For those that may not know, Taog's Hanger is one of (if not the) best and most realistic helicopter addon maker out there.  People who don't follow helicopters as much might not know them, but they are one of the best.  I totally get how a simmer might not be interested in a sci-fi show, but seeing a top end developer involved is intriguing.  I don't know exactly what we're getting from them, but an updated version of the Taog Huey would be a fanstastic addon.  

The Huey is probably their 2nd best helicopter for 2024, and only behind the M500 which was native 2024.  

Getting their Huey to use in the sim would be a big win for simmers.  

As they are selling the 2020 version of the Huey in the 2024 marketplace I can not imagine that they will be giving it away for nothing in this add on.

I wonder whether it will only be usable in the DLC 'missions' but not in freeflight etc. That would require a full separate purchase. 

Whether a sim (or whatever piece of software) is released in early access form, or initially as a regular release with a tonne of bugs, it's totally up to the end user to purchase or not. Those who blindly purchase on day 1, or very soon after release and then complain and shout about the quality/bugs, well there's no point. Yes it's quite fair to say MS/Asobo could have waited a year and then released the SU4 level of the sim as the initial release, then we'd have to wait one more year with 2020. From an end-user perspective, they could have waited until they were comfortable with whatever level of quality the sim was at, be it SU3 or SU4 or even beyond.

Bottom line, there's no difference. If you're unable to hold off until a certain level of quality/stability is reached just because the sim is already out there, and then are struggling with an experience not to your liking, that's on you. With large complex software systems these days, it's unavoidable to have quality issues in the initial goings. The solutions are many-fold: keep using the old version for stability while also enjoying the new version despite the bugs, don't step up to the new version until it's at a state to your liking, etc etc.
 

Edited December 5, 2025Dec 5 by lwt1971

Yeah some people are taking this way too seriously. It makes no sense complaining that the surprise was not related to core sim improvements when Asobo has been very transparent about how things are scheduled. They're laser focused on bug fixes and optimization. We're lucky they squeezed out the night lighting fix in SU4 but that's more art related. As someone else pointed out above, they also squeezed in improved flight physics related to inertia-something that has been requested for a while but not getting a ton of attention from the community.

We know from Seb has said that things like weather improvements are on the back burner until the sim gets to a more stable and optimized state. A stranger things tie in with a third party devs doing the heavy lifting is not going to take away from that. 

3 hours ago, bailout said:

As they are selling the 2020 version of the Huey in the 2024 marketplace I can not imagine that they will be giving it away for nothing in this add on.

I wonder whether it will only be usable in the DLC 'missions' but not in freeflight etc. That would require a full separate purchase. 

Don't forget about the Vision Jet and the Aerosoft Twin Otter. Stranger Things have happened 😂

I am not really fussed what addons MS / Asobo choose to give us for free. 
It's up to them, for whatever purpose / reasoning they see fit. 
It doesn't make the 'serious' side of the sim any less 'serious'; it is all still there and not impacted by this.

As for this addon, at first pass I am not too interested, but I will take a look anyway. 
You just never know what enjoyment you are going to get out of it until you try it, so we should give it a chance at least.

Also, I see this as totally separate from the general improvements and bug fixes that I am seriously interested in, and due to separate teams working on different things, I don't think these addons have any significantly detrimental effect on the timeline of the sim updates (SU's), or all the aircraft improvements that are gradually coming out.

Edited December 5, 2025Dec 5 by bobcat999

17 hours ago, rick celik said:

My problem isnt MSFS doing these types of things, sure its great to get through to more audience and generate money. That's great for the hobby, my gripe is that we arent getting the full on "for the hardcore simmer" stuff anymore. 

I remember these in depth great videos that dropped before 2020 was released and you can tell they were passionate about catering to the core simmers. And these videos were about the new features the innovation the passion, now the dev streams and videos they drop are about fixing bugs. 

Still my favorite sim yes, but man we need the same passion to the core sim like they used to. 

The way I see it, 2020 was the test bed, they realised the $$$ are in the wider audience, 2024 was sold as initally being for the hard core simmers, but now is going astray. Lets be real, there hasnt been any leaps and bounds development to the core sim for 2024, no weather, no dynamics, no handling, no inertia etc etc its all just been fixing bugs or regressions. 

Thats my take and I'm 100% allowed to belive that. Not sure why old mate a few pages back called us "weird". And yes I'm aware there are different teams working on different projects within the sim, so can the team working on the "for the flight simmer" stuff tell me where they are, because we've heard from the wider audience team, we've heard from the bug and regression fixing team, where is the core sim innovation team gone? havent heard a beep. 

