March 14, 20242 yr MARCH 14TH, 2024 – DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Posted by: Microsoft Flight Simulator Team This week’s Screenshot Challenge winner is Forum user Parorng! If you’re interested in participating in our weekly Screenshot Challenges, check out the details in the Community section below! Yesterday, we hosted another Developer Livestream on Twitch. Among the many topics discussed by our panel were the following highlights: Sim Update 15 has a target release date of March 26. As always, we want to ship a quality product, so there is a chance this date could be slightly delayed if SU_15 isn’t ready for release by that date. The new Airbus A320 from developer iniBuilds will be included with SU_15! This complex airliner will be free to all simmers on both PC and Xbox. Cameron MacMillan from iniBuilds did a live showcase of some of the exciting new features coming with this aircraft. The next City Update will be for the region of Southern Germany and will include the following: Mannheim Heidelberg Karlsruhe Stuttgart Esslingen Kehl Strasbourg EDNY (Friedrichshafen Airport) The next Local Legend will be an unconventional VTOL cargo plane from Germany, the Dornier Do 31! Only three test prototypes of this aircraft were ever built, and we’re thrilled to digitally preserve this unique plane in Microsoft Flight Simulator! In addition to announcing these new content updates, the panel also answered many questions from the community, both those that were submitted in advance and those that were asked live from Twitch chat during the stream. If you missed the session, you can watch the complete replay on YouTube here: Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to answer all of the questions we received. We were particularly sad that we didn’t have time to address this very important question pre-submitted by a player: On Tuesday, we released a new pre-release test build (1.37.8.0) to players participating in the optional Sim Update 15 public beta. You can find the release notes on our forums here. Once again, we would like to thank all the volunteer testers who are enrolled in the beta for your feedback and bug reports. Finally, we also released an update to Local Legend IX: Latécoère 631 earlier today. Please see here for the release notes. – MSFS Team DEVELOPMENT UPDATE DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP Click here for the web-friendly version of the Development Roadmap. FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT Click here for the web-friendly version of the Feedback Snapshot. SDK UPDATE ASOBO WASM : We changed the way native (PC/Xbox) memory is handled when the module performs allocations & deallocations. In the past any block of native memory that was allocated would remain so for the whole module lifetime (as per the WASM standard) – even if the module itself would later deallocate the said blocks within its linear memory. We decided to change this in order to minimize modules memory footprint – this is accomplished through the system virtual allocation system with pages that can be free, reserved or committed (only committed pages actually use native RAM). The new “Memory debug” tab of the “WASM Debug” window will help you understand the state of your module’s memory with a series of colored block (gray = decommitted, green = free, blue = used, red = full, purple = corrupted). Please note that in order to benefit from this new feature, WASM modules will require to be recompiled with the SU_15 SDK – of course SU_15 and later versions will remain compatible with previously compiled modules (but they won’t benefit from this new feature) Full documentation will be provided when SU_15 is released globally. WORKING TITLE / MSFS AVIONICS FRAMEWORK MSFS Avionics Framework SU15 Framework Updates: NPM Avionics Packages have been updated to reflect what we believe will be the final versions for SU_15. Avionics Framework documentation has been updated to reflect what we believe will be the final versions for SU_15. G3X documentation is available on the Avionics Framework document site (see link below). Find the Avionics Framework Source Code here. Find the latest documentation about the avionics framework here. Upcoming Framework Updates: Adding support to the GarminSDK Airspeed Indicator to support custom speed bug colors. (SU_16) Improving GarminSDK AoA Indicator for greater display options, including digital readout and more flexible caution/waring thresholds. (SU_16) Adding support in the GarminSDK for the approach cue (green donut) on the airspeed indicator based in enhancements to the Garmin AoA Indicator. (SU_16) Extending Avionics Framework SimVarValueType to include ‘per second’ as a unit. (SU_16) Extending Avionics Framework Aircraft Inertial Events publisher on the Event Bus to include load factor and load factor rate. (SU_16) MARKETPLACE FEATURED RELEASE This week, we’re pleased to highlight a new scenery product from developer SamScene3D: USA Modern Cities Vol.3! This volume includes four major cities in the United States: Dallas, Austin, San Diego, and Houston. The main objective of this scenery is to show MSFS’s USA photogrammetry at its best, with addition of feature buildings to further enhance the simulation experience. A re-design of city area according to geographical position of objects, SamScene3D brings out the best of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s built-in photogrammetry around the city areas by fixing textures, structure, bridges, and shores and adding many missing buildings and features. USA Modern Cities Vol.3 features: Over 80 handcrafted building models in each city Replaced default broken bridges with handcrafted bridges over the cities Beautiful night effects Most building rooftops are landable helipads Compatible with other developer airport addons Can be used with the photogrammetry turned off For the best experience with this product, SamScene3D recommends installing the free World Update II: USA and World Update X: United States and US Territories add-ons from the in-sim Marketplace. USA Modern Cities Vol.3 is available now for both PC and Xbox. Check out the trailer below for more information! MARKETPLACE RELEASES Click here for the web-friendly version of the Marketplace Update. There are 69 new and 31 updated products in today’s Marketplace Update. MARKETPLACE BACKLOG Current Backlog: 429 Total BACKLOG: NEW PRODUCTS Testing Status Content Type In MS Processing