History of Microsoft Flight Simulator
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Microsoft Flight Simulator ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a series of amateur flight simulator programs for Microsoft Windows operating systems, and earlier for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed sig ...
'' began as a set of articles on computer graphics, written by
Bruce Artwick Bruce Arthur Artwick (born January 1, 1953) is an American software engineer. He is the creator of the first consumer flight simulator software. He founded Sublogic after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1977, ...
throughout 1976, about flight simulation using 3-D graphics. When the editor of the magazine told Artwick that subscribers were interested in purchasing such a program, Artwick founded Sublogic Corporation to commercialize his ideas. At first the new company sold flight simulators through mail order, but that changed in January 1979 with the release of ''Flight Simulator'' (FS) for the
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
. They soon followed this up with versions for other systems and from there it evolved into a long-running series of computer flight simulators.


Sublogic flight simulators


First generation (Apple II and TRS-80)

:− January 1979 for
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
:− January 1980 for
TRS-80 The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of '' ...


Second generation (Tandy Color Computer 3, Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit)

:− December 1983 for Apple II :− June 1984 for
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
:− October 1984 for
Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...
:− Sometime in 1987 for
CoCo 3 The RadioShack TRS-80 Color Computer, later marketed as the Tandy Color Computer and sometimes nicknamed the CoCo, is a line of home computers developed and sold by Tandy Corporation. Despite sharing a name with the earlier TRS-80, the Color Comp ...


Third generation (Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh)

:− March 1986 for
Apple Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...
:− November 1986 for
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
and
Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...
In 1984
Amiga Corporation Amiga Corporation was a United States computer company formed in the early 1980s as Hi-Toro. It is most famous for having developed the Amiga computer, code named Lorraine. History In the early 1980s Jay Miner, along with other Atari staffers, ...
asked Artwick to port ''Flight Simulator'' for its forthcoming computer, but Commodore's purchase of Amiga temporarily ended the relationship. Sublogic instead finished a Macintosh version, released by Microsoft, then resumed work on the Amiga and Atari ST versions. Although still called ''Flight Simulator II'', the Amiga and Atari ST versions compare favorably with ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' 3.0. Notable features included a windowing system allowing multiple simultaneous 3d views - including exterior views of the aircraft itself - and (on the Amiga and Atari ST) modem play. ''
Info Info is shorthand for "information". It may also refer to: Computing * .info, a generic top-level domain * info:, a URI scheme for information assets with identifiers in public namespaces * info (Unix), a command used to view documentation produc ...
'' gave the Amiga version five out of five, describing it as the "finest incarnation". Praising the "superb" graphics, the magazine advised to "BEGIN your game collection with this one!"


''Microsoft Flight Simulator''


''Flight Simulator 1.0''

:− Released in November 1982


''Flight Simulator 2.0''

:− Released in 1984 In 1984, Microsoft released their version 2 for IBM PCs. This version made small improvements to the original version, including the graphics and a more precise simulation in general. It added joystick and mouse input, as well as support for RGB monitors (4-color CGA graphics), the
IBM PCjr The IBM PCjr (pronounced "PC junior") was a home computer produced and marketed by IBM from March 1984 to May 1985, intended as a lower-cost variant of the IBM PC with hardware capabilities better suited for video games, in order to compete mor ...
, and (in later versions) Hercules graphics, and LCD displays for laptops. The new simulator expanded the scenery coverage to include a model of the entire United States, although the airports were limited to the same areas as in ''Flight Simulator 1''. Over the next year or two, compatibility with Sublogic Scenery Disks was provided, gradually covering the whole U.S. (including Hawaii), Japan, and part of Europe.


