Microsoft Announces Flight Simulator Game of the Year Update

[Uskompuf]

We are excited to announce that the Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition (GOTY) is available today! This new edition celebrates all the positive feedback, reviews and awards garnered, and is also a "Thank You" to our fans - new and old - that have made Microsoft Flight Simulator such a phenomenon. The Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition features five new handcrafted aircraft, eight new airports, six new Discovery Flights and updated weather systems and incorporates all six World Updates.





New Aircraft

We have added 5 brand new aircraft to Microsoft Flight Simulator:

• Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet: Our first military jet and a highly requested feature from the community.
• VoloCity: From well-known German company Volocopter, comes "VoloCity", an aircraft for an electric urban air taxi.
• Pilatus PC-6 Porter: This legendary short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility aircraft is a highly versatile plane from Switzerland and comes with several cockpits, cabins, and landing gear variations.
• CubCrafters NX Cub: Yakima-based CubCrafters recently introduced a nosewheel option for their flagship CC-19 XCub Aircraft, popularly called the NX Cub, which we are pleased to introduce to the flight sim audience to further enhance our bush flying and off airport options.
• Aviat Pitts Special S1S: One of our most popular planes gets a single-seat option with the release of this aircraft.

New Airports

We have added 8 handcrafted airports in Central Europe and the United States:

• Germany
  • Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP)
  • Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA)
  • Kassel Airport (EDVK)
• Switzerland
  • Lugano Airport (LSZA)
  • Zurich Airport (LSZH)
  • Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)
• United States
  • Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF)
  • Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX)

The Game of the Year Edition also includes information about 545 previously missing airports in the United States.

New Missions

Based on the popularity of the recently introduced Discovery Flights, we have added 6 additional locations (Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore, and Mount Cook) to this popular series.

New Tutorials

To further expand the onboarding experience, we have provided 14 new tutorials, introducing simmers to Bush flying (in an Icon A5) and IFR (in a Cessna 172).

New Features

We are also pleased to introduce several highly requested features by the community: an updated weather system, early access to DX12, and a dev mode replay system.

New Photogrammetry Cities

As part of our ongoing collaboration with Bing Maps, we have added a number of new photogrammetry cities: Helsinki (Finland), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle, and Nottingham (UK) and Utrecht (Netherlands).

And, best of all, the Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year Edition is a free update for existing players on PC and Xbox Series X|S. For new users, the GOTY Edition is the perfect entry point to flight simming.

Announcement Video

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Space Lynx]

Some performance optimizations would have been welcome, but eh you do you M$

 

[Camm]

Some performance optimizations would have been welcome, but eh you do you M$

It had a massive performance overhaul only a few months ago, lol.

Don't get me wrong, its still a hard game to run, but your comment just feels dumb.

 

[Space Lynx]

It had a massive performance overhaul only a few months ago, lol.

Don't get me wrong, its still a hard game to run, but your comment just feels dumb.

Not really, and not good enough improvements. I will play games on Unreal Engine for now and enjoy my 165 hz 165 fps maxed out gameplay smoothness, the rest of you can enjoy your blurry messes.

 

[demian_vi]

Not really, and not good enough improvements. I will play games on Unreal Engine for now and enjoy my 165 hz 165 fps maxed out gameplay smoothness, the rest of you can enjoy your blurry messes.

bitter enough. flight simulator is a marvel, you can enjoy 165 while I enjoy 120 on my 500€ xbox

 

[Space Lynx]

bitter enough. flight simulator is a marvel, you can enjoy 165 while I enjoy 120 on my 500€ xbox

Does flight simulator seriously get 120 fps on xbox? if so, PC's are very unoptimized then... hmm...

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Satisfactory Update 5 is available today!

gah front page game news choices are pretty lame.

 

[Vayra86]

Not really, and not good enough improvements. I will play games on Unreal Engine for now and enjoy my 165 hz 165 fps maxed out gameplay smoothness, the rest of you can enjoy your blurry messes.

A pretty limited view on gaming I think. Mood of the day, eh.

Content wise, MS FS offers something pretty unique right now.

 

[68Olds]

I usually stick to the prop planes in MSFS, but the F/A-18 is gonna be really fun to try.

 

[W1zzard]

"Early access to DX12" .. took you long enough

 

[Verpal]

"Early access to DX12" .. took you long enough

Welp, late is better than never, maybe DX12 will finally help my laptop I5 8300H choke slightly less.

 

[Vayra86]

"Early access to DX12" .. took you long enough

Pretty amazing considering its an MS title...

 

[windwhirl]

"Early access to DX12" .. took you long enough

It's a development decision that to a certain point you could forgive someone else for making it. But freaking Microsoft, who actually made the DX 12 API more than half a decade ago? Should have been review bombed just for that

Ha! Ninja'ed by Vayra86

 

[Vayra86]

It's a development decision that to a certain point you could forgive someone else for making it. But freaking Microsoft, who actually made the DX 12 API more than half a decade ago? Should have been review bombed just for that

OTOH when MS said we need W10 to get DX12 access, the world was on fire too even with no content to use it in

 

[Lokran88]

So can one expect a performance gain from switching to dx12?

 

[windwhirl]

So can one expect a performance gain from switching to dx12?

In theory, yes. Depends on Microsoft not screwing it up (unlikely, but eh) and your specific system specs.

 

[Vayra86]

So can one expect a performance gain from switching to dx12?

Yeah potentially DX12 could make a title like this with heavy reliance on asset streaming and CPU grunt much more smooth.

Potentially.

 

[d0x360]

Some performance optimizations would have been welcome, but eh you do you M$

You can't be serious lol. It already had one.

Here let me help you and anyone else... Here are tips to get better performance and yes I mean it. Although it requires a decent internet connection.

So.. first don't install the game or the games cache to the same drive as Windows or your windows Swap file.

If you can I suggest putting the game on an m.2 ssd. Then the game cache on a different m.2 SSD if possible. If not then put it on a SATA SSD.

Also make sure your windows Swap file is installed on a drive different from windows, the game and the game cache. I have mine on a standard HDD.

Lastly let the game use as much bandwidth as possible with a high level of cache. 30Mbps is the minimum connection speed to see benefits from this part. Gigabit helps.

So my setup is like this...

-Windows installed on it's own m.2 drive.
-Windows swap installed on standard 7200rpm HDD
-Game installed on g4 m.2 SSD
-Game swap/cache installed on SATA3 SSD

Doing that alone gave me an extra 7fps at 4k max settings.