Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

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Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) logo.png
Original title Microsoft Flight Simulator
Studio Asobo Studio
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 Windows:
August 18, 2020
Xbox One, Xbox Series X:
2020
platform Microsoft Windows , Xbox One , Xbox Series X
genre Flight simulation
Game mode Single player , multiplayer
control Keyboard & mouse , gamepad , joystick
medium Download , DVD-ROM

Microsoft Flight Simulator (unofficially for easy identification of the computer game series of the same Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 called, unofficially abbreviated often called FS2020 ) is a flight simulation - computer game of the Microsoft Flight Simulator series , which of Asobo Studio developed and Xbox Game Studios at 18 August 2020 for Windows 10 . The simulator is also for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X announced.

When displaying the earth's surface , it uses textures and topological data from Bing Maps . The three-dimensional environment is generated using the Microsoft Azure cloud platform .

overview

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first computer game that simulates the entire earth in three dimensions with 4K textures from satellite images that are accurate to the centimeter. The game should also support 4K resolution and HDR with a 10-bit color depth.

It is a so-called always-online game, which means that the player is permanently connected to the Internet when playing. Three-dimensional objects as well as landscape elements of the playable world are continuously generated and adaptively streamed by the in-house Azure cloud AI. However, the simulator can also be used without an internet connection. To do this, the desired regions with the desired level of detail can be downloaded in advance. To download the entire geography with the highest possible level of detail, over 2 petabytes of storage capacity are required. In the case of offline use without a pre-download, however, landscape elements and objects are only generated procedurally. These look the same, but their distribution and selection is less realistic.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator supports roads with vehicles, flowing, reflective water, trees with different leaves, animals and realistic, dynamic weather to make the environment look as realistic as possible. To display the weather, they work together with the Swiss weather service Meteoblue, which provides particularly detailed and precise weather data for the simulation. In this way, wind speeds, temperatures, air humidity, air pressure and many other factors are taken into account physically correctly in real time and depending on the respective terrain structure. In total, more than two million cities and over 40,000 airports will be included.

development

Microsoft Flight Simulator was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 9, 2019 and is currently being developed by Asobo Studio.

Insider program

As part of the Insider program launched by Microsoft during development, interested parties were able to participate in early test phases while the flight simulator was being developed. By registering for the Insider Program on the flight simulator's official homepage, users qualified for participation in alpha and beta versions. After the last version of the Alpha (Alpha 5, Build 1.5.4.0) published on July 9, 2020, it was announced that the developers will start the first closed beta phase on July 30, 2020. In turn, selected users from the Insider Program who have either already been invited to the alpha phases or will receive invitations in the future are entitled to participate in this phase.

Partnerships

A partnership with the Swiss weather service Meteoblue has been announced for the representation and simulation of realistic, dynamic weather . On July 24, 2020 Microsoft also announced a partnership with VATSIM , an international online network for shared virtual flying. The Microsoft Flight Simulator has an integrated shop for additional content authorized third party. The free SDK is available to expand the simulator and is currently accessed by over 400 external developers. Individual well-known developers announced the provision of numerous airports and other aircraft as an extension for the flight simulator.

Post-release roadmap

The flight simulator is being released with the support of the TrackIR head tracking technology. A virtual reality -support will be submitted with a free update - for HP Reverb G2 VR headset in the fall of 2020, for other VR goggles at a later date. Updates are planned on a monthly basis after publication. Every two to three months, free updates for the world and satellite data for selected areas and airports are to be provided. In addition to new missions, paid DLCs are also planned to expand the game with additional content.

System requirements

Microsoft Flight Simulator runs from Windows version 10 with version 18362.0 or higher. This requires a quad-core processor with the minimum performance level of an AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-4460 and a graphics card from Radeon RX 570 or GeForce GTX 770 . At least 8 GB of RAM must be installed in the system. Approx. 150 GB of hard disk space is required without additional content.

Microsoft recommends 16 GB of RAM - 32 GB are ideal - and a graphics card of the Radeon RX 590 or GeForce GTX 970 class . A permanent internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 5 Mbps is also important .

Microsoft Flight Simulator system requirements
component Minimum requirement Recommended requirement Ideal requirement
operating system Windows 10 - Update 1909 Windows 10 - Update 1909 Windows 10 - Update 1909
CPU AMD Ryzen 3 1200 / Intel i5-4460 AMD Ryzen 5 1500X / Intel i5-8400 AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X / Intel i7-9800X
GPU Radeon RX 570 / NVIDIA GTX 770 Radeon RX 590 / NVIDIA GTX 970 Radeon VII / NVIDIA RTX 2080
VRAM 2 GB 4 GB 8 GB
R.A.M. 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
HDD 150 GB 150 GB 150 GB SSD
Bandwidth 5 Mbps 20 Mbps 50 Mbps

Versions

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available in three versions. A later upgrade to the next higher edition is possible through separate purchase, although not cost-effective. Both the Standard, Deluxe and Premium Deluxe Editions are available for PC download from the Microsoft Store or from Steam . However, a physical version in the form of a disc is only available in Europe. This appears only in the Standard and Premium Deluxe Edition via Aerosoft in retail and comprises ten dual-layer DVDs with a content of around 90 GB, the remaining mandatory content is downloaded during installation. Buyers who purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator for Windows or Xbox One digitally can also play it for free on the other platform as part of the Xbox Play Anywhere program without having to make a new purchase. A Microsoft account is required to play.

Standard Edition

The Standard Edition includes 20 highly detailed aircraft, including the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 747-8I and, in addition to 37,000 other airports, in particular 30 hand-made, particularly accurately implemented airports such as KLAX , KJFK or KSEA . The pre-order price for the download and the DVD version of the Standard Edition was € 69.99 and CHF 74 respectively. This edition is the only one included in the Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Deluxe Edition

The Deluxe Edition includes the same content as the Standard Edition plus five additional high-precision aircraft and five additional handcrafted international airports. The pre-order price for the download of the Deluxe Edition was € 89.99 or CHF 104.