''Flight Simulator 3.0''

:− Released in mid-1988 ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 3'' improved the flight experience by adding additional aircraft and airports to the simulated area found in ''Flight Simulator 2'', as well as improved high-res ( EGA) graphics, and other features lifted from the Amiga/ST versions. The three simulated aircraft were the
Gates Learjet 25 The Learjet 25 is an American ten-seat (two crew and eight passengers), twin-engine, high-speed business jet aircraft manufactured by Learjet. It is a stretched version of the Learjet 24. Development The first Model 25 flew on August 12, 196 ...
,
Cessna Skylane The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats in the baggage area. Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a ...
, and
Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
. ''Flight Simulator 3'' also allowed the user to customize the display; multiple windows, each displaying one of several views, could be positioned and sized on the screen. The supported views included the instrument and control panel, a map view, and various external camera angles. This version included a program to convert the old series of Sublogic Scenery Disks into scenery files (known as SCN files), which could then be copied to the FS3 directory, allowing the user to expand the FS world.


''Flight Simulator 4.0''

:− Released in late 1989 Version 4 followed in 1989, and brought several improvements over ''Flight Simulator 3''. These included improved aircraft models, random weather patterns, a new
sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...
, and dynamic scenery (non-interactive air and ground traffic on and near airports moving along static prerecorded paths). The basic version of FS4 was available for Macintosh computers in 1991. Like FS3, this version included an upgraded converter for the old Sublogic Scenery Disks into SCN files. A large series of add-on products were produced for FS4 between 1989 and 1993. First from Microsoft & the Bruce Artwick Organization (BAO) came the Aircraft and Scenery Designer (ASD) integration module. This allowed FS4 users to build custom scenery units known as SC1 files which could be used within FS4 and traded with other users. Also, with the provided Aircraft Designer Module, the user could select one of two basic type aircraft frames (prop or jet) and customize flight envelope details and visual aspects. ASD provided additional aircraft including a
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
with a custom dash/cockpit (which required running in 640 × 350 resolution). Mallard Software and BAO released the Sound, Graphics, and Aircraft Upgrade (SGA), which added digital and synth sound capability (on compatible hardware) to FS4. A variety of high resolution modes also became available for specific types of higher end video cards and chipsets, thus supplying running resolutions up to 800 × 600. As with ASD, the SGA upgrade also came with some additional aircraft designed by BAO, including an Ultra-light. Another addition was known as the Aircraft Adventure Factory (AAF), which had two components. The first, the Aircraft Factory, was a Windows-based program allowing custom design aircraft shapes to be used within FS4 utilizing a CAD-type interface, supported by various sub menu and listing options. Once the shape was created and colors assigned to the various pieces, it could be tied to an existing saved flight model as was designed in the Aircraft Designer module. The other component of AAF was the Adventure module. Using a simple language, a user could design and compile a script that could access such things as aircraft position, airspeed, altitude, and aircraft flight characteristics. Other add-on products (most published by Mallard Software) included: The Scenery Enhancement Edition (SEE4), which further enhanced SC1 files and allowed for AF objects to be used as static objects within SEE4; Pilots Power Tools (PPT), which greatly eased the management of the many aircraft and scenery files available; and finally, a variety of new primary scenery areas created by MicroScene, including Hawaii (MS-1), Tahiti (MS-2), Grand Canyon (MS-3), and Japan (MS-4). Scenery files produced by Sublogic could also be used with FS4, including Sublogic's final USA East and West scenery collections.


''Flight Simulator 5.0''

:− Released in late 1993 ''Flight Simulator 5.0'' is the first version of the series to use textures. This allowed FS5 to achieve a much higher degree of realism than the previous flat-shaded simulators. This also made all add-on scenery and aircraft for the previous versions obsolete, as they would look out of place. The bundled scenery was expanded (now including parts of Europe). Improvements were made to the included aircraft models, the weather system's realism, and artificial intelligence. The coordinate system introduced in ''Flight Simulator 1'' was revamped, and the scenery format was migrated from the old SCN/SC1 to the new and more complex BGL format. More noticeable improvements included the use of digital audio for sound effects, custom cockpits for each aircraft (previous versions had one cockpit that was slightly modified to fit various aircraft), and better graphics. It took about a year for add-on developers to get to grips with the new engine, but when they did they were not only able to release scenery, but also tools like Flightshop that made it feasible for users to design new objects.


