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Microsoft discusses Flight update and impending Alaska release


Hiflyer

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I posted this in the "Big Flight" topic, but there was not a single view (except for a spammer) and I fear the subject may be so old as to be considered dead, so I am posting it here more visibly.

Microsoft has issued this following statement on the Flight Facebook Page on 6/15/2012; "With the release of the Alaska Wilderness Expansion DLC on the horizon, we’d like to share some of the changes we’ve made to core elements of Microsoft Flight, as well as some bug fixes.

NEW FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY:

New hardware-related functionality:

-Added support for TrackIR

-Added support for axis-based brake control devices

-Added settings specific to Intel Ivy Bridge graphics hardware

New Hangar Marketplace UI:

-Added details page for Marketplace items

-Improved user experience for downloading multiple pieces of DLC

-Added locked/unlocked livery sorting

Map improvements

-Added globe icon to Main Menu for region selection

-Adjusted map displays for areas with high airport concentration

-Added region-based filtering for Aerocaches

Improved error reporting

-Added features which allow for more robust error reports from end users

New UI Features

-Added “Glance” command; when R key is pressed and held, allows player to look toward the closest Point of Interest Marker

New Environment Features and Improvements

-Added two new weather themes: Heavy Weather and Mixed Weather

-Added new in-cloud effects

-Adjusted coloration of clouds at higher densities to be more realistic

-Adjusted cloud randomization

BUG FIXES:

Reduced load times across the board

Adjusted “Skip to Waypoint” feature: players no longer spawn

inside intervening terrain pieces

Fixed issues with double-byte languages (Korean, Japanese & Chinese)

-Fixed issue causing in-cockpit tooltips to display incorrectly

-Fixed issue preventing planes from appearing in Hangar after selecting a job from the Job Board

Fixed graphics issues

-Fixed issues in fog layer and cirrus cloud rendering

-Adjusted reflections to be more realistic (no more giant plane reflections)

-Fixed vegetation flickering issues

-Fixed banyan tree rendering

-Fixed crash that occurred for some users when changing graphics settings during cut scenes

-Improved in-flight terrain textures for users with Vertical Sync enabled

Addressed multiple Games for Windows – LIVE related issues which can cause Microsoft Flight to crash

Addressed multiple issues causing Windows Vista users to experience a crash after completing a mission or challenge

Fixed multiplayer issues

-Reduced bandwidth consumed during multiplayer sessions

-Fixed error experienced by final users to join multiplayer sessions

-Fixed multiple crashes that occur during multiplayer sessions

-Reduced choppiness in rendering other users’ planes during multiplayer

More information regarding the Alaska DLC and its specifics will apparently be released soon.

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Looks like they're trying to save their bad reputation, but I'm afraid it's not enough. Despite these fixes the essential is still a game, and that's not what most simmers are looking for.

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  • Deputy Sheriffs

Thanks for the heads-up, Devon. TrackIR and the braking was certainly badly needed.

I fired Flight up, and it downloaded a patch by itself, but still no TrackIR to be found.

I assume they release these core patches at the same time as Alaska?

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Thanks for the heads-up, Devon. TrackIR and the braking was certainly badly needed.

I fired Flight up, and it downloaded a patch by itself, but still no TrackIR to be found.

I assume they release these core patches at the same time as Alaska?

No mention of when the update goes live. Its possible they might test release before Alaska but there is no information yet.

More exciting for me personally than Track IR (which I don't use) are the fixes to multiflyer code. There is in fact now a website where flight multiflyers can gather to discuss and schedule events (very fun!) and I am hoping that grows. Having the multiflyer code be quicker and more stable will be a big help.

http://msflights.net/

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comon there is no future for flight..dont know what is the intention from microsoft..hope that they decide to do a FSX follower one day..

No need it! We already have P3D from Lockheed Martin with upcoming updates and on final of 2012 it will have a DirectX 11 patch.

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The Flight update has gone live! Just log into flight for the update. It may take longer for the update to be available via Steam. Hints from the new loading screen indicate that one of the upcoming planes for Alaska is a Carbon Cub (With Tundra Tires) looks exciting!

Takeoff Distance

  • Takeoff Ground Roll: 60 ft*

    Landing Distance
    • Landing Ground Roll: 245 ft*

      Rate of Climb
      • Rate of climb: up to 2,100 fpm*

      Fuel Consumption

      [*]Fuel consumption: 5-6 gph*

      [*]Endurance (normal, 80hp cruise): 4 hrs*

      [*]Max range: 450 miles*

      Speeds

      [*]Vno 101 mph

      (normal operating range top of green on airspeed indicator)

      [*]Vne 141 mph

      (never exceed speed top of yellow on airspeed indicator)

      [*]Vs0 32 mph

      (stall speed w/flaps down, slowest stall speed)

      [*]Vs1 40 mph

      (stall speed w/flaps up, clean)

      *Performance numbers assume optimal conditions, actual numbers will vary. Fuel consumption and speed will vary with power settings.

