of the original textures.
Same here. It is all I have been using for well over a year. Makes the sim look so much better. Google maps is the way to go for most of the USA and Europe (new Bing maps look good in some parts of Europe.) With Google Maps, no more green roads!!!!! Yes!!!
Thanks for the heads up on this one. I've been sim flying and real world walking the Welsh coastline from Cardiff to Tenby for years, and it's never looked this good or as realistic in VR. Much more interesting when fields have real world detail and variation than an almost generic green. Can't wait to try the other areas I'm familiar with. Awesome!
Thank you again for another awesome video! I gave this a try with my helo's and loved it. My favorite airliner of any is just around the corner (MD-11) and can't wait to fly out of the airports with the updated imagery!
I just did a flight From KPHX to KTUS ... all I can say is WOW !!! What Difference this makes ... the only thing I did different from your settings was changing the brightness to -10 instead of -15 ... Thank - You for all the work ya do and the way you describe it in easy terms for us
Yesterday I flew the route LSZS (Samedan) to LSZR (St Gallen) without the map enhancements mod I found the area around St Gallen really awful, all unreal colored meadows. Today made the same flight with the map enhancement mod, using the updated Bing maps, and it is indeed a game changed. Completely different look around St Gallen, the whole area looks great now. Great mod, thanks for the info and tips.
@@IslandSimPilot At first I was very impressed and enthusiastic about this mod but as soon I started flying from GA Airports I found out that this mod is unusable and killing the immersion. At almost every GA Airport, like my hometown airport EHLV for example, there are showing up flattened GA Airplanes in the underground of the Airport. I don't think there is a fix for that. Its a shame, the world looks much better when using the latest Bing or Google aerial images but those flattened airplanes are really bad.
@@Harald787 Yeah, that is definitely something you may see. I use mainly payware and also a ton of freeware airports, which really helps. Maybe try flightsim.to and see if you can get freeware versions of the airports you use regularly?
@@IslandSimPilot I only use the Sim with payware or flightsim to airports. Even than it is happening, not on all airports of course but when it is happening it is a real immersion killer. My hometown EHHV is really bad, not usable with the mod. I really hope MSFS2024 uses updated maps. But not all is bad in MSFS2020. Just flew from EHHV to EHLE and the ground imagery in the Flevo Polder with the Oostvaardersplassen is stunning.
Just tried the mod in VR at my local airfield/airport of Fairoaks(I have add-on scenery for it; even shows the coffee shop I frequent when I can), in Surrey Sth west of London. EGTF. The difference with this mod, is as you say, amazing. The colours are so much more realistic. The increased clarity in the buildings trees fields etc, is like night & day. Even McLarens building looked as it should(was even able to recognise a couple of McLaren P9’s in the carpark.). So glad your vid came up on my UA-cam recommendations. Thx
It is NOT generic scenery by default nor is it computer generated nor fake. It is still satellite scenery but may be filtered vs unfiltered making the old appear greener as well. They are merely 2 different versions. Some newer scenery may look worse, in fact. You seem to prefer dry grass. What you show as better buildings are merely contrasted differently by the different satellite data. The newer scenery may not work as well with 3D objects which are still going to be based on the older Bing data. Some areas may be better or worse and is purely subjective. Also, you point to the newer scenery as having more definition when it is merely drier grass, etc. It's going to be purely subjective and some ppl may like it, some not. This mod has been around for quite some time now.
@@LegendKiller-org I think they *are* using the best possible maps with the most details. They just decided to use the one with green grass instead of the one with dry grass. Most people would see this as a good thing...
Thanks for sharing, this was really interesting to watch. I still haven't played MSFS yet. But I occassionally like to watch videos on the game because it's so technically impressive. I just heard that they are bringing out a new MSFS 2024; so will be interested in seeing what they do with that too.
Amazing add-on, even in VR. I flew over my grandparent's house (in a rural area in the Netherlands) and i always found the default scenery of the surroundings very artificial looking (like artificial grass) but now it's almost like in real life (ok the house itself is still a generated one). Also the adjusting image settings (especially the saturation) helps compensating for the oversaturated image with my VR headset.
That's great! It really is fun looking at areas you know well. And that's another cool thing about the mod, you can adjust the visuals to your liking. I just have brightness turned down 15% and otherwise left it like it is.
I have tried this and works well. I get 900 Mbps internet and unlimited data. What I noticed that Bing has not updated the Central Park Towers in NYC, but it looks very nice.
Remember the FSX days. Every Carenado aircraft that came out had to be fixed. It was AMAZING how the community repaired overpriced add-ons. 30 major tweaks just to make it worth while hitting that FSX start button. I still use it with my A2a aircraft and several other favorites. Your input reminds me of how Berte Pieke fixed just about everything back then.
As a long time user of xplane and its ortho using msfs always left me feeling like msfs was an over saturated cartoon. Finally realistic colours in msfs thanks to those doing this! Cool video and an excellent demonstration of how bizarre msfs has looked for years
There's a different hue to the colors, but it also looks like images from a different season. And slightly sharper in many places. The emerald green fields look like spring colors, the darker looks like late summer.
