April 4, 2024 MSFS Development Update

[David Mills 4,774]

APRIL 4TH, 2024 – DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

Posted by: Microsoft Flight Simulator Team

This week’s Screenshot Challenge winner is Forum user HolmesCZ6127! If you’re interested in participating in our weekly Screenshot Challenges, check out the details in the Community section below!

We are now accepting questions for our next Developer Livestream! If you would like to pre-submit a question for our panel, please complete the form at this link. Our team will collate all the submissions to ensure the panel addresses the most frequently-asked questions from the community. As always, the livestream will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel, so please follow it to be notified when we go live if you have not already done so.

Recently on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, we’ve been running daily MSFS Madness polls where the community can vote for their favorite aircraft in head-to-head matchups. Voters have eliminated half the field from the original starting 64, and we’re now onto the Round of 32. Check out the updated tournament bracket below. Do you think there were any surprise upsets in the first round? Which aircraft are you hoping wins it all? Let us know in the forums! To participate in the voting yourself, follow our accounts on Twitter and Instagram. You can make your vote count twice by voting on both platforms!

– MSFS Team

DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

 

FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Feedback Snapshot.

• No update this week.

SDK UPDATE

ASOBO

• No update this week.

WORKING TITLE / MSFS AVIONICS FRAMEWORK

• No update this week.

MARKETPLACE

MARKETPLACE SALE

Spring has arrived, and with it comes the Microsoft Flight Simulator Spring Sale! The sale runs from now until April 11th. You can save up to 85% on more than 2250 Marketplace items. Happy flying!

MARKETPLACE RELEASES

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Marketplace Update.

There are 81 new and 35 updated products in today’s Marketplace Update.

MARKETPLACE BACKLOG

Current Backlog: 422 Total

BACKLOG: NEW PRODUCTS

	Testing Status
Content Type	In MS Processing	In MS Testing	In 3P Testing	Total
Aircraft	18	2	8	28
Mission	12	0	52	64
Scenery	6	0	4	10
Livery	50	0	12	62
Airport	39	10	23	72
Other	12	0	7	19
Total	137	12	106	255

BACKLOG: UPDATED PRODUCTS

	Testing Status
Content Type	In MS Processing	In MS Testing	In 3P Testing	Total
Aircraft	41	6	4	51
Mission	2	0	0	2
Scenery	17	1	2	20
Livery	19	7	4	30
Airport	43	3	14	60
Other	3	0	1	4
Total	125	17	25	167

THIRD PARTY UPDATE

• As of 04/01, we have now approved 268 (+3) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 221 (+1) have released 3,407 products on PC (+19) and 3,152 on Xbox (+23).
• In total, 4,299 products (+50) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 834 products (-6) from 3^rd party developers are in production (342 announced, 492 unannounced). In total, over 5,133 3^rd party products (+44) have either been released or are in development.
• Airports:
  • 2,386 airports (+14) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 2,161 airports (+20) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 1,633 airports (+13) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 114 airports (+0) beyond the released airports have been announced.
    • 111 airports (-2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
• Aircraft:
  • 817 aircraft (+2) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 382 aircraft (+10) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 299 aircraft (+8) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
    • 284 aircraft (+8) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
    • 209 aircraft (-2) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
    • 226 aircraft (-6) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
• Scenery:
  • 1,125 scenery packs (+5) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 1,092 scenery packs (+8) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 656 scenery packs (+8) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 20 scenery packs (+2) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
    • 13 scenery packs (-7) are not announced but the dev let us know that scenery is in production
• Mission Packs:
  • 327 mission packs (+9) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 280 mission packs (+7) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 219 mission packs (+7) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced.
    • 47 mission packs (+2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production.
• Livery Packs:
  • 440 livery packs (+12) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 357 livery packs (+5) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 349 livery packs (+5) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 1 livery pack (+0) beyond the released scenery has been announced.
    • 82 livery packs (+7) 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!

This week, we’re taking a siesta in beautiful Spain!

Our flight starts where we left off last time at LESU, just across the Spanish border from Andorra, and then we’ll head southbound for a touch & go at Barcelona, one of the most picturesque cities in the world (particularly when seen from the air). From Barcelona, we will then turn on a generally westerly heading as we make our way to the capital city of Madrid.

Be sure to install the free World Update VIII: Iberia from the in-sim Marketplace for the best experience during this flight.

Event details are available here. All are welcome to participate!

COMMUNITY VIDEO

For this week’s Community Video we join popular YouTuber Blu Games as they operate a long haul flight across the Pacific Ocean from Sydney (YSSY) all the way to Los Angeles (KLAX) in the Qantas Airlines Boeing 787-9. We really enjoyed watching the level of depths Blu goes into on these complex flights by tracking all of their data, as well as including some great replay shots too!

What’s the longest flight you’ve completed in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

SCREENSHOT CHALLENGE

This week’s screenshot challenge: Turbulent Trips

This past week’s Screenshot Challenge was: Crossing Continents

Weekly Screenshot Challenge Winner: HolmesCZ6127 (Forums)

Screenshot by @CpuGeta486 (Twitter)

Screenshot by Lwsail (Forums)

Screenshot by @ukaka5656 (Twitter)

Screenshot by HeKa48 (Forums)

Screenshot by @Johnny_aircargo (Twitter)

Screenshot by @klrkjp1 (Twitter)

Screenshot by FSXico97 (Forums)

Screenshot by TMTann (Forums)

Screenshot by @2525ARW (Twitter)

Screenshot by GOTAWAKEMAN (Forums)

---

NEXT DEVELOPMENT BLOG UPDATE – April 11th, 2024

Sincerely,

Microsoft Flight Simulator Team

Edited April 4 by David Mills

[Krakin 5,846]

Quote

We are not ready to talk more about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, so please refrain from asking at this time.

