Aerofly FS 4 Steam Version for Windows, Mac and Linux Coming

[HiFlyer 9,368]

Assuming they can keep the same well-known Aerofly speed and clarity, this could be huge, especially for VR aviators!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1995890/Aerofly_FS_4_Flight_Simulator/

 

https://www.aerofly.com/community/blog/index.php?entry/43-aerofly-fs-4-flight-simulator-steam-version-coming-soon-for-windows-mac-and-linu/

 

 

 

ABOUT THIS GAME

Aerofly FS 4 is a highly realistic Flight Simulator for beginner, intermediate and professional flight sim pilots. Explore the world of flying with a large fleet of highly detailed aircraft with fully animated and interactive 3D cockpits and custom coded systems. Fly with complex airliners, helicopters, business jets, fighter jets and warbirds, general aviation aircraft, aerobatic stuntplanes and gliders across the photorealistic landscape.

Aerofly FS 4 is a true next generation flight simulator with an easy to use and intuitive user interface as well as custom graphics and physics engines using state of the art technology such as 64bit support, multi-core processing, native Vulkan and Virtual Reality (VR) support, a real time full multibody simulation and complex aerodynamics simulation. World wide coverage of elevation data and base aerial images are included with Aerofly FS 4.

Step into the flight deck of your favorite airliner or enjoy a relaxing cross country flight in a warbird. Discover new places by flying one of the many custom missions or become a virtual airline pilot and choose from tens of thousands of real world airline flights. Track your career progress with the new flight-log feature or try to obtain all achievements in all aircraft categories.

Aerofly FS 4 Features

• Realistic flight and ground physics
• Intuitive user interface with location map and graphical route editor
• Start the flight instantly in a cruise, takeoff or landing configuration;
• or on the ground ready for taxi or cold and dark
• Highly detailed and interactive 3D cockpits
• Time-Skip feature to jump ahead in the flight
• Instant replay
• Optional simulated copilot that can fly the aircraft autonomously
• Optional flight assistance features like automatic nav-tuning, automatic lights, caution/warning muting and other quality of life features
• Flight logs, statistics and achievements
• Flight mission presets and custom missions
• Global Air Traffic based on 10,000+ real world flights
• 1200+ custom modeled airports
• High resolution aerial images
• Scenery cultivation: 3D buildings, powerlines, wind-turbines, trees, etc.
• Custom modeled famous landmarks and bridges
• World wide elevation, aerial images and navigation data coverage
• Sloped and curved runways
• Adjustable time of day, visibility, wind, clouds, thermal activity and turbulence
• Real time ground illuminating from aircraft lights and apron flood lights
• Most common joysticks assigned out of the box and ready for your first flight
• Support for multiple joysticks, throttle units, rudder pedals and more
• Full Oculus Rift VR support and full Oculus Touch controller support
• HTC Vive VR support and full Vive Controller support
• TrackIR support
• Support for Saitek Multi Panel, Radio Panel, Switch Panel and Saitek TPM
• Aircraft Features
• Fully interactive 3D cockpits, fully VR hands compatible!
• Highly realistic physics simulation with full multibody simulation
• State of the art real-time flight physics with dynamic computations for airfoil lift, drag and moment based on flap, slat and spoiler positions, propeller wash, ground effect and wing downwash
• Natively simulated wing bending - no animation
• Realistic ground physics with full landing gear compression
• Custom engine simulation based on thermodynamic cycle
• Cold and Dark startups
• Adjustable cockpit lighting and display brightness
• Authentic EFIS displays including electronic checklists in the most modern airliners
• Very high level of system depth and thousands of custom coded aircraft systems
• Caution and warning systems
• Realistic GPWS callouts
• Realistic Autopilot that operate just like the real thing, with full LNAV/VNAV or
• managed/selected features, auto-land and mode reversions
• Custom fly-by-wire systems with realistic handling qualities and protections
• FMS programming using MCDU and CDU devices, including IFR procedures like
• departures, arrivals and approaches (SIDs, STARs, APPRs)

Aircraft List

• A320-200
• B737-500
• B777-300ER
• King Air C90Gtx
• Learjet 45
• Bombardier Dash8-Q400
• Eurocopter EC135 helicopter
• Robinson R22 helicopter
• Cessna 172
• Baron 58
• F-15E
• MB339
• Bücker Jungmeister
• P38 Lightning
• F4U Corsair
• Sopwith Camel
• Pitts S-2B
• ASG-29 glider
• Swift S1 glider

Additional Content

To reduce the download size of the base package of Aerofly FS 4 Flight Simulator not all areas of the world share the same ground aerial image resolution. Additional free downloadable content packages (DLCs) are available in the Store to download higher resolution images and more custom modeled airports.

The Aircraft Add-On DLC includes new aircraft such as the A380, 787 Dreamliner, 747 and CRJ-900 airliners.

[pmb 5,138]

Sorry, I am afraid they lost the ball.

That doesn't concern the simulator itself which I am convinced will provide excellent performance coupled with good usability as we had in AeroflyFS2, notably under VR.

First, what bothers me, and now for the second time, is their style of development. I bought AeroflyFS1 (I think in 2012) which came with a lot of promises, where a few were kept but a lot of them (extensibility, scenery beyond Switzerland...) where never fulfilled within this same framework. Development quickly slowed down and came to a halt soon.

