Recently learned that Darkstar from Top Gun Maverick will no longer be available for download and is not planned to be offered in FS2024.
This is quite disappointing. While this is a fictitious aircraft, this was A LOT of fun to fly, allowed transcontinental flight over relatively short times for those of us with busy schedules, and was the closest to flying to space, at the sim altitude ceiling of 275,000 ft at Mach 10. It was a TON OF FUN.
My recommendation for wishlist in FS2020 and FS2024 includes one or more of the following:
-
Retaining Darkstar (understand this may be challenging with current DLC)
-
Retaining Darkstar with current functionality, but offerring it as optional payware with updated DLC.
-
MS/Asobo Developing an alternative aircraft that is not Darkstar but still offers the ability to fly Mach 10 and up to sim altitude ceiling to see ānear spaceā.
-
MS/Asobo opening up the capability of Mach 10 and flying to sim ceiling of 275000 ft (+in FS2024?) to third party developers.
5 Likes
If you previously downloaded it, you will still be able to get it. just newcomers wont be able to get it. so get it now.
Iāve had it for years. But eventually will need a new computer and have to reinstall the sim. Or what about MSFS2024? The Darkstar is amazing for those of us who āloveā space, especially pseudo ālow earth orbitā. Ok its not exactly that, but it is the closest Iāll ever get to what its like to looking down from the ISS.
I LOVE this thing, so have offered multiple options to MS/Asobo to retain capability, especially in MSFS 2024, either as Payware (Iād be willing to pay for this in MSFS 2024 if its a money thing), an alternative non Darstar aircraft that has the same capability, and/or allow third party developers the ability to offer aircraft with those capabilities.
1 Like
I love the Darkstar and I totally echo all the points made here. Although its fictitious I think we can be all but certain the US air force has had at various times super experimental hypersonic manned aircraft being flown and tested out of Groomlake in Nevada.
Over the years Iāve loved reading the semi mythical āAuroraā test plane many people claimed to know something about and Iāve loved the fascination people have Area 51 and what may or may not go on there.
Flying the Darkstar is just such enormous fun, pretending to be a test pilot. I do like a bit of escapism in the sim. Its especially crazy in VR. It does give you a little glimpse of how terrifying being a test pilot of something like that would be in real life.
So yeah itāll be a real shame if they canāt bring it to FS2024 somehow. Iām not bothered about the rest of the Top Gun stuff but Iāll definitely miss that plane in the new version of the sim when it comes out.
2 Likes
it doesnt care what computer. it goes by your Microsoft Account. thats why I was able to also reinstall the Otter. Even though its gone for everyone else. Also, they also explained keeping it isnt up to Microsoft. its licensed. if Paramount says no, its no. The darkstar doesnt belong to Microsoft.
I donāt think there is anything stopping third party developers creating this type of aircraft - either payware (if a big enough market existed) or freeware. One plus is that being partly or totally fictitious, the developer can make the flight dynamics anything they wish - no need to spend months trying to tweak settings to get the aircraft to match a real-life prototype. For example, there have been many hypersonic aircraft proposals, some of which are being worked on today, e.g. Hermeus, Boeing, NASAās X-43A Hyper-X and Stargazer.
2 Likes
Just a few clarifications;
-
If you already āownā it, then you will not loose it
-
If you move to a new system (PC, Console, etcā¦) as long as you had previously downloaded it and are connecting using the same account, you will be able to download it again
-
The license was just renewed and the new removal (download before date) is now towards the end of July
2 Likes
Jorg said two more months in the Dev stream, so I believe they meant the content would be around until 7/25/2024, not July 2025. They are also going to see if they can extend it for longer.
The content released on May 25, 2022, so that would make sense is it was a two year contract and they extended it for two months.
I am curious how it will work with MSFS24, if at all, since itās a ānewā game. I know the darkstar isnāt up everyoneās alley but I do enjoy it from the to time.
Yes you are correct! I misread the 7/25!
1 Like
Folks, can anyone verify, will we get it in 2025? I miss this plane so much!
Darkstar is a no as per Jorg.
1 Like
Iām heart broken. Thanks.
It would be difficult to play the Darkstar cruising the world at Mach 10 with the current state of MSFS 2024. Eventually, hopefully, that will be fixed. Even if the Darkstar is not supported in MSFS 2024, I donāt think there is anything stopping someone from developing a fictitious aircraft that meets or exceeds the Darkstar capabilities for MSFS 2024. For example instead of stopping at Mach 10 at 275k ft, have something be able to reach orbital velocity at low earth orbit altitudes. Itās fictitous anyways, so why not.
This is the $3000 question. If you get a new computer to play MSFS2024 and install MSFS2020. Can you still access the Darkstar on MSFS2020 on the new computer if you already had it installed on the old computer in MSFS2020 while it was still available, or are you stuck playing on the old computer, hoping you donāt need a full reinstall?
Even if MSFS2024 finally gets its act together and becomes all it can be, the Darkstar alone will keep me playing MSFS 2020 until something as good or better becomes available in MSFS2024.
My Personal Comment & Observation
Hi @GlobalFlyer2020
AFAIK, if the Darkstar is in your hanger, it should be available in MSFS 2020 once you install that version on your new PC, as aircraft are tied to your MS account, not the PC on which 2020 is installed.
Definitely missing having the Darkstar in my 2024 hangar. Going up to 200,000 ft was an amazing experience. I do hope they either make a deal to bring it to '24, or create some other way to enjoy that same experience.
1 Like
Letās get this corrected, devs. Thank you.