''Flight Simulator 5.1''

:− Released in 1995 In 1995, ''Flight Simulator 5.1'' was introduced, adding the ability to handle scenery libraries including wide use of satellite imagery, faster performance, and a barrage of weather effects: storms, 3D clouds, and fog became true-to-life elements in the Flight Simulator world. This edition was also the first version that was released on
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...
and the last for DOS. This was released in June 1995. In the fall of 1995, with the release of the Flight shop program, nearly any aircraft could be built. The French program "Airport" was also available for free which allowed users to build airports (FS5.1 only had 250 Worldwide) and other designers were doing custom aircraft cockpit panels. This all made for a huge amount of "freeware" to be released to be downloaded and added to the FS5.1 simulator. Forums such as CompuServe, Avsim, and Flightsim.com acted as libraries for uploads and discussion. In November 1995, Microsoft acquired the Bruce Artwick Organization (BAO), Ltd from
Bruce Artwick Bruce Arthur Artwick (born January 1, 1953) is an American software engineer. He is the creator of the first consumer flight simulator software. He founded Sublogic after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1977, ...
. Employees were moved to Redmond, WA, and development of ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' continued.


''Flight Simulator for Windows 95''

:− Released in late-1996 With the release of
Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
, a new version (6.0) was developed for that platform. Although this was essentially just a port from the DOS version (FS5.1), it did feature a vastly improved frame-rate, better haze, and additional aircraft, including the
Extra 300 The Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 is a two-seat aerobatic monoplane capable of Unlimited category competition. It was designed in 1987 by Walter Extra, a German aerobatic pilot, and built by Extra Flugzeugbau. Design and development Design of th ...
aerobatic aircraft. Instead of using the version number in the title, Microsoft instead called it "''Flight Simulator for Windows 95''" to advertise the change in operating system. It is often abbreviated as "FS95" or "FSW95". This was the first version released after the purchase of BAO by Microsoft, and after having physically relocated development of the BAO development staff to Microsoft's primary campus in Redmond, Washington. The BAO team was integrated with other non-BAO Microsoft staff, such as project management, testing, and artwork. Additional scenery included major airports outside Europe and the US for the first time.


''Flight Simulator 98''

:− Released on September 16, 1997 ''Flight Simulator 98'' (version 6.1), abbreviated as FS98, is generally regarded as a "service release", offering minor improvements, with a few notable exceptions: The simulator now also featured a helicopter (the Bell 206B III JetRanger), as well as a generally improved interface for adding additional aircraft, sceneries, and sounds. Other new "out of the box" aircraft included a revised
Cessna 182 The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats in the baggage area. Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a ...
with a photorealistic instrument panel and updated flight model. The primary rationale for updating the 182 was
Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...
's return to manufacturing that model in the late 1990s. The Learjet Model 45 business jet was also included, replacing the aging
Learjet 35 The Learjet Model 35 and Model 36 are a series of American multi-role business jets and military transport aircraft manufactured by Learjet. When used by the United States Air Force they carry the designation C-21A. The aircraft are powered by ...
from earlier versions. The Dynamic Scenery models were also vastly improved. One of the most noticeable improvements in this version was the ability to have independent panels and sounds for every aircraft. A major expansion of the in-box scenery was also included in this release, including approximately 45 detailed cities (many located outside the United States, some of which had been included in separate scenery enhancement packs), as well as an increase in the modeled airports to over 3000 worldwide, compared with the approximately 300 in earlier versions. This major increase in scenery production was attributable partially to inclusion of the content from previous standalone scenery packs, as well as new contributions by MicroScene, a company in San Ramon, California who had developed several scenery expansions released by Microsoft. This release also included support for the
Microsoft Sidewinder Microsoft SideWinder was the general name given to the family of digital game controllers developed by Microsoft for PCs. The line was first launched in 1995. Although intended only for use with Microsoft Windows, Microsoft SideWinder game con ...
Pro Force Feedback joystick, which allowed the player to receive some sensory input from simulated trim forces on the aircraft controls. This was the first version to take advantage of 3D-graphic cards, through Microsoft's
DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direct", ...
technology. With such combination of hardware and software, FS98 not only achieved better performance, but also implemented better haze/visibility effects, "virtual cockpit" views, texture filtering, and sunrise/sunset effects. By November 1997, ''Flight Simulator 98'' had shipped one million units, following its September launch. It received a "Gold" award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) in August 1998, for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The VUD raised it to "Platinum" status, indicating 200,000 sales, by November.