Installed the mod last Sunday, but I came across a question that has now been solved by a friend, and indeed, it has taken the Simulator to a higher level, The IslandPilot has not said anything too much. My question was "can I just empty The Rolling and turn it off", afterwards it turns out that the mod takes over that function. It's all great, I'm very happy with it, and it's bizarre that the IslanPilot is the only one that comes up with this in my opinion, I haven't read it anywhere else, thank you.
Huge difference.....I thought so far that my MSFS was realistic, but this blows my mind how nice and realistic is....Yes, world is mostly green but there are different shades of green...there are farms now and crystal crisp....
Thanks for this info and tutorial to start this. I'm gonna try this and see how it works out. Judging from your video, it does look a lot better and realistic... Thanks! I just subscribed too!
Thanks for this. Very nice. Its one of thoes mods that you didn't think you needed, until you use it. Now I probably will never fly without it running.
Thanks, it works great. Did some before and after shots and definitely prefer the over all look of the updated Bing imagery. I'd become quite accustomed to green mountain sides without realizing it, lol. No impact on frame rate as far as can tell.
ive heard about this addon for a long time and never wanted to mess with my sim, but just watching the download and installation process part of your video, if its not terribly intrusive or sim breaking ill do it
You are an absolute legend. This is the best mod I have ever seen for MSFS2020...and its FREE....Every sim pilot NEEDS to use this mod...Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
Wow thanks so much man! That makes a huge difference, i'm still gonna try in my sim but cant wait to see the difference it makes when flying in my hometown. Cheers
I love this tip - for me the default satellite imagery is too saturated and cartoonlike. This imagery looks like it was taken in the summer and, as we're in the summer, looks great. Hoping that FS2024 introduces proper seasons so that not only trees change, but so too do the fields from lush green in the spring, to baked in the summer and tilled in the winter. Thanks again - subbed.
My first job was flying the survey aircraft taking the high-res images that were supplied for the Bing maps. Satellite images for the general maps and high resolution cameras mounted on aircraft for the very high detail 3D urban data. We flew track after track over towns and cities taking tens of thousand of images which were then overlayed on LIDAR scans.
Very interesting. I'm guessing that one of the main differences is that MSFS actually layers 3D textures over the underlying satellite imagery at a certain LOD using AI to recognise the material. The upside to this is that those are 3D textures. The downside, they all have the same color and give that samey 'green blob' effect you describe.
Hey how's it going, it's been a while! Great vid I just reinstalled this mod after 2 years of not using it, my god it has come a long way! Good idea for a follow-up would be a side by side with google maps in different parts of the world..I know a lot of people are interested!
I cant wait to try this. I am on Long Island and for quick play I like to do flights to Republic which is right by my house. Gonna have to do this. I really just want the most recent topography if I am going to have live weather.
I was using the Map Enhancement for sometime, mainly to get rid of the issues MSFS often has with LOD Tile Popping in certain regions of the world. Linked to Bing, and at times still the latest Bing. I was using the Google textures instead. The problem however is textures are not colour corrected by Asobo. I am not sure if the 'latest Bing' server textures either (I doubt it). Are you sure old and new Bing comes from the same place?? Reason I ask is because if you happen to so called mention ANYTHING about this mod on the Asobo Forums the post gets deleted and you get a private message from the mods threatening you with a BANNING since it is not supported by them. By the way in the MOD you can tweak the colours, contrast, brightness etc which ONLY affects the ground imagery
I read that somewhere, too. That the latest Bing imagery is not color corrected but based on the default imagery i'm not sure we have the same def of 'corrected'.
The main reason they don't want it popularised is the google connection (including possible legal disputes) but also it might interfere with their diagnosising of people's issues.
The problem is that airport layouts were all locked to the original bing data sources, so you may end up with mismatch between airports. MSFS2024 will have all new updated Bing imagery and airports will all be updated, with even more enhanced stuff through the new world hub by users. It's really up to the user though and where they fly out of and in to most often. While a lot of the imagery is higher definition (60cm per pixel rather than 1m per pixel), the comparison shots are also different seasons with leaf on spring and post harvest season.
I would love this, except that I enjoy flying over the rolling green hills of England. Most of the current Bing imagery seems to have been taken in the summer of 2022 when everything was scorched. Maybe that's a taste of things to come, but the current MSFS scenery is still mostly green.
Okay, I'll give it a try - Your recommendations have always been an additional benefit for my sim experience. 👍 Note: I was never interested in the "Google Maps exchange"-thing, because of the suspicious license set of problems. It's like editing a Prime Video Channel to make Netflix content available. Doesn't read right, isn't 'de jure' right. But using a newer version of the already licensed data AND from the same source (Microsoft)... that's another talk. I surely share my impressions later here or in the comments of a future video when I tested some areas. 🧐😉
Has it been proven it is the same Asobo/Bing Servers? I am not so sure. Additionally if the add on was kosher why is it outside the MSFS market place and why does it also offer options for other maps (Google Apple etc) alongside the Bing option. It doesn't make it any less suss in my opinion. There is also a distinct absence of comment on how this mod interacts with other licensed legit 3rd party scenery packages maybe ok if you have only a vanilla install.
