May 20th, 2021 Development Update - Microsoft Flight Simulator

’James Bond Island’ – Khao Phing Kan (Thailand) – Screenshot by CalUKGR

Our team is finalizing Sim Update IV and is set to release next week! Thank you again to those involved in the flighting group who have helped test this update. Don’t forget, the next Dev Q&A on Twitch is on Wednesday, May 26th at 10:30 am PDT!

– The MSFS team

DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP

Click here for the web-friendly version. Most recent update:

FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT

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Key:

SU = Sim Update (3, 4, etc.)

WU = World Update

ASAP = As Soon as Possible

TBD = To Be Determined

Several Releases = Fixes will come over a series of updates

Ongoing Fixes = An item we will continually be working on

Planned = Scheduled to be worked on

Under Investigation = The team is currently looking into the issue

Not Planned = We will likely not work on this

Started = Work as started on this item

THIRD PARTY UPDATE

As of 05/15, we have now approved 192 (+16) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 90 (+5) have released 383 products (+19).
- In total,962 products (+28) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 336 products (+3) from 3^rd party developers are in production (205 announced, 131 unannounced). In total, over 1298 3^rd party products (+31) are either released or are in development.
Airports:
- 809 airports (+17) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 605 airports (+19) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 321 airports (+18) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 95 airports (-3) beyond the released airports have been announced.
  - 109 airports (+1) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
Aircraft:
- 155 aircraft (+5) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 40 aircraft (+2) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 23 aircraft (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 93 aircraft (+3) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
  - 22 aircraft (+0) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
Scenery:
- 299 sceneries (+4) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 283 sceneries (+3) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 24 sceneries (+1) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 16 sceneries (+1) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
Mission Packs:
- 35 mission packs (+5) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 34 mission packs (+4) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 3 mission packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 1 mission packs (+1) beyond the released missions have been announced.

SDK UPDATE

General
- We fixed CG calculation when in menu by including the anti-detonation system masses for piston engines.
Documentation
- We made some improvements to the FX Editor, including non-uniform scales, and the Divide and Substract nodes. We also support normal map on particle shaders.
- On the Scenery Editor, we now sort & display objects per package, and we sort world scripts per package.
- We also fixed missing taxiway signs on high altitude airports.
Dev Mode
- We fixed an issue on SaveFlight when no title is specified.

MARKETPLACE

Today there are 15 new products and 14 updated products in the Marketplace.

15 New Products

14 Update Products

TWITCH UPDATE

Tomorrow, welcome back TheFlyingFabio and join us for a group flight! More details can be found here.

SCREENSHOT CHALLENGE

This past week we challenged you to take a screenshot of “Movie Magic”. The winner is featured above. Below are our runner up choices! This week’s Screenshot Challenge: Natural Ecosystems – Tropical Rainforests.

Last challenge’s Finalists: