Took some notes from the FlightSimExpo announcement about MSFS 2024:
Biggest sim ever made, 500 people working on it. 2020 reached the limit technology wise, hence the new edition. Three focus areas were mentioned:
Focus 1: Aviation Activity System
As seen in the 2024 announcement trailer, accurate sim/aviation representation, working with organizations/experts in these areas
Focus 2: Core Sim & Technology
Thin client, less to download, faster loading times, helps keep min specs low
New physics and aerodynamics engine
Massive performance improvements, multi-threaded
More control for aircraft creators
Backwards-compatible (community folder still there)
Updated systems (electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic)
Failure, wear and tear system
Payload and passenger system overhaul
Deeper and wider avionics packages
Focus 3: Digital Twin
Terrain PG 15 cm (like Grand Canyon in the 2024 trailer), 50 cm “2D to 3D” where you there is no PG, using sat data (like Kilimanjaro in the 2024 trailer)
Massive core sim improvements coming, thinner client/install (moving more of their stuff away from our machines to the cloud).
Much more multi-threaded, and various other performance improvements.
All new physics and aerodynamics engine with much more control for aircraft developers to define aircraft surfaces/geometry to make full use of the flight dynamics (this is music to my ears!)
Even re: missions they are going to be realistic aviation activities and focus in on all the details, i.e. for ballooning the inflation and deflation of air going in/out is actually simulated, the balloon is a collection of smaller surfaces getting same treatment from core physics engine.
And much more detailed digital twin earth using new tech, improved ground details and tesselation, enhanced 3D trees and tree diversity, improved cliffs/mountains/etc due to DEM resolution.
Full seasons, aurora and northern lights, tornadoes, supercell storms and overall improved storms, etc (all simulated).
Worldwide live ship traffic, accurate live air traffic, improved vehicle traffic, more animals diversity and migrations, etc
"Our biggest sim ever made, over 500 people on it "
And full compatibility with existing add-ons including community folder (though I imagine all devs will be clamoring to enhance and/or redo their products to take advantage of new features).
Jorg: MSFS 2024. NOT A GAME… not making game type missions. Making active aviation activities true to real life pilot lifestyles. Working with real companies. That’s why it’s good to wait and hear straight from the horse’s mouth. It appears they are really going for it with MS 2024.
This was my biggest worry when I heard it was backwards compatible. You don’t want the technolgy to be constrained by the requirements of the past. But it sounds like they’ve done a good job of enabling the improvements they want whilst still supporrting the older models.
One thing I noticed, to add to the list, is that the air traffic placeholder was a FR24 screenshot maybe they partner with them now on the new version:
Im really curious about the coverage of the terrain PG and the 2D to 3D terrain. They can’t be using this everywhere, right? Hope there’s a lot of it and not Jin a few ust select places.
maybe they partner with them now on the new version:
