Microsoft's answer to ActiveSky

[devgrp 1,233]

1 hour ago, Deleted said:

Okay, that's surprising me right now. In a German forum someone breaks the NDA and writes that all airports look the same. So he buys msfs at the earliest, as soon as there is a large selection of add-on airports.

No the definitely don't all look alike. What I've been doing is going to all the airport that orbx makes just to see how they look and they look great. Some aren't as detailed as the orbx ones but they are more than enough for default scenery. I can honestly say that I I won't be spending any money on airports 

[snglecoil 1,828]

1 hour ago, devgrp said:

There is a little airport in Charlotte called wilgrove.

Correction...There WAS a little airport in Charlotte called Wilgrove. 😢 Closed this spring to be developed into residential. 

[devgrp 1,233]

Just now, snglecoil said:

Correction...There WAS a little airport in Charlotte called Wilgrove. 😢 Closed this spring to be developed into residential. 

word not allowed didn't knew they closed it. I flew out of there a few times 

[Will Fly For Cheese 1,710]

1 hour ago, HiFlyer said:

Well, that might be true for some, but generally I would put that right up there with this:

Keep in mind what I found and posted about a few months ago, which I think many people kind of missed:

 

I remember seeing that job ad and being interested in applying as I live only a short drive from Orbx Havant HQ. I assumed at the time it wold be working on their X-Plane expansion.

Then I saw the money they were offering...re-read the amount and found myself suffering from a sudden catastrophic loss of interest in applying.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Will Fly For Cheese

[Kopteeni 819]

So the default airports have been created by people working for 9 pounds an hour who know how to use MS Word. They must be running some awesome Azure AI magic if people are now saying we don't need airport addons either.

[FAZZ3 815]

7 hours ago, GCBraun said:

I also hope that there is some sort of marketplace built into MSFS for add-ons/freeware. Cannot take this “download from dozens of different sources” approach anymore.

Leaked videos show a marketplace tab in the homepage of the the sim UI. I guess any addons available at release may be available from there. So your hope may already have been fulfilled. 

[kingm56 1,031]

8 minutes ago, Kopteeni said:

So the default airports have been created by people working for 9 pounds an hour who know how to use MS Word. They must be running some awesome Azure AI magic if people are now saying we don't need airport addons either.

Did you watch the developers series focusing on Airports?  

[HiFlyer 9,360]

5 minutes ago, Kopteeni said:

So the default airports have been created by people working for 9 pounds an hour who know how to use MS Word. They must be running some awesome Azure AI magic if people are now saying we don't need airport addons either.

I would guess that people satisfied with Lego brick airports and making do with FXS/P3D default would not look amiss at such an implementation. I suspect it will be mostly those with a high interest and/or familiarity with a particular airport that will find major dissatisfaction.

Like with the clouds, maybe good enough will be more than good enough for most people, when presented with a possibly $40 dollar alternative.......

[Kopteeni 819]

1 minute ago, HiFlyer said:

I would guess that people satisfied with Lego brick airports and making do with FXS/P3D default would not look amiss at such an implementation. I suspect it will be mostly those with a high interest and/or familiarity with a particular airport that will find major dissatisfaction.

Like with the clouds, maybe good enough will be more than good enough for most people, when presented with a possibly $40 dollar alternative.......

That's sort of what I'm expecting (and won't be disappointed) from the default airports in MSFS. I'd expect them to use the same limited ground and building texture set, hence the airports by default won't feel unique.

[Kopteeni 819]

5 minutes ago, kingm56 said:

Did you watch the developers series focusing on Airports?  

Yes, I'm happy with the airports that they've given special attention to. They looked great. I doubt my local airport is going to be part of those 80 airports though.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Kopteeni

[HiFlyer 9,360]

1 minute ago, Kopteeni said:

That's sort of what I'm expecting (and won't be disappointed) from the default airports in MSFS. I'd expect them to use the same limited ground and building texture set, hence the airports by default won't feel unique.

I think they can do a bit better than that........

I guess we'll see!

[tonywob 4,769]

1 hour ago, kingm56 said:

I believe you're missing the point, Tony.  FS2020 is NOT P3D, or X-Plane, with the latter being populated with generic buildings that look horrendous. X-Plane and P3D 'force' you to buy airports to maintain a reasonable immersion factor.  However, FS2020 default airports are more than a reasonable representation of their real-world counterparts

Technology moves on, but so do the base standards of the products, and I'm not under any doubt about this. Some of the things that get released as payware today wouldn't work in newer sims. e.g. Any developer who creates basic buildings inside Sketchup with low quality non-PBR textures will likely have a hard time selling that airport in MFS.

I don't agree that there is a less of a market for airport addons inside MFS. I believe the actual expectation of the standards of an addon product will be much higher and developers will have to adapt accordingly. 

[Kopteeni 819]

4 minutes ago, HiFlyer said:

I think they can do a bit better than that........

I guess we'll see!

Perhaps a bit? The next level would be unique runway/taxiway/apron textures and 3d modelled terminals. That's mandatory if you want to have a unique feel for each airport. And then you get to custom ground handling vehicles and equipments etc..

[Will Fly For Cheese 1,710]

29 minutes ago, Kopteeni said:

So the default airports have been created by people working for 9 pounds an hour who know how to use MS Word. They must be running some awesome Azure AI magic if people are now saying we don't need airport addons either.

That's a wonderfully stated assumption there Kop. 😆 

As I said - I thought if I did apply I'd be working on X-Plane scenery. But you might be right. Bang on in fact.

But wait, we've seen the addon airports - they look great - and different to each other. But maybe we've been looking at the 80 Highly Detailed. 

Oh I don't know. Hamster-wheel it seems. 

As the cool white cat says; "I guess we'll see".

Edited June 14, 2020 by Will Fly For Cheese

[Kopteeni 819]

3 minutes ago, Will Fly For Cheese said:

That's a wonderfully stated assumption there Kop. 😆 

As I said - I thought if I did apply I'd be working on X-Plane scenery. But you might be right. Bang on in fact.

But wait, we've seen the addon airports - they look great - and different to each other. But maybe we've been looking at the 80 Highly Detailed. 

Oh I don't know. Hamster-wheel it seems. 

As the cool white cat says; "I guess we'll see".

I don't want to take anything away from them. It's pretty impressive how every airport has received some manual attention (although not by a professional developer in most cases).

It's just some of the Alpha testers are here trying to elevate people's expectations and I'm not sure why. I think they've shown us all the ingredients that make a default airport and there's nothing there that would make each airport unique. Either there's something they haven't shown or the Alpha testers with loose lips here have low standards.