 

You might want to wait for the official release of SU4, read the full release notes and then reconsider if the team hasn't worked very hard to improve all that matters "for the hardcore simmer stuff", as you so blatantly state. Remember, to make a flight sim of this magnitude perfect (or at least great) in all relevant aspects takes serious time and serious money. I do not understand your suggestion the team would not have "the same passion to the core sim like they used to". Again, wait for the full release notes that go with SU4. I bet the team has worked very hard to improve the core sim. And besides that they give us bonusses like discussed in this thread. On a sidenote, you seem to forget, the helicopter in this surprise is offered by a renowned developer. Talking about hardcore.

It's disappointing that MSFS is moving away from promoting a varied array of exciting but realistic flight experiences in favor of the fake and fantastical in order to attract presumably both the younger crowd and those addicted to the latest pop-culture trends, presumably with the 10-second attention spans alongside that. I strongly believe that you can attract users through grounded, informative content without delving into the depths of fiction. While some new-to-flightsim users who were brought in by Stranger Things may find themselves drawn to the realistic "side" of the sim, I think that the bulk of what they will attract will be an audience who simply seeks more fictional tie-ins, thus shifting priorities further away from real-world entities. 

There was an avenue to pursue new, varied content while remaining centered on real-world operations and not dinos and monsters. This could have been through the exploration of informative and educational tie-ins perhaps with companies like National Geographic, news agencies that tie in headlines and locations with their MSFS representations, and aviation industry partners (airlines, manufacturers, etc etc) that could have highlighted airline routes, the latest aircraft, or new advancements in the aerospace industry. Instead of focusing on realism, it seems were going towards arcade scenarios at the expense of development time associated with providing MSFS facsimiles of real-world aspects of aviation. 

Yes I know we're getting bug fixes and further enhancements to the core sim, but even more realistic enhancements and additions could have been completed by those likely pulled away to focus on fictional assets. I appreciate that Taog is also a (arguably THE) premier helicopter developer for MSFS now that Nemeth and Cera (both historic leaders) have fallen by the wayside, but I don't think this mitigates the overall concerning thematic shift that we're seeing with the simulator. While the MSFS team has emphasized that they are also catering to users who are focused on non-fiction simulation, I strongly believe that MSFS and Asobo as companies shouldn't be "balancing" fiction vs emulation of real world operations, and instead focus on realism while leaving the fantastical to third-parties who may wish to pursue this (latest example is the Flying Fries Quasar). 

Flightsim and aviation itself has such an inherent variety of aspects that one can focus on and learn from, from unpowered flight, to rotary, to golden age piston props, through the latest modern jets....why expend time on fiction?

Edited December 5, 2025Dec 5 by STK

@STK,

In case you missed it, we are also imminently releasing both the Red Bull Air Race mode and the Boom XB-1 supersonic aircraft for those simmers who desire more true-to-life content in MSFS 2024.

The Red Bull Air Race mode was made with extensive testing and feedback from actual Red Bull race pilots to ensure the sim version is as accurate to the real thing as possible. The Boom XB-1 was built with cooperation from the manufacturer who also shared their expertise in its creation. Both of these are designed to appeal to simmers who want to use MSFS 2024 in a realistic way.

It's not an either/or decision to release new content that caters only to "serious" flight simmers who want maximum realism OR release new content for those who enjoy something more light-hearted and fantastical. It's a both/and decision. MSFS has always been about appealing to a very broad group of aviation enthusiasts, not just one type of simmer.

Thanks,

SeedyL, MSFS Community Manager

32 minutes ago, STK said:

It's disappointing that MSFS is moving away from promoting a varied array of exciting but realistic flight experiences in favor of the fake and fantastical...

They're not
 

32 minutes ago, STK said:

Instead of focusing on realism, it seems were going towards arcade scenarios at the expense of development time associated with providing MSFS facsimiles of real-world aspects of aviation. 

Yes I know we're getting bug fixes and further enhancements to the core sim, but even more realistic enhancements and additions could have been completed by those likely pulled away to focus on fictional assets.

Again, nope. How do you know that devs got "pulled away" from working on realistic enhancements/addtions? Do you realize previous extraneous content has been developed by 3rd party devs or Asobo devs whose skills would not be useful for the core simulation? Oh btw, all the realistic/core stuff that MS/Asobo bothered to spend resources on during both 2020 and 2024 development (such as: deep avionics and onboarding of WT to the team, bothering with adding computational fluid dynamics simulations for flight physics and atmospheric airflow, historic weather, flight planners, default aircraft with unprecedented fidelity compared to other sims, etc etc)... all of these, if MS/Asobo were "moving away from realistic flight experiences" and focusing on the "fake and fantastical" then why would they bother spending dev resource on all these areas/features??
 

