Countdown Begins to Flight Simulator X:
Microsoft Releases
Official Screenshots
By Cap Mason, Andrew Herd and Nels Anderson
"Yippee-skippy!"
This is the big news that you've all been anxiously waiting to
hear.
Microsoft officially announced today that the countdown to Flight Simulator X (FSX for Flight Simulator 10) is on. In this NOTAM, we bring you the flightsim world's most complete collection of 34 official FSX screenshots plus tantalizing details about what's in store for us when the product finally arrives. You can click on each image in this article to see an enlarged, un-retouched view in a new window.
We also go far beyond the Microsoft standard party line that other media may parrot verbatim. We have gathered the collected wisdom of our reviewers and editors to provide analysis and commentary on what Microsoft has to say about FSX. We have been collecting your questions, comments and wishes over the last 2 years. We have been feeding the Microsofties a steady stream of your requests and suggestions. We'll throw a few more their way in this NOTAM.
We also offer my analysis about what the release of FSX will mean for flightsimmers as consumers plus the affect it will have on both freeware and payware developers. It is a genuine breakthrough product that will have far reaching influence for our entire community. While the screen shots are sensational and pretty to look at, they are only the vanguard representing what will be a major advance in the flightsim arts and sciences. Probably more major than even the Microsoft team realizes. They'll know after they read this. And, so will you all. Stay tuned to FlightSim.Com for the most accurate and comprehensive reporting of all the latest FSX developments.
Dispelling rumors, myths and disinformation.
As anyone who has visited our forums knows, we have been diligently dispelling rumors and gossip about FS10 because no one truly knew what was going on behind closed doors at Microsoft, until now. Simply put, whatever you have heard or read elsewhere, fuggeddaboudit! Until today, all that other talk was just pure conjecture, gossip, myth or utter nonsense. And that includes the misinformation that was published recently in PC Gamer. You can count on your FlightSim.Com team to bring you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So, to learn the straight scoop about FSX, read on.
More than just a new rev, FSX is a revolution.
Gorgeous graphics, accurate flight dynamics, even better real time weather, stunning scenery, advanced multiplayer features, a whole goodie bag chock full of newly improved development tools, better sound and more – all contribute to making FSX a true revolution in the flight simulator line. More than just a sim, FSX is truly a robust platform for expansion and advanced development. Developers are going to just go crazy with delight over it. In fact, many of the world's leading payware developers are already working on FSX add-on products right alongside their new FS2004 products for 2006.
FSX
FAQ from Microsoft.
Microsoft has provided us with an FAQ about FSX which we have reproduced verbatim below. Following the FAQ, we have added our own analysis and commentary about the official Microsoft report. Some of our analysis and insights may astound you.
Q: When will “Microsoft Flight
Simulator X” be available?
A: We are working hard to deliver “Flight Simulator X” in the holiday 2006
timeframe.
Q: What’s new in “Microsoft
Flight Simulator X”?
A: Many of the new features in “Flight Simulator X” are based on requests
from our loyal community who have provided creative input into our decision
process. Therefore, we are excited to bring our fans the most revolutionary
addition to the “Flight Simulator” franchise yet. We take full advantage of
Windows Vista and the latest Windows gaming hardware to create a beautifully
rich and immersive 3D world for aviation fans, young and old, to explore and
experience. The new enhancements extend beyond the look and feel of the planet.
The advances in graphics will benefit the aircraft as well, and fans will be
amazed at the new level of detail in the models and the realistic effects like
sun glint off the glass and chrome, reflective paint, and even shaded rivets on
the fuselage. For the more game play minded, we are adding a new mission-based
element to give fans a more objective driven experience with a sense of
progression and skill development. We are also improving the multiplayer
technology to allow the community to connect in new ways. This is just the
beginning and, in the coming months, we look forward to sharing more information
about “Flight Simulator X” as we lead up to launch at the end of the year.
Q: Will “Flight Simulator X”
require Windows Vista?
A: No. While “Flight Simulator X” will not require Windows Vista, it
will be optimized for the latest in Windows gaming hardware and fans will get
the best experience by running on Windows Vista.
Q: What type of computer
hardware will I need to run “Flight Simulator X”?
A: While we are still determining exact hardware requirements, we do know
that it will run on a wide range of configurations because we want to make
“Flight Simulator X” accessible to a wide range of fans.
Q: Will “Flight Simulator X”
ship on DVD only?
A: Yes, for the first time “Flight Simulator” will ship on DVD only in
order to provide the highest level of detail and realism for the product and we
do not plan to offer a CD-based version.
