A new “Community Spotlight” post on the Microsoft Flight Simulator blog has today shared a little more insight into how the built-in multiplayer functionality is changing how community members now fly together online. Whilst we are currently used to tools such as VATSIM, IVAO, PilotEdge and others all providing this realistic environment to fly online with friends, sometimes the casual side of things is hard to do. There are some tools out there, but the new Microsoft Flight Simulator will have these tools all built-in.
One of the forum and Discord mods, Pieter, was interviewed by the team to give his account of the weekly “Fly-In” events. These events were designed to help stress test the online multiplayer component but then resulted in a regular community themed event with plenty of participants getting involved. “There have been some magical moments where we’re flying with 20+ people and the chat goes completely quiet,” Pieter said in the article.
Over the past few months, the community has taken on a huge variety of flying including flights over the Caribbean, STOL Drag Racing and more. Simply put, the new world of Microsoft Flight Simulator enables everyone to really enjoy the simulator in their own unique way. The accessibility here is what is key: “There are so many memorable moments, for example, when people would warn each other of turbulence on route, and then to actually experience that turbulence exactly where it was reported.”
There is, of course, a lot more to it than simply booting up the sim and flying. It takes planning and range of willing people to help. Luckily, the official Discord has proven to be a great resource for just that. When asked about his favourite event, Pieter said that “it’s really hard to come up with a single favorite. I like the GA bush flying events. With slow planes flying low over the scenery.”
Over the coming week, building up to the release, Microsoft will be sharing more stories from the community including more about the weekly Fly-In events. Some of those events will even be streamed live on the official Microsoft Flight Simulator Twitch channel. In the meantime, the launch of the official forums will take place soon so keep your eyes peeled for that.
You can read the full entry about how the weekly Fly-In events are created on the official Microsoft Flight Simulator blog.
Stay with FSElite for further coverage of the simulator as we edge closer to the August 18th release.
