Since Google Earth have already stream it's "scenery" for decades, I think streaming a 3D scenery is not that unrealistic.

If it could be supplemented by local detailed airports/cities just like the Layer of Scenery Librarywe use now, I feel promising with that.

1 hour ago, C2615 said:

Since Google Earth have already stream it's "scenery" for decades, I think streaming a 3D scenery is not that unrealistic.

It's not unrealistic if you have a fast and 100% reliable, always online Internet connection, and probably a solid state drive for buffering the incoming data (like then new Xbox MS is releasing in 2020). That seems to be where MS is going with their Xbox cloud project, and if we're seeing streamed scenery in the new MSFS it will probably tie into that.

I'm in a semi-rural area that can't get fast Internet. I'll bet I'm not alone. But I'm still looking forward to seeing where this new project is going, because we won't all be in the slow-bandwidth areas forever.

 

Wasn't Phil Spencer also involved with FSX?

Phil Taylor 

17 minutes ago, ErichB said:

Wasn't Phil Spencer also involved with FSX?

 

Just now, simmerhead said:

Phil Taylor 

 

That's it

He is now married and is using his wife’s last name.. 😎

Also in witness protection.

The whole interview is now available.

https://www.pcgamer.com/xboxs-phil-spencer-on-game-pass-steam-and-the-epic-games-store/

Some interesting points about Flight Simulator; especially the part where he says they don't want to force people to acquire a game either way, whether through their store or Steam.

Noticed what he said about weather too! 

6 minutes ago, simmerhead said:

Noticed what he said about weather too! 

'You're going to have to put at the bottom that that's in-game. because nobody's going to believe that's in-game." You notice the video says '4K in-game'. And then I said, "why does it look like that?". There's 2 petabytes of geographical data behind that game, that they're then using as your AI to stitch the seams together so as you're flying, you're seeing a seamlessly connected Earth. I was like "you've gotta put that in the video because it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen". It's using real geographical data, real weather data, to give you the ability to literally fly around what looks like a living planet.

 

So that amazing looking weather/clouds is powered by real weather data.

Umm - YES PLEASE!!!  - awesome..

 

Edited June 14, 20196 yr by irrics

1 hour ago, irrics said:

So that amazing looking weather/clouds is powered by real weather data.

Umm - YES PLEASE!!!  - awesome..

 

Current weather plugins for P3D and XP are capable of being "powered by real weather data" to show a static image in the background. That's not the same thing as a software-generated, dynamic weather system using that data. 

Using the impressive thunderstorm image from the other thread as an example, the "tell" would be whether those clouds are changing shape as the minutes tick by, or if it remains a static image. 

I'll be thrilled if it's dynamic, and not just prettier static clouds than what we get now in other sims (although for some here, that seems to be enough). But let's not jump to conclusions about it being dynamic weather until we know more.

3 minutes ago, Paraffin said:

I'll be thrilled if it's dynamic, and not just prettier static clouds than what we get now in other sims (although for some here, that seems to be enough). But let's not jump to conclusions about it being dynamic weather until we know more.

Certainly not jumping to any conclusions..

But let's be candid - if it only matched what we can currently do with 3rd party plugins, but was native, that'd be a win and enough for most everyone anyhow.  I'm of course hoping for much more, as I'm sure we all are.

You are excited at least a little bit, right?  😀

Sorry if I'm reading all your posts wrong in tone, but it just seems like you are cynical and skeptical almost to a fault here.  Again, if I'm reading you wrong, I very much apologize.  Text is hard to tell tone.

Edited June 14, 20196 yr by irrics

38 minutes ago, irrics said:

Certainly not jumping to any conclusions..

But let's be candid - if it only matched what we can currently do with 3rd party plugins, but was native, that'd be a win and enough for most everyone anyhow.  I'm of course hoping for much more, as I'm sure we all are.

I agree. You may not hang out on the XP forum here, but I've griped for years that Laminar needs to do a major update of the underlying weather engine, because there is only so much 3rd party addons can do without that.

I think 90% of the dynamic side of weather modeling should be handled by the base flight sim. Leave 10% to 3rd parties for eye candy like prettier sunsets. 

So yes, I'd be in favor of MSFS handling most or even all of that internally. It looks like they have it covered in the eye candy department anyway! I'm just more personally interested in dynamic weather effects, because that has an immediate impact on flying. And it's way too early to know anything about that.

When Spencer says MSFS is using data from real weather in the trailer, I don't think it necessarily means anything different from current weather modeling in P3D or XP (both with addons). It doesn't mean it's dynamic real weather. That may sound like splitting hairs, but there's a difference between a CB that's a static painting and one that includes dynamic, ever-changing modeling as a real system and not a painting.

 

Quote

 

You are excited at least a little bit, right?  😀

Sorry if I'm reading all your posts wrong in tone, but it just seems like you are cynical and skeptical almost to a fault here.  Again, if I'm reading you wrong, I very much apologize.  Text is hard to tell tone.

 

Oh sure, I'm excited about MSFS  just on general principles. It's nice to see them back in the game.

I've been flying sims for as long as anyone else here. I was one of the two SysOps in the flight sim forums on the old Compuserve system, before there was a World Wide Web. I ran the combat sim forum. We did regular, live "fly ins" using the BBS and the limited multiplayer flight mode back then. Somewhere in a closet I have a leather jacket that no longer fits, with a big "Microsoft Flight Simulator" stitched on the back. Got that from Microsoft as a gift for running an event on Compuserve. I'm a MS fan from way back, and only moved over to XP because (in my view) it did a better job of modeling the GA planes and helicopters I enjoy flying.

However, I'm also a skeptic by nature, and maybe I'm coming across too heavily in that respect. I just have an instinctual reaction to reading assumptions based on hope, and not solid evidence. There's been a lot of that here after the announcement.

Edited June 14, 20196 yr by Paraffin

19 minutes ago, Paraffin said:

When Spencer says MSFS is using data from real weather in the trailer, I don't think it necessarily means anything different from current weather modeling in P3D or XP (both with addons). It doesn't mean it's dynamic real weather. That may sound like splitting hairs, but there's a difference between a CB that's a static painting and one that includes dynamic, ever-changing modeling as a real system and not a painting.

I'd strongly suspect it's the former. I.E. that the weather system is more akin to what we currently have.

I'm not sure weather data exists to make a truly dynamic weather experience. Sure, you could have some kind of AI that builds out storms and has them build and change dynamically, but then it'd probably stray from what's actually going on in the real world and you know how much FS fans hate that.

Edited June 14, 20196 yr by bonchie

4 hours ago, bonchie said:

I'd strongly suspect it's the former. I.E. that the weather system is more akin to what we currently have.

I'm not sure weather data exists to make a truly dynamic weather experience. Sure, you could have some kind of AI that builds out storms and has them build and change dynamically, but then it'd probably stray from what's actually going on in the real world and you know how much FS fans hate that.

That's a good point. Current sims are just based on airport METAR reports or similar data. That's not enough to build a simulation of a chain of separate CB's in your path, or a huge advancing storm front that may be far from the airport.

My ideal imaginary future sim would tap into local radar data available online, and then generate thunderstorms as individual, fully modeled and dynamic 3D storms based on the red hot spots in the local wx radar data. That's how to do this, not just grabbing a METAR from the nearest airport and throwing that into the sim as "real weather." 

If we're talking about next generation sims, let's really get there with weather modeling as well as sexy terrain. The USA and Europe at least, have a network of realtime radar weather data that a sim should be able to use, with enough money thrown at the problem.