Q: Will aircraft from FS2004
be compatible with “Flight Simulator X”?
A: Backward compatibly with existing 3rd party content is and has always
been a priority for us, and we attempt to test as many add-ons as possible in
order to provide the greatest level of compatibility.
Q: What are the types of
aircraft featured in “Flight Simulator X”?
A: We will offer a range of aircraft to support a wide variety of flying
experiences and many of the aircraft will be tied to specific mission-based
experiences. Our basic fleet is merely the starting point because we are going
to make it easier to download additional aircraft created by the many
accomplished add-on developers in the community.
Q: How many airports are
included in “Flight Simulator X?”
A: We have included more than 24,000 airports in “Flight Simulator X” and
the coverage extends to every continent. We also focused a select number of
high-detail airports and added a new level of “interactivity” that the add-on
community will certainly expand upon.
Q: What new partners or
endorsements will “Flight Simulator X” carry?
A: We are not quite ready to shine the spotlight on our new partners and
endorsements, but they will be taking center stage in the months leading up to
our launch.
FlightSim.Com
analysis, commentary and expert punditry about FSX.
First of all, let me assure you that we do not have any insider scoop on FSX. If we did, we probably could not publish it because we only publish the facts that have been checked and confirmed by Microsoft or other reliable independent sources. After all, we have been told repeatedly by our flightsimmer friends that you all prefer accurate reporting to tabloid sensationalism. No two-headed geeks, alien abductions or Elvis sightings here. What follows is the collected wisdom of this writer plus the rest of the FlightSim.Com editorial team as opposed to the rumors, gossip and myths you may encounter in other media. We have deconstructed the mysteries of Microsoft corporatese press releases to bring you something more meaningful. In any event, something as momentous as a major upgrade to flight simulator bears more thoughtful examination than a short FAQ, even 11 months before it arrives. In all fairness to our friends in Redmond, they'll let us know more when they have things buttoned down. But, that doesn't stop inquiring minds from looking behind the Wizard's curtain.
Q:
When will “Microsoft Flight Simulator X” be available?
Commentary: Don't go looking for it yet, FSX is at least 11 months away.
When FSX is finally released, you can be guaranteed to find your copy on-the-shelf at the FlightSim.Com Pilot Shop. Meanwhile, just sit back, relax, and enjoy a great FS2004 experience. FSX is not going to be released until "...the holiday 2006 timeframe." And, since flightsimming is an international community, just which holidays might those be? Let me guess. Is it the Muslim Ramadan which runs through September and October? America's Thanksgiving? Christendom's Christmas? They arrive every November 23rd and December 25th. Could it be in time for the Jewish celebration of Hanukah on December 16th? Or, are the Microsofties talking about Easter and Passover in the Spring? Maybe Microsoft means the African-American celebration of Kwanza in late December? Or, could it mean Chinese Lunar New Year which celebrates the Year of the Dog on January 29, 2006? Gung hay fat choy, everyone!
Translation: look for it in late November in time for the 2006 Thanksgiving-Hanukah-Christmas-Kwanza holiday season. Microsoft has traditionally selected this auspicious period to introduce new entertainment titles. It makes perfect sense and is a smart time to launch a new version of Flight Simulator. But, as with any major new software project, delivery dates are always subject to change. Don't forget that if you live outside the US, it has always taken a few extra weeks to get new versions of Flight Simulator on the shelves.
So, as our British friends say, "Don't get your knickers in a twist," about the exact minute FSX will be available. FS2004 has been a simply marvelous sim and we can all stand to enjoy it for as long as possible.
Holiday 2006 (November or December) is a long way off. So, you have plenty of time to enjoy the wonders of FS2004. We will continue to see fantastic scenery, aircraft panels and other add-ons for FS2004 coming your way throughout the year. Your intrepid FlightSim.Com team will track FSX progress throughout the year. When Microsoft says, "It's done," we'll report it and you can head to the store to grab your copy.
In the collected wisdom of your FlightSim.Com editorial team, trailing a new software release this far ahead is off the wall, but increasing speculation that there wasn't going to be another version may have triggered the announcement. Just because Microsoft jumps the gun and prematurely announces a new version of Flight Simulator almost a year in advance, does not mean that the flightsim community will stop simming or developing for FS2004, a product which still has a lot of life ahead of it. After all, what else are we going to do, play Parcheesi? Early publicity about FSX will not help Microsoft sell a single additional box, any more than announcing FSX next summer at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) would have done. But, this early sneak peek certainly does give us all something to drool over for the next 11 months, so maybe we shouldn't be complaining!