@@zorbakaput8537 It's a 3rd party tool and not necessarily offered in the marketplace. No GSX Profiles are listed there, not the vast majority of liveries, Navigraph isn't offered there, the PMS GTN750 isn't there, BeyondATC isn't there... You see? - The marketplace is no indication for "kosher" or "accepted by Microsoft" programs. The main purpose of the tool is the underlying satellite image. So there is no influence on 3rd party sceneries. It's just "the rug under the cupboard". Where it gets more concerning, is when choosing a source of foreign data, like from Google. Microsoft surely has no contract with them to use the Google-Data in MS Flightsim (of course). So that's what I won't do as a private user, too. It's not the same usage of data when looking on Google Maps for free (logged in as a Google User) or using it in the sim via a Microsft User Login. But fetching newer data (that probably will be used in MSFS2024, too) from the same source (there is only the Azure/CDN Service by Microsoft for Bing Data), is not that problem in my pov.
Just went and tried out the mod, like you I thought the mod was just for google maps and wasn't aware you could also do Bing maps. Wow, just wow sim looks great. If people are not using this, my only question is why? Definitely takes the sim from looking like a game to looking far more realistic. Thanx for posting that!
What is the reason for difference. Most changes could be attributed to simply a different time of year? How does the data difference change the visuals once you get below 500ft?
Griffiss, huh? I was on a short vacation in 1968 at 7th Lake near Inlet, NY, before I had to report for a year in Vietnam. I stopped at the end of the runway and saw a cloud of black smoke with a B-52 just ahead of it. It climbed out less than 500 feet above me and as I glanced inside my 1964 Valiant, I noticed all the needles on the gauges bouncing around from the noise. That was something to behold.
WOW! That's an amazing story! Yeah it was a B-52 base until the 90's. We joke that we can do touch and go's without turning. The runway is 12,000 feet long. :) And I know 7th Lake.
@@IslandSimPilot Do you know where "The Savages" cabin is? It was once owned by folks from the Savage Gun Company. Stayed there several times as a young lad. My buddy owns the smaller place next door.
Thank you for your videos, as you really bring lot of usefull tips in your videos. I tested BING maps and it definitelly looks better. The only issue I found, there is a impact to FPS on my system. Its just 1-2FPS without "High LOD Enabled" and like 10FPS or more with it (4K res and RTX 4070Super). Anyway even without HIGH LOD, textures are still better :)
I've always strayed away from these 'map enhancement' mods. I've heard stories regarding having to reinstall MS2020 if switching back to default. I just might have to try this out regardless. The default map images have no contrast, and everything looks too green. I think you made me a believer with this video. Thanks for sharing.
Thing is, this is Bing data, same servers as the regular MSFS streaming data. I have never touched this mod for the reasons you mention, but I didn't know you could stream Bing.
@@IslandSimPilot Just loaded it up. What an amazing difference. I'll have to see how it goes at 35,000 during tonight's event in Florida. Thanks again for the information.
Does this install a trusted root certificate for you? This + china-based developer was a deal-breaker for me. Also, keep in mind that swapping maps will usually mess up your airports, as the developer makes the aprons and scenery with the Bing Maps in mind, and swapping maps from underneath it will often produce bad results, where you are closest to the ground. I used this for a while and yes, Google is better in many areas but in most areas I found Bing color-matches better and has similar detail.
MacArthur AP, that's my favorite AP in the world. My first flight that I can remember. 4 years old. Obviously I was the co-pilot and my dad the PIC. Home airport for my childhood. Good choice!
Have you checked the Error count on the App after the flight before shutting down MSFS on this App. A flight from KEYW to KADH had more than 10000 errors before using the Stop button.
Hello, I have a problem and I do not know who can help me, installing this software and putting the new version of BING, the tiles do not load when I fly... They only load one by one and I see them change which is very very ugly, how can I fix this?
The Apple satellite map is decent for areas where the Bing and Google maps are lacking since it's satellite and not drone photography. They have a new custom maps feature which I haven't tried but I think it lets you decide which maps to use for each region.
Using that mod for years. One thing to note is, this mod consumes a lot RAM. I use High-LOD setting as the video mentioned, and that will cost you 3GB memory. So be aware of your total mem usage.
2 things to mention here: first, the mod gets updated quite often (every two weeks or so). Second, do not use Google map tiles if you can avoid it as every tile now has the Google watermark since two years I think and you see them when you fly. Use current Bing maps , they are on par with Google, believe me. Or ArcGIS. We have also one big downside with this mod - which is not exactly their fault: lack of consistency which can lead to very unharmonic graphics in more remote areas where the satellite imagery doesn't get updated so often. There you can have a summer tile right next to a winter tile, so snow besides greenest grass. Or a tile with cloud formations. If you only fly in not so god-forsaken areas, chances are very low you might run into something like this. On the other hand if you like to fly in Northern Territories of Canada or Alaska or e.g. Greenland (that was where I started my "career" 4 years ago), you will stumble quite often over images that remind of the good old 1990 when flight simming was on its peak and hurt to watch. Asobo tried to find the best of all worlds when with their imagery with respect to performance (slightly lower resolution) and fidelity (everything is unrealistically vivid). Might not be everyone's cup of tea but the stuff is absolutely consistent. For beat consistency together with recenecy use ArcGIS. There even the Greenland imagery is halfway usable.
beacouse google is other company xd not related with microsoft and on the other hand, the bing image that the simulator shows has processing to erase certain imperfections such as clouds or things like that.
I really want to dig this, but when zooming in I don’t see a difference in detail. I only see a difference in seasons. Looks, to me, like MSFS has a preference for mid-summer, sunny imagery, more trees, green farmland, while just current imagery gives a much more random seasonal outcome.
