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Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

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Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020), often abbreviated as FS2020 or MSFS, is a modern flight simulator developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It was designed for PC and optimized for multi-platform support with a subsequent Xbox Series X|S release.[1] It was officially released on PC on August 18, 2020 and Xbox Series X|S on July 27, 2021.[2][3]

Summary

Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) is the newest generation of the oldest and one of the most-beloved simulation franchises. From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. Enjoy flying day or night, and face realistic, challenging weather conditions.

The simulator was revealed at E3 2019 during the Xbox Conference. The Insider Program began sign ups for participants on June 11, 2019[4] and recruiting for Alpha Testers began on September 13, 2019.[5]

“ Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. ”

Features

  • 100% world coverage including over 37,000 airports, 2 million cities, and 1.5 billion buildings[6]
  • Accurate topography, roads, trees, lakes, and rivers[6] from satellite imagery enhanced with 3D photogrammetry[7]
  • Live real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain, and lighting[6] provided by Meteoblue[7]
  • Live real-world aircraft traffic using an integrated in-flight tracking service[8]
  • 36 flyable aircraft and 84 hand-crafted airports[9]
  • Multiplayer support with online visibility of up to the 50 nearest users within 200 kilometers[7]
  • VR support using the HP Reverb G2 platform[7]
  • In-sim marketplace[10] featuring additional aircraft, hand-crafted airports, checklists, bush trips, landing challenges, liveries, and graphical enhancement suites.
  • Full mod support for 3rd party non-partner products covering all add-on types available in the in-sim marketplace and more[10][11]
  • An AI co-pilot with selectable level of assist features ranging from full automation to nothing at all[12]
  • Accurate FAA-modeled Air Traffic Control phraseology[13]

Expansions and development

The simulator is under active development with the first DLC expansion released and another under development.

  • The Reno Air Races expansion (released 2021-11-18[14]) is a payware DLC including 40 fully-modeled aircraft from 4 families and an additional 34 liveries. It features multiplayer racing action with a global leaderboard and single-player time trials. The included aircraft are able to be flown anywhere in the base sim once purchased.
  • The Top Gun Maverick expansion (released 2022-05-25[15]) is a freeware DLC focusing on fighter jets and adding a fully functional aircraft carrier.

There are also regularly-scheduled monthly updates, typically alternating between Sim Updates and World Updates.

Sim Updates generally focus on improvement of aircraft models, flight controls, flight modeling, physics, weather engine, and the user interface. As of 2022-11-11, 11 World Updates have been released.

For a list of all Sim Updates, refer to the patch notes.

World Updates generally focus on improvement of a specific region of the global-spanning terrain map, airports, water masks, buildings, roads, and landmarks. As of 2022-09-28, 11 Sim Updates have been released.

For a list of all World Updates, refer to the patch notes.

  • Development Updates are published every Thursday. They contain a feedback snapshot of the top bugs and wishlist items, a list of marketplace releases and updates, developer SDK updates, Twitch updates, community videos, screenshots, and featured mods.
  • Development Roadmaps are published quarterly. They detail the upcoming Sim Updates and World Updates, Asobo and select partner aircraft release, trailers, and new features planned for the sim.

About the Developer

Founded in 2002, Asobo Studio is headquartered in Bordeaux, France. The studio began developing games in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 with their first of several Pixar movie tie-in games, Ratatouille, releasing in 2007.

They released several open world racing games. The first, Fuel, was released in 2009 and is still in 2020 the largest open-world game with 14,400 km2 to fully explore with no loading time, modeling the entire US in reduced scale.

The Crew in 2014 introduced controverted "always online" politics but featured a "persistent world" similar to "Live mode" of FS2020. The Crew 2 in 2018 introduced use of airplanes. It is still an arcade racing game, more akin to Need for Speed Underground than a flight simulator, but it showcased the ability to fly seamlessly in a high detailed large scenery depicting the whole USA.

Activities

Flight Training

Main article: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)/Flight Training

Flight Training is a set of activities which set of lessons which aim to teach the user how to fly. Lessons range in complexity from taxiing to landing airliners, though most Flight Training focus on general aviation activities.

As of Sim Update XI (SU11) (2022-11-11), there are 7 lesson series containing 43 lessons included.

Bush Trips

Main article: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)/Bush Trips

Bush Trips are a set of activities which consist of multiple pre-planned stops along a pre-planned route, though the pilot may deviate at their leisure. They serve as a form of guided sightseeing across areas and to airports which may not otherwise be commonly traversed.

As of World Update XI: Canada (WU11) (2022-09-28), there are 32 unique Bush Trips included. Additional trips can be obtained either through the marketplace or through third-party content.

