Flight Simulation

microsoft-flight-simulator-2020By Tom Phillips, News Editor @ Eurogamer

I have watched last night’s Microsoft Flight Simulator gameplay trailer numerous times today and gosh, what a majestic thing this game looks to be.

So, yes, I could give you the press release spiel: Microsoft has now confirmed a bunch of aeroplane companies it will officially license planes from: Airbus, Boeing, CubCrafters, Daher, Diamond Aircraft Industries, ICON Aircraft, Robin Aircraft and Textron Aviation.

Or you could just watch the trailer a couple more times and marvel at its astonishing recreation of the planet below.

Crank this up to full screen and 4K.

microsoft-flight-simulator-2020Source: GURU3D

Microsoft has released a new in-engine video for its upcoming Flight Simulator game. Microsoft Flight Simulator will be the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises. From light planes to wide-body jets, players will fly highly detailed and stunning aircrafts in an incredibly realistic world. Players will be able to create their flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. The game will put more emphasis on overall simulation, and will support third-party Content Development and Community Content creation. In short, it will support mods. The game will also support a wide range of control schemes. Owners of yoke and pedals, mouse and keyboard, as well as controllers will be able to play the game. Microsoft Flight Simulator currently targets a 2020 release on the PC.

microsoft-flight-simulator-2020Source: Blue’s News

Insider Program Sign Ups for Microsoft Flight Simulator are now underway, as the testing program for the next installment in the series seems to be coming a little later than called for in the original flight plan. Here’s the Insider Program FAQ and here’s a summary:

Do you share our passion for flight? Are you interested in working directly with us to deliver the next generation of Microsoft Flight Simulator? The Insider Program is for you! Join your fellow aviation enthusiasts to get exclusive behind-the-scenes updates from developers and partners, gain access to preview builds, and advanced content updates before the general public. Best of all, you’ll become part of the Microsoft Flight Simulator team responsible for providing feedback and recommendations critical to helping deliver the very best experience! You, matter.

After a fairly long break, we have a new update for Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager!

This brings the Slitherine version up to the same level as the recently released GOG one.

Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager (SPM) is the ultimate game of space exploration. The game features the race to the Moon, the historical event that started in the early 1960s and that ended in July 1969, after the successful completion of the Apollo 11 mission. To verify its accuracy and authenticity, the game has been developed in consultation with Dr. Buzz Aldrin, former U.S. Air Force combat pilot (66 missions in Korea) and NASA astronaut, who took part in the first Moon landing mission and became the second human being to walk on the Moon.

You can update your game via the game’s updater, logging into our website’s My Page section (requires the game to be registered under your username), or you can download it directly from THIS LINK.

v1.7.1 Changelog:

  • Fixed a bug in the general stats screen shown at the end of the game.
  • Added functionality in order to validate the fact that a rocket is not being used by a scheduled mission when attempting to close it.
  • Revised the list of Soviet candidates from all three employee groups.
  • Changed the TLI property of the Atlas-Agena from 366 Kg to 390 Kg. This value is more realistics and will allow players to use it in the ‘Lunar Orbiter program’.
  • Achieving the ‘LK lander test in Moon orbit’ goal will now grant the achievement of ‘Soyuz 7K-L3 lunar orbital flight’.
  • Removed the ‘Venus Orbiter’ goal penalty from the ‘Venera 7 Venus Lander’ mission.
  • Fixed a bug that triggered a runtime exception when players exceeded the maximum number of turns.
  • Accomplishing the 28_TEST_EARTH_ORBIT_LANGLEY_LIGHT_LUNAR_LANDER and 30_EARTH_LEM_TEST goals grants the DOCKING goal.
  • Fixes to the ES (Spanish) strings that were causing issues with the tutorial.
  • Fixed goals cancelled by 28_TEST_EARTH_ORBIT_LANGLEY_LIGHT_LUNAR_LANDER and 30_EARTH_LEM_TEST (DOCKING).
  • Added functionality for cleaning the data cache when exiting the game.

Get more information about Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager from its official product page.

microsoft-flight-simulator-2020Meticulously crafted environments with satellite data and Azure AI, coming in 2020

Source: TechSpot

Fans of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator series were treated to the next installment in the long-running series at the company’s E3 2019 keynote. The brief trailer showcases a few landscapes and aircraft, of which there will be many, all captured in stunning real-time 4K footage.

Hardcore fans of the flight sim genre remember Microsoft’s Flight Simulator from the early 1980s all the way to its tenth and last installment titled the FSX: Steam Edition that launched 5 years ago on Valve’s store. The series is returning next year with visuals looking more lifelike than ever before.

Realistic and hyper-detailed cockpits will see many players become avionics experts pointing out and discovering switches, knobs, gauges and other equipment on their aircraft, which will roam the skies in challenging weather above gorgeous scenery, all made with the help of satellite data and Microsoft’s own Azure AI technology.

From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. Enjoy flying day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.

The series has always remained an exclusive on the PC but this time Microsoft is also planning a couch experience for those with an Xbox One console. Release dates for either version remain unknown but they’re expected to be out some time in 2020.

flight-sim-worldDynamic weather dated for release

Flight Sim World, developed by simulation specialists Dovetail Games, has entered its second phase of development.

