For some reason, many developers, publishers and media outlets choose April 1st as the ideal date to announce exciting new products, new features or provide the community with an update to their existing product line. As a media outlet, we are always prepared to tackle this challenging day and as usual, we found a lot of great new announcements.
New Helicopter for DCS World!?
Let’s start with our friends at Helisimmer. They were lucky enough to be provided with EXCLUSIVE news of a Helicopter coming to DCS World. We know Sergio is a huge fan of the spinning tops so he must have been beside himself when he found out this great news. The news is that Heatblur are working on a F-14 Heli-edition for the combat simulator. The team said “Not really but we HAD to do it after we have seen how happy Bel Geode was about our module. We know he’s a huge fan of rotor aircraft as well – and especially tiltrotors. We decided to embark on this project to cater such an amazing Tomcat lover. This one’s for you, Drew”
Orbx are FINALLY Returning to FS2004
I never thought we would hear the day that Orbx would return to the best simulator ever. At long last, they’re ditching new technology, abandoning 64-bit and focusing on what matters: low-resolution and restricted polygon counts. Announced on the Orbx forums today, it was confirmed that Orbx would go back to develop for FS2004. John Venema from Orbx commented saying “the only simulator sorely missing from [our development cycle] is FS2004″. There were then several screenshots attached proving this to be incredibly real. FTX Central was also updated to reflect this new important information.
FlightSimExpo EXCLUSIVELY Showcasing Sitting Simulator 2020
As if we needed any more reason to visit Orlando in June. Today, the guys at FlightSimExpo confirmed that Sitting Simulator 2020 will be exhibiting at the event. Taking place at the Renaissance Orlando in Florida during June 7 – 9 2019, there will be plenty to see and do. IEA (International Ergonomics Association) has confirmed it is the most anticipated game of the year. We’re also on the edge of our seats in anticipation for Sitting Simulator 2020. We feel it’s a great match for flight sim enthusiasts.
You can buy tickets to attend the event already via FlightSimExpo. Weekend tickets start from $70! With this news, tickets WILL SELL OUT!
Drzewiecki Design Bring Chicago to P3Dv5 for a Low, Low Cost
On their Facebook page, Drzewiecki Design has confirmed that development for Chicago City X has been completed. The product is compatible with the unannounced Prepar3D V5 and will cost over 100 Euros for the most feature-rich version. As the product is far too advanced for some computers, the team has created a non-autogen version and autogen version. They will cost 55 Euro and 65 Euro respectively.
Release date is not yet known.
Aerosoft’s Brand New Marketing Strategy Revealed
Aerosoft are taking this up to the next level with their marketing. The team has acquired a company aircraft which will be used to transport their team to and from events to answer community questions. We’re surprised they didn’t put a sticker on the side saying “it’s ready when it’s ready” as we all know what the most common question will be…
You can find out more about their exciting new marketing power through their Facebook page.
SimCoders Move from Flight Sim Development to Racing Simulators
In a move that I think surprised 11.32% of the X-Plane community, developers SimCoders have moved on from developing Flight Simulation products to focus completely on Racing Simulators. The team seem incredibly excited to work on the new platform. This is what they had to say: “This new car racing simulator will feature outstanding driving models and very realistic cars from the driving point of view. Not to mention the impressive graphics!”
It’s unknown if they will ever return back to the world of Flight Sim.
FlyJSim….Ran by a Cat!?
If you ask Seth on the FSElite team, he will tell you that cats are the best and will one day take over the world. It seems like he’s right as it was confirmed today that FlyJSim has a brand new CEO (Cat Exectuive Operations) running the show. In a letter addressed to the community, many of the original team have now been fired due to a mix up with the cat food type. However, with a new CEO, there has also come change. FlyJSim will now formally be known as FelineSim.
Their first product under this new name will be the FelineSim 732-X Ultimate Edition! A full feature list has been supplied.
- Purrfect exterior and interior texturing
- Brand new cabin: Scratching posts included
- Flight model tuned so that the aircraft always lands on its landing gear.
- Custom maintenance System : Requires a belly rub every 5 minutes
- Cat Collision Avoidance System (CCAS)
- Fur-MOD Sounds
- Custom particle effects
- Full tail flex
- Kitty-Tab
- Full CAT 3 autoland
Brand New Study Level A350 from Brand New Developer
This is an odd one. There is so much about it which SCREAMS unrealistic, but the very official looking press release, along with very official looking website and very official looking screenshots suggest otherwise. Brand new developer Wide Body Sim Development announced that they would be bringing a commercial A350 to Prepar3D V4.4. Supporting their very official looking press release was some very official looking screenshots. It seems to be modelled like-for-like on a Turbo Squid model, which makes this an instant buy upon release in my opinion.
Sadly, it’s not due out until 2020, so we have over a year to wait!*
Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition Receiving an Update
According to German news site Flightsim.news, they have information from Dovetail games that Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition is receiving an update. According to them, the new update will include all of Australia, an OOM protection function and VR compatibility. I personally don’t think this is going to happen, but according to the quote from Stephen Hood, “we undoubtedly see a bright future in this 32-bit platform”. It’s odd they would focus their attention on this simulator despite the news their Flight Sim World failed to meet targets.
We’ll keep a close eye on any developments.
Zibo Developer to go Down Subscription Route
The people behind the wonderful Zibo mod on X-Plane 11 has decided that enough is enough. Freeware has been fun, but now it’s time to roll in the cash. The team has confirmed that they will be resorting to a Netflix/Spotify/Navigraph/[insert subscription-based model of choice here] style subscription model. The news was shared via Discord.
If you don’t want to wait until they implement this fantastic money making idea, then you can always donate to the team for their hard work on creating this wonderful freeware.
TRÉSHÓLM: A New Scent Range From Threshold
Something flight simmers always dream of: the perfect scent to mask the smell of the basement, computers and sweat after that challenging approach. Thankfully, the guys at Threshold have provided flight simmers with a new scent called JetSetter, it has been described as “A Cologne and Perfume with the scent of superiority.” It is due to launch in the 2nd half of the year.
This ties in very nicely with our big news!
Introducing the FSElite Perfect Match Test™
We announced a brand new product to excite and thrill flight simmers everywhere. Introducing our brand new Perfect Match Test. Using sophisticated technology, an improved SDK and all the other buzzwords tech companies love to use, we’re proud to announce a new way to find your new love. Forget the tried and tested methods of dating apps and save those fingers for flying instead of swiping. Our 10-step system will pair you to your perfect type.
You can take the test below. Be sure to tell us who your perfect match is!
Did we miss any big stories today? Let us know in the comment section!
*(We have seen multiple news outlets report this as real, but we’re pretty sure it’s a nice little joke!)
