The latest iteration ofMicrosoft Flight Simulatoris preparing to take off on August 18, boasting a photorealistic recreation of the entire planet that can be explored using a number of aeronautical vehicles, andfree additions like VR supportare already planned. To celebrate the upcoming release, Microsoft put out a video on August 13 rounding up gameplay from 11 priorFlight Simulatortitles to show just how far the series' graphics have come.
This historical round-up begins with 1982’sMicrosoft Flight Simulator 1.0, which details the world using DOS-era visuals barely more complex than white lines on a black screen. Gradually, the sprite-based titles add color and more details before jumping to 3D with polygonal buildings atop flat city textures. By the end of the video, players are greeted with one-and-a-half minutes of footage from the 2020 game that emphasize how impressiveMicrosoft Flight Simulatorwill look.
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Of course, committing to this intricate level of detail at a planet-wide scale does have its drawbacks. Last month, European publisher Aerosoft announced thatphysical editions ofMicrosoft Flight Simulatorwill have 10 discs, also accounting for online streamed content, third-party files, and more.
That third-party content will come in the form of mods, but not all players have been happy about the way Microsoft and developer Asobo Studio are choosing to handle this facet of the game.Microsoft Flight Simulatorwill have paid modsthrough a “Marketplace Partner Program,” through which players can submit their creations for approval and have them posted on the game’s storefront.
Even if fans decide to stray away from creating or paying for modded content in the upcoming flight simulator, there should still be plenty of things to experience. Another trailer for the game details dozens of aircrafts andairports from around the world inMicrosoft Flight Simulator. In fact, Asobo Studio has suggested the game will have every airport on Earth, with about 37,000 of them having been manually edited by the developers.
Anyone still skeptical about 2020’sMicrosoft Flight Simulatorshould at least be impressed by the jump in graphics seen across the series' history, making this new video an excellent piece of marketing material. The simulator promises to be one of thebiggest game releases of August 2020, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up to heavy hitters like Mediatonic’sFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Microsoft Flight Simulatorwill be available for PC on August 18, with an Xbox One version in development.
