ay third-party developers had juicy news to share about upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons and an airport release.
Home » News » Microsoft Flight Simulator Freeware Airbus A350 Gets Impressive Dev Update Video; F-4 Phantom II Gets New Screenshots; Oshawa Executive Airport Released
Today third-party developers had juicy news to share about upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons and an airport release.
We start with the Airbus A350-1000 in development at Digital Flight Dynamics.
We get to take a look at new work-in-progress renders of both the flight deck and the exterior, on top of the aircraft within the actual simulator, and it’s quite impressive.
At the moment, we still don’t have a release date for this project which will be freeware and open source.
If you’d like to follow the project, you can find the developers on their own Discord server.
Next is a development update with plenty of screenshots of the F-4J Phantom II by DC Designs.
“This week has been spent going through the laborious process of applying countless billions of rivets and panel lines to the F4 Phantom, along with a brand-new coat of PBR materials. I have used the same method as that used on the Harrier, with rivets and panel lines on the actual textures, which are 4K each ( nose, fuselage, wings and tail ). Having completed most of the work, it paves the way for the weathering and grime layers ( and Phantoms were usually quite grubby airplanes, always streaked with oil and dirt ). This method provides good resolution, but also good performance – the MSFS game engine prefers mesh to resolution, so I don’t want to go to 8K resolution and have people’s sim’s stuttering. Doing things this way also leaves the door open to replacing the lines and rivets with decals if that is required / preferred by users. You really can’t tell the difference unless the camera is literally inches from the airframe, so it may not matter to most users.
The nose section and some areas of the tail have been split off as separate components, allowing me to re-build them in different shapes for the different Phantom variants that will be included ( F4-J, F4E, F4-K and FGR2 ). The biggest challenge is the oleo gear animation. On the Phantom, the oleo gear extended upwards, providing more lift under the wings for carrier launches. This will be achieved solely with animations, requiring every last component to be “parented” to a single node located centrally between the main wheels. When engaged, the Phantom will then tilt back and the oleo gear will extend in the correct way. The F4-K will extend even further, as per real life, for launches from smaller UK carriers.”
Last, but not least, Roman Design released Oshawa Executive Airport (CYOO) in Canada.
It can be purchased at the developer’s own store for $19.99, and this is what you can expect.
If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Flight Simulator, you can check out our brand new interview with head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann about the 40th Anniversary Edition, the world update, and more.
If you’re curious about Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, you can enjoy our recent reviews of Anchorage International Airport, Fenix’s Airbus A320, West Virginia International Yeager Airport, Kansai International Airport, Toronto Pearson Airport, the Twin Otter, Auckland International Airport, Skiathos Airport, Athens International Airport, Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport, Amami Airport, Bristol Airport, Marrakech Menara Airport, Great Britain Central, Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport, Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, Shanghai Pudong Airport, Kraków Airport, Fukuoka City & Airport, Fort Lauderdale Airport, Chongqing City & Airport, Manila Airport, Santiago Airport, the Frankfurt City Pack, Key West Airport, the Okavango Delta, Bali Airport, London Oxford Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the CRJ 550/700, the PA-28R Arrow III, Kristiansand Airport, Macau City & Airport, Bonaire Flamingo Airport, Milano Linate Airport, the Singapore City Pack, Tokyo Narita Airport, Yao Airport, the F-15 Eagle, the Paris City Pack, Greater Moncton Airport, Tweed New Haven Airport, Santorini Airport, Sydney Airport, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Reggio Calabria Airport, Bastia Poretta Airport, Munich Airport, Paris Orly Airport, Newcastle International Airport, Sankt Johann Airfield, Dublin International Airport, and Seoul City Wow.
We also recently published a review of the Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition, which is a great controller for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
If you want to learn more about the game itself, you can read our review which will tell you everything you need to know about Asobo Studio’s game.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is already available for Windows 10 and Steam, and Xbox Series X|S. A free 40th Anniversary Edition with plenty of goodies has recently been announced.