Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: Creating a Career Mode for All Types of Players
There are almost too many exciting features to look forward to with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 when it launches on Tuesday, November 19, 2024: the “digital twin” of Earth, the giant leap forward in graphical fidelity with a jaw-dropping enhancement of the ground detail, vertical obstructions around the world, the addition of dozens of animal species worldwide. We could go on and on. But perhaps the feature I’m most looking forward to getting my hands on will be the ambitious (and very cool) Career Mode that will let me live out my life as a virtual aviator from the comfort of home.
Having a detailed feature like a Career Mode isn’t inherently new to the franchise — missions and rewards had been part of earlier iterations, like FSX (2006), which introduced real mission objectives and rewards. In talking with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann, the idea about how to introduce missions or an aviation career was floated during the development of Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS 2020) in 2020, but the decision was tabled at the time so the team could focus on refining the foundational aspects of the flight simulator.
“We already had taken on one huge area of innovation by introducing the concept of a digital twin of Earth via the use of satellite and aerial imagery and digital elevation maps from Bing,” explains Neumann. “We knew that focus was necessary to be successful, so we parked the idea of missions / career until after MSFS 2020 had successfully launched. Once things had settled down and we had entered our rhythm of monthly updates to MSFS 2020, we started to explore the concept again.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 already works to simulate everything as authentically and accurately as possible from its physics systems, the atmosphere, the avionics, and more. So when it came time to scoping what a Career mode would be, how it would operate, and what it would include, the team looked back at these concepts in the same vein as their approach to MSFS 2020 — to make it as authentic as possible.
“From the start we knew that we had the opportunity to create something that had never been done before. Something truly unprecedented in the realm of missions and activities in entertainment software,” Neumann details. “Because we had created a digital version of our entire planet, not only could we allow simmers to start their career wherever they want on Earth, but we could also, if done correctly, have our missions and activities use the dynamics of our planet, like the seasons, weather, time of day, etc., as well as the location.”
It was around this time that the team began conducting several surveys to better understand what the community wanted as far as improvements or feature additions to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. These surveys revealed that the number one thing was to give players goals: an objective to the flights. This response was similar across every type of player, from core simmers to gamers and casual digital tourists. It was clear from this feedback that the team knew they had to make a Career mode happen.
“The aviation community is so passionate that it has helped inform the Career and the (flight) sim in many ways,” Neumann says. “For example, aircraft or rotorcraft pilots have given us super interesting feedback on flight models. We also met with agricultural aviators, firefighting, sky diving, and airliner pilots. But we’ve also done user research with a large range of simmer types to gather their requests, understand frictions, and hear their recommendations. Also, just reading the simmers forums sometimes gives us an interesting idea or will confirm our gut feelings about a given angle. The aviation world can be proud of its high level of participation, it really pushes everyone forward, including the development team obviously.”
When starting out in Career Mode, there will be no prerequisites to get flying. You can start as a rookie or as an actual real-life pilot. However, less experienced simmers will probably choose to improve their skills via training to increase their chance of successfully passing the required exam. Doing so will unlock more sophisticated activities — there are about 54 training courses in the certification tree.
The more skilled simmers will probably head straight to the certification exam, and then on to the more advanced activities like commercial airliner passenger transportation. The available missions also feature a difficulty rating to prevent non-experienced pilots from ending up in complex scenarios (e.g. poor weather) that they may not be prepared to handle.
Progression will be tied to how well – or how close to perfect – you can execute your flights. This will yield XP, money, and improve your pilot reputation. All these aspects feed into how you pass exams, unlock certifications, new types of planes, activities, and perhaps one day with enough money, buy your own aircraft (and even own your own fleet).
“There are many ways to develop your career as a pilot depending on what you want to be. These different dimensions can be blended or taken one after the other,” says Neumann “For instance, do you want to expand your client list all over the planet or stay focused on your territory? Do you want to be a versatile pilot able to achieve any type of mission, or do you want to specialize in airliner activity? Do you want to do all of this as an aircraft pilot or as a rotorcraft pilot, or both? Do you want to be an expert in your job, or do you want to expand your business and become your own boss and manage your fleet? All of this and everything in between is possible in MSFS 2024.”
A lot of this career integration is possible due to what we mentioned earlier — because the team had already created such a solid foundation with Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020). Now with MSFS 2024, it’s able to integrate so well within the existing framework of the flight simulator. For example, aircraft rescue missions will take advantage of the massive improvements made to the terrain augmentation. In addition to that, the new weather system, flight model, water interaction, new biomes, and the walking features are all leveraged in the Career mode too.
“If you take the crop-dusting example: actual fields in real life have been detected via complex machine learning processes. So, when you crop dust in a field where crop dusters operate in real life, you are experiencing the exact same flight challenge, with the same flight constraints. This is the same with airliners. In Career mode, every airliner mission is based on a real-life activity. For most of the activities featured in MSFS 2024, we’ve talked with experts in these domains to fully capture what is at stake in real life and to translate this into the sim.”
Translating that proof-of-concept into MSFS 2024 has been an incredible challenge for the team, but a proof point really began to take shape a few months ago that assured them that the path they were on was the right one. It was during the moment when a search-and-rescue (SAR) pilot played an early build of the flight simulator.