How would you go back to the default imagery if you didn't like the results? Would you select a different imagery set in the drop down, or would simply not launching the application good enough?
i'd say stick with the default in spring and early summer, then switch to the updated during summer. The updated are simply too brownish dry for early summer / spring, but after that, yeah I agree looks better
DISCLAIMER: If you have a monthly limit for internet data, I highly recommend unchecking the "High LOD Enabled" option. The high LOD option tells the server to load larger tiles which means that you will be using a lot more data than you realize. You could end up reaching your monthly data cap within several days if you are not careful which could be very costly.
In my personal experience, the high LOD option has never been important because I rarely fly at high altitudes and even if I did, it would be pointless as I would not see much detail of the ground at 30,000 ft anyway.
How about "Load High LOD images only when flying"? It's ON by default. Thanks.
Hello Island Sim Pilot. You say to run the mod without admin permissions. On my system which has an admin account and a user account for security, my system will not allow me to run the mod without admin permissions. Please see my comment below (@bobsmith-st2ms). Kindly tell us how your system is set up and how did you install and run this mod without admin permissions? Thank you.
@@scarsstitches636 It will still eat up a lot of data depending on how far you fly.
I have no data caps through Xfinity fortunately.
@@Disobedient_One Thanks.
Honestly, the main difference I see in all of these photos is that the new satellite imagery was taken at a different time of year. There are insane changes in color depending on season which current satellite data often doesn't take into account.
I thought the same thing. The images above LSZK (Switzerland) seem to show exactly that. The greener image must have been taken in spring Arpil or rather May and early in June. Those color levels aren't unnatural for this time of year. The other image is from late July or August.
Exactly... This guy seems to be deeply confused about how bing map works
This mod is amazing. When I mow my grass I use a lawn striper. The default scenery, my property is horrible looking. With this mod, I can see the stripes on my lawn when I fly over my house. Thanks so much!!
Good man for promoting this! I've been using this for about a year and a half.... The developer updates it regularly. Comes highly recommended 😁
Great to hear!
Do you think it's worth paying for the license for the pro features? I've been using the free version for a while and enjoy it
@@KahluaMike67i've been using the pro version for 1 while. It's pretty cheap all thing considered. Google maps are more detailed, you also get Apple maps and many others. BUT honestly the Bing maps also do the job.
@@KahluaMike67 Yes for the 4x more LOD
Dude, your videos have been crucial to my enjoyment of this sim. Truly appreciate your guides!
asme!
I had to go back and listen again to make sure you said Griffiss in Rome, NY! I was stationed at the Griff 1982-87 with the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron working on T-33's! Used to live downtown on S. Jay Street, then in base housing which was torn down years ago. Thanks for the very informative vid. I never knew this was possible!
Yep! I would have loved to have seen it in its heyday!
Fantastic! I've long been bothered by the garish, oversaturated colors in MSFS...this will be a gamechanger for sure!
Thank you for another extremely helpful instructional video! Your videos over the last few months like DLSS swapper, optimizing settings and so on really added up making MSFS so much more fun. I just flew over areas which I know very well with the latest Bing Satellite Imagery and the difference to the default Bing is really a significant improvement.
Great comment, and couldn't agree with you more! I was borderline playable before his videos, and taking his advice from the videos you mentioned, i now average 75fps, and low 50's in built up area, very enjoyable. Cannot thank him enough.
Wow, this really does look significantly better in VR - thank you
This was a question I had ... thanks. Wanted to hear someone comment that had seen the improvement in VR.
There's a clear improvement I think
One of your best videos and video subjects! I downloaded this last year and didn’t use it. However, knowing the BING is the same server data stream is a game changer for me and other simmers! Thank you for pointing that out!
Best mod for changing the landscape in MSFS, using it since a long while now, always with google maps because they do have the best imagery in my area, it's so much crisper and the colors match the real thing! Can't fly without it, especially when flying low and slow ! Never seen any performance difference with the google tiles, even if the definition is way better and that's not the default server...
Thanks for your vid! I'll try again the last bing imagery to see how it's going...
THanks for posting - High Lod & updated textures are great - a lot more detail and realism. I really like the simple colour/hue/brightness/contrast sliders to get it all looking a lot more realistic en route. Good to take away that greenish-yellow hue of the original textures.
Been using this for long. Especially useful for places ignored by msfs and those that don't have photogrammetry
I never knew! I'm blown away.
Same here. It is all I have been using for well over a year. Makes the sim look so much better. Google maps is the way to go for most of the USA and Europe (new Bing maps look good in some parts of Europe.) With Google Maps, no more green roads!!!!! Yes!!!
Same here. Especially in China.
@@pilotguy27 Are you saying this is more for other parts of the world than the US ??
Does it work with snow?
Wow I had no idea this even existed! Been under a rock or something. Great video, will get this thank you. Very nice calm commentary also. I subbed!
Really appreciate the support!!
I just tested the program with my Quest 3, Auto FPS and Virtual Desktop streamer. It works amazing. What a difference.Thanks!! I am a happy pilot.
Thanks for the heads up on this one. I've been sim flying and real world walking the Welsh coastline from Cardiff to Tenby for years, and it's never looked this good or as realistic in VR. Much more interesting when fields have real world detail and variation than an almost generic green. Can't wait to try the other areas I'm familiar with. Awesome!
