Microsoft Flight

Microsoft Flight
File:Flight logo.jpg Logo for Microsoft Flight as seen on the website
Developer(s)	Microsoft Studios
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Studios
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Windows Vista Windows 7
Release	Spring 2012
Genre(s)	Game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer (online)

Microsoft Flight is the title of a new free-to-play flight simulator from Microsoft Studios announced in August 2010, intended to replace the long-running discontinued Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise that has existed for nearly 30 years.

Development

The simulator is in later development stages, with a beta version currently in closed testing. Limited details have been released on Flight, but it has been said that it is looking to appeal to flying enthusiasts with the realism and accuracy shown in the previous titles of Microsoft Flight Simulator, but also will include other types of gameplay that appeal more to novices. The new simulator will be Games for Windows – Live-enabled, which will allow users with Live accounts to join multiplayer sessions with Gamertags. The introduction of Live also means that the GameSpy client will no longer be in use.

The official Flight website features video trailers and Webisodes, a frequently asked questions page, and a sign-up link for the Microsoft Flight newsletter. It also includes a page featuring screenshots taken in Flight. (52 screenshots to date) As of October 2011, four teaser videos have been published to the website, each one exhibiting varying levels of developmental progress as they were published over time. Videos before Webisode 2 do not feature in-game footage.

As of the December 1, 2011 a beta application has been set up on the website. An announcement was posted on the official Flight facebook page (on December 13, 2011) stating that an official Youtube channel was published containing the current Webisodes.

It was announced on January 4, 2012 that it would be free-to-play on release in Spring 2012.

Upgrades

A screenshot of Flight released by Microsoft, showing the new lighting/shadowing capabilities of the engine in the aircraft virtual cockpit.

According to the website, Flight will feature new aircraft, scenery and terrain, a revamped weather engine, and new game play elements that users of all skill levels will enjoy. The new weather engine renders more realistic clouds and weather effects, including fog that blends well with the surrounding terrain, which Microsoft's previous flight simulator release, (Microsoft Flight Simulator X), was not capable of. As seen in the screenshots, the most noticeable graphical improvements are the newer shader models and the use of new DirectX versions. Part of the improvement is more realistic lighting and self shadowing on aircraft, as well as the ability for terrain and scenery objects to cast shadows onto other objects and terrain. The aircraft visual models previewed so far are much improved over those of the previous flight simulator releases. Flight is also said to feature a new missions system. While system requirements are not yet final, the November 2011 news update featured requirements based on a later in-development version of the game.

System requirements

The system requirements below come from the November 2011 update from the development team:

Minimum:

• CPU: Dual Core 2.0 GHz
• GPU: 256 MB card capable of shader 3.0 (DX 9.0c compliant)
• HD: 10 GB Hard Drive space
• OS: WinXP SP3
• RAM: 2.0GB

Recommended (high settings):

• CPU: Intel Core i7 960 @ 3.20 GHz, AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 3.3 GHz or better
• GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5870, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or better
• HD: 10 GB Hard Drive space
• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• RAM: 6GB

Aircraft

Not all aircraft to be included are known, but based on the videos and screenshots, the Boeing PT-17, Maule M-7, North American P-51 Mustang, Icon A5, and Van's RV-6 may be available.

External links

• Microsoft Flight – Official Site