A brand new MS Flight Simulator is coming...

[TimC340]

The latest video is out, showing a brief description of how airports have been made and animated. The basic process would appear to be very similar to what we’re doing now, but the SDK allows all sorts of enhancements over FSX/P3D in terms of ground traffic and AI behaviour. The use of PBR materials means that even basic airports look extremely good, especially with weather variations. There’s also a brief mention of ‘terraforming’ for certain default airports, suggesting that a process like SBuilder is in use to construct these.

More and more, I’m encouraged that FS20 is going to allow us to step up the game.

[Firebird]

I took a look at the feature discovery series. One very interesting one was the 3rd one on aerodynamics.
They now are far more realistic for example they now have around a 100 monitor points on a small aircraft to monitor wind disturbance and pressures so the tail is affected by what your wing is doing.

The interesting thing that i thought about at the time was whether or not AI aircraft would have to have their fdes rewritten. It then stated that the legacy aerodynamics will left in game and you can select the legacy dynamics if you don't like/struggle with the updated system.

What it didn't say was whether or not the AI engine follows the same dynamics or can be switched as well. I was hoping for more info on the AI engine from the Airports episode but it only touches what can be planned and simulated at airports rather then the AI engine as a whole.
What is hopeful though is that they seem to have massively upgraded every aspect of simulating flight so it would be extraordinary if they didn't upgrade the AI engine as well. This is based on the fact that you can script ground based support activity.

There is no doubt that it is a massively more realistic simulation in all aspects. At the time we all mourned the end of the MS FS production line but I question whether they could have got to this if they hadn't. This seems to have started more or less everything from scratch so you get the best that technology can give you now. If you kept on modifying existing code it is doubtful you would arrive at the same point.

[chrisprevost]

Mais c'est un Français !!!

[Firebird]

I would say to people that even if you are not planning to get the new sim it is worth checking out the Microsoft Flight Simulator feature discovery series on youtube. There are 6 videos so far, covering the following :-
1. The world
2. Weather
3. Aerodynamics
4. Cockpits
5. Soundscape
6. Airports

It is interesting from a point of view of how much computer technology has come on from 2004 and explain what I meant in my previous post.
I am still hoping, and waiting, for one on the AI engine to know what we currently use could be transferred across. What needs no work, some adaptation and what needs replacing.

[TimC340]

Actually, Steve, I don't think they have started everything from scratch. I thinks it's more a case of they've enhanced the code to take advantage of computing advances since 2009 - in much the same way that LM have done with P3D, if without the same ambition.

They mention several times in the videos features that have effectively been extrapolated from FSX code. The Beta test features of the current build of FSX:SE also suggest that it's not entirely new. There's no doubt the user experience will be very different to FS9/FSX, but I suspect that under the hood we'll find much that is familiar. As I mentioned in my last post, the process they illustrate in the last video of building airfields is a case in point. I'm quietly confident that AI will be similar; an improved feature, not a new one.

[Firebird]

I guess what I should have said is that MS 'essentially' started everything from scratch.

I did write write a few long and boring paragraphs about modded coded and new code and its make up, but in the end I thought that I would probably bore everyone, including my self, and nobody was really interested in the art of code writing anyway.

So common sense prevailed and I deleted it all. Save for one sentence 'This is either essentially rewritten from the ground up or MS have achieved the best modified code I have ever come across - bar none.'

I know that I can bore for England on various subjects - there is just no need to prove it to the masses. Again.

[TimC340]

Haha! Love it - thanks Steve!

I'm sure you're right about their coding. And I hope it's not too much longer before we get a good look at it.

[MIKE JG]

I'm just hoping the AI can be custom made by end users like it is now. I'm worried they're going to only offer real time online AI based on other users. Time will tell.

Also starting to wonder if they can actually get this released still this year. Most of the Seattle area is working from home right now in fear of the Covid-19 virus. I'm guessing this will delay the release time.

The new James Bond movie just got delayed 8 months here in the USA, 8 MONTHS........ just due to fears over the Corona virus.

[Firebird]

I have been thinking about the real time traffic thing. I can see only 2 ways that you can see what others are flying in real time. Either everybody has the same aircraft, a closed system, or the client passes the model to the server and the server passes it virtually to all the clients.

From our perspective the first option is really bad, and is the one used by servers currently. To see a model you have to have it installed first.
The second I am thinking will require a lot of bandwidth just for models. I am sure that there must be other options, I just can't see them at the moment. Time will tell on the system they will use and its limitations.

[TimC340]

I found something about AI in FS20 just recently - I'll see if I can dig it up. It did seem quite encouraging.

[Weescotty]

Can we just have ONE thing....
AI Aircraft that respond to the (A:AI TRAFFIC,string) variable in the modeldef XML
Pretty, pretty please.
Make my job a damn sight easier!

[Firebird]

Absolutely agree to that.

[Firebird]

One thing I have just thought about, and if anybody finds anything for definite then please give us the answer.

I am not a big gamer, and I therefore I have no need/use for these VR devices that are around. However, it does seem to me that a VR headset that will enable you to look around the cockpit and around the plane would be well worth it for FS2020.

If anybody finds out whether that will be supported and details on said dedicated headsets can they say so.

[TimC340]

This might help, Steve. I think it's a fair bet that VR will be a part of FS20, if not at launch then shortly afterwards. It's been a feature of P3D for a while, though I believe it's not that great.

I have an Oculus Rift headset that I use for Elite Dangerous. In that game, the immersion is fantastic, even though the resolution of the headset is pretty poor. There are issues for some people of motion sickness due to the inner ear not reflecting the ocular sensations, and for some that is a bit of a stopper. I haven't suffered from that, but as a glasses wearer I do get some discomfort. VR also makes it impossible to use a keyboard, so you need a HOTAS system with LOTS of buttons to make everything doable 'blind'.

[Firebird]

I hope that they can create a workable system as I do believe that it is the product that could really open the floodgates for VR.
I remember TrackIR that was quite high profile a decade ago, but that had limitations on head movement.
A true VR system would enable people to properly experience visual take-offs and landings, especially in taildraggers. Formation flying would be fun and finally dogfighting could be somewhere near realistic.
Of course you won't get the physical cues of the real thing or a 6-way motion simulator but maybe if they built in red out and black out effects you can force people to fly within limits.

As you say cockpits would have be fully workable to enable a user to use the system for an entire flight.

Will keep an eye out.

[VulcanDriver]

Check this latest video. Mind blowing

[Firebird]

I think that most if not all of this visuals come from released MS team ones but having said that the way that the video has been put together is very well done.

I would defy anybody, that likes flight sims, to watch that and say that they are not interested in it - and mean it.

[bismarck]

x 100

[Firebird]

The one useful bit of info that I picked up was the amount of data used to create the world, the word petabytes is used. This proves conclusively that you can't download the whole scenery for offline use.

It also confirms that the faster your internet is the better your scenery will be. Be warned if you are one of those that likes to get by on the cheapest broadband you can get.

[Greg]

That was already explained in the first Feature Discovery Series video from the devs:

• The 2 petabytes are part of the source data and not what is streamed (or can be downloaded) to your machine.
• There will be several tiers of quality. The entire world is available in offline mode, but in the lowest quality tier.
• Adaptive streaming adapts to your available bandwidth. The better the bandwidth, the higher the tier that is streamed.
• You can pre-cache higher quality of arbitrary regions for offline access.