Yesterday, Microsoft and Asobo took part in their regular live developer Q&A session with the community to give an insight into what is coming soon to the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, along with answering questions from the community. Whilst there wasn’t any big announcements or any new previews of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, there was still plenty to digest from the hour-and-a-half stream.
Sim Update 15
The 15th simulator update is due to be released on March 12th, with a beta starting soon for those wanting to test the upcoming changes and features ahead of time. Sim Update 15 looks to be very focused on performance and memory improvements. Specifically, working alongside Working Title, the teams have managed to improve the performance considerably in the simulator, especially in glass cockpits. In some examples, the 747-8i saw an additional 20fps in comparable situations, thanks to new ways of refreshing the displays in the cockpit.
Not only is performance increased for those types of planes, but memory performance has also seen a big boost. The teams managed to find ways to improve the way memory was handled in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Asobo has found a way to bring that same optimisation to the current simulator. This falls right inline with their statement on bringing any compatible technology or code back to the current sim where possible. This is going to be noticeable for those with low ram or seeing stuttering.
Another area that Sim Update 15 will improve is how the simulator interacts with live ATC. Seb said “so far it is looking good,” with many oddities and bugs squashed. One thing the team is looking at is a livery matching system for multiplayer, but there are no promises here.
MetroBlue is also supporting the simulator update with helping to reduce areas where snow shouldn’t be, and multi-rotor support is coming which will please rotor-heads out there.
If you’re wondering about the A320neo v2 from iniBuilds, work is ongoing with the plane, but no word on when it will release. Jorg did say it likely won’t make the first round of beta testing for Sim Update 15, but they’re all working very hard on making it come out very soon.
G3X Touch Navigation
Dominiki Gullas from Working Title joined the stream to give a detailed look at what to expect from the new G3X Touch Navigation that is coming as part of Sim Update 15. Built from the ground up, the G3X touch will enhance many of the default planes with an authentic G3X suite, including the ability to customise many components of it. You will be able to see a variety of information including flight markers, wind data, a synthetic vision and be able to see this data in full or split screen modes.
A fully modelled Engine Information System and MFD page is also modelled, giving you insight into all kinds of engine performance and fuel calculation data. This is adaptable to various engine types, providing flexibility across the board for a number of planes.
Upon release, the new G3X will work with the VL-3, XCub, and NXCub, with third-party planes able to take full advantage of it.
World Hub
The World Hub is in active testing with a select number of people, with integration happening in February. It’s still very much ongoing and will continue to be tested until it’s ready for the masses.
Miscellaneous
Some other elements that were covered in the stream include:
- There will be a Sim Update 16 in the future
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will not release in or before March 2024
- World Update Brazil is still very much in the works, but awaiting on photogrammetry data
- A new ‘Favourite’ feature for aircraft is coming
- The ATR is getting more updates in the future and it’s a plane near and dear to the team’s heart
- Dune DLC is planned for March in line with the release of the film in cinemas
- Touch and gyro support is coming to xCloud, meaning it will be more accessible than ever
==
As usual, we’ll be sure to keep you updated. If there was anything we missed, let us know in the comments and we’ll add it in.
