February 24th, 2022 Development Update - Microsoft Flight Simulator

Screenshot by Punkoflyer (Forum)

We are on track to release Sim Update 8 on Monday, February 28th on all platforms. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Beta leading up to this release. We are thankful for the help in improving the build version overall. Stay tuned for more discussion during our monthly Dev Q&A coming next Wednesday, March 2nd at 10:30am PST (1830Z) on Twitch.

– MSFS TEAM –

DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP

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FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT

Click here for the web-friendly version. To learn more about Accessibility in Microsoft Flight Simulator, click here.

We are working on revamping our Bugs & Issues section to better reflect the top bugs in our Feedback Snapshot. More updates to come!

SDK UPDATE

General:
- As you know, Sim Update 8 is imminent. Alongside this new release, we will publish three updated Video Tutorials (related to Audio) on Microsoft Flight Simulator’s YouTube channel.
- We are also polishing the new Documentation Website. Goodbye lite mode, hello darkness! This new design will be more comfortable and we have managed to make it easier to use so you can easily find what you’re looking for.
- The “How to Make an Aircraft” Tutorial will be online alongside Sim Update 8 with a huge focus on the Modeling section!
DevMode:
- We fixed minor issues with the Marketplace 2.0 Sample.
- We are making good progress to render the game in a separate window. This is the first step towards the creation of preset layouts for each Editor. The struggle to organize your DevMode floating windows shall end soon!
- Scenery Editor:
  - We fixed the fact that polygons were not saving hierarchy attributes.
- Visual Effects Editor:
  - We fixed the GravityVector node that was not taking input into account to scale its output.
  - We fixed the fact that you could add nodes in your graph with no FX document opened.
SDK:
- We refactored WASM support to allow for easier integration of extensions.

3RD PARTY UPDATE

As of 02/18, we have now approved 235 (+1) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 136 (+2) have released 927 products on PC (+15) and 628 on Xbox (+14).
In total, 1,880 products (+41) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 536 products (+5) from 3^rd party developers are in production (302 announced, 234 unannounced). In total, over 2,416 3^rd party products (+48) are either released or are in development.
Airports:
- 1380 airports (+8) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 1143 airports (+8) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 640 airports (+11) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 126 airports (-1) beyond the released airports have been announced.
  - 111 airports (+1) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
Aircraft:
- 327 aircraft (+5) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 105 aircraft (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 72 aircraft (+1) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
  - 46 aircraft (+1) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
  - 160 aircraft (+1) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
  - 62 aircraft (+4) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
Scenery:
- 629 sceneries (+35) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 554 sceneries (+33) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 126 sceneries (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 16 sceneries (-1) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
  - 59 sceneries (+3) are not announced, but the dev let us know that scenery is in production.
Mission Packs:
- 80 mission packs (+0) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 78 mission packs (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 8 mission packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced.
  - 2 mission packs (+0) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production.

MARKETPLACE UPDATE

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There are 34 new and 13 updated products in the Marketplace today. Marketplace updates generally go live on Thursdays between the release of this blog post and 5pm PT.

34 NEW PRODUCTS: 17 ON PC, 17 ON XBOX
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on PC and Xbox ✅		New on PC and Xbox ✅

13 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 6 ON PC, 7 ON XBOX
Updated on PC and Xbox ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅
Updated on Xbox ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅
	Updated on PC and Xbox✅

AIRSHOW INVITATION

We are excited to partner with community members from the Flight Simulator Thunderbirds to host the Wings over the Web Virtual Airshow on Twitch!

Join us live on May 22 as performers from around the world display breathtaking stunts and precision formation flying in the virtual skies. Featuring performances by the Flight Simulator Thunderbirds and RAAFv Roulettes, this virtual airshow will be an event you won’t want to miss.

Right now there is an open call for airshow acts. If you are interested in performing, whether as a solo act or with a group of simmers, click here to learn more and sign up!

TWITCH UPDATE

We stream weekly on Twitch.tv/MSFSOfficial! February 25 is a special holiday in the Philippines that commemorates the 1986 People Power Revolution, a non-violent movement that resulted in the restoration of democracy in the Philippines following 20 years of dictatorial rule. To mark the occasion, Friday’s Fly-In will be over Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines archipelago and home to the capital city of Manila. All are welcome to participate! Click here for more details.

COMMUNITY VIDEO

Third-party developer PMDG recently showcased some footage of their next plane for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the highly-anticipated Boeing 737! We know many of you in the community are anxious to see more about this upcoming plane, so check out the video below which showcases both interior and exterior shots of the 737 on the ground and in the skies.

SCREENSHOT CHALLENGE

You can now submit your screenshot via Twitter with #MSFSchallenge or the Weekly Forum Post! This week’s screenshot challenge: Color Series – Green

This past week our Screenshot Challenge was “Patterns in Nature“. We were so impressed with your screenshots, we included three extra winners! Here are our runner ups this week: