Military AI Works

On top of what Greg says, if you remain in a particular area, the detail will improve as the app captures data, no matter how slow your connection. MS have stated that a 10mb connection should be good enough for full detail. I have my doubts about that, but it should be within the capabilities of any fibre connection.

Indeed so, as I usually fly in the UK my 220mbps broadband should be able to download the data required. Once cached there shouldn't be a problem..

If that speed can't cope then there are an awful lot of people that are going to be disappointed.

Two areas I will be looking forward to seeing is Key West, as the FS9 scenery is abysmal there, and the MAIW Airfield, as I do most of my testing in that area.

I was thinking that it would be really user friendly if they had an option so that the local cache could be set to either your local area of choice or automatically to the area of your current startup location.

This video gives some idea of the realtime raytracing available under the DX12 Ultimate API, which I imagine FS20 will exploit. The dynamic lighting, reflections etc are quite stunning. The music, however, may not be to your taste (but I quite liked it!).

Episode 7: Multiplayer. Not sure this has anything for us, but some info about real-world traffic, and AI injection.

They do seem to have done a good job with multiplayer.

Gents,
I have been keeping an eye on this thing as it progresses and it has reached the Alpha 5 version, for those that have access. The Beta 1 is next.

One piece of news that is interesting and possibly of great significance is that they have tied up with a professional firm that supplies up to date flight planning information to the flight industry and it has been stated that the information will be updated on a regular basis to match reality.

This has fuelled speculation, and I have not seen any confirmation so far, that the new sim will be subscription based. Taking into account the online activity required for the game that has already been announced I fell that it is almost certainly the case.

For those who are not aware of this phenomenon it is what MS use for its Office365 suite, as one example, where you do not buy the software but instead pay an annual fee and for this you get permanent updates whilst you subscribe.

Microsoft stated explicitly a little while ago that it would not be subscription-based, Steve. I’ll see if I can find that statement, but it may be quoted earlier in this thread. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be a subscription required to get updates for the NavBlue data, but - like several FS/P3D addons, the OE data will continue to work in navkit until there are significant changes to airspace and airfield information.

NavBlue is an Airbus company - all the performance planning stuff (‘FlySmart’) on my company iPad is NavBlue. The professional suite that I have is several thousand dollars a year per user, so I’m pretty certain that whatever MS uses it will be a cut-down version with infrequent updates. Microsoft is in control of how frequently data changes are made in the sim, and I doubt that they’ll risk losing their customer base by relying on subscriptions that are easily cancelled.

Tim, if that is true that is both surprising and heartening to hear that. I know that things can change so I shall keep an eye out.

I will be honest when I found out about how the new sim was reliant on access to the MS servers for scenery data I had this inking that it would be subscription based. I couldn't believe that MS would swallow the cost of that so I was kinda prepared for it. Then when the NavBlue tie up was announced I was almost positive that they would push it down the same road as all of their other services.

It would make me very happy to be wrong. Here's hoping.

From ArsTechnica 30/9/2019: "Yes, Microsoft Flight Simulator will come to Xbox consoles at some point, Neumann said, and it will be an Xbox Game Pass title on that platform, just like its Windows 10 version will be. And, yes, the game will be available either as part of XGP or as a standalone purchase". So, if and when it comes out on XBox, it will be available on the GamePass subscription model, but also available as a once-only for PC. However, as with Navigraph for FS9/FSX/P3D, there could well be a subscription for nav data. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/09/ ... ual-plane/

No Subscription Confirmed for the New Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Obsidian Ant's take is more equivocal, but he's not the sharpest too in the box (though I do enjoy his videos!) -

Translation from the article he's referring to:

Cómo lo van a comercializar? ¿Va a ser una cuota mensual, como Netflix, o tendrá un precio único?

How will you sell this? Is it going to be a monthly subscription, like Netflix, or a single payment?