32 minutes ago, STK said:

... but I don't think this mitigates the overall concerning thematic shift that we're seeing with the simulator. While the MSFS team has emphasized that they are also catering to users who are focused on non-fiction simulation, I strongly believe that MSFS and Asobo as companies shouldn't be "balancing" fiction vs emulation of real world operations, and instead focus on realism while leaving the fantastical to third-parties who may wish to pursue this (latest example is the Flying Fries Quasar). 

Another wild assumption. There is no "thematic shift", nor is there a purposeful "balancing" of real-world/core stuff vs not. MS has big enough pockets to do have multiple things on the go, and as already said by many above, release of extraneous content X, Y, Z does not mean core features A, B, C are getting neglected (especially when X,Y,Z are being done by 3rd party devs). And if their ultimate goal with X, Y, Z is to widen the user base, attract newcomers, and ultimately add to the bottom line revenue for the sim franchise, then I'm all for it.

----------

This is all too much fussing over nothing, but par for the course I guess when it comes to gatekeeping Serious Simmers ™️ 🙂 
 

Edited December 5, 2025Dec 5 by lwt1971

1 hour ago, lwt1971 said:

They're not
 

Again, nope. How do you know that devs got "pulled away" from working on realistic enhancements/addtions? Do you realize previous extraneous content has been developed by 3rd party devs or Asobo devs whose skills would not be useful for the core simulation? Oh btw, all the realistic/core stuff that MS/Asobo bothered to spend resources on during both 2020 and 2024 development (such as: deep avionics and onboarding of WT to the team, bothering with adding computational fluid dynamics simulations for flight physics and atmospheric airflow, historic weather, flight planners, default aircraft with unprecedented fidelity compared to other sims, etc etc)... all of these, if MS/Asobo were "moving away from realistic flight experiences" and focusing on the "fake and fantastical" then why would they bother spending dev resource on all these areas/features??
 

Another wild assumption. There is no "thematic shift", nor is there a purposeful "balancing" of real-world/core stuff vs not. MS has big enough pockets to do have multiple things on the go, and as already said by many above, release of extraneous content X, Y, Z does not mean core features A, B, C are getting neglected (especially when X,Y,Z are being done by 3rd party devs). And if their ultimate goal with X, Y, Z is to widen the user base, attract newcomers, and ultimately add to the bottom line revenue for the sim franchise, then I'm all for it.

----------

This is all too much fussing over nothing, but par for the course I guess when it comes to gatekeeping Serious Simmers ™️ 🙂 
 

Content decisions today shape the vision of the franchise in the future. If we continue down the path of fictional and fantastic IP, and if it is shown to be highly successful and attract a larger audience, then a competent business owner will prioritize the type of content that leads to success over the more realistic content that contributed a lower return on investment. Business basics. 

Dune, Jurassic Park, Stranger Things...are we going to see Fortnight or Labubus next? Even in the unlikely event that Asobo resources are not being expended* on this...stuff, they are emphasizing and featuring it. We're moving away from realism towards what I suppose is indeed flight simulation via the strict definition, but flight simulation in fictional environments with fictional things. If I wanted that I'll play Ace Combat or Grand Theft Auto.

I'd even argue that this is outside of the original vision of MSFS - the old tagline from the early 2000s was "As Real As It Gets". We went from Rod Machado providing lessons alongside John and Martha King doing promotions based on how close to life everything is....to Stranger Things. 

Even if fewer resources from internal Asobo developers are used, it's still promoting a thematic shift, or at least the acceptance thereof. If they get a big new market due to Stranger Things, etc, then that will reinforce that the market wants this sort of thing *in favor of* expending time, money (contracts), and resources on "less appealing" but more realistic products. I don't know how others aren't seeing this. I understand from the MSFS representative's standpoint above that it's an AND not an OR**, but again, that promotes a thematic shift at minimum that leads to evolution of what's prioritized in the future. I fully expect MSFS2028 or whatever to come with dragons and star wars/trek assets as standard now.

*Just because a third party makes it, doesn't mean MSFS/Asobo aren't pulling resources to advertise, test, and incorporate the stuff into the sim, when time could be spent doing the same activities for realistic products that feature unique aspects of actual aviation. 

**Seeing more air races and Boom supersonic is indeed in the spirit of what I hoped the vision would be and is exciting to see, but I'm worried that the fictional content will be so much more eye catching and successful that it will result in a re-prioritization over time for at least future versions of the franchise. 

Enjoy the evolution... 

Edited December 5, 2025Dec 5 by STK
Removed some repetitiveness.

