I have been waiting for REX for a while. I am not sure if their solution is a trick of changing textures or somehow they have changed the lighting engine.

I don't know how they will do it, my point was to show that it's better for MS to make a good engine sit on their lay back and collect the money from 3rd party selling add-ons in the store, so they don't have to worry about pleasing us since somebody else will do it, they just have to cash in with the store.

Amazing, beautiful, magnificent!!! WOW I love them!!! The wave textures on the coasts, the water, the shadows, the buildings, the way everything blends and looks natural, the colours!!! BRAVO!!! Can't wait!!!

I have been waiting for REX for a while. I am not sure if their solution is a trick of changing textures or somehow they have changed the lighting engine.

I would take a wild guess that they would use transparent textured polys positioned by sprites similar to how the clouds are created projected onto the ground. If this was the case I don't think they would produce a very convincing appearance on anything but flat terrain, such as in the preview shots. I could be totally off but for sure they have not changed the engine. I'm still hopeful to see cloud shadows in FLIGHT.

I've always thought Microsoft did a good job with scenery and this press release reinforces my opinion. I do however hope they put more focus on what I and others from the FS community have been asking Microsoft for years:

1. Completely Overhauled Weather Model - Weather plays such a major role in all flight operations. Weather has been a contributing factor to many aviation accidents over the years. Icing, contaminated runways, hail, wind shear, are few of the weather hazards out there that have had little to no impact on my flight simulation experience. Visual models of overcast skies, thunderstorms, various types of precipitation, and transitions from one weather area to another need to be improved. It's time for MS to create a weather model where we can admire it's beauty and respect it's power.
2. Improved ATC Model - I have no desire to fly online with other aviators. I prefer being immersed into an environment where realistic ATC procedures are being used at any airport I desire, at any time of the day, and with as many AI aircraft in the area following the same procedures. Airports should use realistic runway and taxiway traffic flows based on weather conditions and airport congestion.
3. New Lighting Model - From city lights to aircraft internal and external lights, lightning, and the numerous types of airport lighting systems, MS needs to make substantial improvements to this area.
4. Frame Rate Performance - This has been a complaint by many for years. MS needs to make the game playable with visuals maxed using existing and commonly used technology.
5. Airport Models - Airports realistically modeled to include runway textures / materials, runway slope, taxiways, taxiway signs, airport markings, lighting systems. Model all published gates, and parking spots.
6. Database - Use multiple data providers to update all of the IAPs, new runways, remodeled airports, and new airports created since the release of FSX. In particular, several Chinese airports have opened up recently that are not modeled by the default FSX scenery.

There are many other features that I'd like to see however the features listed above are some of the more commonly discussed features. I hope Microsoft Flight truly is a completely new product and not a mid-life upgrade to FSX.

May's flight photo #1 is definitely offshore Hana, Maui, and flight screenshot #5 is taken south of PHDH (Dillingham Airfield), in the vicinity of Waianae, looking south-southeast. The point in the distance is where you'll find airport PHJR, and you can see the entrance to Pearl Harbor and PHNL's reef runway in the upper, left-hand corner of screenshot #5.My wishlist for Flight? A flight sim plane that doesn't require inside rudder to be held while established in a turn at cruising speed in order to retain coordinated flight (11,000 hrs. non-virtual flying here).Papafox1

I think that shot 2 / 5 shows a relatively overcast sky, an improvement on FSX in my humble opinion. But I do agree with the other chap who said the solid grey block from FS4 would be nice I understand why someone would say this because the ability to break through the cloud layer is such an important element, particularly if you live in the UK where overcast skies are frequent. The 'Windows 98' colour comment is fair enough too, but this photo (which I have tried to attach) of screenshot 4 / 5 in the March update shows more variety of colour than the Honolulu city don't you think?

Seriously folks, if Flight is only to be released sometime next year, then this seriously does look very good - at this stage. You can deduce from what we've seen here that 3rd party potential to make Flight look absolutely brillaint is huge.I truly think when Flight comes out, many words will be eaten from this thread...:( Although it would be interesting to know whether we are looking at the detailed ground texturing and blending(which I assume we are) as opposed to the global generic look.Presumably, Hawaii is getting an Extreme Makeover from a default perspective.