This worked so well for GA flying around the UK. Thanks so much.
did you find that some images loaded were brown field and others green
@@brucedrummond1197 Yes I did, which was a little odd. But the overall improvement to detail was significant.
Great my flightsim experience wouldn't be half as good with out your help, you've helped so many people around the world, much appreciated 👍🤗
Thank you again for another awesome video! I gave this a try with my helo's and loved it. My favorite airliner of any is just around the corner (MD-11) and can't wait to fly out of the airports with the updated imagery!
I just did a flight From KPHX to KTUS ... all I can say is WOW !!! What Difference this makes ... the only thing I did different from your settings was changing the brightness to -10 instead of -15 ... Thank - You for all the work ya do and the way you describe it in easy terms for us
Truly is my pleasure, Jim, thanks for sharing your experience!
Thank you so much for posting this! The improvement is amazing! The app that does the work seems well built. Great work!
You're welcome!
Yesterday I flew the route LSZS (Samedan) to LSZR (St Gallen) without the map enhancements mod I found the area around St Gallen really awful, all unreal colored meadows. Today made the same flight with the map enhancement mod, using the updated Bing maps, and it is indeed a game changed. Completely different look around St Gallen, the whole area looks great now. Great mod, thanks for the info and tips.
That’s fantastic!
@@IslandSimPilot At first I was very impressed and enthusiastic about this mod but as soon I started flying from GA Airports I found out that this mod is unusable and killing the immersion. At almost every GA Airport, like my hometown airport EHLV for example, there are showing up flattened GA Airplanes in the underground of the Airport. I don't think there is a fix for that. Its a shame, the world looks much better when using the latest Bing or Google aerial images but those flattened airplanes are really bad.
@@Harald787 Yeah, that is definitely something you may see. I use mainly payware and also a ton of freeware airports, which really helps. Maybe try flightsim.to and see if you can get freeware versions of the airports you use regularly?
@@IslandSimPilot I only use the Sim with payware or flightsim to airports. Even than it is happening, not on all airports of course but when it is happening it is a real immersion killer. My hometown EHHV is really bad, not usable with the mod. I really hope MSFS2024 uses updated maps. But not all is bad in MSFS2020. Just flew from EHHV to EHLE and the ground imagery in the Flevo Polder with the Oostvaardersplassen is stunning.
Just tried the mod in VR at my local airfield/airport of Fairoaks(I have add-on scenery for it; even shows the coffee shop I frequent when I can), in Surrey Sth west of London. EGTF. The difference with this mod, is as you say, amazing. The colours are so much more realistic. The increased clarity in the buildings trees fields etc, is like night & day. Even McLarens building looked as it should(was even able to recognise a couple of McLaren P9’s in the carpark.). So glad your vid came up on my UA-cam recommendations. Thx
Very glad to hear that! Exactly my experience as well.
This is great. Just installed to see what it's about and it looks incredible. Love that you find these small niche mods.
Did you disable your ant virus software?
@@pm110978 Didn't have to
@@flystratejlucky you.This mod doesn’t even work for me.Getting some message saying the windows host has denied it
@@pm110978 The application probably isn't signed thats why. If you're getting the error when it's downloaded. Just set it as an exclusion in your AV.
Your content is always helpful to me. Thank you!
Happy to hear that!
It is NOT generic scenery by default nor is it computer generated nor fake. It is still satellite scenery but may be filtered vs unfiltered making the old appear greener as well. They are merely 2 different versions. Some newer scenery may look worse, in fact. You seem to prefer dry grass. What you show as better buildings are merely contrasted differently by the different satellite data. The newer scenery may not work as well with 3D objects which are still going to be based on the older Bing data. Some areas may be better or worse and is purely subjective.
Also, you point to the newer scenery as having more definition when it is merely drier grass, etc. It's going to be purely subjective and some ppl may like it, some not. This mod has been around for quite some time now.
@@LegendKiller-org I think they *are* using the best possible maps with the most details. They just decided to use the one with green grass instead of the one with dry grass. Most people would see this as a good thing...
@@LegendKiller-orgthey are updating it for msfs2024
Thanks for sharing, this was really interesting to watch. I still haven't played MSFS yet. But I occassionally like to watch videos on the game because it's so technically impressive. I just heard that they are bringing out a new MSFS 2024; so will be interested in seeing what they do with that too.
once i put this video on 2x speed - it was great. thx for posting
Wow, so much crisper in game in mane areas and much more realistic looking in general.
Hard to believe how good this is... I have completed a few flights in VR and the difference is remarkable. Another game changer for MSFS
Amazing add-on, even in VR. I flew over my grandparent's house (in a rural area in the Netherlands) and i always found the default scenery of the surroundings very artificial looking (like artificial grass) but now it's almost like in real life (ok the house itself is still a generated one). Also the adjusting image settings (especially the saturation) helps compensating for the oversaturated image with my VR headset.
That's great! It really is fun looking at areas you know well. And that's another cool thing about the mod, you can adjust the visuals to your liking. I just have brightness turned down 15% and otherwise left it like it is.
I have tried this and works well. I get 900 Mbps internet and unlimited data. What I noticed that Bing has not updated the Central Park Towers in NYC, but it looks very nice.