Q:
What’s new in “Microsoft Flight Simulator X”?
Commentary: Is that all you've got to say?
OK, the official line sounds tantalizingly exciting, doesn't it? Shaded rivets! Sun glinting off metal and Plexiglas. Be still my heart!
Seriously now flightsim fans, we've been there, done that in FS2004. While we are certain to hear more about FSX as it develops, inquiring minds want to read between the lines and ask questions about things that are much more exciting to flightsimmers of all persuasions from the first time newbie to the skilled veteran.
Andrew Herd and "Mad" Max Merlin covered lots of bases in Beyond 2004 and Flightsim With Guns. Plus, our forum members have had a lively discussion about what they want in the FS2004 Wish List Forum.
The comment, "We are also improving the multiplayer technology to allow the community to connect in new ways." Has us intrigued but what the hell does it really mean? Are they talking about Star Trek-styled holographic experiences? Built-in live ATC? Or, something as mundane as built-in VOIP (such as Roger Wilco or Teamspeak). Does this mean, for example, that flightsimmers will be able to take on different roles in the multiplayer flight? It would definitely peg high on the cool factor meter if one flightsimmer in London could be the pilot in command, while his buddy in Rome is flying the right-hand seat as co-pilot, our pal in Phoenix is flying the engineer's panel on this imaginaryFSX Constellation. Our friend in Rio is the air traffic controller and all this happens in a multiplayer flight session while we fly this bird transcon from JFK to LAX. Pinch us hard! Are we dreaming? Now that would be something worth reporting.
Don't you just love this line, "We are adding a new mission-based element to give fans a more objective driven experience with a sense of progression and skill development." Now what do you suppose that is going to produce in the next 11 months? Does it mean that we will be seeing a new and exciting adventure system? That would certainly be a huge boost for adventure creators, both freeware and payware. Does it mean that adventures will progress from ground school to PPL, single-engine VFR then on to twins, IFR, jets? Does it mean that you won't be able to unlock the Boeings until you can fly the Cessnas properly? Will the Microsoft wizards actually give us a decent soaring sim and great adventures riding the thermals? We took one look at all the sailplanes and ultralights in the screen shots and realized that the answer is a resounding, "Yes!". Soaring simmers may be in for more of a treat than they bargained for.
Does this mean that all of you combat flightsimmers will finally have a realistic platform to create accurate modern aerial combat strike packages and missions? We can hardly wait to see what the FS community can come up with if we get a powerful platform with those capabilities. But wait, Microsoft didn't actually say that, now did they? So, we are still left scratching our collective heads and dreaming of things to come. "This is just the beginning and, in the coming months, we look forward to sharing more information..." So, stay tuned.
Q:
Will “Flight Simulator X” require Windows Vista?
Commentary: This is a trick question, right?
On the one hand the FAQ says, "We take full advantage of Windows Vista and the latest Windows gaming hardware to create a beautifully rich and immersive 3D world for aviation fans..." And in the next section we read, "No. While “Flight Simulator X” will not require Windows Vista, it will be optimized for the latest in Windows gaming hardware and fans will get the best experience by running on Windows Vista." Can you possibly have it both ways? We think you can.
Translation: FSX will be an awesome performer on advanced PCs with Windows Vista and DirectX 10. FSX will also utilize 5.1 surround sound. So if you use a 5.1 speaker system, you can rattle the windows with the sound of round. But, if you're like many flightsimmer who use a headset and mic with Voice Buddy, multiple speaker surround sound is not such a big deal. We expect the sound systems for the aircraft to be music to our ears as they are now.
The
big question that remains is, will FSX also run well enough on existing PCs
using Windows XP. Allow us to connect the dots for you all on this one.
Microsoft is going to revolutionize computing when Windows Vista is launched
next fall. Don't you think it's an amazing coincidence that both Windows Vista
and FSX are slated for release about the same time?
PC manufacturers such as Dell are already delivering systems that are ready with dual core processors and all the goodies needed to optimize the Windows Vista 64-bit experience. So, we see a situation where those of us who want to flightsim with ultimate realism and squeeze out every drop of aviation action from FSX will definitely want to do it on a Windows Vista machine.
