Seriously.
The preview with the deer announced it somewhat grandly: Photorealistic forests.
I’ve just tried it out in the Courchevel area.
Let’s face it: Something like the following photo is nothing really new (even if the photorealistic, moving grass gives it a completely new dimension):
But then I went offroad to take a closer look.
And hiked through some random french Alpine forest - for two hours.
In a Flight Simulator.
Quite frankly: I’m completely overwhelmed.
Quality: As good as the best open-world role-playing game I’ve ever seen. At least. Incredibly convincing.
Tens of different tree species (no two trees are the same), grasses, flowers, tree stumps, dead trees, stones in between.
Everything is completely photorealistic, even from a distance of ten centimetres.
Virtually no image errors (misplaced trees, rocks, setine, clipping errors, etc).
Lighting moods, lighting, the course of the seasons (the way bare trees change the mood in November light alone!) - that’s how I know it from real life. Exactly like that.
From my point of view, there’s almost nothing left to improve.
Always 60 fps (with Frame Generation), 5900x/3090Ti/5120x1440.
Completely smooth, no stuttering at all.
This is science fiction come true.
With this engine, they will take the competitor out of the market. For sure. In comparison, Earth looks like the work of a six-year-old. The whole ■■■■■■■ world. I still cannot believe it.
I’ve always dreamed of a “Digital Twin” - here it is. Much sooner than I could ever hope.
Pick a nice spot, get out of the plane or helicopter and explore the landscape.
Or simply sit down and watch the approaching thunderstorm. Breathtaking. Not to mention the sound!
Gotta go, back into the helicopter - otherwise I’ll get wet.
GO HIKING!
Speechless.
alpha
p.s.
Would have loved to show you pictures of one of the Alpine peaks near the Matterhorn.
I couldn’t. The ridges are now razor-sharp and too narrow to land with a helicopter.
And completely photorealistic, right down to the smallest distance.
p.p.s.
The start of the FS2024 was bumpy, undisputed.
But this engine represents a revolution (and I’m not going out on a limb here), the likes of which are very rare in technology.
In the near future, Microsoft Flight Simulator will only be a very small part of what is made possible by this engine.
There are reasons why the FS2024 directory in the file system is called “Limitless”. I agree with this from the bottom of my heart.
Still lots of work to do for the guys and galores at Microsoft, Asobo and all the other developer teams - but I tip my hat!
It will take some time to get it running satisfactorily for everyone, but this software will go down in history as one of the greatest achievments in computer science that ever happened.
And I am sure that Jörg Neumann will go down in history as one of the great pioneers of the computer age.
