The longest-running free flight simulator just released World Update Nine. Those of you in the know have just muttered “You mean MFS”. For the uninitiated Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the longest-running games around and it still receives regular updates! It can be traced back as early as 1982 and it’s awesome to see how this software has evolved over the years.
These updates often bring new planes and/or new territories. This time it’s glorious Italy, rendered in incredibly realistic detail. If you’re a deprived travel fiend suffering from the restrictions of recent events then perhaps it’s time to flex your flying skills and check out one of the most iconic countries in the world. The best bit is that you can do it all without the paperwork and hassle surrounding airline travel these days.
The detail in this update is almost startling and it’s no surprise as this project pulls its data from real-world satellite imagery with a team of people paying special attention to the country’s iconic locations and its finer details. Microsoft’s team says that they’ve used a lot of technical wizardry to achieve this. Things like: Digital Elevation Modelling, Triangulated irregular Modelling (TIN) and the latest geo-spatial data that is available. If you’re interested in the finer details then check out the full release notes.
Just to shed some light on the tremendous undertakings of this team. There are thirteen photogrammetry cities, four hand-crafted airports, and one hundred and five hand-crafted landmarks or points of interest. What’s more, the update also includes your regular in-game improvements and other extras such as updated airport data, new bush trips, landing challenges, and new discovery flights.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is out now on PC and Xbox Series X|S.
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