''Flight Simulator 2000''

:− Released in late 1999 ''Flight Simulator 2000'' (version 7.0), abbreviated as FS2000, was released as a major improvement over the previous versions, and was also offered in two versions: One version for "normal" users, and one "pro" version with additional aircraft. Although many users had high expectations when this version arrived, many were disappointed when they found out that the simulator demanded high-end hardware; the minimum requirements were only a
Pentium Pentium is a brand used for a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium processor from which the brand took its name was first released on March 22, 1993. After that, the Pentium II and Pe ...
166 MHz computer, although 400–500 MHz computer was deemed necessary to have an even framerate. However, even on a high-end system, stuttering framerate was a problem, especially when performing sharp turns in graphically dense areas. Also, the visual damage effects introduced in FS5 were disabled, and continued to be unavailable in versions after FS2000. While the visual damage effects were still in the game, Microsoft disabled them through the game's configuration files. Users can re-enable the damage effects through modifications. FS2000 also introduced computer controlled aircraft in some airports. This version also introduced 3D elevation, making it possible to adjust the elevation for the scenery grids, thus making most of the previous scenery obsolete (as it didn't support this feature). A GPS was also added, enabling an even more realistic operation of the simulator. FS2000 also upgraded its dynamic scenery, with more detailed models and AI that allowed aircraft to yield to other aircraft to avoid incursions while taxiing. FS2000 included an improved weather system, which featured precipitation for the first time in the form of either snow or rain, as well as other new features such as the ability to download real-world weather. New aircraft in FS2000 included the supersonic
Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and th ...
(prominently featured on both editions' box covers) and the
Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap bet ...
which had recently entered service at the time. An often overlooked, but highly significant milestone in ''Flight Simulator 2000'', was the addition of over 17,000 new airports, for a total exceeding 20,000 worldwide, as well as worldwide navigational aid coverage. This greatly expanded the utility of the product in simulating long international flights as well as instrument-based flight relying on radio navigation aids. Some of these airports, along with additional objects such as radio towers and other "hazard" structures, were built from publicly available U.S. government databases. Others, particularly the larger commercial airports with detailed apron and taxiway structures, were built from detailed information in
Jeppesen Jeppesen (also known as Jeppesen Sanderson) is an American company offering navigational information, operations planning tools, flight planning products and software. Jeppesen's aeronautical navigation charts are often called "Jepp charts" or s ...
's proprietary database, one of the primary commercial suppliers of worldwide aviation navigation data. In combination, these new data sources in Flight Simulator allowed the franchise to claim the inclusion of virtually every documented airport and navigational aid in the world, as well as allowing implementation of the new GPS feature. As was the case with FS98, scenery development using these new data sources in FS2000 was outsourced to MicroScene in San Ramon, working with the core development team at Microsoft. ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000'' was the last of the Flight Simulator series to support the
Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
and
Windows NT 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft and oriented towards businesses. It is the direct successor to Windows NT 3.51, which was released to manufacturing on July 31, 1996, and then to retail ...
operating systems.