Next, we got AeroflyFS2 like Phoenix from the ashes in 2016. It partially fulfilled the promises they claimed for AeroflyFS1, but soon made claims about new features like realistic water, AI planes, moving cars, ATC, and more. As far as I know, none of those were realized within AeroflyFS2 (aside a few amateur attempts).

Now we are promised AeroflyFS4 (why had they to copy that bad "non-release"-style from Windows 9?). According to the feature list, it includes some of the features requested earlier. I don't mind paying 60$ or whatever again, but I hate broken promises.

Second, IPACS has proven to be unable to work with 3rd parties. This is obvious from them loosing support from 1st tier developers like ORBX and Aerosoft which they were unable to keep connected as sales were abysmal. If you follow current strategies by ORBX and Aerosoft you can be 100% clear they will not return to AeroflyFS. I can also confirm this myself from contact to 3rd party developers who I asked for addons where IPACS was unable to provide required functions via the SDK. 

You just can't build a state of the art flight simulator by a team of 2+4 or so developers without heavily reling on external resources and 3rd parties those days.

Third, AeroflyFS1 and AeroflyFS2 fell into a vacuum left after cancellation of FSX. The world has turned several times since, and MSFS no doubt is the market leader those days. While IPACS keeps stressing they don't care about competition, MSFS certainly is a competitor, even more as it started with a focus on visuals where AeroflyFS2 excelled before. And I didn't mention XP12 as another competitor yet.

No doubt there will be a few forum members left buying into the AeroflyFS franchise once more, and maybe even me may be tempted to try it. But no doubt the number of customers will be undercritical to warrant long-term development (including addon development) beyond further promises which will never be hold once more. 

This may seem a bit bitter, and it actually is, as I once had very high hopes in AeroflyFS given its excellent base engine, which however, were disappointed several times now.

Kind regards, Michael

Edited June 4, 2022 by pmb

[enright 496]

Nice to see competition is still going, despite the fact that the 800 pound gorilla that was FSX has grown into an 8,000 pound elephant. I thought FS2 had a unique sense of atmosphere both literally and figuratively - and I preferred the VR experience to either FSX or Xplane.

I'm always curious what nuance or innovation other devs will bring and I hope that the marketplace always has enough room for a few competitors to thrive and appeal to various sub-segments. 

[Republic DC9 234]

I was going to dismiss this entirely, but noticed Paine Field in the screenshot.

If it includes Washington State, Oregon AND California etc. in photoreal AND the water is actually “wet” AND it performs with no stutters I MIGHT have to buy it.

But FS2’s most redeeming feature To me...smoothness...seems to be achievable in MSFS...right now on descent to EGBB in a gorgeous 737-700 after flying over London very smoothly on my way up from Gatwick.

i had hoped that AFS2 and its smooth engine would lead to great things, maybe it still will.

I’m all for competition and choice though...sometimes I like Faye’s Pizza, sometimes Thai Cafe!

[ianlighting 51]

Personally, I will purchase as it makes a nice change from the others to have around and, I have to say that my experience from the previous versions with the performance of the simulator has always been positive. The icon will be placed in an appropriate location between DCS, XP, P3D, BMS4.36, IL2, Wings over Flanders Field and a few others from the days gone by! 🙂 

Edited June 21, 2022 by ianlighting

[harrry 322]

No fsuipc is the killer for this as regards me.  I did like some parts of the earlier version but without this it is not much use to me.

[Christopher Low 5,376]

I do not see a price anywhere for this? I would also be interested to know the terrain texture and digital elevation mesh resolution for the Europe DLC packs.

[HiFlyer 9,368]

On 6/26/2022 at 11:21 AM, Christopher Low said:

I do not see a price anywhere for this? I would also be interested to know the terrain texture and digital elevation mesh resolution for the Europe DLC packs.

I would be very surprised if it exceeded $60

[jcomm 5,961]

Apparently still no ATC ?

 

Sometime in the past I had the idea they were developing a in-house atc simulation that was supposed to be rather complete. Have they abbandoned that project?

Edited June 30, 2022 by jcomm

[HiFlyer 9,368]

11 minutes ago, jcomm said:

Apparently still no ATC ?

 

Sometime in the past I had the idea they were developing a in-house atc simulation that was supposed to be rather complete. Have they abbandoned that project?

They apparently still are, and just recently mentioned that they are continuing to work on it.

On the other hand, considering the general mess that is X-plane and MSFS ATC, its apparently a super-complex task to get right, and not for the faint of heart to attempt, much less a barely five person team.

In other words, gonna take a while before its ready for prime time.

[HiFlyer 9,368]

Meanwhile...

 

[jcomm 5,961]

44 minutes ago, HiFlyer said:

They apparently still are, and just recently mentioned that they are continuing to work on it.

On the other hand, considering the general mess that is X-plane and MSFS ATC, its apparently a super-complex task to get right, and not for the faint of heart to attempt, much less a barely five person team.

In other words, gonna take a while before its ready for prime time.

Thx Devon,

it looks really cool. Although I do not use VR, nor intend to ( way too expensive ... ) I will probably buy it. At least I just reinstalled Steam before leaving for a week away from my gaming PC :-)

[jcomm 5,961]

Well, June 2022 release didn't happen... Any news on the next slot ?

Edited July 2, 2022 by jcomm

[HiFlyer 9,368]

8 minutes ago, jcomm said:

Well, June 2022 release didn't happen... Any news on the next slot ?

[jcomm 5,961]

Yep, just checked it after re-enabling my forum account @ IPACS. Thx Devon !

Looking fwd into release day !