      Alaska Airports: A mod on the beta forum was unsure of the total but said between 700 to 1000 will be on the Alaska DLC when released. Basically, all airports in their source data were included. Another mod says that "Water will turn to ice in the northern portions of Alaska depending on season, and buildings and trees will have snow on them in winter. There are different vegetation textures for fall and spring as well. No free preview though, sorry."

      Head tracking support in Flight: Has been added after many customer requests. Additionally, improvements in multiflyer code with this update promise to make multiple flyer interaction even smoother.

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Talk about smoothness! Look at this nonsense. There was a (probable glitch) 68 knot wind at Upolu after the update, and it did not take players long to find it and go berserk. The new fluidity in multiflyer is like night and day from how it was previously. I can already imagine the birth of a "Flight Virtual Aerobatics team" now that multipiflyer positional accuracy is this fine.

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Very excited for Alaska, lost interest in Hawaii very quickly but if that Cub is another external only model Flight isn't worth the disk space it takes up to me...

Including a basic no cockpit version is ridiculous if you ask me... What is this some racing game you play from external rear view... Bah humbug!

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Very excited for Alaska, lost interest in Hawaii very quickly but if that Cub is another external only model Flight isn't worth the disk space it takes up to me...

Including a basic no cockpit version is ridiculous if you ask me... What is this some racing game you play from external rear view... Bah humbug!

It is....

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Alaska is released. $14.99 divided into one main download and several mandatory free ones. Total is several gigs. Some problems with downloading, possibly due to heavy load on the servers. Here are some preliminary pictures. My first reaction is it all looks kinda pretty so far...... All seasons, day and night are selectable, though trees look like they have been blasted by something akin to the Tunguska event in some areas/seasons. Does indeed include all of Alaska. Overall so far pretty darn nice. Especially for $14.99!!!

Pics of me Putt-Putting around.

201262762043887.jpg

201262762011520.jpg

20126276188533.jpg

2012627722394.jpg

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Still doesnt appeal to me. Aircraft without cockpits, and an Alaska that in all honesty looks no better than the likes on Tongass Fjords, which I happen to really like.

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  • Deputy Sheriffs

... an Alaska that in all honesty looks no better than the likes on Tongass Fjords, which I happen to really like.

This means you really like the MS Flight Alaska as well! ;) Unless you mean that 'no better' = worse.

But honestly, this weekend I tried the core update for TrackIR and Brake Axis, and I flew the Hawaii 'small airstrips mission', and I had great fun.

I know it is limited as a simulator, but what it does works very well.

So on my PC it has place alongside FSX, P3D, and XP10. Why should I limit myself to just one game? :)

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This means you really like the MS Flight Alaska as well! ;) Unless you mean that 'no better' = worse.

But honestly, this weekend I tried the core update for TrackIR and Brake Axis, and I flew the Hawaii 'small airstrips mission', and I had great fun.

I know it is limited as a simulator, but what it does works very well.

So on my PC it has place alongside FSX, P3D, and XP10. Why should I limit myself to just one game? :)

:lol: No better most certainly = worse in this case because at least with TOngass Fjords I can fly down to PNW, CRM, NA blue and up to Achorage along with Dutch Harbor. And all my aircraft have modelled cockpits :lol:

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Must go back to things like Dirt and Need for Speed, where thats the default view? I must confess when I was younger I always preferred the outside view on driving games, but that could also be because there was no other views available on the old computer platforms like the ZX81.

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  • Deputy Sheriffs
We do a lot of events where kids are around and almost always they prefer to fly with a view outside the aircraft. I am not 100% sure why.

I noticed the same with my son (now 20 years old) over the years, and not only flying but also driving (iike the 'Dirt' series). I guess they grew up with games (consoles) that have this by default.

[edit] overlapping wit Matt's answer, sorry.

But a ZX81 with an ouside view???? You are not only getting old but also demented :P

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Old? cheeky *%^£&$ :lol: As for the ZX81, Im pretty sure I had a driving game for that with just an outside view. But it could just as easily been on the old Amstrad CPC6128 we used to have. Dementure is not something I suffer with, I enjoy every minute of it :D

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My kid always wants the external view too. So he can see the damage he's causing!

"Dementure" haha, that's a goodie. "loss of memory AND TEETH" from old age (over 35??¿¿¿)

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I finally sucked up my pride and got some of the Flight content (scenery + aircraft with VC). I spent about 5 hours with it and I have to say as a game it is actually very enjoyable.

The graphics range between not great (some locations) and stunning (some other locations). Some of the activities are quite fun (not the flying through hoops stuff for me, but some of the missions and landing challanges). Systems are not present or very simple, but the feel of flying is right.

I can see that it will not be something I will spend a lot of hours with compared to FSX or XPlane, but if you are looking for a few hours of entertainment it is just as good as many other games around.

As a kid I think I would have loved it. The only reason I put up with VOR to VOR navigation and ILS approaches back then was because it was the only thing FS2 had to offer.

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