This phase will see the sim released from Steam’s Early Access program as the development team moves towards making bigger, less frequent updates. “We have some really exciting updates planned”, said Stephen Hood, Executive Producer. “We are working on weather and world improvements, IFR, and the introduction of sleeker, faster aircraft from business jets right through to the all-important airliners all delivered with the key features that support them. The feedback our community has given during Early Access has absolutely steered the program for what we bring to Flight Sim World next.

The Phase 2 content schedule includes:

  • A variety of aircraft including airliners
  • IFR and ATC upgrades
  • World improvements
  • Dynamic and live weather

We are confident that our players will feel the benefit of us focusing on their feature requests now Flight Sim World’s foundations are in place”, said Rob O’Farrell, SVP of Development. “Larger updates will really allow us to deliver high priority community features and aircraft this year.

Since initial launch in May 2017, 15 updates have been released for Flight Sim World which have included the addition of Steam workshop functionality, passenger models, the ability to start all aircraft from a cold and dark state, advanced weather featuring trueSKY technology, lighting and rendering updates, as well as countless fixes and performance improvements.

The first major Phase 2 update is will release on Thursday 1st February and will feature Dynamic Weather.

View the new Flight Sim World  “Moments” trailer HERE.

Flight Sim World is available to purchase from Steam or the Dovetail Store for £29.99/€34.99/$39.99

Flight Sim World Flight Simulation | Donster | |

flight-sim-worldSource: Blue’s News

Steam now offers early access to Flight Sim World, a new flight simulator with an emphasis on realism. You can judge whether this flies in this trailer with a brief look at the game. Here’s the pitch:

Flight Sim World®, developed by specialist simulation developer and publisher Dovetail Games, has now been released into Steam’s Early Access program.

Take control of your exquisitely modeled aircraft from take-off to landing through a variety of dramatic weather conditions. Either fly with friends in multiplayer mode, or fly solo from over 24,000 airports worldwide.

If you are new to flight simulation, learn the basics while working towards obtaining your in-sim qualifications in our true-to-life flight lessons. For those who demand more of a challenge, a series of complex missions will push your skills to their limit.

As part of Flight Sim World’s release into Steam’s Early Access program, regular updates will be delivered over the coming months – including a weather system upgrade, flight planner expansions, and enhanced multiplayer functionality. Additionally, the Flight Sim World team will be collating and acting on player feedback for the complete duration of the early access period.

“The flight sim community is a fountain of experience and expertise and early access is our way of drawing upon that knowledge to make Flight Sim World the best it can be,” said executive producer Stephen Hood. “With this release, we are forging a brighter and more vibrant future for flight simulation.”

csim-logo-smallBy Cecille De Jesus @ Futurism.com

Retired United States Air Force Colonel Gene Lee recently went up against ALPHA, an artificial intelligence developed by a University of Cincinnati doctoral graduate. The contest? A high-fidelity air combat simulator.

And the Colonel lost.

In fact, all the other AI’s that the Air Force Research Lab had in their possession also lost to ALPHA…and so did all of the other human experts who tried their skills against ALPHA’s superior algorithms.

And did we mention ALPHA achieves superiority while running on a $35 Raspberry Pi?

Read on…

Flight Simulation | Donster | |

xplane-11Source: Blue’s News

Laminar Research announces the launch of XPlane 11 for Windows and OS X, offering the latest installment in the flight simulation series. Word is: “XPlane 11 continues the evolution of the desktop version of XPlane. Over the years it has always been the policy of Laminar Research to continually improve XPlane, providing the most realistic flight simulation available, with flight modeling so accurate that it has been adopted by numerous commercial aviation organizations.” This can be picked up from the Aerosoft website, and you can get a look at this in this trailer. Here’s word:

XPlane 11 continues this evolution with new aircraft, scenery, and 3-D airports. This new version also incorporates the newest technology available in computing and graphics processing, resulting in breathtaking visual and dynamic effects.

Some of the major features of X-Plane 11 include:

  • A brand new intuitive user interface and control setup
  • A completely overhauled aircraft fleet with detailed documentation, plus multiple new aircraft
  • High-resolution exteriors and detailed 3-D cockpits for many aircraft
  • New global auto-gen scenery with both European and North American details
  • The latest road placement and global scenery from open street map are included
  • Now with over 3000 airports with 3-D buildings & airport scenery
  • Airports are now populated with dynamic, driving service vehicles and static and dynamic aircraft.
  • New rendering engine for enhanced lighting and water effects
  • Updated weather and atmospheric effects
  • Enhanced performance from the modern 64-bit engine

The boxed version of XPlane 11 is available at: www.aerosoft.com

Flight Simulation XPlane 11 | Donster | |

blue-angels-aerobatic-simRORTOS, the Italian leader in the development of flight simulators, announced today “Blue Angels: Ready, Break!” has launched for Windows 10 on the PC. Rortos successfully launched its mobile flight simulator Blue Angels: Aerobatic Sim for ioS and Android platforms in July, and an Xbox version of the game is currently in development.

The flight simulator for PC includes new features since the mobile version was released including enhanced graphics, compatibility with the joystick, Hotas, Flight Yoke and Pedals for an even more immersive and realistic experience.

“We are excited to introduce “Blue Angels: Ready, Break!” to our fans, gamers, and flight simulator enthusiasts,” , said Roberto Simonetto, CEO of RORTOS. “Players will find BLUE ANGELS: READY, BREAK!” delivers the perfect flight simulation experience for PC. With the addition of the keyboard, joystick and pedals, gamers can expect an exhilarating Blue Angels flight ahead.”

The game is now available for $9.99 at the Windows store.