In MS Testing In 3P Testing Total Aircraft 27 5 16 48 Mission 24 6 64 94 Scenery 8 5 2 15 Livery 37 0 2 39 Airport 31 3 26 60 Other 16 2 8 26 Total 143 21 118 282 BACKLOG: UPDATED PRODUCTS Testing Status Content Type In MS Processing In MS Testing In 3P Testing Total Aircraft 13 9 8 30 Mission 7 5 2 14 Scenery 11 0 1 12 Livery 18 0 4 22 Airport 34 12 17 63 Other 4 0 2 6 Total 87 26 34 147 THIRD PARTY UPDATE As of 03/10, we have now approved 265 (+3) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 219 (+0) have released 3,333 products on PC (+31) and 3,073 on Xbox (+34). In total, 4,217 products (+27) have already been released in 3rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 836 products (-9) from 3rd party developers are in production (343 announced, 493 unannounced). In total, over 5,050 3rd party products (+18) have either been released or are in development. Airports: 2,351 airports (+1) are either released or are in various stages of development. 2,124 airports (+6) have been released on the platform so far in various stores. 1,608 airports (+10) have been released in the in-sim marketplace. 113 airports (+1) beyond the released airports have been announced. 114 airports (-6) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production. Aircraft: 809 aircraft (+1) are either released or are in various stages of development. 370 aircraft (+2) have been released on the platform so far in various stores. 290 aircraft (+3) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace. 275 aircraft (+3) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace. 210 aircraft (-1) beyond the released aircraft have been announced. 229 aircraft (+0) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production. Scenery: 1,117 scenery packs (+1) are either released or are in various stages of development. 1,084 scenery packs (+1) have been released on the platform so far in various stores. 648 scenery packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace. 18 scenery packs (-3) beyond the released scenery have been announced. 15 scenery packs (+3) are not announced but the dev let us know that scenery is in production Mission Packs: 309 mission packs (+7) are either released or are in various stages of development. 264 mission packs (+6) have been released on the platform so far in various stores. 203 mission packs (+6) have been released in the in-sim marketplace. 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced. 45 mission packs (+1) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production. Livery Packs: 426 livery packs (+8) are either released or are in various stages of development. 348 livery packs (+12) have been released on the platform so far in various stores. 340 livery packs (+12) have been released in the in-sim marketplace. 1 livery pack (+0) beyond the released scenery has been announced. 77 livery packs (-4) are not announced, but the dev let us know that scenery is in production. Ships & Watercraft: 38 ships & watercraft (+0) are either released or are in various stages of development. 27 ships & watercraft (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores. 22 ships & watercraft (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace. 0 ships & watercraft (+0) beyond the released scenery have been announced. 11 ships & watercraft (+0) are not announced, but dev let us know that scenery is in production COMMUNITY COMMUNITY FLY-IN FRIDAY The Community Fly-In Friday World Tour continues! We’ve had a break of two weeks for other events, but we’re back for another stage of the World Tour this week! Picking up in Amsterdam where we left off, we’ll be visiting two more capital cities: Brussels and Luxembourg! En route, we will also be making several touch and go landings, including at Rotterdam. Please note the possible start time change depending on your location: with most of North America switching to Daylight Saving Time last weekend, the start time for this event is now 1800 UTC, not 1900 UTC as it was previously. Event details are available here. All are welcome to participate! TUBELINER TUESDAY For the next Tubeliner Tuesday stream, we are going to be replicating a real world Southwest Airlines flight between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Los Angeles LAX. We will be flying in the PMDG Boeing 737-800 for this one hour flight, which all are welcome to join on the VATSIM Network. Event details are available here! COMMUNITY VIDEO YouTuber, video editor, and scenery creator Maty743 showcases their brand new Port Neville & Beyond freeware scenery in this week’s Community Video. Encompassing over 500sqm of improvements and 13 custom locations, Maty743 highlights the true beauty of the British Columbia region not only in their new freeware scenery, but also in this incredibly well structured and edited trailer. From McLeod Bay to Snow Mountain Lookout, there is no shortage of places to visit. We were thoroughly impressed at this spectacle of a video, and look forward to seeing more creations from Maty743! SCREENSHOT CHALLENGE This week’s screenshot challenge: Cleared To Land This past week’s Screenshot Challenge was: Springtime Soaring Weekly Screenshot Challenge Winner: @klrkjp1 (Twitter) Screenshot by @ukaka5656 (Twitter) Screenshot by HolmesCZ6127 (Forums) Screenshot by Dejani4899 (Forums) Screenshot by @tsujiKa_air (Twitter) Screenshot by Parorng (Forums) Screenshot by @pommes_l (Twitter) Screenshot by PHJAAP (Forums) Screenshot by @KotetuP (Twitter) Screenshot by ZILLNIAZI17 (Forums) Screenshot by @MihamaBlend (Twitter) NEXT DEVELOPMENT BLOG UPDATE – March 21st, 2024 Sincerely, Microsoft Flight Simulator Team Edited March 14, 20242 yr by David Mills Processor: Intel i9-13900KF 5.8GHz 24-Core, Graphics Processor: Nvidia RTX 4090 24GB GDDR6, System Memory: 64GB High Performance DDR5 SDRAM 5600MHz, Operating System: Windows 11 Home Edition, Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX, LGA 1700, CPU Cooling: Corsair H100i Elite 240mm Liquid Cooling, RGB and LCD Display, Chassis Fans: Corsair Low Decibel, Addressable RGB Fans, Power Supply: Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low-Noise Platinum ATX 1000 Watt, Primary Storage: 2TB Samsung Gen 4 NVMe SSD, Secondary Storage: 1TB Samsung Gen 4 NVMe SSD, VR Headset: Meta Quest 2, Primary Display: SONY 4K Bravia 75-inch, 2nd Display: SONY 4K Bravia 43-inch, 3rd Display: Vizio 28-inch, 1920x1080. Controller: Xbox Controller attached to PC via USB.
