“The world, particularly the Massive Knowledge world, between Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 might be shared,” explains Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann. “We aren’t going to have two completely different digital twins — cities like London are going to be shared, POIs are shared, the peak subject (DEM) and aerials are all shared. What’s completely different in MSFS 2024 is we now have optimized how the information is dropped at the participant. So, there might be much more within the Cloud, which permits us to do extra. As an alternative of 23 species of timber, we now have one thing like 200. And finally with that it permits you to be much more correct. There’ll nonetheless be timber in each worlds, however one might be a bit of bit extra generic and the opposite extra refined, however the worlds would be the identical.”
Refined is a key phrase in terms of describing what’s concerned within the newest World Replace XVII for Microsoft Flight Simulator. From using improved cameras to extra correct ranges of knowledge, the entire challenge behind this replace is pushed by using the most recent tech which wasn’t obtainable the primary time these areas had been mapped. It’s not simply that this replace has been lengthy requested by followers, nevertheless it has been recognized by the flight sim group as a challenge they’ve wished to deal with for some time.
“We had photogrammetry (for the areas), nevertheless it didn’t look significantly good. And I feel that’s what folks noticed, proper? Positive, town was there, nevertheless it was darkish, the constructing shadows had been manner too black, and there have been every kind of points,” explains Neumann. “London was highlighted from the group as a ‘Please, please replace London.’ So, I all the time had that on my thoughts, that we’ve obtained to do one thing with London. And as I used to be working with the Bing group, we’d speak about it loads, about eager to do England appropriately.”