Microsoft flight simulator is a series of flight simulator video games developed by Microsoft. It is the longest-running and the most well-known flight simulator in the world. The very first of the series; Flight Simulator 1.0 was released back in 1982.
Microsoft today has released Flight Simulator 2020 which is the 11th major entry to the series after Flight Simulator X which was released in 2006. With its release it became the highest scored PC game of the Year with a 94 on Metacritic, outscoring VR’s Half-Life: Alyx at 93 by a single point (albeit with 19 reviews in versus 68, so that may change).
The standard version includes 20 aircraft, 25 for the deluxe version, and 30 for premium. From smaller aircraft like the Diamond DA62, ICON A5, all the way to jet aircraft like the Airbus A320 Neo and the Boeing 747-8 are included in the standard version. Over 37,000 airports from around the world are included in the simulator which are based on real-world satellite images and of which 30-40 are hand-crafted replicas of their real-world counterparts. These include airports from the Maldives as well. Many add-ons developed for the simulator can be installed separately to enhance your simulation experience. Earlier versions of the simulator add-ons included real-life like airport design of Velana International Airport, aircraft liveries of national airline ‘Maldivian’, Trans Maldivian Airways, and more. The picture below is of ‘Maldives-X‘ designed by Aerosoft for the Flight Simulator X.
IGN reviewed: “The real-world mapping data, however, takes Microsoft Flight Simulator from being just an impressive game to the most awe-inspiring simulation I’ve ever experienced, in spite of its less than stellar load times. Seeing famous landmarks, landing at the world’s most recognizable airports, or just touching down in a remote landing strip in South America is mind-bogglingly cool and an absolutely unparalleled way to virtually explore our world.”
Pricing starts at $59.99 for the standard version of the Flight Simulator on both the Microsoft Store and Steam. The deluxe version is for $89.99 and $119.99 for the premium version.
The flight simulator is a very helpful game especially for youngsters aspiring to become pilots in the future as you can fly real airplanes in real airports with real life-like performance. It can be very helpful in learning the work aspects of being a pilot and flying airplanes. The flight simulator is even widely used by professional pilots and air traffic controllers in online platforms like VATSIM where they fly airplanes with other online users with real air traffic communications.
Source: Forbes | IGN | Wiki
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