One thing is for sure, once they are released, they will absolutely be top notch, that’s what makes waiting so hard… knowing they will be nothing short of amazing. (how do I know, trust me I do) you and I, along with thousands of others will reign the skies at low altitudes once again. The MSFS platform will be much more advanced and refined by then, to the point that it will all starts to make sense, especially at low altitudes.
I’m not here to entertain you.
2 Likes
I fly helicopters in real life and I think. XPlane have done a pretty good job on rotary wing but not good as Aerofly.
My hope is we get the quality physics model like Aerofly and or even X Plane with MSFS scenery .
I would rather see it delivered not perfect and taking until 2023 . I doubt it will be implemented before 2023 as according to their priority list it says " planned" not started and if they are not up to their ears in development already we are probably 2 years away .
That’s what I think as well and that I think that should be the goal: take the time necessary to make it the right way. That will take time. Even 2022 seems a bit too optimistic but I believe it’s doable. It will be a challenge, though.
It’s curious that you mention Aerofly FS2 as it’s often overlooked, although IPACS did a wonderful job.
The story behind it is a funny “perfect-storm” and it’s actually an example of what is happening with MSFS.
I started talking to IPACS about the possibility of them adding helicopters to the sim in 2016 and their response was a bit like Microsoft’s at the time. They were interested in taking a look at them but they wanted to make it a meaningul and impactful feature of the sim.
In the middle of 2017, IPACS told me that they were looking into helicopters. They couldn’t say more at the time, but they wanted me to know that the process was rolling.
Fast forward to late 2017/beginning of 2018 and IPACS finally told me they were working with VRMotion and none other than Claude Vuichard to bring the first helicoter to Aerofly FS2. IPACS wanted me to try the R22 but they wanted me to do it as I also tried the VRMotion platform.
I end up meeting the team in April 2018, in Switzerland, and was blown away by not only the platform but also the flight model. IPACS delivered an amazing helicopter to the community. It was the perfect example of a developer that did what Microsoft and Asobo are set to do: build a solid foundation and then partner up with people that can help them achieve the best results.
Actually, the results were so good that IPACS is working with VRMotion and they have another helicopter available but for the professional market (the AS350). And IPACS eventually released the EC-135 to the public as well.
So, the path Microsoft is taking is not a new one. And IPACS was not the first to do it either. It’s basic software development strategy. Still, it’s a good example in the industry.
You can see me (left) in the photo above with Mr. Claude Vuichard (3rd from the left), the VRMotion team and the CEO of IPACS (right).
And I didn’t even have to shout on some forums. I just had to approach the company in a polite, professional way, have a conversation with them and show the community, although small, was loyal, and thirsty for helicopters.
It was completely invisible work from me at the start of the process, but it was worth it and now we have some of the best helicopter flight dynamics in a home sim.
From there, they spun a whole new business area to the company. It was a major win for everyone.
That’s what I see when I look at Asobo and Microsoft’s work. But with a difference: I belive there’s a lot more potential in MSFS to expand and bring us much more to this sim.
6 Likes
Yes but Ipacs did it as a cottage simulator development and still managed to get it out in a couple of years .
Ms/Asobo are massive , the biggest in the business and you are comparing a minnow with a whale and this is what frustrates me that a small cottage sim group can do it so quickly and so well and we have Asobo /MS whale telling us nothing and it appears to me they are sitting on the backsides or fluffing around with more half done tube liners !
2 Likes
IPACS did it in a couple of years AFTER they had a stable and a lot more limited sim.
Aerofly FS2 was released in 2014. The first version of the sim was released in 2011 and they also released several version for the mobile market.
Helicopters in the sim came out in 2018. But there is no ground traffic, no world scenery, no real-world weather, quite limited weather system and a lot of other features that simply don’t exist. So, that’s really a 7-year history prior to developing helicopters.
Microsoft and Asobo released the sim 6 months ago and you have to admit that they are doing a lot more than any other sim out there. Any sim, hands down.
Oh yes, it’s Microsoft, it’s a huge company, they have money. Yeah. They do have money, but they are not putting any money into the product unless it’s profitable. Even if they plan to invest 10 billion dollars, they won’t do it all at once. They will invest a portion, see how sales go, invest more money, and so on.
