Established scenery developer Flightbeam Studios has announced in a blog post on their website that their well renowned San Francisco (KSFO) has received a major facelift as part of a wider update to bring compatibility for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Writing on the changes, Mir from the Flightbeam team said that enchancements to the developer SDK for MSFS2024 had enabled the team to make significant improvements to the ground textures around the airport, with more grunge and grime on the tarmac around the stands given as a particularly notable example. Mir said that the ground textures on the 2020 version were already pretty good, but were severely limited by the previous SDK which forced a default detail map on all aprons.
All ground assets have also been re-optimised and re-exported for the new SDK in 2024.
Also making the list of new features are entirely custom lights for runways and taxiways which form a more immersive night time flying experience, native VDGS on A, B, E and G gates, and various flora and fauna around the airport, including a pair of seagulls which Mir says will be judging all our landings.
The team are also including scans of assets taken at the real airport, the result of numerous on-site visits by the team, with Mir highlighting the quality Flightbeam is known and respected for by saying “we don’t “Google Earth” develop our products, unlike some of the competition”.
Best of all, the 2024 comparability upgrade and all of these new features come at no additional charge for existing customers of the KSFO: Captains Edition for MSFS 2020. The update is available now through Contrail and will hit the MSFS2024 marketplace when it makes its debut.