Since the exact details of what's in store for us with Windows Vista are as shrouded in secrecy as FSX details, no one knows precisely what this brave new world of computing will entail. But, if you've been around computers as long as we have (since the day the first personal computer was invented), you've experienced enough breakthroughs from Microsoft to understand that Vista is not going to be a ho-hum operating system. So, if FSX is taking full advantage of Vista and advanced hardware, bet on it that you'll want to run it on a high-end Windows Vista system.
Does this mean you must throw away your trusty Pentium 4 that has served you so well these past years chugging away at 3 GHz and processing FS2004? Of course not. Fact is that many of us want the most sublime experience possible and we'll start building our systems today so that when FSX arrives, we can just kick it and go. Others will adopt a wait-and-see approach. In the next section, we discuss performance requirements and make a few preliminary recommendations based on today's state-of-the-art entertainment PC systems and technologies. Take notes and use this as your first shopping guide to gear up for FSX.
Simply put, our recommendation is that flightsimmers should plan to upgrade to Windows Vista. It only hurts for a minute, so quit complaining already. FSX will be released at the same time as the 64-bit Windows Vista operating system. We know that it will take full advantage of Vista. The question remains as to whether it will also take full advantage of dual core Intel Pentium processing. We would be very surprised and disappointed if it did not. Stay tuned and as soon as we know, you will know. But, it stands to reason that FSX will run very well in both 64-bit and 32-bit operating system environments. For the ultimate, "as real as it gets" experience, 64-bit Windows Vista and a powerful dual core Pentium processor system will be a sure bet.
Q:
What type of computer hardware will I need to run “Flight Simulator X”?
Commentary: Mo' fasta, Mo' betta.
While Microsoft has not officially released the system requirements for FSX, their comment above is typical of how the Flight Simulator platform is designed to run on a range of systems. But, you cannot have it all ways. Based on past advances in the Flight Simulator line, we can expect FSX to perform to our community's high standards of smooth graphics, awesome audio, breathtaking scenery, exquisite details and exciting adventures – on systems that are at today's moderately high end of the PC system spectrum. This means, don't expect FSX to give you a great flight on your trusty old Pentium III. Take a look under your hood. If your PC is at least a Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz, with at least 1GB of SDRAM and a fast EIDE or SATA hard drive, with a 128MB 8X AGP video card – you probably have enough horsepower to "run" FSX. Just as with FS2004, you'll need to dial down some of the performance settings to have a smooth flight with simplified graphics, weather and traffic settings. a 3 GHz system would be my recommendation for a basic place to start.
We can venture a well educated guess that it will require a significant computer system upgrade to run FSX as smoothly as we all want and with all the video, audio, traffic, weather and scenery features cranking full throttle. After all, we want to upgrade our flightsim experience, not just give our money to Microsoft for the same old experience, right?
We don't need a crystal ball to make that prediction. Even when they are finally revealed, we never take Microsoft's minimum system requirements as the gospel truth. In my entire 20+ years of working in the PC world, we have never had any application run to my satisfaction at minimum system requirements. That's practically a Law of Nature.
What was true in the past is that with FS2002, Combat Flight Simulator 3 and FS2004 – we all had to upgrade our computers to get the most out of those flightsimming experiences. Stands to reason that we'll all need more horsepower under the hood to have a sublime FSX experience. So, now would be a good time to gear up and get over it.
To gear up properly for FSX, I'm recommending a fast CPU starting at least with a 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 processor and 533 FSB. My best recommendation is a system with an Intel Pentium 4 Processor 670 that runs at 3.8 GHz with an 800 MHz front Side Bus (FSB). You'll also want hyperthread technology (HT), 2MB cache and Intel PCI Express graphics for maximum performance and mind-blowing results. It's a good thing that PC prices are dropping lower every day. Best of all is the fact that if you gear up now, you'll also enjoy a spectacular improvement in your FS2004 experience.
Commentary: Thanks, for the memories...
Gear up with a minimum of 1GB dual channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533 MHz. Best would be 2GB at 667 GHz.
Commentary: Consider a RAID array
Two drives are far better than one. You can run FSX with a single hard drive provided you have plenty of room for the new application and all the add-ons you'll be getting for free from FlightSim.Com or buying from the payware developers. But, consider the benefit of a dual drive RAID array that's optimized for gaming performance. A 500GB array that consists of two, 250GB drives would be best. If you need less overall storage, you could downsize to a 320GB array with twin 160GB matched drives. The primary benefit of RAID array for gaming is that it dramatically increases system hard drive input-output performance by a whopping 50%.