Booooooooooo!

[JBDB-MD80 1,487]

29 minutes ago, Krakin said:

Booooooooooo!

Waiting for FSExpo? IDK

[MarcG 3,031]

Yeah why talk about the next sim when martial can tell us more about ignoring VR bugs because he couldn't be bothered to properly reproduce them 😄

[David Mills 4,774]

I’m impatient to hear more about ‘24 as well. 

[David Mills 4,774]

Mods, we need a pin for Asobo’s update. 

[bobcat999 8,507]

15 hours ago, Krakin said:

Booooooooooo!

Yes, strange.  They tantalise us with the original video, then a few tech demo's, then they say don't ask us about it in their rather formal language.  Corporate types...  I will never understand them.  

Where was that quote from by the way?  

[Dominique_K 10,152]

59 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

 I will never understand them.  

Hmmm that opens the field for wild conspiracy theories 😱.  you gotta love it.

They may have sent a memo to Satya to greenlight the project. And they wait, wait, wait for it. Not to worry of course. Of course. What me worry ?

Note that I call him Satya, that tells a lot, right ?

[lwt1971 7,457]

1 hour ago, bobcat999 said:

Where was that quote from by the way?  

https://forms.microsoft.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=v4j5cvGGr0GRqy180BHbR1r3nNQ_40JBjVeCHjmDms9UMFdKSEhBUkk3RUtSNUdPTUZQWTVBUzI4Ni4u

This form probably is just carrying the wording from earlier this year, but then again they would've removed the MSFS 2024 bit if they wanted to take questions about it.. like discussed on another thread, we likely won't get meaty info until June when the XBox 2024 showcase event is and also FSExpo. That said, hopefully they can at the very least give more tidbits at the Q&A like Jorg did earlier with that screenshot of the grand canyon in MSFS 2024 🙂 I suppose indirectly we're also getting a feel for what's coming in v2024 given all the backports or sub-backports of its features to v2020 like new ground handling, a tiny bit of the reworked atmospheric engine that fixed the sky colors a couple of SUs ago, multi-rotors for helis, etc.
 

Edited April 5 by lwt1971

[Purr 125]

Didn't see anything in this update re: SU15...is there a date yet or is it still "sometime in April..." ? Anyone have further info?

[Tuskin38 6,635]

On 4/5/2024 at 4:42 PM, Purr said:

Didn't see anything in this update re: SU15...is there a date yet or is it still "sometime in April..." ? Anyone have further info?

There's no release date yet

[Christopher Low 5,393]

When they have some deliverables to deliver, they will deliver them

[Lonesome Cowboy Burt 172]

On 4/5/2024 at 6:11 PM, lwt1971 said:

https://forms.microsoft.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=v4j5cvGGr0GRqy180BHbR1r3nNQ_40JBjVeCHjmDms9UMFdKSEhBUkk3RUtSNUdPTUZQWTVBUzI4Ni4u

This form probably is just carrying the wording from earlier this year, but then again they would've removed the MSFS 2024 bit if they wanted to take questions about it.. like discussed on another thread, we likely won't get meaty info until June when the XBox 2024 showcase event is and also FSExpo. That said, hopefully they can at the very least give more tidbits at the Q&A like Jorg did earlier with that screenshot of the grand canyon in MSFS 2024 🙂 I suppose indirectly we're also getting a feel for what's coming in v2024 given all the backports or sub-backports of its features to v2020 like new ground handling, a tiny bit of the reworked atmospheric engine that fixed the sky colors a couple of SUs ago, multi-rotors for helis, etc.
 

Is this new ground handling feature in the SU15 Beta?

[bobcat999 8,507]

1 hour ago, Lonesome Cowboy Burt said:

Is this new ground handling feature in the SU15 Beta?

Partly.  It only applies to a few Asobo default aircraft currently, and it isn't a full ground handling overhaul but just gives a few degrees more freedom to the wheels. 
Developers will have to add lines to their aircraft configs to get it to work, so it isn't what I would call a global change to the core dynamics of the sim.

I have tried it in the default Cessna, and I am not sure it adds a lot really.  Maybe a little better, but if it is hard to tell then, that tells you how much of an improvement it is. 
I think the lack of inertia in some aircraft is the issue. You flick the rudder or turn the tiller, and over they go, instantly, like a paper plane with no mass.

Some developers get around it by using their own physics / ground handling model.  The A2A Comanche is one, and it feels rather good.
I know A2A are considered a top tier developer, but that is the feel that Asobo should be aiming for if they can. 

[lwt1971 7,457]

1 hour ago, Lonesome Cowboy Burt said:

Is this new ground handling feature in the SU15 Beta?

It is, but aircraft flight models need to be updated to take advantage of it (MS/Asobo only updated their C172 and Cabri). 3rd party aircraft devs soon will hopefully, i.e. iniBuilds did for their A300 per https://youtu.be/N4cxNccH66U?t=1318
 

Edited April 8 by lwt1971