Additional aircraft:

  • Diamond Aircraft DA40-TDI
  • Diamond Aircraft DV20
  • Textron Aviation Beechcraft Baron G58
  • Textron Aviation Cessna 152 Aerobat
  • Textron Aviation Cessna 172 Skyhawk

5 more detailed airports:

Premium Deluxe Edition

The Premium Deluxe Edition includes the same content as the Deluxe Edition plus five other high-precision aircraft, such as the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner , and five other hand-made international airports, including Frankfurt am Main Airport . The pre-order price for the download of the Premium Deluxe Edition was € 119.99 or CHF 134, the DVD version could be pre-ordered in Germany for € 129.99, and the market in Switzerland set the price (approx. CHF 125).

10 additional aircraft:

  • Diamond Aircraft DA40-TDI
  • Diamond Aircraft DV20
  • Textron Aviation Beechcraft Baron G58
  • Textron Aviation Cessna 152 Aerobat
  • Textron Aviation Cessna 172 Skyhawk
  • Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
  • Cirrus Aircraft SR22
  • Pipistrel Virus SW 121
  • Textron Aviation Cessna Citation Longitude
  • Zlin Aviation Shock Ultra

10 additional more detailed airports:

reviews

reviews
publication Rating
Windows Xbox One
4players 85/100
Game revolution 4.5 / 5
GameStar 87/100
IGN 10/10
Meta-ratings
Metacritic 93/100

At Metacritic , the flight simulator had an average rating of 93/100 from 33 reviews on the day of publication.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sam Machkovech: The new MS Flight Simulator taught me how to fly an actual plane. September 30, 2019, Retrieved October 2, 2019 (American English).
  2. ↑ a b Microsoft Flight Simulator | Xbox and Windows 10. Retrieved October 2, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Set for Launch on August 18 for PC, also with Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta). July 13, 2020, accessed July 13, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ a b c Microsoft Flight Simulator - E3 2019 - Announce Trailer. Accessed October 2, 2019 (German).
  5. ↑ a b Charlie Hall: The biggest surprise of Microsoft Flight Simulator: it makes Bing cool. September 30, 2019, accessed October 2, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b c Playing Flight Simulator 2020 offline: Large amounts of data with lots of zeros. October 2, 2019, accessed October 3, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Martin Fischer: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as big as 20,000 Blu-rays. In: heise online. October 2, 2019, accessed October 2, 2019 .
  8. ↑ heise online: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as big as 20,000 Blu-rays. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  9. ↑ a b c Peter Bathge: You can play the Flight Simulator offline, but that has a big disadvantage. In: GameStar. October 2, 2019, accessed October 2, 2019 .
  10. ↑ meteoblue weather in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Fraser Brown: Here's how Microsoft Flight Simulator creates its realistic weather. In: PC Gamer. June 12, 2020, Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  12. ↑ heise online: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as big as 20,000 Blu-rays. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  13. ↑ heise online: Flight Simulator 2020: Microsoft is looking for players for alpha test. Retrieved July 12, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Benjamin Jakobs: The Flight Simulator takes off into closed beta at the end of July. In: Eurogamer.de. July 10, 2020, accessed July 12, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Fraser Brown: Here's how Microsoft Flight Simulator creates its realistic weather. In: PC Gamer. June 12, 2020, Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  16. ↑ Jonathan Bolding: Flight Simulator teases a partnership with online flight network VATSIM. In: PC Gamer. July 25, 2020, Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  17. ↑ July 16th, 2020 Development Update. July 16, 2020, accessed August 5, 2020 (American English).
  18. ↑ heise online: Microsoft Flight Simulator: Ultimate immersion thanks to VR mode, SDK for everyone. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Flight Simulator 2020 - VR will be available as a free update in autumn. July 30, 2020, accessed August 5, 2020 .
  20. ↑ heise online: Microsoft Flight Simulator: Ultimate immersion thanks to VR mode, SDK for everyone. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  21. ↑ July 30th, 2020 Development Update. July 30, 2020, Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  22. ↑ heise online: Microsoft Flight Simulator: Ultimate immersion thanks to VR mode, SDK for everyone. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  23. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator: Standard - Buy Preorder - Microsoft Store en-DE. Retrieved on July 13, 2020 (German).
  24. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Pre-order FAQ. Retrieved July 15, 2020 (American English).
  25. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator for Windows July 10, 13, 2020, accessed July 13, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Set for Launch on August 18 for PC, also with Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta). July 13, 2020, accessed July 14, 2020 (American English).
  27. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Pre-order FAQ. Retrieved July 13, 2020 (American English).
  28. ↑ Pre- order Microsoft Flight Simulator now on Steam. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Pre-order FAQ. Retrieved July 13, 2020 (American English).
  30. ↑ Flight Simulator 2020: Even ten double-layer DVDs are not enough. July 15, 2020, accessed August 5, 2020 .
  31. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Pre-order FAQ. Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  32. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator Pre-order FAQ. Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  33. ^ Microsoft Flight Simulator Review - IGN. Accessed August 18, 2020 .
  34. ↑ Test (evaluation) on Microsoft Flight Simulator (simulation). Retrieved August 18, 2020 .
  35. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Review | 'A landmark technical achievement'. Retrieved August 18, 2020 .
  36. ↑ Flight Simulator in the Test - The most fascinating »game« of the year test. August 17, 2020, accessed August 18, 2020 .
  37. ↑ a b Microsoft Flight Simulator. Accessed August 18, 2020 .