Remember the FSX days. Every Carenado aircraft that came out had to be fixed. It was AMAZING how the community repaired overpriced add-ons. 30 major tweaks just to make it worth while hitting that FSX start button. I still use it with my A2a aircraft and several other favorites. Your input reminds me of how Berte Pieke fixed just about everything back then.
As a long time user of xplane and its ortho using msfs always left me feeling like msfs was an over saturated cartoon. Finally realistic colours in msfs thanks to those doing this! Cool video and an excellent demonstration of how bizarre msfs has looked for years
I really like your demo. It is well demonstrated and convincing.
I'll try for sure.
Thank you so much
Thanks for the report. The landscape has indeed improved in favor of naturalness.
There's a different hue to the colors, but it also looks like images from a different season. And slightly sharper in many places. The emerald green fields look like spring colors, the darker looks like late summer.
Thank you for another incredibly useful video.
I have just completed my first flight and the difference is marked!
Installed the mod last Sunday, but I came across a question that has now been solved by a friend, and indeed, it has taken the Simulator to a higher level, The IslandPilot has not said anything too much.
My question was "can I just empty The Rolling and turn it off", afterwards it turns out that the mod takes over that function.
It's all great, I'm very happy with it, and it's bizarre that the IslanPilot is the only one that comes up with this in my opinion, I haven't read it anywhere else, thank you.
Huge difference.....I thought so far that my MSFS was realistic, but this blows my mind how nice and realistic is....Yes, world is mostly green but there are different shades of green...there are farms now and crystal crisp....
Thanks for this info and tutorial to start this. I'm gonna try this and see how it works out. Judging from your video, it does look a lot better and realistic... Thanks! I just subscribed too!
Thanks once again, new to me, about to do my first flight with it. Regards Pete
Lete me know how it goes!
@@IslandSimPilot Just completed a 1 hour flight in Brazil GA Aircraft TBM, it was fantastic, an amazing difference. Thank you
Thanks for this. Very nice. Its one of thoes mods that you didn't think you needed, until you use it. Now I probably will never fly without it running.
I couldn't agree more, wasn't ever interested, then I tried it...
Wow thanks again for enhancing MSFS. Everyting looks more realistic. Your like the MSFS Yoda!
Thanks, it works great. Did some before and after shots and definitely prefer the over all look of the updated Bing imagery. I'd become quite accustomed to green mountain sides without realizing it, lol. No impact on frame rate as far as can tell.
ive heard about this addon for a long time and never wanted to mess with my sim, but just watching the download and installation process part of your video, if its not terribly intrusive or sim breaking ill do it
You are an absolute legend. This is the best mod I have ever seen for MSFS2020...and its FREE....Every sim pilot NEEDS to use this mod...Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
Free ? No, full features version is NOT free ! 5$/Month or 30$/Year.
Wow thanks so much man! That makes a huge difference, i'm still gonna try in my sim but cant wait to see the difference it makes when flying in my hometown. Cheers
I love this tip - for me the default satellite imagery is too saturated and cartoonlike. This imagery looks like it was taken in the summer and, as we're in the summer, looks great. Hoping that FS2024 introduces proper seasons so that not only trees change, but so too do the fields from lush green in the spring, to baked in the summer and tilled in the winter.
Thanks again - subbed.
My first job was flying the survey aircraft taking the high-res images that were supplied for the Bing maps.
Satellite images for the general maps and high resolution cameras mounted on aircraft for the very high detail 3D urban data. We flew track after track over towns and cities taking tens of thousand of images which were then overlayed on LIDAR scans.
I've seen those planes doing racetracks in the sky for hours and hours and hours!
Wow did not know about this Mod, I'm going to get this now. Thank you for sharing this, it really looks like a big difference
Very interesting. I'm guessing that one of the main differences is that MSFS actually layers 3D textures over the underlying satellite imagery at a certain LOD using AI to recognise the material. The upside to this is that those are 3D textures. The downside, they all have the same color and give that samey 'green blob' effect you describe.
Hey how's it going, it's been a while! Great vid I just reinstalled this mod after 2 years of not using it, my god it has come a long way! Good idea for a follow-up would be a side by side with google maps in different parts of the world..I know a lot of people are interested!
Rome airfield, Nice, I am about 45 min west of you, I'm at KSYR, 6B9 is closer to me, nice vid Thank You
Truly amazing the difference ! Thank you for this video. Looking forward to install it and discover my "real' surroundings ! Jean-michel, France.
I cant wait to try this. I am on Long Island and for quick play I like to do flights to Republic which is right by my house. Gonna have to do this. I really just want the most recent topography if I am going to have live weather.
I've been using this for more than a year. Being able to switch between streams on the fly is great.
Thanks!
Very kind of you, Steve, thanks veyr much!
Thanks
Thank you so much, Barry! Very kind of you.
Thank you for a direct and concise description and guide. I'll be installing and recommending to my friends. Subscription earned.
IslandSimPilot, This is great! I liked it and subscribed!
Thank you so much, I appreciate it!
Waoo. First mod. Looking really good. Didn’t see this video.
