Active Sky secret project for MS2020 ?

[LHookins 3,118]

11 minutes ago, kingm56 said:

Microsoft is a multi-billion dollar corporation; to that end, it's highly unlikely they would collaborate with an LLC as small as HiFi. 

I see no reason why Microsoft wouldn't subcontract the weather to a company like Hifi.  They have an exceptionally good weather system and it makes more sense to use an existing system than to re-invent the wheel.  For what it's worth, a few of the scenes in the video looked like what I've been seeing in P3Dv4 with Active Sky (ASP4) for quite some time.

FSX had real world weather from Jeppesen.  Anyone remember the problems it had?

Hook

[LHookins 3,118]

17 minutes ago, kingm56 said:

I'm also hopeful MFS brings some 'price control' to our ecosystem....

I haven't seen any third party aircraft that I didn't believe were reasonably priced.  I don't use scenery from third party developers so I don't know their pricing structure.  

Still, if they're selling through Microsoft, they might be able to charge less because Microsoft is handling a lot of their marketing.

Hook

[jabloomf1230 2,452]

I would say it has nothing to do with MSFS but rather it's an particle effect-based cloud/weather/sky add-on similar to  XEnviro. It's probably a bad time to develop/hype a new add-on

[Pastaiolo 1,690]

PMDG had a secret project for a long time too, and it was that organization thingy addon.

I seriously doubt that Active Sky has a secret project on MFS, especially since MFS seems to have noise generated clouds and the whole Active Sky history has been with 2d textures clouds. Besides that, it's a multi billion company. No one in the addon industry is irreplaceable for them (hence why my point in other topics about addon developers thinking they are a bit too important)

And i seriously hope we are not dragging down a new simulator with old tech like billboard 2d clouds.

Edited June 17, 2019 by france89

[ckyliu 1,749]

If MS are doing any partnerships with regards to FS weather, it's far more likely to be Simul TrueSky

Edited June 17, 2019 by ckyliu

[LHookins 3,118]

What Hifi would bring to the table is their interpretation and interpolation of weather based on METARs, which is extremely good.  Microsoft could use TrueSky for the depiction of clouds and Active Sky for the interpretation of the weather. 

I am constantly being impressed with Active Sky's interpolation of weather for areas where no data exists.  I was flying from Sparrevohn toward Merrill Pass once and saw ground fog in areas 30 or 40 miles from the nearest weather station, and I've seen similar ground fog in other areas not covered by METAR.  Fly along the Alaska coast between Yakutat and Sitka where it's clear and see clouds out over the ocean.

I haven't had any experience with TrueSky so I don't know what they've got available that Microsoft might use.

It doesn't matter, really.  We'll all know soon enough.

Hook

[SoJourned 65]

A for Aerofly

[ckyliu 1,749]

@LHookins MS has the opportunity to use more than just interpolated METARs and winds aloft. They could get access to rainful radars and satellite cloud pictures and local weather forecasts to provide a more accurate picture between airfields. Whether they would or not is another.

[LHookins 3,118]

2 hours ago, ckyliu said:

MS has the opportunity to use more than just interpolated METARs and winds aloft. They could get access to rainful radars and satellite cloud pictures and local weather forecasts to provide a more accurate picture between airfields.

That sounds pretty good.  

Not sure if it would be useful to use something like Hifi methods of integrating the various data sources.  I'm not ready to rule them out yet.  But you're right.

Hook

[buzzbee 53]

funny to come across this thread.  The weather in FS 2020 is really broken.  Crazy temps and 3kts winds aloft the entire world over.