Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 arrives with a “full digital twin” of Earth

You’re getting pretty close to the ground there, chief. But the good news is, you’re generating terrain for other players.

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Microsoft

AI learning was used for 2024‘s world mapping. It allowed for a (possibly hyperbolic) “4,000 times more” detail in textures and terrain meshes, Wloch told TechRadar. Players will see this mainly when they’re closer to ground, with the terrain generating detail on demand. Machine learning is run against tens of thousands of tiles of Earth terrains, and it does picture analysis to generate, say, wet gravel or nighttime grasslands during winter. Data generated from a player is streamed into other pilots’ games, Neumann told Rock Paper Shotgun.

Throw a little engine on that balloon and you’ve got yourself a Flydoo, a word I learned today.

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Microsoft

You can fly a balloon and a “Flydoo,” the latter of which is a balloon with a tiny engine. Aircraft and airports you customized or purchased are carried over from 2020 into 2024. EuroGamer has a list of every aircraft in the game, which includes a Joby VTOL air taxi.

When will hikers learn to stick to the trails in Zoar Valley?

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Microsoft

A new Career Mode, with 26 different paths, adds some structure to the pre-existing challenges and rewards. You can start out as a rookie and work through up to 54 training courses. You then decide exactly what kind of ace you want to be. You can be a regional airline pilot, a global specialist in VIP helicopter rides, a cropduster, a firefighter, or some other kind. You can own a fleet and expand your business or stick to being a jockey for hire.

There are many animals with realistic behavior, ported in from Planet Zoo. Neumann previously worked at Frontier, the company behind Planet Zoo (and Elite: Dangerous). Wanting some of that old “animals doing things” energy, Neumann said he called Frontier’s CEO and said, “Can I have your animals?” Neumann told Sports Illustrated. So now sheep head inside when it’s raining, birds migrate, and elephants will finally be impressed with your low-level flybys—maybe.

Flight Simulator 2020 will continue to get support, according to a FAQ on the developer’s site. It’s a valid question of what “support” will look like after 2024 is released and if it matches up with the initial promise of “10 years of support.”