Newsletter + NEW PHOTOS

[n4gix 4,955]

What concerns me about the latest screenshots are that they have an overall cartoonish look, rather than a photographic look...

You can determine this from extremely low-resolution, compressed images how?

[rodger 0]

I think I see cloud shadows in pic #2. Or may be wrong? :(

[shivers9 1,174]

I am glad that they have put to bed the online off line play question once and for all. It looks like they are making some nice improvements in the area of scenery but I so far don't think that it is a threat to the wonderful Orbx products. It is early and it just may be my old red burning eyes but the trees do seem to take away from the shots so far. They may still be a work in progress ...we shall see. In any event, it does appear that they are working torwards improving some of the frame killers like autogen trees and that is positive. Now if they can figure out a way for ATC to say...Cessna 20 Charley ...Winds 180 at 10 knots...Cleared for takeoff!!....LOL

[Squatdrop 25]

Hi pilots !Disapointed by picture n°4, so many rivers which seems unrealistic...RegardsEric

[simmerhead 885]

Compared to what? :(

Photographs... Or simply, ORBX textures which have a more photorealistc look to them.

You can determine this from extremely low-resolution, compressed images how?

It's no exact science, but as a landscape (and aerial) photographer for 15 years I've spent thousands of hours looking at and studying real landscapes, and spent countless hours processing and printing photographs. It is what I do most of my awake hours. I don't base my judgment on resolution, I base it on the colours (whic are strange) and the shadows I see in the screenshots. They look more graphical than photographical too me.

[themose 11]

These shots were nice, especially the airport photo.Im really excited for this release and Im now getting fully behind it now as Im liking what I see.the proof of the pudding though will be when we see these sceneries flowing at 30fps in a new video (hopefully)

[scoob 18]

Also the new pictures look fantastic!

Those look very good, especially the airport shot!

screenshots mean little .. it is the gameplay that matters. what type of CPU/GPU/etc are needed to have fluid gameplay and have your screen look like the promotional pictures.folks posting in AVSIM's screen shot forum have been creating shots like these since FS8 and early FS9. FS9 and FSX can do exactly what is shown by these promotional pictures.i've seen too many vaporware sceen shots, and video, of scenery and aircraft that never arrived to market that i look at MS's and say, "OK, looks nice but i'll believe it only when i see it installed on my computer."--

[mmann 72]

These shots were nice, especially the airport photo.Im really excited for this release and Im now getting fully behind it now as Im liking what I see.the proof of the pudding though will be when we see these sceneries flowing at 30fps in a new video (hopefully)

Yes that will be when we know if we have a winner or not!! If I need to have an Intel Sandy Bridge overclocked on water then in my eyes that would qualify it as a loser. All we can do now is watch and hope.Regards, Mike Mann

[_michal 5]

I really like the lighting on the third shot. It looks like house parts in shadows are lit by the blue sky. Love it. Hopefully aircrafts and other dynamic object will be lit in the same way. Shadows in the valley on the second screen are very nice too.So far it's very good. I hope they'll release few new screenshots every month.

[MatthewS 761]

The shots look pretty good, the lighting seems better.But remember, this is the same Microsoft that posted the DX10 'preview' shot back before FSX was released, so who knows how much these shots have been edited.Flight is an enhanced version of FSX, that's obvious... the screens just look too similar for it to be a completely new engine! What we've seen so far are a lot new textures but nothing that's obviously "new tech" except for maybe the horizontal textures on cliffs.Where are cloud shadows, it's 2011 FFS!

[frankla 44]

Two things bother me about pics:1) The autogen representing forests as in pic 2 do not form a canopy as they do in FSX. They also look to have been so evenly placed that it looks like a tree farm instead of forest.2)The tributaries are way too over exaggerated from distance in these shots. They should not be so visible from distance as to create illusion of having hundreds of rivers.

What concerns me about the latest screenshots are that they have an overall cartoonish look, rather than a photographic look...

I think what makes it cartoonish looking is the way they have placed the trees. Specially in pic 2.

[Valcor 9]

Two things bother me about pics:1) The autogen representing forests as in pic 2 do not form a canopy as they do in FSX. They also look to have been so evenly placed that it looks like a tree farm instead of forest.2)The tributaries are way too over exaggerated from distance in these shots. They should not be so visible from distance as to create illusion of having hundreds of rivers.

Yeah, your issue #1 is directly tied to your issue #2. In real life, the tree canopy would cover up the vast majority of these tributaries, so they wouldn't stand out nearly as much. (in most cases)Really excited that it finally looks like they got the "airport pads" area right! Airports that naturally blend in worldwide would be an awesome addition. Also, the clouds look to have some real "soul" and natural convective activity to them.

[MatthewS 761]

Disapointed by picture n°4, so many rivers which seems unrealistic...

Yes looks bad because there's no autogen trees in the distance to partly obstruct your view of the river.You would think that MS could somehow extend autogen into the distance so that roads and rivers look more realistic (ie partially obscured).edit: But of course this is exactly what it looks like in FSX and since Flight is just an enhanced version of FSX we are stuck with the same deficiencies.

[HUSSAR 272]

I like the new shots, vaporware or not. Looks like they are working on environmental diffusion and finally taking into account what effect the weather has when it moves into an area. It does look as though it is dark under the clouds off in the distance in pic #1 but I do not believe they have included cloud shadowing as it looks more like ground shadows are having an effect on terrain lighting in pic #2.The buildings and airport environment look nice, well done keep up the good work.

[Guest jahman]

What concerns me about the latest screenshots are that they have an overall cartoonish look, rather than a photographic look...

They are using HDR - High Dynamic Range imagingCheers,- jahman.