Microsoft Flight Simulator – E3 2019 – Announce Trailer
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Genuine question: is there any way to explore the world with visualizations as beautiful as those, but without the plane mechanics?
I have so much fun with Google Earth, but it doesn't have anything like the level of "realism" shown here -- the water, the clouds, the sunset, the shadows. While a game like GTA V can be gorgeous visually and you can fly a helicopter in it intuitively... but it's not a real place.
Is there any way to enjoy that realism without learning to fly a plane realistically?
Something that briefly interested me was that Flight Simulator route recreators need Air Traffic Controllers for that extra verisimilitude. It sounds like a fascinating role to try that would be relatively easier than piloting in the Simulator, but it has its own culture of seriousness that includes virtual apprenticeships, and can be nearly as intimidating trying to join.
I can’t guarantee the flocks of birds you see in the trailer though, unless that’s another variable you can manage these days.
If someone could implement an AI that worked in flight simulator, it could help serve as evidence supporting a real world implementation.
Currently I've been flying in X-plane 11 with Ortho4xp and downloaded data can easily run into the hundreds of GBs and even multi terabytes.
We took some open city point-cloud data last week and created 3d tiles from that using Cesium, and I was amazed at the result. Nothing like what you're seeing here, but I imagine an artist or possibly AI could do enough correction to make the cities look amazing and realistic enough.
Because you aren't looking at the city like a map, they don't need Google Earth level of accuracy.
Though another possibility is that Google Earth is licensing their data for games, so possibly Microsoft has licensed that?
One of Bing's particular focuses contrasting them to Google Earth/Maps photography has been a particular interest in "Birds Eye" isometric-feeling photography taken from helicopters at particular altitudes and compass angles, I would imagine is particularly applicable to trying to generate rich models for Flight Simulator use at similar altitudes, more so than a lot of traditional "flat" overhead aerial photography used by map providers.
(It's gotten harder to find Bird's Eye in Bing Maps redesigns sadly. It's "hidden" in the right-click menu now. Still, it is a useful and interesting type of aerial photographer that should be celebrated as useful and interesting.)
However, when I now see Birds Eye, it isn't available in Sydney, and many other locations in the world. Where I did see it (San Francisco & Paris) it is just the photographs, no photogrametry, no rotation, very little zoom, etc. etc.
Am I missing something? Can you let me know what you're seeing?
I wounder will there be some other kind of cloud integration like dynamically streaming models from Azure, pay-per-flight models or such.
Not saying it can't be done--it's being done--but it's tricky and not as universally desirable as many non-pilots seem to think.
Using VR controllers, you can manipulate any modeled knob, switch, throttle, yoke, lever and trim wheel in the cockpit. With rudder pedals, it is as close as it gets to reality. I even felt nauseous after trying out aerobatics in it.
I'm consistently above 45fps using 7700k and titan Xp (3 year old), I'm sure a 2080 or 2080Ti would do better.
The resolution will get there eventually, but until then, VR flying is pretty awesome short of having multiple large displays wrapping around you.
Your questions are all valid, and I'm sure the answers vary for different people. There's definitely a market though, and hopefully it's enough to motivate continued improvements in the tech.
Second of all, I don't know of any GA or airline simulators that use VR.
Source: commercial pilot.
(I've tried VR flight sims.. my god, having the view track with your head is amazing. One of a handful of killer VR apps)
You also get that close to reality visual experience for a few hundred bucks, compared to professional sims that would be totally out of reach to anyone but actual flight training companies (and hobbyists with large amounts of time and money).
Camera movement independent of what your body is feeling = vomit
Camera movement consistent with player movement = no vom
For the most part inside the cockpit of a plane or car it's not so bad (for me at least) as you're largely experiencing the same forces as your eyes make you think you should be experiencing. But as soon as I play something with a third person camera that follows something I get immediately sick (Lucky's Tale was the specific game I remember doing this to me).
YMMV of course, but you should try playing something where the only continuous movement is controlled directly by your head movement. The way VR action games usually get around this limitation is by letting you point to a spot and instantaneously teleport there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator#Loc...
I know Airbus also uses ESP as the base, but not sure about Boeing sims.
I consider Alien Isolation a sort of simulator of the original Alien movie (the feel is the same for me); this was attempted in the 80s as well and failed as well. Now it works perfectly.
I spent atlot of time on MS Flight Simulator, from ver 5.1 for DOS all the way up to FSX.
It was a sad day when MS discontinued the product as it is the oldest product offered by the company.
This really feels like a renaissance at Microsoft as the hardcore audience (simmers) for this is small and presumably lead to the earlier cancellation.
Looking forward to the release!
Wow, this new FS trailer is mind blowing. The graphics look unreal, can't wait.
I have enough subscriptions already, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to add another one for a flight sim, however pretty it may be.
Every other game on the service has been available for purchase otherwise, I doubt that will change here.
A PC confers that it is not a game but something more like work. It gives the game seriousness as it becomes a simulation and not a game. Plus there is the legacy going back to the DOS versions, which will always have some magic to them that the new shiny graphics versions will not have. Maybe the blocky pixel versions were better for the imagination, the controls were pretty good you just had to imagine the scenery.
You can take it all the way to having Virtual Air Traffic Control systems, staffed by other players - eg the VATSIM[1] community.
I was part of a survey from MS about what I'd like to see in the next version of the simulator (this was after FSX went away but before "Flight). The survey asked a lot of questions about my thoughts on making the sim more goal/mission oriented (essentially, more of a game).
I made it really clear that I thought that was fine as an addition but should not replace the current real-world functionality. Give people the option.
I can't imagine my answers were that different from most long-time users - basically it needed to have all the features I mentioned above, plus an open SDK for 3rd party developers.
MS didn't listen and "Flight" was a huge disappointment - at which point I moved to X-Plane.
Hopefully, they've gone back to their roots with this new version because it looks absolutely amazing.