Today third-party developers revealed news about Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, while a major airport has been released.
We start with a good look at the Beechcraft 60 Duke by Black Square.
The trailer below showcases both the piston and turbine versions, including an extensive look at the features, exterior, interior, EFB, failures, and more. The two versions of the aircraft (and a bundle with both) are scheduled to release on April 8.
We also get a development update from PMDG about the Boeing 777 including a screenshot of the landing gear, which looks extremely detailed.
We are in the sprint of work that happens on each project as we come roaring up on the finish-line. I generally think of this phase of the development cycle as the bonus-clean-up phase, because we could theoretically hand the airplane to you in the current condition and you would be overwhelmingly happy with it. But by continuing to hold it in development and testing for a bit longer allows us to clean up some of the little details and unsightly wrinkles, thus providing a big boost in overall quality on your first day of flying. Texture cleanups, some animation tuning, various small details noticed by our beta and technical testers all add up to improved first impressions when you receive the airplane- so we are working on those ares with polish rags in hand.
We are also still working to finish implementing some changes that we want for this release, such as getting the modern navdata conversion into beta testing, along with the requisite improvements in lateral path guidance provided by navigraph's current format. Some additional new sound areas are being implemented as we take advantage of the extra development time, and datalink capabilities are about to roll to the testing team which will allow you to have those capabilities on day one provided testing goes as we expect.
I realize it sounds crazy- but we really do operate without a firm release date target at this point, preferring instead to navigate by feel because we do have a ton of experience judging when a product is ready for customers and when "a bit more polish" is called for. We are still polishing, and the wait will be worth it!
In the mean time, I asked Jason and Vin to prep me with a few weeks worth of preview images so that I can start giving you some orientation into some of the neater areas of detail on the airplane. I was spinning through the stack of images Jason sent to me tonight, and I wanted to share at least this one image with you because I think it gives such a striking sense of strength and capability in the 777 airplane.
Interestingly, we also get the promise of the reveal about tire wear and how it impacts performance. This should come soon.
Moving on to the other side of the sky, Aerosoft provided an update about the Airbus A330, which has been delayed to after the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
We haven't talked about the project for a while, but since we were approached so often at the FSWeekend in Lelystad, we want to bring you all up to date:
In the last few weeks we have fixed countless bugs and, according to our testers, the flying experience is getting smoother and smoother. However, we also want to implement the other engine variants. Our 3D team is therefore currently busy modeling. The exterior model of the NEO variant is finished and the cockpit is undergoing final changes compared to the "classic" version. The GE engines are already finished, more liveries are yet to come. At the moment we are working on the PW engine, it should be ready within the next 2 weeks. Of course we will also adapt the displays and sounds to the new variants, but that will take a while.
We also get the promise of more new images when the cockpit of the neo version is ready.
Axonos announced a new airport, and it's Richmond International Airport (KRIC) in Virginia, United States. Among the features coming with the airport are custom jetways, custom ground polygon as well as custom ground clutter.
iniBuilds also teased its new airport in the UK. While it was not mentioned by name, it appears to be London Luton Airport (EGGW).
In terms of new releases, AMsim and Beautiful Model of the World released Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) in Florida, United States.
It's available on iniBuilds' store for $17.09 including the following features.
- Detailed Terminal area
- High-resolution custom ground textures, dirt, and other details
- Custom ground markings
- Parallax windows
- Animated Jetways
- Fully modeled all airport buildings and object
- Airlines codes assigned to parkings
- Custom animated runway guard lights
As usual, please keep in mind that here on TechRaptor you can find daily Microsoft Flight Simulator news to keep you up to date with what happens in the sim's flourishing add-on market.
