What's up at Microsoft this week? Windows 10 builds of course, Skype screen sharing... zzzzz... New Flight Simulator?!

Last week as always saw some new Windows, new toys in Azure and, more importantly, the teasing of a new Flight Simulator. Windows Insiders enjoy a fresh build amid continued dithering Another week, another 20H1 update and another seven days notched up in 19H2-watch. Windows Insiders prodding at next year's Windows 10 received …

[Anonymous Coward]

Just hope they will resurrect "Flight Simulator" - not "Flight" (you forgot it, eh?)

The latter was an attempt to make money from the freemium model - but coming with a small simulated world, and attempting to be more a game than a simulator had a short life (and deserved it).

If they can bring back Flight Simulator and add new useful feature - for example I would like an AI ATC you could really speak to - I would buy it. Of course VR could be quite interesting... but a flight simulator does require a lot of instrument settings, and you need to access them somehow.

As for controllers - Flight Simulator became complex enough you needed ad-hoc controllers - generic joysticks weren't really useful but for limited realism and made the game boring very soon.

Update: it's Azure connected, probably a subscription :-(

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Just hope they will resurrect "Flight Simulator" - not "Flight" (you forgot it, eh?)

VR should be able to do hand activated/gesture controls. AFAIK the fidelity should be there for every manual/touch screen control to be available, though you might have to zoom/focus for some things I guess, but even then, with room tracking you can lean forwards to get at the dial/switch. XD

[Anonymous Coward]

"VR should be able to do hand activated/gesture controls."

If they can be precise enough, even for small, realistic gestures (you may not want to set autopilot or radios with some strange ones...). Sometimes, especially in single-pilot operations, you have to do a lot of things quickly and without making mistakes.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "VR should be able to do hand activated/gesture controls."

Granted, not out yet here, but IIRC Valve Index does finger tracking. So you could flip individual switches, and move individual dials naturally by hand. No "gestures" based GUI, but simulated physical manipulation. Just no physical feedback yet (tactile/etc).

[macjules]

Re: Just hope they will resurrect "Flight Simulator" - not "Flight" (you forgot it, eh?)

If they can bring back Flight Simulator and add new useful feature

<cheapshot> Like an AOA simulation?

[John Jennings]

If I can land a sopwith Cammel on the Nimitz again, I will be happy....

[AJ MacLeod]

You could always download the excellent FlightGear for nothing - Sopwith Camel and Nimitz both available...

[David Pearce]

Landing a Camel on the Nimitz is possible in Flightgear

https://www.flightgear.org/

[Luiz Abdala]

If you tune to AirForceProud95 youtube channel, you will have the chance to witness a 747 landing on a Carrier, and a balloon taking off like a Space Shuttle. And an actual Space Shuttle taking off like a regular plane.

The whole channel is hilarious.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's too easy, as the land speed of the plane is about the speed of the ship. That's why in FSX you try to land a Cub on a bus.

I would like to try to land a C-130 on a carrier, and then take off though... it can be done, it was done.

[SkippyBing]

'I would like to try to land a C-130 on a carrier, and then take off though... it can be done, it was done.'

For that you could try P3D, just remember there's also an academic licence if you want to use it for educational purposes. Like learning how hard it is to land a C-130 on an aircraft carrier...

[Anonymous Coward]

'Scuse me, 'scuse me, 'scuse me

Let me get in front of you, for I am your leader. ~ MS

I'll never accuse Redmond of taking risks. But the last time they innovated was... no, they bought or stole or leveraged something else even then.

Even so, you'll never find anyone accusing Redmond of doing it right the first time. I'll wait for Flight Simulator 2.0. You know, the one that will work?

[Anonymous Coward]

"no, they bought or stole or leveraged something else even then"

Because Apple and Google didn't? And MS was quite a small company, back then. Just like Apple when it copied the graphical UI. Still, it was far larger when it bought the multi-touch technology. Just like Google when it bought Android. And the list could be far longer...

[Clive Galway]

Elite controller

"Most advanced game controller" - absolute bollocks

Unlike the DualShock4 and the Steam Controller, it lacks gyros and any form of touchpad.

The paddles on it are only independently readable via the Windows.Gaming.Input API (Or raw HID, if you code support for it yourself), which is meh - the reading application must be the active window to receive any updates, so third-party remapping applications such as UCR, Joystick Gremlin etc don't play nice with this API as they sit in the background

Nice feel in the hand though, and the interchangeable parts are nice, but still, better off with a DS4 or SC if you want maximum possibilities, both of which are a fraction of the price

[PerlyKing]

Re: Elite controller

Yes, utter rubbish. As eny fule no, the only controller worth playing Elite with was the Quickshot II with rubber suckers for sticking to your dining room table :-D

[David 132]

Re: Elite controller

I wonder if the new Flight Simulator will come with a LensLok?

[[e-mail]]

Re: Elite controller

LensLok??

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Clive Galway]

Re: Elite controller

Well if talking about for use with flight / space sims, it's even worse.

It's a console style controller with round throw on the sticks - it's impossible to hit the corners, so at full pitch, you cannot roll *at all* and vice versa

[[e-mail]]

Re: Elite controller

Yay, another opportunity to recommend the free open-source version, Oolite (available from oolite.org )

All the fun of the original with a lot of bells and whistles (and new ships, and all sorts of fun stuff - although it is still only single-player).

[NetBlackOps]

Re: Elite controller

Single player is just fine and thank you! I wasn't aware of this one. Non-Sci-Fi flight simulators I have in abundance having collected them since the debut of the original FS in 1982.

[Luiz Abdala]

Re: Elite controller

I just gave up and use a Xbox controller. Two shoulder buttons are rudders, two others are throttles, main directional is pitch / roll...like Ace Combat.

Until I can buy a proper HOTAS joystick, that is...

[Robert Moore]

Bridges.

I always rather enjoyed flying the 737 under bridges. Or flying between the twin towers of the (former) WTC. But I have moved on to the excellent Flightgear. It even runs on my Linux laptop.

[NeilPost]

Re: Bridges.

Surprised they have not banned those sorts of shenanigans as a terrorist training ground and put FS2020 on a prohibition list.

All of this is post 9-11 ... even though this will be 20 years ago next year.

[MrKrotos]

RC Options

I wonder if I can plug my RC Heli/Plane controller in VIA USB?

I normally use RealFlight for RC training (cheaper than crashing an Align 450 while trying inverted), would be nice to have a play with my controller plugged in :)

[dmacleo]

wish they would do train sim again

the org train simulator set a standard thats been hard for others to match. wish they would work on that again.

[Sssss]

I hope they have cured the update filling up 32GB laptops. I have one here I haven't gone though all the elaborate tricks to stop it being bricked and to squeeze the update on in more than a year. Fucking ass holes!