Landing Challenges

Main article: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)/Landing Challenges

Landing Challenges are a set of scenarios which test a pilot's ability to land within specific parameters. Each landing challenge consists of a predefined airport, runway, aircraft, and weather conditions. The objective is to attempt to perform as close to a perfect landing as possible in order to achieve a high score and rank on the global leaderboard.

As of World Update XI: Canada (WU11) (2022-09-28), there are 58 unique Landing Challenges included. Additional challenges can be obtained either through the marketplace or through third-party content.

Discovery Flights

Main article: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)/Discovery Flights

Discovery Flights are a set of flights which were originally inspired by those who wanted to fly in one of our trailers and later allowed for easy sightseeing of newly-updated sceneries. There are no pre-defined objectives for this activity.

As of World Update XI: Canada (WU11) (2022-09-28), there are 43 unique Discovery Flights.

Editions

MFS2020-Infographic.png

The simulator is available in three editions: Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe.

  • The Standard edition includes the simulator itself, the entire world map, over 37,000 airports, 3D telemetry of select cities, and 25 flyable aircraft, and replaces 30 procedurally-generated airports with hand-crafted versions. It is available for one-time purchase or included with an active Xbox Game Pass PC subscription.
  • The Deluxe edition adds 5 aircraft and replaces 5 more airports with hand-crafted versions.
  • The Premium Deluxe edition adds another 5 aircraft and replaces another 5 airports with hand-crafted versions over the Deluxe edition.

Other than the addition of extra aircraft and hand-crafted airports in higher editions, there are no differences between the three editions.

Somewhat confusingly, there is also an upgrade package available for purchase only on the in-sim Marketplace named the "Premium Upgrade". This upgrade package allows owners of the Standard edition to buy access to the 5 aircraft and hand-crafted airports of the Premium Deluxe edition without also buying the Deluxe edition items.

Included aircraft

MFS2020-Infographic-3.jpg
Main article: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)/List of included aircraft

The following aircraft are included in the simulator:

Additional aircraft can also be purchased from the marketplace or added as third-party content.

Airports

For a list of all hand-crafted airports, see Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)/List of hand-crafted airports.

The initial release included 30 hand-crafted airports (sometimes referred to as bespoke airports) for the Standard edition, plus another 5 each for the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe editions. Over 37,000 other airports have been constructed from Bing satellite imagery.

Each World Update (and also two Sim Updates) replaced additional procedurally-generated airports with hand-crafted models free of charge. World and Sim Updates are available in all editions for free, bringing the number of airports available in the Standard edition up to 91 (Deluxe: 96, Premium: 101).

For a list of all World and Sim Updates, refer to the patch notes.

Additional airports can also be purchased from the marketplace or added as third-party content.

Peripherals

Most peripheral devices which utilize a USB connection are compatible with the simulator. Refer to peripherals for all peripherals currently having accompanying articles.

The following are a list of devices which currently can be auto-detected and the buttons will be automatically mapped to an Asobo-developed preset:

Yokes

  • CH: Flight Sim Yoke
  • Honeycomb: Alpha Flight Controls (including switch panel)
  • Honeycomb: Alpha Flight Controls XPC
  • Logitech: Flight Yoke System
  • Virtual Fly: Yoko+

Joystick

  • CH: Fighter Stick
  • CH: Fighter Stick Pro
  • Logitech: Extreme 3D Pro Joystick
  • Thrustmaster: T.16000M FCS
  • Thrustmaster: TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition
  • Thrustmaster: TCA Sidestick Boeing Edition — coming in Sim Update VI (SU6) (2021-10-19)
  • Thrustmaster: F/A-18 Grip
  • Thrustmaster: T.Flight Stick X
  • Turtle Beach: VelocityOne Flightstick

Throttles

  • CH: Pro Throttle
  • CH: Throttle Quadrant
  • Honeycomb: Bravo Throttle Quadrant
  • Logitech: Flight Throttle Quadrant
  • Thrustmaster: TWCS Throttle
  • Thrustmaster: TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition
  • Thrustmaster: TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition Add-on
  • Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Boeing Edition — coming in Sim Update VI (SU6) (2021-10-19)
  • Virtual Fly: TQ3+
  • Virtual Fly: TQ6+
  • Virtual Fly: V3rnio PLUS TPM

Combined HOTAS (one-piece joystick/yoke and throttle quadrant)

  • Logitech: X52
  • Logitech: X52 Pro
  • Logitech: X56 H.O.T.A.S
  • Pro Flight Trainer: PUMA X (includes frame and pedals)
  • Thrustmaster: T.Flight HOTAS 4 (from PS4)
  • Thrustmaster: T.Flight HOTAS One (from Xbox One)
  • Thrustmaster: T.Flight HOTAS X
  • Turtle Beach: VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Win 10)

