Microsoft Flight Simulator review

The sky. A place where man previously had no business to do, but now millions of people pass through it every year. Despite everything, we are always constantly surprised by its immense beauty and the feeling of freedom it gives us. That is why Microsoft Flight Simulator is so important – bringing the sky of our world into our homes. This fascination with flying is truly reaching new heights.

To really sum up why I personally can’t wait to play this new simulation, my first word as a kid according to my old folks was “bird”. No, this is not a joke; Like so many others, I have an intense love of flying. So, it seemed natural that I would end up getting addicted to simulators around the time I was a toddler.

Fast forward 22 years later, and I have accumulated countless hundreds of hours through flight simulations. Of FS2002 To Century of flight and the infamous X, where the series stuck for almost two decades. Now we have the new generation Microsoft Flight Simulator. If the series has always been more worthy of its slogan “As Real as It Gets”, then it is with this entry.

The real world comes to you

Microsoft Flight Simulator Bahamas Baron

Cruise the beautiful waters of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.

It goes without saying that Microsoft FLight simulator pushes new boundaries with its visual presentation. Aside from the magnificent models of airplanes, the real pitfall is the world right below you. Traditionally, every previous flight simulation relied on basic, flat textures to cover the planet, as well as simple, auto-generated buildings to represent civilization. Now, however, we have a complete and completely dynamic virtual recreation of planet Earth in its near entirety.

Powered by satellite imagery from Bing Maps and 3D map modeling technology from BlackShark AI, the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator offers a close to 1: 1 representation of real life. Cities big and small are finally depicted in such detail that we’ve never really seen before. If you can recognize your own region by looking at a map, then you can navigate this high fidelity world which Microsoft Flight Simulator has to offer.

To test this, I flew over different islands in my own little country, the Bahamas. Even in a sparse place like this, the results left me with the biggest smile planted on my face. My native island of Grand Bahama, a place of barely 30,000 people, is depicted in a way I could recognize. The buildings that I know of such as restaurants, apartment complexes, resorts and, yes, even my own home, are all there.

Wider horizons

Plus, the zipper on highly detailed areas, called photogrammetry areas, provides an even more awe-inspiring experience. For example, I know the state of Florida very well and have always enjoyed admiring its many lakes and grid-planned communities. Here in Flight simulator, that same marvel of engineering and planning can now be done right here in my home. Cities like Orlando and its various theme parks look almost perfect, and even the smallest backcountry expanses like River Ranch look exactly as they should be.

Pretty much everywhere, it’s beautiful when it’s the point of view.

That said, if you get exceptionally close, you’ll see a few quirks like unfinished 3D models and somewhat wobbly satellite imagery. But, when you sit down and consider it a Simulator lets you explore just about every nook and cranny of the known world, it’s easy enough to forgive those occasional hiccups – especially when everything is dressed up in the beauty of the game’s graphics engine.

Beauty in the spotlight

Microsoft Flight Simulator Not only does it eliminate the need for most stage add-ons, but visual enhancements don’t have to apply either. The lighting engine and special effects are fully on display here. Small details like the heat given off by an airplane’s engines make me laugh, and bigger details like how clouds affect the color of the sky and the surrounding landscapes leave me speechless at my screen. . Global illumination, light scattering, ambient occlusion – whatever effect and terminology you want to name – it’s present in this title. No matter the time of day, no matter the weather or the region, Flight simulator looks like a work of art.

A quote off Lima, Peru. I saw the sunsets there and they are JUST as beautiful as this one.

As you would expect, fueling all of this comes at a cost. My mid-range Acer Nitro 5 laptop is brought to its knees by this simulation. At higher altitudes in smaller planes, reaching 60 FPS is no problem. Naturally, higher density areas at lower elevations can bring things down. At all times, the sim was buzzing in the 30-40 FPS range – a performance target that most simmers are familiar with.

To be frank, there were times when it whispered, but that’s because the sim was kind enough to label my machine as “high end” during the initial setup. I’m sure if I lowered a few settings a notch things would get better. Still, just look at this image below. It is not a moment that I would like to add or take away.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Airplane Handling

Microsoft Flight Simulator Cockpit Baron

Flying an airplane is easy or as difficult as you want in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

While many of us have focused on the visuals, some would really like to know how the flight is going. I’m happy to report that after trying out a handful of planes, Microsoft Flight Simulator feels really good. He overtakes the railroad mechanics who FSX had and falls in line with the tastes of modern competitors like X-Plane 11.

To be honest, X-Plane 11 is still the more technical and arguably “authentic” of the two from a flight model perspective, but that’s only because the super complex companion aircraft has yet to be released for Flight simulator. Still, in terms of default planes, I really like what’s on offer here. While there is a staggering amount of general aviation compared to airliners, they all look, feel, and sound great.

The weather has a really cool effect on every plane. The wings of a giant like the Boeing 787 flex under pressure. Meanwhile, a smaller Beechcraft Baron will be jostled and hit by the turbulence. It’s eerily satisfying to watch a plane drift, bounce, and sway as it maneuvers through the air, reminding you that you are only zooming into the atmosphere. It’s way above previous entries in the series, where planes sort of hung around as they flew.

In the cockpit, while there are a few buttons and switches that haven’t been wired to anything yet, everything you need and plan to use is pretty functional. Little things like the inability to open doors are a bit of a pet peeve. So far, what really is my biggest gripe would be the contraction of the rudder system of each aircraft; it’s just too sensitive. Additionally, the autopilot can also be a bit wobbly. Regardless of the plane, it has random behavior where sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Piper Over River Ranch

The autopilot system and rudder controls need some tweaking, but nothing that some patches can’t fix.

Luckily I didn’t lose a plane because of it, but it made some landings and other sections of flight too ugly for me to show on purpose. When everything is working, which is about 80% of the time, it is a real joy to fly away and see a world that is truly recognizable. And that said, it is still a product that will receive official support for the next several years. So, all things considered, this is really just the beginning.

Dreams finally come true in Microsoft Flight Simulator

Here are the tough questions: Microsoft Flight Simulator worth all the huge fanfare? Did he really spend all that time on hiatus to deserve a comeback? Will you get what you pay for?

My answer is, why are you even asking this? Of course, they are all a “yes”.

If you are someone who knows the genre then I would say getting it would be a no-brainer. No other past or present simulator comes out of the box in this good condition. For once, the “vanilla version” is really the knees of the bees. Even if you are a newcomer, this really is the best place to start. Other simulators like X-Plane 11 do not forgive the casual gamer. Corn, Microsoft Flight Simulator can be as simple or technical as you want. You can literally press a button and turn everything on, or you can go button by button and button by button if that’s more your speed.

Nassau, Bahamas. my birthplace; now in virtual form.

This new generation of Microsoft Flight simulator has been a long time coming, but the wait was certainly worth it. After all my years of virtual flight, I didn’t expect to smile like I did all those years ago when I first discovered this world at the age of 3. It feels good to be back.

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