Antiquated thinking, combined with hyper assumptions and presumptive/clueless takes on what MS/Asobo are *truly* intending (even despite what MS/Asobo are saying on this subject), can lead to various irrational conclusions far removed from reality. I guess those who're fearing MSFS is on a road to focus on "dragons and star wars/trek assets" in 2028 are probably best served to start looking elsewhere for flight sims soon 🤷‍♂️🤣
 

26 minutes ago, STK said:

Content decisions today shape the vision of the franchise in the future. If we continue down the path of fictional and fantastic IP, and if it is shown to be highly successful and attract a larger audience, then a competent business owner will prioritize the type of content that leads to success over the more realistic content that contributed a lower return on investment. Business basics. 

Dune, Jurassic Park, Stranger Things...are we going to see Fortnight or Labubus next? Even in the unlikely event that Asobo resources are not being expended* on this...stuff, they are emphasizing and featuring it. We're moving away from realism towards what I suppose is indeed flight simulation via the strict definition, but flight simulation in fictional environments with fictional things. If I wanted that I'll play Ace Combat or Grand Theft Auto.

I'd even argue that this is outside of the original vision of MSFS - the old tagline from the early 2000s was "As Real As It Gets". We went from Rod Machado providing lessons alongside John and Martha King doing promotions based on how close to life everything is....to Stranger Things. 

Even if fewer resources from internal Asobo developers are used, it's still promoting a thematic shift, or at least the acceptance thereof. If they get a big new market due to Stranger Things, etc, then that will reinforce that the market wants this sort of thing *in favor of* expending time, money (contracts), and resources on "less appealing" but more realistic products. I don't know how others aren't seeing this. I understand from the MSFS representative's standpoint above that it's an AND not an OR**, but again, that promotes a thematic shift at minimum that leads to evolution of what's prioritized in the future. I fully expect MSFS2028 or whatever to come with dragons and star wars/trek assets as standard now.

*Just because a third party makes it, doesn't mean MSFS/Asobo aren't pulling resources to advertise, test, and incorporate the stuff into the sim, when time could be spent doing the same activities for realistic products that feature unique aspects of actual aviation. 

**Seeing more air races and Boom supersonic is indeed in the spirit of what I hoped the vision would be and is exciting to see, but I'm worried that the fictional content will be so much more eye catching and successful that it will result in a re-prioritization over time for at least future versions of the franchise. 

Enjoy the evolution... 

I totally get what you're "getting at" and what I see is an interesting vision of what MSFS might become if those loud 10second attention span voices and their cash turn MS's tables to future Sci-Fi over Actual Real Life DLCs, it's intriguing and potentially explosive for sure.

All we can do is sit back and watch, currently MSFS2024, regardless of what Stranger Things will bring, is still on course to become one of if not the best Flight Simulation in the current market so I don't think you need to fear too much just yet. At the end of the day though they gotta make the money though somehow, if they don't we're all losers because of it when they switch the servers off for good.

Thank you for your thoughts, I for one welcome your viewpoint 🙂 

It is the "slippery slope" logical fallacy.  

If this small things happens, this slightly bigger thing will happen next, and then another bigger until finally MSFS is now Fortnite.  

That's not how things work.  

I play PGA2k25 and they had a crossover with Borderlans (a sci-fi shooter).  Guess what?  It is still golf and I just ignore all the stuff I don't care for.  

Edited December 5, 2025Dec 5 by kerosene31

3 hours ago, Rimshot said:

You might want to wait for the official release of SU4, read the full release notes and then reconsider if the team hasn't worked very hard to improve all that matters "for the hardcore simmer stuff", as you so blatantly state. Remember, to make a flight sim of this magnitude perfect (or at least great) in all relevant aspects takes serious time and serious money. I do not understand your suggestion the team would not have "the same passion to the core sim like they used to". Again, wait for the full release notes that go with SU4. I bet the team has worked very hard to improve the core sim. And besides that they give us bonusses like discussed in this thread. On a sidenote, you seem to forget, the helicopter in this surprise is offered by a renowned developer. Talking about hardcore.

Yeah you should read my posts and see what exactly I was talking about and the core sim items I outlined. 
 

My thoughts aren’t about any aircraft added in the sim etc, it’s the items and core sim issues that are in the sim that need focus.

Dont worry I’m not hating on your sim of choice and I’ve been a big supporter of 2020 and 2024 since they’ve released. 2024 is my main sim but a lot of us are getting tired of waiting. These extra addons, they’re good for the platform, but my point was we should be getting announcements like this to fix the issues I pointed out. ( if you bothered to read).

The sim has been out for over a year. 
 

I’ve been in every single beta, Su4, currently, and it’s close to release. I’m pretty sure we’re on final or second last build before release. Not much usually changes for the people  in the beta already. And I guarantee the list I mentioned is not going to be added so not sure what I’m waiting for.