I was using the Map Enhancement for sometime, mainly to get rid of the issues MSFS often has with LOD Tile Popping in certain regions of the world. Linked to Bing, and at times still the latest Bing. I was using the Google textures instead. The problem however is textures are not colour corrected by Asobo. I am not sure if the 'latest Bing' server textures either (I doubt it). Are you sure old and new Bing comes from the same place?? Reason I ask is because if you happen to so called mention ANYTHING about this mod on the Asobo Forums the post gets deleted and you get a private message from the mods threatening you with a BANNING since it is not supported by them. By the way in the MOD you can tweak the colours, contrast, brightness etc which ONLY affects the ground imagery
I read that somewhere, too. That the latest Bing imagery is not color corrected but based on the default imagery i'm not sure we have the same def of 'corrected'.
The main reason they don't want it popularised is the google connection (including possible legal disputes) but also it might interfere with their diagnosising of people's issues.
NEVER heard of that and downloading it right now, I´m very excited!
The problem is that airport layouts were all locked to the original bing data sources, so you may end up with mismatch between airports. MSFS2024 will have all new updated Bing imagery and airports will all be updated, with even more enhanced stuff through the new world hub by users. It's really up to the user though and where they fly out of and in to most often. While a lot of the imagery is higher definition (60cm per pixel rather than 1m per pixel), the comparison shots are also different seasons with leaf on spring and post harvest season.
Thanks for bringing this, much appreciated.
You're quite welcome, Paul, happy simming!
@@IslandSimPilot Thanks
Congratulations. You discovered different seasons.
its awesome and the detail is the same wherever you fly.🤩
Wow! I can't believe the difference this makes. Thank you.
You’re very welcome!
Outstanding! Thank you. FYI - v7.6.1 was just posted today.
I would love this, except that I enjoy flying over the rolling green hills of England. Most of the current Bing imagery seems to have been taken in the summer of 2022 when everything was scorched. Maybe that's a taste of things to come, but the current MSFS scenery is still mostly green.
Ah, yeah I can see what you mean.
Okay, I'll give it a try - Your recommendations have always been an additional benefit for my sim experience. 👍
Note: I was never interested in the "Google Maps exchange"-thing, because of the suspicious license set of problems. It's like editing a Prime Video Channel to make Netflix content available. Doesn't read right, isn't 'de jure' right. But using a newer version of the already licensed data AND from the same source (Microsoft)... that's another talk.
I surely share my impressions later here or in the comments of a future video when I tested some areas. 🧐😉
I feel the same way, never felt right about usin ghte Google maps. I didn't know you could use it to update the Bing maps!
Has it been proven it is the same Asobo/Bing Servers? I am not so sure. Additionally if the add on was kosher why is it outside the MSFS market place and why does it also offer options for other maps (Google Apple etc) alongside the Bing option. It doesn't make it any less suss in my opinion. There is also a distinct absence of comment on how this mod interacts with other licensed legit 3rd party scenery packages maybe ok if you have only a vanilla install.
@@zorbakaput8537 It's a 3rd party tool and not necessarily offered in the marketplace. No GSX Profiles are listed there, not the vast majority of liveries, Navigraph isn't offered there, the PMS GTN750 isn't there, BeyondATC isn't there... You see? - The marketplace is no indication for "kosher" or "accepted by Microsoft" programs.
The main purpose of the tool is the underlying satellite image. So there is no influence on 3rd party sceneries. It's just "the rug under the cupboard".
Where it gets more concerning, is when choosing a source of foreign data, like from Google. Microsoft surely has no contract with them to use the Google-Data in MS Flightsim (of course). So that's what I won't do as a private user, too. It's not the same usage of data when looking on Google Maps for free (logged in as a Google User) or using it in the sim via a Microsft User Login.
But fetching newer data (that probably will be used in MSFS2024, too) from the same source (there is only the Azure/CDN Service by Microsoft for Bing Data), is not that problem in my pov.
I watch your videos all the time and never realized that you were located in Rome, I'm in Syracuse right down the road 😂
Ooh! What a nice looking addon! Getting it now. By the way, was that one of my liveries? :)
Just went and tried out the mod, like you I thought the mod was just for google maps and wasn't aware you could also do Bing maps. Wow, just wow sim looks great. If people are not using this, my only question is why? Definitely takes the sim from looking like a game to looking far more realistic. Thanx for posting that!
I totally agree, didn't know about Bing maps either, and what a difference!
@@IslandSimPilot
Yeah not gonna lie I was pretty shocked at how much better it made my sim look, was also shocked how easy it was .
What is the reason for difference. Most changes could be attributed to simply a different time of year? How does the data difference change the visuals once you get below 500ft?
Subscribed! :) Would be very interesting to see some closeup stuff (helicopter).
Thanks for this bro! Much appreciated!
Are there any problems if I use REX Accuseason or can I use both at the same time?
Griffiss, huh? I was on a short vacation in 1968 at 7th Lake near Inlet, NY, before I had to report for a year in Vietnam. I stopped at the end of the runway and saw a cloud of black smoke with a B-52 just ahead of it. It climbed out less than 500 feet above me and as I glanced inside my 1964 Valiant, I noticed all the needles on the gauges bouncing around from the noise. That was something to behold.
WOW! That's an amazing story! Yeah it was a B-52 base until the 90's. We joke that we can do touch and go's without turning. The runway is 12,000 feet long. :) And I know 7th Lake.