Be sure to have a DVD drive ready since FSX will only ship on DVD. Bravo, for that one. You can fit almost 7 CDs worth of data on a single 4.5GB DVD. That will make FSX installation a lot less tedious than the chore of installing FS2004. Life is too short to waste time swapping CDs to install software. The only comment we have about that move is, "Outstanding. Well done." Plus, from what I'm reading between the lines, there may be cinematic content on the DVD that will play during the sim's operation.
Commentary: Get PCI Express and double your GRAM
You'll want an Intel PCI Express capable video card with minimum of 128MB of GRAM. You'll also want a minimum NVIDIA 6800 or ATI Radeon X850. Best would be NVIDIA 7800 with 256MB GRAM. But, save your money on the 512MB models. That's probably overkill and over-spending.
Q:
Will aircraft from FS2004 be compatible with “Flight Simulator X”?
Commentary: Just wait and see.
This is always a complex issue that is seldom resolved to everyone's satisfaction until after Flight Simulator is released. Each new version brings significant technological advances across-the-board. It's a wonder that Flight Simulator has been so good in the past about maintaining decent backward compatibility. As with FS2004, we will see some airplanes that work well in FSX and others that do not. Those add-ons that conformed to the FS2004 SDK have the best shot at working in the new version. But, this is a Catch-22. It's the developers that push the envelope who bring us the truly amazing add-ons, but they are also more at risk of being the ones who pay the price of ending up with incompatible code. We will be talking to developers over the next year to get their feedback on this topic, but don't forget that almost every popular add-on coded for FS2002 ended up being upgraded to be compatible with FS2004. Our recommendation to the savvy payware companies is to offer FS2004 add-on buyers some sort of loyalty bonus when they upgrade your payware products to your FSX versions. But, that's just our recommendation. We'll have to wait and see how this drama unfolds.
Q: What are the types of aircraft featured in “Flight Simulator X”?
Commentary: At last, the $64,000 question.
You
can see from the screen shots that we are going to get some exciting new
aircraft in FSX. The Grumman Goose and DeHavilland Beaver look especially
tantalizing. Other new aircraft include DG sailplanes, ultralights, and the
Airbus A321. The Boeing 737 has been upgraded to the model 800.
Will we see something even more thrilling? How about a Boeing Triple-7 or even the new B787 Dreamliner? For you GA fans, I'll just bet you would love to see more microjets like the Cessna Mustang or Adam 700. C'mon Microsoft, stretch a bit and take on a turboprop performer like the ATR 72-500. And would someone please give us a decent Super-G Constellation? That airplane was as important to aviation history as it was a sheer delight to look at and a challenge to fly. FS2004 did an outstanding job with the DC-3, so why not go uptown and give us a DC-4, 6 or 7? We imagine that the Microsoft team could do an awesome job with the beloved Pilatus Porter, too.
More importantly, Microsoft has said nothing about panels and instrumentation, yet. Will the 2D panel survive into the new version, or will it finally be consigned to the dustbin of history? This writer wants to know if some of those nagging quirks will be fixed in FSX. Issues like autopilot. Seems I'm always hearing people complain about it not working properly.
Q:
How many airports are included in “Flight Simulator X?”
Commentary: Has anyone ever flown to all 24,000 airports?
Just to give you all some perspective on what an amazing accomplishment this is, the World Aeronautical Database only lists 10,000 airports worldwide. FSX will have more than twice that number. Pretty impressive. But that's only part of the story.
"...High-detail airports and added a new level of “interactivity...” sounds intriguing. Yet, it begs the questions about whether FSX will fix some of the more annoying quirks that we experienced in FS2004 and introduce some thrilling new features. For example, ground movements are an issue with FS2004. Many of us find most planes overly difficult to stop and taxi. Real world pilots who are avid flightsimmers and know the difference from personal experience, have reported that control responses are not realistic when taxiing. Fixing that would make viewing all of the FSX detailed airport scenery a lot more enjoyable. Terminals always look better when you're not crashing into them. AI taxiing speeds also need some kind of fix to prevent the snarl-ups and go arounds we are all familiar with at busy airports.
Will FSX finally be able to handle runways that aren’t completely flat? Combining that with enhanced mission capabilities could prove very exciting. Wouldn't you just love to try your hand at flying into Vietnam War era jungle airfields all over Vietnam and Laos in your Porter or C-123. These fields were seldom flat and almost always difficult and dangerous approaches. Flying Air America missions would certainly earn any serious flightsimmer major bragging rights.
Final
wrap with a few more lingering questions.
'Sup with the scenery?
