February 20th, 2020 – Development/Insider Update

[MatthewS 761]

14 minutes ago, n4gix said:

You speak as though you have "inside knowledge". I do have an inside view and I can state unequivocally that you are wrong.

So you're saying Asobo have implemented undulation of runways/taxiways/aprons based on the underlying mesh?

 

14 minutes ago, n4gix said:

While you are absolutely free to swallow both of your feet by stating your "opinion" please keep in mind that there are others who actually know better. The characteristics of any given runway were generated from published data automatically, not based on underlying mesh, as was stated clearly (albeit with a very heavy French accent) in the latest Discovery video's narration.

I heard the bit about "slope", but slope is not undulation.  So you're saying here that runway slope is implemented (based on chart data) but not undulation of the entire airport surface based on the underlying mesh.  I know about slope. I'm talking about undulation.

So is undulation implemented?  You can confirm this? Otherwise your post only adds confusion not clarity.

So my assertion still stands and there is no evidence of undulation of the airport surface based on the underlying mesh. This is not controversial.

[azulkb 302]

How we can confirm a feature or not with NDA on our head ?

[Amon1973 1,421]

13 minutes ago, ChaoticBeauty said:

It is evident from the Feedback Snapshot that they are still considering creating major features for the game, that may or may not be ready at launch. It has been confirmed that they will be working on the game for years after launch, which means that the beta will not be a hard lock on the feature set. Their goal is to create a long-lasting platform that continuously evolves, and we'll probably not see Microsoft Flight Simulator II for a while.

By all means you should be posting any criticism or feature requests, as those help the team and they are monitoring these forums very closely. But you have to do so in a respectful way, and understand that they are prioritising their huge amount of tasks and that the simulator will never be perfect for everyone.

Exactly, constructive criticism is to be welcomed. I'm sure Asobo will welcome it.

[MatthewS 761]

16 minutes ago, eaim said:

Flight sims like Xplane have been out for years, yet they are still fixing major flaws that let the simulator down, but a product that is still in Alpha..... it's too late to do anything about it's flaws. To me it looks like your argument is inherently flawed.

This alpha is for the initial release, not some major update years away, which will have it's own alpha/beta cycle.

If they haven't started already then it's very unlikely IMHO they have time to implement undulation of the entire airport surface based on underlying mesh.

 

[Amon1973 1,421]

1 minute ago, MatthewS said:

This alpha is for the initial release, not some major update years away, which will have it's own alpha/beta cycle.

If they haven't started already then it's very unlikely IMHO they have time to implement undulation of the entire airport surface based on underlying mesh.

 

Well, we will have to disagree, as other devs have said it's perfectly possible to change things at this stage. Also certain insiders and mods have already told you that you are wrong about the undulating runway.

[mSparks 2,086]

22 minutes ago, eaim said:

Flight sims like Xplane have been out for years, yet they are still fixing major flaws that let the simulator down, but a product that is still in Alpha..... it's too late to do anything about it's flaws. To me it looks like your argument is inherently flawed.

I completely agree that obviously its not to late for any of them to fix the flaws.

Im sure after another ten years or so msfs2020 may very well be reaching bug free feature parity with the best flights sims available today.

 

[MatthewS 761]

4 minutes ago, azulkb said:

How we can confirm a feature or not with NDA on our head ?

Exactly so all the rest of us have to go on is the evidence shown in the videos. 

The airport video fails to show any evidence of undulation of airport surfaces based on underlying mesh, which would definitely be worthy of 30 seconds in the airport video.

IMHO Asobo have not implemented undulation of airport surfaces for the 36000+ generic airports (not talking about the "iconic" airports, like St Barths or Lukla etc).

[n4gix 4,947]

15 minutes ago, MatthewS said:

So you're saying Asobo have implemented undulation of runways/taxiways/aprons based on the underlying mesh?

<snipped for brevity>

So my assertion still stands and there is no evidence of undulation of the airport surface based on the underlying mesh. This is not controversial.

I just wrote no to the "underlying mesh" but rather from published data on the characteristics of the runways (engineering data). "Undulation" is a feature where the data is available.

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

Matthew, you've made your opinion very clear. There is no need to repeat yourself ad infinitum. Give it a rest will you?

 

[MatthewS 761]

2 minutes ago, eaim said:

Also certain insiders and mods have already told you that you are wrong about the undulating runway.

Franky I don't think they actually understand the question... I'll state it again:-

Has Asobo implemented undulation of the airport surface (including runways/taxiways/aprons) based on the underlying mesh for the 36000+ generic airports?

[sanh 823]

20+ pages of this? Reading this its quite clear only a small number of people are posting here. It's the same thing over and over. Argument over argument. Undulated runway or not....can we get over it before there is no one left here?

[suncoastflyer 685]

Using the underlying mesh is a horrible idea. It results in often deviations from the published aerodrome elevation due to poor mesh accuracy. Works great with mountains, where the tiniest details are overlooked, but when you are landing at a threshold that should be 434ft amsl and you end up touching down at 390ft, we have a problem. XP is a perfect representation of this garbage solution. The only sloping implemented or curves, bounces whatever, should come from published surveying data or something of similar accuracy. Nothing else will work. Flat would be better when comparing it to the mesh technique imo.

Edited February 21, 2020 by suncoastflyer

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

3 minutes ago, MatthewS said:

The airport video fails to show any evidence of undulation of airport surfaces based on underlying mesh, which would definitely be worthy of 30 seconds in the airport video.

It is very likely that the footage used in the episode is not from the most current build. This has been demonstrated with previous episodes, using footage from the early 2019 builds or even extended shots from the E3 and X019 trailers. It takes time to shoot, edit, render and encode an episode, so this is understandable.

1 minute ago, MatthewS said:

Has Asobo implemented undulation of the airport surface (including runways/taxiways/aprons) based on the underlying mesh for the 36000+ generic airports?

We already have two "confirmations" so far. Best not to push for further information at this stage. Perhaps Asobo can include a hint with the next update? 😉

[Amon1973 1,421]

3 minutes ago, ChaoticBeauty said:

It is very likely that the footage used in the episode is not from the most current build. This has been demonstrated with previous episodes, using footage from the early 2019 builds or even extended shots from the E3 and X019 trailers. It takes time to shoot, edit, render and encode an episode, so this is understandable.

We already have two "confirmations" so far. Best not to push for further information at this stage. Perhaps Asobo can include a hint with the next update? 😉

He still won't accept the truth. Even if Asobo themselves confirm it.

[MatthewS 761]

2 minutes ago, eaim said:

He still won't accept the truth. Even if Asobo themselves confirm it.

Show me some screenshots or a video and I'll believe it.

[GlideBy 324]

I wonder if seasonal ice runways are included?

https://tucson.com/lifestyles/mild-weather-closes-only-approved-ice-runway-in-lower/article_6885b754-38d1-522b-8cb0-b2a68e95fb83.html