And we all know where the money is. Let’s not be cynical: it’s airliners.
Let’s not forget something else: there’s an XBox release coming up as well and, as much as most of us don’t care about it, this will strengthen the market for the sim, increase sales and bring more money, which will mean the product will continue to be supported inside Microsoft and we will continue seeing updates.
I understand this can be frustrating for some people. I get it. All this makes sense to me technically and business-wise (again, perhaps because of my professional background).
I’m pumped up about having helicopters in 2022. The only concern I have is if MS and Asobo will have enough time to do what they want to do. I hope so. I can’t wait to fly around the sim in a whirlybird. But I am more than willing to wait for them to do a good job.
Otherwise, I will continue spending my simming time in another sim and I would love to be able to have MSFS as a valid option – perhaps even my main sim.
2 Likes
I totally understand your passion, in fact I dig it! I took helicopter lessons years ago in the Robinson 22. Agee, X-plane captures the physics pretty well. Keep this thread going and hopefully the developers surprise us with new information on this topic. They hear our voices and see our votes tallying upwards. I would love to see a developers Q&A with Jorg, Sebastian and Martial that’s specifically dedicated to helicopters… why not.
1 Like
Oh I’m sure that will happen.
Just remember that being silent doesn’t mean being quiet. Often times things are going on in the background. We just don’t know about them.
2 Likes
I work in the entertainment industry; we are constantly working on projects (NDA) that the mainstream will not see anytime soon. I have no doubt that they have a dedicated team hard at work on this. The timing and development need to be synonymous for admission. That time will come.
Oh yeah. Very often we have no idea what’s going on.
I thought you guys would like to take a look at this.
It’s great to see more and more developers working on scenery for helicopters, even if they are not supported yet. A few years ago it was hard to see something for helicopters. We are now getting scenery for these birds even before they are supported by the sim.
It’s great to see that all the hard work put into contacting developers and increasing our footprint in the community is paying up and that we are getting more and better content for our specific kind of simming.
Out of curiosity, that’s me and the CEO of SimWork Studios (the company publishing the scenery on the screenshot above) as I was showing him the Pro Flight Trainer Puma – and convincing him we need more helicopter-specific stuff in our sims!
1 Like
Very exciting information… thanks for posting.
This thread title is a stretch, helicopters aren’t a must.
Right now as I write this this game needs so much work it’s kind of pointless to wish for a helicopter when not one plane in the game works any where close to a point of being realistic.
Someday Helicopters maybe. I wouldn’t wait for this game to have them. There are plenty of other options for real swimming with helicopters.
I believe many would disagree with your statement, but equally many will concur. There is nothing pointless or futile about having constructive discussions on the subject of helicopters. The platform is going through constant updating, but remarkably endorsed by the developers.
1 Like
Actually, they are. Not everyone flies airliners. Not everyone flies GA. Not everyone flies insert something else here.
Helicopters, gliders, airliners, whatever IS a must. All areas of aviation need to be a part of the sim.
I do understand what you say and if you see the rest of the posts here, I am saying the same: we need a good, stable base to work and build upon. That is true.
But saying helicopters are not a must… I have to strongly disagree. Especially since that’s all I fly. You won’t find me in an airliner for sure. Occasionally I may wonder into fixed-wing but it’s always with small Cessnas or a WW2 warbird. But that counts for 0.1% of my simming, really.
4 Likes
Thankyou you made my point better than I could . 
Now that’s the spirit , finally you write something I can agree with!
Sorry but you are in an echo chamber of your own thoughts if you think rotary wing simmers have any interest in just flying GA planks and be thankful for that. Maybe put yourself in others shoes and assume it was 45 helicopters to fly and not a single plank. You would be howling about it.
2 Likes
Helicopters are more important than airliners. We have good sims for airliners and sceneries are not so important to them.
FS2020 is highly graphical and done to admire cities and landmarks. It would be very good for helicopters. I want flight model as good as DCS Huey so I can wait.
4 Likes
You are absolutely right! I agree with you