Microsoft Flight Simulator comes on 10 discs
Eject.
Fancy getting a physical copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator instead of the digital version? Then expect it to come on 10 discs.
That's 10 double-layer DVDs, publisher Aerosoft, which struck a deal with Microsoft to ship a physical version of the game across Europe, revealed.
"Aerosoft will bring the two boxed versions of this venerable simulator to customers in Europe," Aerosoft's Mathijs Kok wrote in a forum post. "Including 10 (!) double-layer DVDs and a printed manual in a spectacular box, it is an ideal way of entering the new age of flight simulation."
Is 10 discs a record for a video game? It might be. Roberta Williams' 1995 point-and-click Phantasmagoria came on seven discs. 1998 point-and-click Black Dahlia came on eight discs. 2004 MMO EverQuest 2 came on nine discs (with one bonus disc included). I remember The Secret of Monkey Island 2 came on 11 floppy disks for the Amiga, but that was diskettes, not discs. Different ball game.
So, what do you get for your 10 discs? Well, the retail version of Microsoft Flight Simulator contains the simulator code itself (which is relatively small in terms of data), and the virtual world it's set in, which, according to Aerosoft, is around 90GB. There's also "optional online streamed content", and optional third-party files.
The DVDs in the box contain all of the game world apart from the updates Microsoft and developer Asobo release between the moment the discs are pressed and release. So, when you install, you'll get an update from the server.
"... the boxed version makes it possible for people on a slower internet connection to get the sim installed without downloading the 'content'," Kok explained.
"So the simulator is in every way, 100 per cent the same. The boxed retail version just gets you a nice box, printed manual and about 90GB you do not have to download. There is no difference between boxed retail and the version MS sells directly."
The standard edition costs €69.99, and the premium edition costs €129.99. Both come on 10 discs. Feels old-school, but I like it.