March 14, 20242 yr What does "By Design" mean in the #6 bug entry for LOD Distances entry? No other entry uses or has used this nomenclature? Edited March 14, 20242 yr by Flyfaster_MTN002 SAR Pilot. Flight Sim'ing since the beginning.
March 15, 20242 yr 4 hours ago, David Mills said: WASM : We changed the way native (PC/Xbox) memory is handled when the module performs allocations & deallocations. [...] We decided to change this in order to minimize modules memory footprint This feels important. Can anyone translate what that means in practice for the end flight simmer? @Watsi or @Lucky38i, if you could be so kind as to explain, please? AMD Ryzen 5800X3D; MSI RTX 3080 Ti ; 32GB Corsair 3200 MHz; ASUS VG35VQ 35" (3440 x 1440) Fulcrum One yoke; Thrustmaster TCA Captain Pack Airbus edition; MFG Crosswind rudder pedals; miniCockpit FCU; CPFlight MCP 737; Logitech FIP x3; TrackIR MSFS; Fenix A320; A2A PA-24; HPG H145; PMDG 737-600; AIG; RealTraffic; PSXTraffic; FSiPanel; REX AccuSeason Adv; FSDT GSX Pro; FS2Crew RAAS Pro; FS-ATC Chatter
March 15, 20242 yr Ouch. This confirms no weather API whatsoever. No weather radar either in this sim or the next. If MSFS2024 has "dangerous weather" like the teaser made it seem, not having realistic WXR is a pretty big kick in the teeth. Take-offs are optional, landings are mandatory.The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire. To make a small fortune in aviation you must start with a large fortune.There's nothing less important than the runway behind you and the altitude above you. It's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground.
March 15, 20242 yr 8 hours ago, F737MAX said: This feels important. Can anyone translate what that means in practice for the end flight simmer? @Watsi or @Lucky38i, if you could be so kind as to explain, please? This means, they discoverd some 'glitches' in memory management and allocation of the web assembly modules. Which causes even some memory (RAM) not being released, when things are not needed anymore (until you shut down MSFS). For the simmer it means, that especially glass cockpits (like the A32NX one) should have a better performance after the update. You can't talk about gigabytes of memory here, but around several tens of MB. Which sounds not that much, but can actually help. Edited March 15, 20242 yr by Watsi
March 17, 20242 yr On 3/15/2024 at 1:51 AM, WestAir said: Ouch. This confirms no weather API whatsoever. No weather radar either in this sim or the next. If MSFS2024 has "dangerous weather" like the teaser made it seem, not having realistic WXR is a pretty big kick in the teeth. The sim does have a weather radar. This just means third parties can't make their own versions. The default aircraft that should have that functionality use it. I believe iniBuilds' aircraft use it. I know people here have said there's other third parties that use it, but I can't remember off the top of my head. The radar is 3D despite some claims to the contraryhttps://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/official-discussion-september-29-2022-development-update/546318/24 Edited March 17, 20242 yr by Tuskin38
March 17, 20242 yr 1 hour ago, Tuskin38 said: The sim does have a weather radar. This just means third parties can't make their own versions. The default aircraft that should have that functionality use it. I believe iniBuilds' aircraft use it. I know people here have said there's other third parties that use it, but I can't remember off the top of my head. The radar is 3D despite some claims to the contraryhttps://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/official-discussion-september-29-2022-development-update/546318/24 This is one of those situations where I have to admit I don't know what to think. On one hand really smart teams like Working Tile say it's good and on the other hand really smart teams like PMDG and Fenix say it's not. All I know is for some reason I don't have one in my favorite jets, and it sounds like that's not changing in the upcoming sim. Take-offs are optional, landings are mandatory.The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire. To make a small fortune in aviation you must start with a large fortune.There's nothing less important than the runway behind you and the altitude above you. It's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground.
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