Rudder Pedals

  • CH: Pro Pedals
  • Honeycomb: Charlie
  • Logitech: Flight Rudder Pedals
  • Thrustmaster: Pendular Rudder (TPR)
  • Thrustmaster: T-Flight Rudder Pedals (TFRP)
  • Virtual Fly: Ruddo+

Multi-function Displays (MFDs)

  • Thrustmaster: MFD Cougar

Game controllers

  • Microsoft: Xbox Controller
  • Microsoft: Xbox Adaptive Controller

Bundles of the above items

Head trackers

  • Tobii: Eye Tracker 5

Devices not listed above are likely still compatible, though the axes/buttons will need to be assigned manually before first use.

PC System Requirements

Current requirements as of April 25, 2021.[16]

Minimum Recommended Ideal
OS Windows 10
(Update 1909)		 Windows 10
(Update 1909)		 Windows 10
(Update 1909)
Processor Ryzen 3 1200 or
Intel i5-4460		 Ryzen 5 1500X or
Intel i5-8400		 Ryzen Pro 2700X or
Intel i7-9800X
GPU Radeon RX 570 or
NVIDIA GTX 770		 Radeon RX 590 or
NVIDIA GTX 970		 Radeon VII or
NVIDIA RTX 2080
VRAM 2 GB 4 GB 8 GB
Storage 150 GB 150 GB 150 GB (SSD)
RAM 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
Bandwidth 5 Mbps 20 Mbps 50 Mbps

Trivia

  • Around 60 percent of Asobo team got their pilot license in the course of making FS2020.
  • The success of the 2020 game caused flight sticks to sell out in many stores.
  • The physical edition of the 2020 version comes on an insane ten discs.
  • The gap between Microsoft Flight Simulator X and the 2020 "reboot" spans 14 years.
  • Planes go invisible when you go near them because of licensing agreements. Planes can't crash, go on fire or clip into one another.[17]

See also

External links

Media Coverage

Other

Gallery

Image gallery

  • MFS 2020 1.jpg
  • MFS 2020 2.jpg
  • MFS 2020 3.jpg
  • MFS 2020 4.jpg
  • MFS 2020 5.jpg
  • MFS 2020 6.jpg
  • MFS 2020 7.jpg

Video gallery

References

  1. ↑ Neumann, Jorg (2020-12-11). Microsoft Flight Simulator Coming to Xbox Series X - S Summer 2021. Xbox Wire. Retrieved on 2021-06-20.
  2. ↑ Neumann, Jorg (2021-06-13). Microsoft Flight Simulator Lands on Xbox Series X/S and with Xbox Game Pass on July 27. Xbox Wire. Retrieved on 2021-06-20.
  3. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox Series X|S is Available to Pre-load Today!. @MSFS_Support (Twitter) (2021-07-22). Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  4. ↑ Insider Program FAQ. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved on 2021-06-20.
  5. ↑ Brown, Fraser (2019-09-16). Microsoft Flight Simulator is recruiting for the technical alpha. pcgamer. Retrieved on 2021-06-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Microsoft Flight Simulator product listing. Xbox. Retrieved on 2020-06-20.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Brown, Matt (2020-08-26). Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020: Everything We Know. Windows Central. Retrieved on 2021-06-20.
  8. ↑ Prescott, Shaun (2020-03-27). Microsoft Flight Simulator will use air traffic data to populate the simulation. Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  9. ↑ Warren, Tom (2020-07-13). Microsoft Flight Simulator will launch on August 18th on PC. The Verge. Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Nelva, Giuseppe (2020-08-09). Microsoft Flight Simulator Is Already Getting the First Third-Party Add-Ons, and They look Great. Twinfinite. Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  11. ↑ Marketplace Partner Program. Microsoft (2021). Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  12. ↑ Reynolds, Matthew (2020-08-20). Flight Simulator autopilot explained: How to activate AI Control and autopilot controls explained. EuroGamer. Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  13. ↑ Release Notes (1.16.2.0) Sim Update IV Now Available. Microsoft Flight Simulator Team (2021-05-25). Retrieved on 2021-07-22.
  14. ↑ Martin, Calum (2021-11-18). Microsoft Flight Simulator Reno Air Race Expansion Now Available. FSElite. Retrieved on 2022-02-13.
  15. ↑ Become a Top Gun Pilot in Free Expansion Available Today. Microsoft Flight Simulator (2022-05-25). Retrieved on 2022-06-04.
  16. ↑ Microsoft Flight Simulator FAQ. Microsoft (2021-04-25). Retrieved on 2021-06-20.
  17. ↑ MSFSofficial - Formation Flying. Twitch (2021-09-29). Retrieved on 2021-10-02.
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