“He told us how awesome the experience in the simulator was and how closely it resembled the real-world SAR experience,” exclaims Neumann. “We were so excited to get that feedback at that pivotal moment. It happened again a few months later when we visited a Sécurité Civile operations center (the civile defense agency of the French government) and had the firefighting pilots test our missions in the simulator. While they told us that we did not get everything perfect, they were super impressed. Those moments were critical validation points for the team – especially as our ambition is not to simply give simmers something interesting to do. Our goal is to resemble the experience that pilots in the real-world go through as closely as we can.”
But as Neumann puts it, one of the most rewarding parts will be to see that final player reaction when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launches on November 19, 2024, and simmers of all types will be able to try their hand at starting their own virtual careers.
“It is the essence of what we are doing,” describes Neumann. “From the way we have leveraged all the tech improvements, the “digital twin” world, and with the data we have access to, to deliver a never-before-seen promise is in full alignment with the realism of the franchise and is a true achievement. I think we’ve done something really unique, and as creators it’s the best reward.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 — available for pre-order today on the Microsoft Store — will launch in a variety of editions on November 19, 2024, and the Standard Edition will be available day one with Game Pass. All pre-orders will receive the De Havilland Canada CL-415 firefighting aircraft to use instantly in Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020). The Standard Edition comes with 70 aircraft and 150 upgraded airports; Deluxe Edition will include 10 additional aircraft and five extra airports; the Premium Deluxe will have another 15 aircraft (total of 95); Aviator Edition includes everything from the Premium Deluxe Edition plus the entire fleet of 30 Microsoft-published Marketplace aircraft developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator between 2021 and 2024.
If you own Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) Deluxe Edition or Premium Deluxe Edition the additional aircraft and airports unique to these editions will automatically work in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Aviator Edition
Xbox Game Studios
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Aviator Edition includes everything from the Premium Deluxe Edition plus the entire fleet of 30 Microsoft-published Marketplace aircraft developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator between 2021 and 2024.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Premium Deluxe Edition
Xbox Game Studios
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Premium Deluxe Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition plus 25 additional aircraft and 10 additional handcrafted international airports.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Deluxe Edition
Xbox Game Studios
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Deluxe Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition plus 10 additional aircraft and 5 additional handcrafted international airports.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Standard Edition
Xbox Game Studios
Explore the world with our largest fleet of aircraft and take simulation to new heights while pursuing your aviation career within Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The Standard Edition includes over 65 aircraft and 150 handcrafted airports.
Fly with Purpose
· Launch your aviation Career wherever you choose in the world. Gain experience, build your reputation, and complete certifications to gain access to authentic aviation activities ranging from Medevac, Remote Cargo Ops, Aerial Firefighting, Search & Rescue and more, all the way to becoming an Airline Passenger Transport Pilot. Set out on a truly global aviation adventure with virtually unlimited missions across the planet.
· Compete against other pilots in the all-new Challenge League mode or hone your skills in dozens of Activities ranging from exciting Rally Races and Precision Landings to Low-Altitude challenges and more. Fly head-to-head in the iconic Red Bull Air Races and the legendary Reno Air Races, including the new Roswell courses.
· Be a World Photographer and travel across our beautiful planet to capture awe-inspiring natural vistas, visit famous landmarks, and record these adventures with pictures in your travel book. Unique photo challenges test your creative eye along with your piloting skills while you strive to capture the perfect moment.
Advanced Simulation
· Enhanced physics system allows 10,000+ rigid-body surfaces that enable the simulation of any shape of aircraft. Soft body physics supports cloth, ropes, balloons, and more. Improved ground and water handling further enhance realism.
· New, highly accurate aircraft systems including electrical, pneumatic, fuel and hydraulic systems, payload and passenger systems, and avionics like the Universal UNS-1 FMS and Honeywell Primus Epic 2. Preflight inspections and walkaround checks add to immersion.
· Plan your flights with a groundbreaking flight planner which supports both IFR and VFR map layers, IFR charts, route planning, fuel and payload planning, vertical profile planning, and ETOPS planning. It also provides airport information including weather and NOTAMS and is available native in the sim, on mobile devices or web browsers for flight planning outside the simulator.
Explore Our Visually Stunning Digital Twin
· Explore our most detailed re-creation of planet Earth to date. Enhanced digital elevation maps, over 500 TIN (triangular irregular network) cities and more than 100,000 square kilometers of countryside photogrammetry allow for visually stunning digital twin experiences. More than 150 airports, 2,000 glider airports, 10,000 heliports, 2,000 points of interest, and 900 oil rigs have been carefully hand-crafted while a procedural system generates all 40,000 airports, 80,000 helipads, 1.5 billion buildings, and nearly 3 trillion trees our planet.
· Land anywhere and, for the first time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, exit your aircraft to explore 27 highly detailed biomes with hundreds of species of vegetation, dynamically created details including grass, rocks, and flowers – all influenced by seasonal changes. The all-new photometric lighting system renders the world more accurately than ever before, and enhanced weather features such as new cloud types, auroras, and other weather phenomena produce fresh and compelling atmospheric experiences.
· The world comes alive with a vast array of land-based wildlife in their natural habitats and free-ranging livestock across the entire globe. The oceans and waterways are teeming with live, worldwide maritime traffic ranging from large tankers and cargo ships to trawlers, tugs, and more. A richly diverse, regionally accurate representation of humanity brings life to the airports, aircraft, and passenger cabins of the world. Enhanced real-world air traffic populates the skies and airport tarmacs with hundreds of accurately depicted aircraft models and dozens of officially licensed liveries.
The post Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: Creating a Career Mode for All Types of Players appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Source: Xbox Blog
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