March 3rd, 2022 Development Update - Microsoft Flight Simulator

Screenshot by ZILLNIAZI17 (Forum)

On Tuesday, we announced the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Cloud Gaming. Users can now enjoy the sim on Xbox One and on other supported devices via Xbox Cloud Gaming, powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. For more information, check out this Xbox Wire post.

We also released the first aircraft in our Famous Flyer series: the Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing. Click here to learn about this aircraft and check out the trailer below:

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Thank you for everyone who joined us for yesterday’s monthly Dev Q&A. You can find click here to watch the replay, look out for a text version dropping soon.

– MSFS TEAM –

DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP

Click here for the web-friendly version.

FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT

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

SDK UPDATE

General:
- As announced, alongside Sim Update 8 we shipped a series of 3 Audio tutorials on our YouTube channel. You can find them here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln0yX13BGU4.
- The new dark mode on the Documentation website will be available very soon, as well as the first part of the “How to make an Aircraft” tutorial.
DevMode:
- Material Editor:
  - We fixed the Delete button that did not work properly.
- Project Editor:
  - We fixed a bug that used to empty the package name when using the Clean button.
- Scenery Editor:
  - We added a series of useful shortcuts to the Scenery Editor! The list will be available in the documentation.
  - We fixed a crash when one-click placing parking gates.
  - We added the “use low resolution altitude” for scenery objects.
  - We fixed a crash in the world map that could occur after opening a project.
- Aircraft Editor:
  - We finished reworking the parsing system. We are fixing minor bugs like typos on Geometry/Wings and min/max_design_mp parameters that were expressed in the wrong unit.
- Visual Effects Editor:
  - We fixed a bug where the Template/instances debug window did not show spawned effects anymore.
  - We now sort nodes into categories and added a filter to search for nodes by name. This will make it easier to find the node you need for your effects!
  - We also sort node names alphabetically inside the menu categories.
SDK:
- The Aircraft Selector does not allow users to select corrupted planes anymore (they will appear grayed out).
- We fixed error/warning/message buttons when the console is spammed.

3RD PARTY UPDATE

>As of 02/25, we have now approved 240 (+5) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 136 (+0) have released 944 products on PC (+17) and 645 on Xbox (+17).
In total, 1,916 products (+36) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 531 products (-5) from 3^rd party developers are in production (292 announced, 239 unannounced). In total, over 2,447 3^rd party products (+31) are either released or are in development.
Airports:
- 1387 airports (+7) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 1161 airports (+18) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 646 airports (+6) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 118 airports (-8) beyond the released airports have been announced.
  - 108 airports (-3) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
Aircraft:
- 337 aircraft (+10) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 106 aircraft (+1) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 72 aircraft (+0) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
  - 47 aircraft (+1) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
  - 159 aircraft (-1) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
  - 72 aircraft (+10) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
Scenery:
- 643 sceneries (+14) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 571 sceneries (+17) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 137 sceneries (+9) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 15 sceneries (-1) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
  - 57 sceneries (-2) 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.
  - 9 mission packs (+1) 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

Click here for a web-friendly version.

There are 9 new and 43 updated products in the Marketplace today. Marketplace updates generally go live on Thursdays between the release of this blog post and 5pm PT.

9 NEW PRODUCTS: 3 ON PC, 6 ON XBOX
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on Xbox ✅	New on Xbox ✅	New on Xbox ✅

43 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 23 ON PC, 20 ON XBOX
Updated on PC and Xbox ✅	Updated on PC ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅
Updated on PC and Xbox ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅
Updated on PC and Xbox✅	Updated on PC and Xbox✅	Updated on PC and Xbox✅
Updated on PC and 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✅	Updated on PC and Xbox✅
Updated on PC and Xbox✅	Updated on PC ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox✅
Updated on PC ✅	Updated on PC ✅	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!

Join us on March 4^th for our weekly community fly-in as we celebrate International Women’s Day. To mark this event, we are inviting several women sim pilots from our community to host our Friday Community Fly-In: Alyson Johnson, beMint, and FactualGull! Also joining them in the skies will be our Senior Community Manager Jummivana. For this week’s event, our guests have recommended a scenic flight over the beautiful lakes and mountains of the Italian Alps departing from Milan.

Click here for more details. All are welcome to participate!

Yesterday’s Dev Q&A:

COMMUNITY VIDEO

Sim Update 8 released earlier this week. In addition to a large number of bug fixes, this patch also introduced a new aerodynamics and propeller simulation model for three aircraft: the Cessna 152, Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, and Beechcraft King Air (additional planes will be migrated to the new model in future Sim Updates). YouTuber Virtual Flight Research posted a video showcasing the new prop model and providing his thoughts on the changes in Sim Update 8 while flying the King Air over the Australian Outback.