Lets help them out... MS :( My thougths... combine the cloud blocks of FS98 with the 2D cloud clusters of FSX to get a better cloud representation. The blocks, physically invisible define the sprite area's and help with ground shadow area determination. When entering the blocks, gradually, grey/white fog becomes the outside view while at the same time a whispy cloud particle effect is triggered in front of the airplane. There is already a XML variable for this in the SDK. I have experimented with that in FSX and it shure added to the feeling of flying in something dense (especially the sense of speed when in a cloud). Unfortunately FSX works with cloud layers, not blocks and therefore the whisp cloud effect would also appear in open (blue sky) area's. Just some thoughts... :(

Very Good Work MICROSOFT .... !! screens really show what Microsoft working in this title... very very good... light ... Water ... and Model.I think MS guys working at Weather features at this time... let we know at E3 i suppose... and i hope start Beta in june /july(do you remember FSX ? :-D )...I m a developer of addon for FSX and i m a SW developer at my first job.. Anyone(or Microsoft) can answer me if Microsoft Flight Team are using SCRUM software development ?I hope that anyone at MS can satisfy my question ;-) ....CiaoFabio[email protected]FlightControlReplay Developer

Seriously folks, if Flight is only to be released sometime next year, then this seriously does look very good - at this stage. You can deduce from what we've seen here that 3rd party potential to make Flight look absolutely brillaint is huge.

It's way too early for me to be posting, first cup of coffee early. But I like the post.As with any of the released versions of Flight Simulator the last decade, it's not what it IS, but what it can become.Flight is looking better than FSX out of the box. It's what will happen when the SDKs are investigated that will reveal it's true potential.

I think this is the same place:

I think they look nice. I admit it does scream FSX engine...But it looks much much improved from FSX. The only thing I don't like is the boring buildings in downtown, they look just like FS9/X buildings.Things I'm concerned about:1) Will this be on DVD or download only?If it's DVD there's gonna be a bunch of them - those textures look higher res than FSX. If it's download it's gonna be a while.2) Hawaii only so far... I mean I can understand if we downloaded additional scenery areas, because I have no desire to fly in a few places - but I'd love to see more than HI.

To some extent I can agree it looks - "nice".But very far from fresh code or even "clean slate". This kind of software built from scratch would surely given us Rise of Flight or even A-10 Warthog in terms of graphics (and physics). Its 2011, approaching 30 years of flightsimulator history - by now MS possesses tremendous knowledge on what the community really wants; its stated several times already in this thread from those who are not laying on their backs in praise of new default airplanes and some overworked scenery from Hawai.And for those who believe we should leave it to the 3d party developers entirely to hand us better weather, AI, models, scenery etc - why so naive ? I would've agree if MS actually evolved a better platform, one that did not depend on numerous other products to give satisfaction. But this looks too much like FSX, and for most of us FSX meant years of frustration before both the community and hardware would cope. In everyones mind I guess we all hoped for "something new".Yes, its still early I hear you scream. They still have time to revolutionize Flight! with better physics, better weather, AI, lighting and ATC. And NO: they have not said anything about not doing so... But judging from the screenshots over the last 6 months theres nothing that indicates this, its a mere implementation of some shadowing and another way of blending upgraded textures. And for reason; if you could only have ONE type of shadow in a flightsimulator, what would you choose ? Look at e.g. X-plane and the enormous effect cloud shadow bring to depht and height. It plays a major role! And its not a part of "FS11"....? That's not only strange - its provocating. Who are they targeting with this ? Devoted and faithfull simmers ? Or the average console-player who just likes to be entertained ?I truly hope they have much more to show us than this ! :(

Very nice looking :) I can't wait to get my hands on it.That said, I just want to point out something else to the naysayers: we still don't know any details, so let's all wait to have the finished product before passing a final judgement.Besides, even if we don't like it, there will ALWAYS be limits in a computer simulation. Sure, modelling the entire earth with a 9m precision (airports, city buildings, you name it) would be insanely COOL, 100% percent realistic systems on ALL airplanes, full ATC and all that...But would the price of such a piece of software be actually affordable by common folks? I don't think so :)

"Who are they targeting with this ? Devoted and faithfull simmers ?" NO, NOT REALLY."Or the average console-player who just likes to be entertained ?" PRETTY MUCH without it being a CONSOLE release. It has always been like that.