The screenies show us scenery and ground objects that look fantastic. Yet, I'm curious about scenery coverage. In the past, Flight Simulator has used generic scenery tiles for most of the world that was based on relatively low resolution terrain data. This is a huge planet when you're trying to model it for software that sells for $50. So, Microsoft compromised in the past by delivering a few highly enhanced areas. We expect them to do the same with FSX. Question is, what areas and how detailed? Or, will the whole world gain a new level of detail? This makes a big difference as to whether there will still be room for scenery developers to operate or not.
Based on prior history, we expect Microsoft to deliver a powerful scenery platform that will leave plenty of room for detailed scenery enhancements. But, this still begs the question of whether FSX will be able to manage the textures in photosceneries so we can finally use it for VFR navigation?
Anything new with ATC?
Real world pilots report that FS2004 ATC quirks are very annoying. They dislike the way FS2004 ATC keeps vectoring you a few degrees left, then a few degrees right, then back again during en-route flight. That is hardly, "as real as it gets." Will FSX ATC get smarter and more realistic? Even more importantly, will it provide a richer platform for VATSIM activities and other ATC adventures?
What about my FS2004 add-ons - should I stop buying now?
Nope, and we aren't saying that just because we hope to sell you some. There is a whole year ahead, 365 days minimum, before FSX lands. When the new version does arrive, there won't be any add-on software available and even utilities we take for granted, like FSUIPC, will take time to recode and debug. So based on our collective past experience, we anticipate that there will be a period of maybe as long as six months when the majority of simmers will be running FS2004 and FSX side by side. Only toward the end of that time will enough of our favorite addo-ns have been upgraded for us to finally make the break and wave FS2004 goodbye - and even then, we will go back to it from time to time, because every new version of FS has taken out a few must-have features from the old. That's what they call progress.
Great
start, too early to tell.
Since it's so early, such details are premature to report just now. Microsoft opened the Wizard's curtain for this early peek and left us with far more questions than they are prepared to answer at this stage.
What we do want to know about are the overall design goals. What is going to make FSX something truly new and must-have. In FS2004 we had plenty: real-time weather, great aircraft, significant ATC improvements, better scenery, cool graphics, solid sound and much more. We are staunch supporters of keeping the sim's open architecture. Even this preliminary discussion leads us to conclude that Microsoft will continue their 20-year tradition of that with FSX.
For every yin, there's a yang. FSX will certainly be an open architecture but will Microsoft deliver the SDK's to the developer community at the same time as the product, and not a year afterwards as they did with FS2004? If they do that, the ability to animate birds, create detailed ground objects and elaborate adventures could be put to interesting use by enterprising 3rd parties.
The screens, the planes, and oh that scenery!
As you can see from the screen shots, FSX is simply gorgeous. When you dig into the details, you start to see the brilliance of this simulator. The Microsoft team has paid close attention to both the big picture and the smallest details. As a design platform, FSX should be a real boost to the add-on payware and freeware communities. You guys are going to have a ball and we expect that the community will rapidly turn out aircraft, scenery, adventures, panel and gauge enhancements that will go far beyond anything Microsoft delivers in the box.
The photorealistic scenery is breathtaking. You'll notice
exquisite detail in buildings and a shocking improvement in the reality factor.
Landscapes and buildings look as real as possible on a two dimensional computer
monitor. The new graphics engine makes aircraft look stunning and gives them an
almost airbrush illustration ethereal quality. Perhaps a bit too romantic but
this may evolve as the product moves through its development stages. The new
graphics engine uses advanced DirectX shading techniques that provide for exquisite details.
Inquiring minds want to know just how much system horsepower will be required to
drive all these gorgeous graphics?
You can see screen shots of many different aircraft, ultralights and helicopters from all angles. One thing that leaps off the screen is the fact that FSX has the proportional view angles down cold. That was something lacking in CFS3, for example, where everything had that wide-angle camera lens distortion.
The addition of surprise objects and animations such as flocks of flying birds seems like a touch of whimsy that may have come from the XBox console game side of Microsoft Game Studios. But, before you dismiss it, bird strikes around airports are a nasty reality and yet another touch of realism that FSX brings to the sim.
So, click away and enjoy the show.
The addition of surprise objects and animations such as flocks of flying birds seems like a touch of whimsy that may have come from the XBox console game side of Microsoft Game Studios. But, before you dismiss it, bird strikes around airports are a nasty reality and yet another touch of realism that FSX brings to the sim.
When you view the screen shots below and above, you'll notice a few hidden treasures that include:
