Looks awesome, shame it streams from the Cloud instead of running locally.
MSFS 2020 takes up hundreds of gigabytes and takes many hours to install, so this is likely to be an improvement.
The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
41–50 of 131 posts
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#42One thing I've always wished Microsoft would do with every version of Flight Simulator but especially this one is have an "Arcade flying" mode. I want to see the hyper-realistic rendered world in as high resolution as possible. I want to fly around the planet. But I don't want to be limited to the detailed specifics (and speeds!) of real life planes. Why can't we have a mode to make a plane as easy to fly as it is in…
Google Earth desktop basically gives you that with even better Earth model. Last I checked you could enable a super simple airplane mode that even worked with joysticks. It always felt like future to me :)
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#43It would be so cool to use Microsoft's "earth copy" for stuff other than just flight sim. They say it's the most accurate representation of the earth ever. Wonder if you can do some interesting science with that.
That's the goal of Nvidia's "Earth 2" plans, which the article mentions very briefly.
It's Neil Stephenson's snowcrash come to life :-)
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#44I've wanted to give MSFS a go for a few years now. Unfortunately, good luck if you use OSX devices only ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#45It would be so cool to use Microsoft's "earth copy" for stuff other than just flight sim. They say it's the most accurate representation of the earth ever. Wonder if you can do some interesting science with that.
We used to be in this space, and with Ayvri/Doarama - which was a 3D virtual world but not a flight simulator, it was used by paragliders to replay flights, commercial drone operators, some defense, transportation planning (trains, maybe others as well), etc etc. We approached Microsoft when we were selling the company, and the response we got was "you're too close to work we're doing for us to even look at you or ta…
It is Microsoft after all. They are quick to put out press releases and imply or even promise functionality, but you can spend your entire life waiting for them to actually deliver.
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
"earth copy" is just marketing lingo. Models are approximations made for a specific goal at a time. You cannot build a model that is both good for gaming and meteorology. 99% of that engine value is procedural terrain and graphical shaders. It looks great but has no scientifical value. Just like the "digital twin" hype train, cool simulations have fancy graphics, useful simulations don't.
>You cannot build a model that is both good for gaming and meteorology. This was the prevailing wisdom in AI before generalized transformers as well. We're rapidly moving toward black box hyperintelligent AGI.
There has been zero motion towards true AGI so far, hyperintelligent or otherwise.
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#47It would be so cool to use Microsoft's "earth copy" for stuff other than just flight sim. They say it's the most accurate representation of the earth ever. Wonder if you can do some interesting science with that.
I would love a real world driving sim. I don’t really care for driving on race tracks, but real roads.
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#48When MS Flight Simulator 2020 came out, I wrote a blog post about how these kinds of virtual worlds will be used to train our robot helpers. I'm looking forward to playing this new one. https://medium.com/@jmugan/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020-i...
Yep, this idea was actually explored by researchers using GTA to train self driving cars back in 2018.
https://www.drive.com.au/news/grand-theft-auto-v-used-by-res...
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#49It would be so cool to use Microsoft's "earth copy" for stuff other than just flight sim. They say it's the most accurate representation of the earth ever. Wonder if you can do some interesting science with that.
I would love a real world driving sim. I don’t really care for driving on race tracks, but real roads.
I've always said, a version of Grand Theft Auto, but with a real map of [your city], and with cops that enforce driving rules, would be a priceless tool for teaching young drivers.
After I passed driver's ed, I still spent the next two years getting lost within a few miles of my house. But drop me in any alley in GTA5 and I can get to any other spot in a pretty short path (although I confess it often does involve dangerous jumps).
Re: The ambition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
2020 is astonishing in VR. I get the same melancholy I do on a real plane and can fly for hours sightseeing out the window. There is also a real sense of peril. It's quite the experience. I can't wait for 2024.
Do you get any motion sickness?
Sim games are perfect for avoiding motion sickness. You'll typically get those when your avatar walks around. This is why in first person games, you'll teleport places instead of walking in VR