-Todavía no tenemos todos los detalles, pero lo que puedo decirle ahora es que definitivamente habrá una forma de comprar el simulador como cualquier otro simulador antes. Pero también pasará a formar parte del plan de suscripción Game Pass, de Xbox y PC, que da acceso a 100 juegos para esas plataformas. De modo que habrá dos formas de obtener el FS2020. Lo que no va a haber es un plan de suscripción solo para el FS2020.

-We don’t have all the details, but what I can tell you now is that there will definitely be a way to buy this simulator the same as any previous simulator. Also though it will be part of the game pass subscription, on Xbox and PC, which gives access to 100(s of) games on these platforms. So there will be these 2 ways of getting FS2020. BUT THERE WILL NOT BE AN INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION PLAN JUST FOR FS2020.

-Si quiero tener acceso a los mapas y todas las características, ¿tengo que usar el modelo de Game Pass?

-If I want to have access to the maps and all the aspects (this could mean resolution - please confirm), do I have to use the Game Pass model?

-No.
-NO.

-¿Cuál es entonces la diferencia entre los dos modelos de comercialización?

- so what are the differences between the 2 commercial models?

-La suscripción es para quienes quieren tener acceso a otros juegos para Xbox o PC.

- THE SUBSCRIPTION IS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ACCESS THE OTHER GAMES (on Game Pass) FOR THE XBOX OR PC.

-Suponga que solo quiero el simulador. ¿Si compro nada más que el FS2020 también tengo acceso a los mapas por streaming y demás características?

-Suppose I only want the Simulator. If I buy nothing more than FS2020, I also have access to the map streaming and higher resolutions?

-Exacto.
-EXACTLY.

That seems to be clear. Hopefully nothing will change.

Obviously we won't know for sure until it's released to retail, and in these strange times nothing can be taken for granted, but I'm reasonably confident that we'll be able to make a one-time purchase. How much that will be is another question! I remember wincing at paying $70 for FSXA (in New York on the day of release) and I think XP10 cost a good deal more than that - and I've barely ever used it! But my total investment in flight sims is probably well into 4 figures by now...

Something that we all can relate to, Tim.

Firebird wrote: ↑04 Jul 2020, 09:17 Something that we all can relate to, Tim.

I'd love to be able to give a rational reply to that! I can't even rely on my kids to peg me down a bit; one is in the Army and loves combat games, the other is a full-time commentator on FPS sandpit games like Rainbow 6 and she regards me as a part-time computer game enthusiast. I never thought I'd see the day when I was seen as embarrassing by my kids for not being nerdy enough!

It can't be easy to be such a disappointment to your kids . They will learn in time.

My other half's Mother is a complete technophobe. Never used a computer, never had a credit card.
She got an Ipad a couple of years ago but is so ham-fisted with it that she just keeps pressing things because she doesn't read the screen properly. She can't remember passwords or where she put them if she writes them down. Nobody would trust her putting credit card info in it even if she had one.

In the current climate Debs has to do the online grocery ordering for her with our credit card.

Me thinks that your kids are real lucky.

So, 18 August is the date for general release, both as a standalone product (including boxed) and as a GamePass game. It looks like there will be no SDK, AI, seasons, or stuff like helicopters at initial release, but they are all scheduled to appear in due course.

Thanks for the update, Tim.
I think I will wait for the important stuff (to me) to be released before I go down that route. It smacks of getting it out early to get some money coming in to me.

Yes, I agree Steve. The reaction over at FSDeveloper is that it's even taken some commercial developers by surprise and they were expecting release closer to the end of the year. As a result, I'm expecting a relatively bare-bones program at release, and a lot of updates in the subsequent period. However, those of us on P3D are very used to that!

TimC340 wrote: ↑13 Jul 2020, 18:25 It looks like there will be no SDK, AI, seasons, or stuff like helicopters at initial release, but they are all scheduled to appear in due course.

Where did you get all that? They always said that the SDK would be available together with the release. They didn't mention it specifically in the release announcement but they haven't said anything to the contrary either.

I'm sure AI will be in there as well, but how customisable it will be will depend on the SDK (which is only being tested by 3rd party devs apparently and not part of the alpha).