https://twinfinite.net/2021/03/microsoft-flight-simulator-xbox-switzerland/

World Update Data

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“For example, Switzerland, not totally maybe random in this conversation, but important to me because I’m from that area of the world, just made all of their data available for free tree days ago, and it’s awesome. It’s the entire country in a point cloud. It’s every tree and every building. It’s every aerial photograph and historic photograph. It’s amazing. […] Now everybody who wants to do anything with Swiss data, as long as you can ingest it, you have a super-accurate model of the entire country."

Asked […] whether he believes other countries are going to do the same, he replied “absolutely” and added that he actually knows that some will. Earlier in the conversation, he also mentioned that he spends a lot of time talking to governments about using their best data in Microsoft Flight Simulator and so far all of those he has spoken to agreed.

EDIT: Check out this 3D viewer to see for yourself the Switzerland data. It's amazing! https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/maps-data-online/maps-geodata-online/3d-viewer.html

Playerbase and Xbox

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Neumann also talked about that many of those who have tried a flight simulator for the first time with Microsoft Flight Simulator actually stayed after trying it, perhaps thanks to the frictionless entry offered by Game Pass.

It has become a hobby for many who play for months. There are also people that come in and come out, but Neumann is seeing growth, with more people coming in.

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According to Neumann, the Xbox release in the summer will be the litmus test of how gamers and core gamers feel about a serious simulator like this.

The team is fascinated by this question and they’re trying to be as cognisant as possible of the needs of these gamers and help onboard them in this new experience without sacrificing the soul of said experience which is a core simulator that is very authentic.

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Neumann sees from surveys that the Xbox audience is very excited for Microsoft Flight Simulator. He just saw something the other day indicating that after Halo Infinite, the sim is the most anticipated Xbox game for 2021. The team knows that there will be a lot of people looking at the sim when it launches on Xbox, and then there will be a decision that he calls the “Google Earth Syndrome.”

Google Earth is cool, and people go look at it a few times to see their house and where they grew up, and then they don’t come back. To avoid that, the developers are trying to help people learn what flying is and make them fall in love with aviation.

Neumann reiterated that the team has made the conscious choice not to ever dumb the simulator down, but instead is using assistances that try to subtly mimic how a real person would learn how to fly.

Historical Aviation

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Later in the conversation, Neumann also hinted to the possibility of embracing the history of aviation at some point, with the team looking if they can do something about that, and a concept internally defined “famous fliers” like the Bell X-1, the White Knight, or the Sky Baby.

You can listen to the entire podcast in here: https://interactive.libsyn.com/head-of-microsoft-flight-simulator-jrg-neumann

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by ChaoticBeauty

Switzerland in highres DEM would be absolutely awesome. 🙂

Wonderful Jorg.

Mind if we ask you to get the bits you have done so far (Aircraft, Airports and Synthetic Scenery) from tanking frames, CTD'ing and generally behaving themselves like a proper flight simulator should do?

Thanks in advance.

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by Will Fly For Cheese

3 minutes ago, Will Fly For Cheese said:

Wonderful Jorg.

Mind if we ask you to get the bits you have done so far (Aircraft, Airports and Synthetic Scenery) from tanking frames, CTD'ing and generally behaving themselves like proper flight simulator should do?

Thanks in advance.

Good point but I don't think this thread was made for a comment like this so don't derail it you can complain about issues in the other hundred threads in this forum

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by jbdbow1970

Just now, jbdbow1970 said:

Good point but I don't think this thread was made for a comment like this so don't derail it.

I'll derail it until it's fixed so I can fly the sim I paid good money for.

There's a lot of very unhappy people listening to this BS from Asobo.

Another vote for Switzerland. But first lets see what they can do with the French Alps.

For the rest, Neuman does his usual alternate reality routine (aka marketing) promoting a sim which does not yet exist to be brought to the crowd of the ill-washed (aka gamers) thanks to Xbox. 

If he considers that MFS is already a core simulator that is very authentic, not dumbed down, we really have to worry.

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by Dominique_K

14 minutes ago, Will Fly For Cheese said:

I'll derail it until it's fixed so I can fly the sim I paid good money for.

There's a lot of very unhappy people listening to this BS from Asobo.

Wow, seriously?

What a self centered attitude you have.

I hope a mod sees your post.

 

 

This'll help;

 

 

8 minutes ago, Will Fly For Cheese said:

This'll help;

 

 

Oh, that's a start. But when someone openly admits to derailing a thread that has nothing to do with their grip against Asobo a mod should be made aware of it.

PS: I noticed that you removed the part about "Asobo's BS" in your original comment.

 

 

1 hour ago, Dominique_K said:

If he considers that MFS is already a core simulator that is very authentic, not dumbed down, we really have to worry.

Allégorie de la caverne...

I've started listening to another podcast mentioned a few days ago, and I find it interesting because I had almost forgotten how FS2020 started as a project. So he was saying it all started more or less because of his experience with a particular hololens project, holotour. And for this project, developed by Asobo, they had reproduced the Machu Picchu using Bing data. This was the starting point: a good looking simulation of a world region. He is an avid fan of the franchise too and there is the idea: what if extrapolating the Asobo Machu Picchu idea using Bing for the entire planet? And the 2 most important flight simulator requests, according to him, are AAA game engine visuals, and world wide VFR.  So 1+1=2: take Asobo game engine for AAA graphics, take Bing data for building a VFR world, and plug this into the FSX code base for the rest.

The only drawback I see with this is Asobo had no clue about the bugs and limitations in FSX and this most likely did take them quite some time digesting this, and the process might not be over yet when looking at some glaring bugs which are coming straight from the FSX code base, old time simmers like many of us knew already about. For example the 10deg bug documented since at least 2004 at Avsim and for which Pete Dowson included a workaround back then. Or the F/D bars not working without a A/P mode which is due to the same code the franchise is reusing as-is form FS9 to P3D5 (I know, I must patch this one for the GTN and GNS and I wouldn't be surprised the same code is as-is in FS2020).

This is where maybe I think they might have overestimated the FSX code base capabilities and underestimated the level of quality and perfection simmers and the community is expecting, especially considering the gap between FSX and P3D5 or XP11 and what they are delivering, both for the simmer experience and the level of their gauges and system SDK.

PS: in the same podcast the project started around the time FSW stopped... Do you remember the FSX-SE "telemetry" update some time back? I just checked a few days ago FSX-SE is no longer listed as a Dovetail Game in Steam!

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by RXP

Will Fly For Cheese you can do and write what ever you want within forum rules.

But it makes you look rather foolish. 

 

 

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by hansb57

Would love to see SE Asian countries do this as well! They are often neglected and much needed!

Every time I see 'Neumann'..I think of this. I know..different spelling etc..

 

 

2 minutes ago, hansb57 said:

Will Fly For Cheese you can do and write what ever you want within forum rules.

But it makes you look rather foolish. 

 

 

Thanks hans, I'll bear that in mind.

p.s; Let's not let this Font Size thing get out of hand.

53 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

Another vote for Switzerland.

I've just checked the 3D visualizer, and it's really impressive: my house is depicted correctly in 3D (no textures, of course), but with the proper shape, even the roof configuration is correct, and my garage has the right height too. This is way more accurate than guessing objects shapes from aerial images, which is how autogen is currently made.

Good to see my tax Francs put to good use...

Edited March 17, 20215 yr by virtuali