''Flight Simulator 2002''

:− Released in October 2001 ''Flight Simulator 2002'' (version 8.0), abbreviated as FS2002, improved vastly over previous versions. In addition to improved graphics, FS2002 introduced
air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
(ATC) and
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
(AI) aircraft enabling users to fly alongside computer-controlled aircraft and communicate with airports. An option for a target framerate was added, enabling a cap on the framerate to reduce stutter while performing texture loading and other maintenance tasks. In addition, the 3D Virtual Cockpit feature from FS98 was re-added in a vastly improved form, creating in effect a view of the cockpit from the viewpoint of a real pilot. The external view also featured an inertia effect, inducing an illusion of movement in a realistic physical environment. The simulation runs smoother than ''Flight Simulator 2000'', even on comparable hardware. A free copy of '' Fighter Ace 2'' was also included with the software.


''Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight''

:− Released in July 2003 ''Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight'' (version 9.0), also known as FS9 or FS2004, was shipped with several historical aircraft such as the
Wright Flyer The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown b ...
,
Ford Tri-Motor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It w ...
, and the
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight. The program included an improved weather engine that provided true three-dimensional clouds and true localized weather conditions for the first time. The engine also allowed users to download weather information from actual
weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
s, allowing the simulator to synchronize the weather with the real world. Other enhancements from the previous version included better ATC communications, GPS equipment, interactive virtual cockpits, and more variety in autogen such as barns, street lights, silos, etc. ''Flight Simulator 2004'' is also the last version to include and feature
Meigs Field Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (pronounced , formerly ) was a single-runway airport in Chicago that was in operation from December 1948 until March 2003 on Northerly Island, an artificial peninsula on Lake Michigan. The airport sat adjacent to ...
as its default airport. The airport was closed on March 30, 2003, and the airport was removed in the subsequent releases. It is also the last version to support Windows 98/9x series of operating systems.


''Flight Simulator X''

:− Released in October 2006 ''Flight Simulator X'' (version 10.0), abbreviated as FSX, is the tenth edition in the Flight Simulator franchise. It features new aircraft, improved multiplayer support, including the ability for two players to fly a single plane, and players to occupy a control tower available in the Deluxe Edition, and improved scenery with higher resolution ground textures. FSX includes fewer aircraft than FS2004, but incorporates new aircraft such as the
Airbus A321 The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the ba ...
, Maule Orion,
Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...
(replacing the aging
Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
),
Beechcraft King Air The Beechcraft King Air is a line of American utility aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The King Air line comprises a number of twin-turboprop models that have been divided into two families. The Model 90 and 100 series developed in the 1960s ...
and
Bombardier CRJ700 The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are a family of regional jet airliners that were designed and manufactured by Canadian transportation conglomerate Bombardier (formerly Canadair) between 1999 and 2020. Their design was derived from t ...
. The expansion pack, named ''Acceleration'', was released later, which includes new missions, aircraft, and other updates. The Deluxe edition of ''Flight Simulator X'' includes the Software Development Kit (SDK), which contains an object placer, allowing the game's autogen and full scenery library to be used in missions or add-on scenery. Finally, the ability to operate the control surfaces of aircraft with the mouse was reintroduced after it was removed in FS2002. Previous versions did not allow
great circle In mathematics, a great circle or orthodrome is the circular intersection of a sphere and a plane passing through the sphere's center point. Any arc of a great circle is a geodesic of the sphere, so that great circles in spherical geomet ...
navigation at latitudes higher than 60 degrees (north or south), and at around 75-80 degrees north–south it became impossible to "fly" closer to the poles, whichever compass heading was followed. This problem is solved in FSX. Users may now navigate through any great circle as well as "fly" across both the
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
and
Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
. This version also adds the option to have a transparent panel. FSX is the first of the series to be released exclusively on
DVD-ROM The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
due to space constraints. This is also the first in the series that calls for the preparing process known as ''activating''. Through the internet or a phone a hardware number is generated, and a corresponding code is then used to lock the DVD to one single computer only. It also requires a significantly more powerful computer to run smoothly, even on low graphical settings. Users have reported that the game is "CPU-bound" - a powerful processor is generally more helpful in increasing performance than a powerful graphics card.
Meigs Field Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (pronounced , formerly ) was a single-runway airport in Chicago that was in operation from December 1948 until March 2003 on Northerly Island, an artificial peninsula on Lake Michigan. The airport sat adjacent to ...
in Chicago was removed following its sudden destruction in 2003, while
Kai Tak Airport Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Ka ...
in Hong Kong, which had closed in 1998, remained. FSX is the last version of Microsoft Flight Simulator to support Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1 as Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) only works on Windows 10.


