Don’t tell them the franchise has been around much longer, it didn’t really start for Microsoft until 1982 when flight simulation first appeared on an IBM PC under the name Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0. It would then be to forget that the 1979 Apple II had been entitled to its FS1 flight simulator designed by Bruce Artwick, the inventor of the concept, and the subLOGIC company that distributed the first creation.
It doesn’t matter for the Redmond company, the franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary this November under its banner. In 13 variations since the beginning of the game, the graphics have evolved a lot, the gameplay also to give today a Microsoft flight simulator available on Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC, and even cloud gaming on any media possible (smartphone, tablet, connected TV, etc.). A technological madness title that has constantly taken advantage of advances to offer an enriching experience to all those who wanted to go on the air.
From the game of four colors to ultrarealism
How long gone are the days of beginnings and the painfully four-color rudimentary cabin displayed! In 40 years, the game has become more accurate with the transition to high resolution and 16 colors. Now, thanks to the cloud, computing power, artificial intelligence, satellite data and various internal services (Bing Maps, Microsoft Azure), the latest version offers about thirty devices, thousands of airports, real-time weather, daytime flights and nocturnal , and modeling of the world more realistic than ever.
To celebrate your birthday with dignity, Microsoft flight simulator For this reason, it offers a great update, “the most important since the launch of the game” in 2020, explains Jorg Neumann, director of the franchise at Microsoft. And the gifts for the players are numerous.
Starting with the arrival of two new types of aircraft, the helicopter and the glider, which offer new sensations for virtual pilots. But those are just appetizers of the big meal that comes with the update. because, as always, flight simulator It is enriched with many devices.
Strongly in demand by the community, the Airbus A310-300, launched in 1982 as a franchise, lands in the special 40th anniversary edition, as does Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the first plane from New York to Paris in 1927 The Canadian Beaver De Havilland DHC-2, or Douglas DC-3, an airliner that was the first to carry passengers from the East Coast to the West Coast in 1935.
But the big addition, in every sense of the word, is without a doubt the Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose. A monumental seaplane designed in 95% wood, the largest ever built, which flew only once in 1947. And 75 years later, it will be able to afford a second life in the simulation.
A birthday for the nostalgic
A birthday would be nothing without a bit of nostalgia and memories. And the teams have understood it well. If you had played the early games, you used to take off in a Cessna from Meigs Field Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Destroyed 19 years ago after 55 years of good and loyal service, it had been removed from play.
But franchise fans demanded it, so Microsoft resurrected it. “It’s also part of our duty to digitally preserve aviation history,” Jorg Neumann told Tech&Co at a franchise 40th anniversary event at the McMinnVille Aviation Museum.
Three other airports are making a comeback: Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport, which closed its runways in 1998 after 73 years of existence, and First Flight in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where the Wright brothers made the first flight in the aviation history on December 17, 1907. Also making an appearance is Princess Juliana of Saint-Martin, devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and has struggled to recover ever since.
All this goes in the direction of the story, we explained at Microsoft and Asobo Studio, with the desire to preserve the aviation heritage through the game, which has seduced both novice and more experienced pilots. “When a pilot in real life comes to tell me that the game is crazy and that he has found the same sensations as in reality, we are happy and even proud. It’s the best compliment you can give us”, enthuses Sebastian Wloch, co-founder of Asobo Studio and one of the game’s designers. And the most nostalgic will be able to try the 24 classic missions taken from previous episodes of the franchise.
The 40th Anniversary Update is now available for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X⎜S, but also in cloud gaming on Samsung smartphones, tablets, and connected TVs. It is also available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers who have access to the game.
Source: BFM TV