@@IslandSimPilot Do you know where "The Savages" cabin is? It was once owned by folks from the Savage Gun Company. Stayed there several times as a young lad. My buddy owns the smaller place next door.
Thankh your for your tuto, is really better experience... thanks againd and good flights
Thank you for your videos, as you really bring lot of usefull tips in your videos. I tested BING maps and it definitelly looks better. The only issue I found, there is a impact to FPS on my system. Its just 1-2FPS without "High LOD Enabled" and like 10FPS or more with it (4K res and RTX 4070Super). Anyway even without HIGH LOD, textures are still better :)
I've always strayed away from these 'map enhancement' mods. I've heard stories regarding having to reinstall MS2020 if switching back to default. I just might have to try this out regardless. The default map images have no contrast, and everything looks too green. I think you made me a believer with this video. Thanks for sharing.
Thing is, this is Bing data, same servers as the regular MSFS streaming data. I have never touched this mod for the reasons you mention, but I didn't know you could stream Bing.
You can probably take a snapshot of the MSFS folder you will have a restore point if things go wrong
@@IslandSimPilot Just loaded it up. What an amazing difference. I'll have to see how it goes at 35,000 during tonight's event in Florida. Thanks again for the information.
@@sky173 Please let me know, haven't flown with it up high yet!
Does this install a trusted root certificate for you? This + china-based developer was a deal-breaker for me. Also, keep in mind that swapping maps will usually mess up your airports, as the developer makes the aprons and scenery with the Bing Maps in mind, and swapping maps from underneath it will often produce bad results, where you are closest to the ground. I used this for a while and yes, Google is better in many areas but in most areas I found Bing color-matches better and has similar detail.
MacArthur AP, that's my favorite AP in the world. My first flight that I can remember. 4 years old. Obviously I was the co-pilot and my dad the PIC. Home airport for my childhood. Good choice!
I took my first flight on my first birthday! N9261W. Don't remember it. :)
@@IslandSimPilot N4379R
If you fly over a City with the various city updates the new bing does not replace it, so you can see the whole squareas a different colour
Looks like the updated detail we getting for MSFS 2024.
This is a game changer for me, can't thank you enough
Have you checked the Error count on the App after the flight before shutting down MSFS on this App. A flight from KEYW to KADH had more than 10000 errors before using the Stop button.
Hello, I have a problem and I do not know who can help me, installing this software and putting the new version of BING, the tiles do not load when I fly... They only load one by one and I see them change which is very very ugly, how can I fix this?
The first thing that comes to mind is download speed, are you on a fast connection?
@@IslandSimPilot It is resolved. ;)
The Apple satellite map is decent for areas where the Bing and Google maps are lacking since it's satellite and not drone photography. They have a new custom maps feature which I haven't tried but I think it lets you decide which maps to use for each region.
Using that mod for years. One thing to note is, this mod consumes a lot RAM. I use High-LOD setting as the video mentioned, and that will cost you 3GB memory. So be aware of your total mem usage.
How much RAM are you running?
@@pm110978 32GB. MSFS and Map Enhancement will eat at least 16GB for my settings.
Subscribed will be trying this tomorrow!
2 things to mention here: first, the mod gets updated quite often (every two weeks or so). Second, do not use Google map tiles if you can avoid it as every tile now has the Google watermark since two years I think and you see them when you fly. Use current Bing maps , they are on par with Google, believe me. Or ArcGIS.
We have also one big downside with this mod - which is not exactly their fault: lack of consistency which can lead to very unharmonic graphics in more remote areas where the satellite imagery doesn't get updated so often. There you can have a summer tile right next to a winter tile, so snow besides greenest grass. Or a tile with cloud formations.
If you only fly in not so god-forsaken areas, chances are very low you might run into something like this. On the other hand if you like to fly in Northern Territories of Canada or Alaska or e.g. Greenland (that was where I started my "career" 4 years ago), you will stumble quite often over images that remind of the good old 1990 when flight simming was on its peak and hurt to watch.
Asobo tried to find the best of all worlds when with their imagery with respect to performance (slightly lower resolution) and fidelity (everything is unrealistically vivid). Might not be everyone's cup of tea but the stuff is absolutely consistent.
For beat consistency together with recenecy use ArcGIS. There even the Greenland imagery is halfway usable.
Why does MSFS not just do this then? What reason would they have for not allowing the sim to just use these images
beacouse google is other company xd not related with microsoft and on the other hand, the bing image that the simulator shows has processing to erase certain imperfections such as clouds or things like that.
@@LeandroMDLwhat has google got to do with this?
I really want to dig this, but when zooming in I don’t see a difference in detail. I only see a difference in seasons. Looks, to me, like MSFS has a preference for mid-summer, sunny imagery, more trees, green farmland, while just current imagery gives a much more random seasonal outcome.
What a difference in your vid. Going home to try this now. See what the difference is like in VR
thanks for your vid. I dont understand why MSFS has not updated the maps internally for us?
How would you go back to the default imagery if you didn't like the results? Would you select a different imagery set in the drop down, or would simply not launching the application good enough?
I will try this. Great video. Why Microsoft does not point to the newest maps is a big question mark. I thought they did…
That’s what MSFS 2024 is for with a nice new price!
i'd say stick with the default in spring and early summer, then switch to the updated during summer. The updated are simply too brownish dry for early summer / spring, but after that, yeah I agree looks better