Among the inventions that changed the course of human evolution forever, the conquest of air is one that, more than any other, allowed us to relativize the time required to traverse a given space, and forever subverted our sense of distance. Of course, we can stress the critical role commercial air transport plays today, but instead we think it deserves scrutiny because of the magnificent allegories that aviation history has given us, rather than the progress it has given us. It’s connected with brave heroes like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird, willing to risk their lives to fly free.
Anyone who has flown at least once knows they truly owe a lot to these great pioneers, so Flight Simulator had no doubt to celebrate its fortieth anniversary and held the entire celebration inside the Evergreen Air and Space Museum, an aerospace museum. Thanks to an invitation from Microsoft, he had the honor of visiting. We’ve already told you about the incident on the occasion of our interview with Jorg Neumann and Tyson Weinert, but now that we’re back from a flight to the United States, it’s time to review all the content that makes its debut in the game. , ours Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Update special. Between historic airplanes, helicopters, gliders and many new missions, this is undoubtedly the perfect opportunity to get behind the stick again.
The story above all
As revealed in our interview with Flight Simulator director Jorg Neumann, Asobo Studio He didn’t hesitate to plan his Anniversary Update proposal. Celebrating the Microsoft franchise, the longest-running Redmond company, is tantamount to celebrating aviation history, so much of the content of this new pack is dedicated to it. The team specifically wanted to pay homage to Flight Simulator 2004. old plane We finally see it revived in the new edition: the first to complete the transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, St. Seven new jewels from the past are on show, including the Luis Spirit and its twin DC-3. The famous powered aircraft cleared commercial flights between the United States and Europe. There is even the Wright Flyer, the first powered vehicle to perform a heavier-than-air controlled flight, but its major protagonist is the massive aircraft Spruce Goose, built by aviator Howard Hughes and preserved in the Evergreen Museum. many other historical examples.
We had the opportunity to sit in his cabin during the museum visit, a unique experience considering we were in exactly the same place a few hours later, but ready to take Howard Hughes’ giant into the clouds inside Flight Simulator. According to tradition, Asobo was able to perfectly emulate the passenger compartment of the car. Spruce Goose Even though we were somewhat accustomed to the dexterity of the team grappling with photogrammetry, commanding an aircraft we had just visited a few hours ago allowed us to finally focus on the skill of the studio we had. It has never been possible to do it before.
Speaking of history, a disproportionate amount of updates new missions, 24, some of which are directly inspired by earlier episodes of the Flight Simulator series. Not all focus on historic planes, but those that use them as protagonists are certainly the most successful, such as the plane that simulates the Wright Flyer’s first flight at Kitty Hawk or follows the stages of the first United. States airline route. These activities can offer great variety and will see you engage in a wide variety of missions that include both landing challenges and minor reconnaissance flights as well as more challenging transitions in adverse weather conditions. We know that fans will always prefer to embrace the sandbox spirit of the game and plan their own path, but the introduction of this new quest pack gives us the opportunity for Asobo to spice up every event with the right artistic side and we just couldn’t. be happier playing them.
The hangar houses helicopters and gliders
When Asobo presented its post-launch support plans for Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2020, one of the goals the team set was to deploy it as soon as possible. helicopters and gliders, two seemingly simple planes that fit between the game’s simulation mechanisms. More than two years later, along with the much sought-after Airbus A310-300, both will finally be available to all virtual pilots, and during the short presentation, the French studio gave us a little insight into why it took so long to see them. Inside the Flight Simulator. Using a new look that can be enabled in the settings, the developers showed how swirling and complex the airflows that often surround helicopters are, and Asobo, a simulator with no desire to compromise, had to rethink many of the dynamics from the ground up. the physics of airflows to adapt them to the formulas that govern the operation of helicopters.
Starting today, there will be two models available to players. Bell-407 and Guimbal Cabri G2, two antipodal helicopters in terms of design. The former is heavier and generally more complicated to maneuver, while the latter is used regularly for training and is the one we highly recommend choosing for a beginner. Flying helicopters is not complicated at all (after all, there are no tutorials devoted to them), thanks to the presence of two flight aids that offer the opportunity to get help in managing the tail rotor and loop.
very different speech glider, also featured in two models (DG Aviation LS-8-18 and DG-1001E), but supported by a set of seven training missions that introduce players to all the basics of non-electric flight. Each phase of a glider journey is very different from any other flying experience, so Asobo was asked to work on many new elements, such as the precise procedures for launching the aircraft or the effect of updrafts on the glider. this will have no effect on the physics of a powered airplane.
Flying and gliding with one of these requires accuracy, precision, and a sense of observation, so during our testing we found this experience far more immersive than any other flight in Flight Simulator. We are confident that the glider sessions will become a true classic of the game, and we recommend starting the tutorial missions to learn everything you need to know about how gliders work. You will not be disappointed in any way.
Source: Multiplayer
