MSFS as a global world rendition platform : Earth + Atmoshpere

[Scottoest 1,561]

I... think we need to avoid going too gaga over MSFS's world and detail, until we are actually flying planes ourselves inside it.  We've seen some previews, and collectively watched about 30 minutes of footage, and are declaring it suitable to be some sort of planetary engine.

Sometimes I worry that the hype for MSFS is getting a little too overheated, to the point that the inevitable compromises of the initial released product will have no chance to live up to what people are already seeing in their heads, even if it's ultimately still a big step forward for the genre on many fronts overall.

[simtom 495]

11 hours ago, Scottoest said:

Sometimes I worry that the hype for MSFS is getting a little too overheated

I feel the same way. I already see complaints coming in that the street they landed in isn't really that detailed. 

What I always tell people then is to remember what we currently have and what we'll get with MSFS. Sure, we might demand even better scenery in 5 or 10 years but for now it absolutely looks stunning (even with the occasional mesh bug of the photogrammetry).

[andyjohnston.net 617]

Yes!

It looks very pretty from high up, but we have to remember that as we get closer to the scenery, that illusion will inevitably become less accurate.  Let's not get too crazy

[Baber20 1,438]

2 hours ago, andyjohnston.net said:

Yes!

It looks very pretty from high up, but we have to remember that as we get closer to the scenery, that illusion will inevitably become less accurate.  Let's not get too crazy

Exactly and that is why we should keep our expectations in check. What we are getting is already far and above to all the current offerings. I mean its not even in the same league. From the looks of it we are getting a very convincing image from 2000ft. Guess that should be good enough for now.

Edited November 13, 2019 by Baber20

[tarere 45]

14 hours ago, Scottoest said:

Sometimes I worry that the hype for MSFS is getting a little too overheated

This is a shortcut from the analysis of the thread. The subject of the thread is "we need a global world rendition (mainly visual) to plug any app in it", and far from games only, and that MSFS seems to be a first step in that direction. Then MSFS could be built in layers, with long terms goals in mind, when I talked about procedural plausible world at ground level based on real world data I am thinking 5 to 10 years from now. It is food for thought, nobody here is expecting a perfect world at release, this is long term thinking.

When you are a software developper, you make sure you do not code things twice. If one has already solved a problem, you use the solution (so to speak : the code as a library). That is the essence of this thread. Let MS be at the start of an open world rendering, if they choose to.

[HiFlyer 9,332]

15 hours ago, Scottoest said:

I... think we need to avoid going too gaga over MSFS's world and detail, until we are actually flying planes ourselves inside it.  We've seen some previews, and collectively watched about 30 minutes of footage, and are declaring it suitable to be some sort of planetary engine.

Sometimes I worry that the hype for MSFS is getting a little too overheated, to the point that the inevitable compromises of the initial released product will have no chance to live up to what people are already seeing in their heads, even if it's ultimately still a big step forward for the genre on many fronts overall.

Well, what I've noticed is that anytime anyone has tried to put some cautionary notes into the hype, the next ten posts are about people being negative... 😸

So..... eh.

Let the hype roll. I presume when its actually out, we'll have ample time to float as far back to earth as necessary.

[HiFlyer 9,332]

The pictures below are specifically why I mentioned earlier that something like Outerra might have some advantages, as that technology easily goes to ground level with little distortion, whereas current photogrammetry has a tendency (much like Google earth) to lack granularity the closer you get to a given object/building/tree. (except in showcase areas)

Note that I'm not knocking Ms2020 here, only acknowledging that the technology, specifically photogrammetry, while having come a long way, still has definite limits.

This might be a good thing if it leaves room for 3rd party developers to create more granular scenery to fill in gaps.

 

[adino 263]

come on...this is a sim not the real world..

[tarere 45]

A very intersting follow up to this thread.
At least for the few here who actually see far ahead and think at high flight levels :

https://www.pcgamesn.com/microsoft-flight-simulator/mods

"Microsoft Flight Simulator head says devs are “five years” from using an open source model of Earth"

"It looks like the world could be just five short years away from having an open source model of earth so good that any studio could build a game or simulator in it. That’s according to Microsoft Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann, who has spoken to PCGamesN in an interview at X019."

That's very interesting. That's what the future hold I think.