''Flight Simulator X: Acceleration''

:− Released in October 2007 Microsoft released their first expansion pack for ''Flight Simulator'' in years, called ''Flight Simulator X: Acceleration'', to the US market on October 23, 2007, and released to the Australian market on November 1, 2007. Unlike the base game, which is rated E, ''Acceleration'' is rated E10+ in the US. ''Acceleration'' introduces new features, including multiplayer air racing, new missions, and three all-new aircraft, the F/A-18A Hornet,
EH-101 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requiremen ...
helicopter, and
P-51D Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA ...
. In many product reviews, users complained of multiple bugs in the initial release of the pack. One of the bugs, that occurs only in the Standard Edition, is the Maule Air Orion aircraft used in the mission has missing gauges and other problems, as it is a Deluxe Version-only aircraft. The new scenery enhancements cover Berlin, Istanbul, Cape Canaveral, and Edwards Air Force Base, providing high accuracy both in the underlying photo texture (60 cm/pixel) and in the detail given to the 3D objects. ''Flight Simulator X: Acceleration'' can take advantage of Windows Vista, Windows 7, and DirectX 10 as well. The expansion pack includes code from both service packs, thus installing them is unnecessary.


''Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition'' (Dovetail Games)

:− Released in December 2014 On 9 July 2014,
Dovetail Games Dovetail Games (DTG), a trading name of RailSimulator.com Ltd (RSC), is a British simulation video game developer and publisher. It was formed in 2008 by Paul Jackson (formerly VP at Electronic Arts and Director General of ELSPA, now UKIE), Ti ...
announced a licensing agreement with Microsoft to distribute ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition'' and to develop further products based on Microsoft's technology for the entertainment market. Dovetail released ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition'' on 18 December 2014. It is a re-release of ''Flight Simulator X: Gold Edition'', which includes the Deluxe and Acceleration packs and both Service Packs. It includes "all standard
Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
functionality", and replaces the GameSpy multiplayer system with Steam's multiplayer system. While ''FSX: Steam Edition'' remains on sale, Dovetail also released a new flight simulation franchise, ''Flight Sim World''. The company originally planned to bring this game to market in 2015. However, the program became available in 2017. In April 2018, ''Flight Sim World'' development was closed, and sales ended in May 2018.


''Flight Simulator'' (2020)

:− Released in August 2020 The latest entry to the series was first revealed in June 2019, at Microsoft's
E3 2019 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 (E3 2019) was the 25th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
conference. Soon after the announcement, Microsoft Studios made available to the public its Microsoft Flight Simulator Insider Program webpage, where participants could subscribe to news, offer feedback, access a private forum, and be eligible to participate in Alpha and Beta releases of the game. ''Flight Simulator'' (2020) features significantly more scenery detail, accurately modelling virtually every part of the world. The simulation also includes vastly more sophisticated aircraft, with nearly complete simulations of aircraft systems, overhead panels and flight management computers (FMCs) in commercial jet airliners; features which were highly incomplete in previous versions. The new ''Flight Simulator'' is powered by satellite data and Azure AI. It features high fidelity shadow generation and reflections on aircraft surfaces, busy airports with animated vehicles and people, complex cloud formations, defined shorelines and water bodies, realistic precipitation effects on the aircraft's windshield, and very detailed terrain generation with a vast amount of autogenerated scenery. The official website for the game states: "Microsoft Flight Simulator is the next generation of one of the most beloved simulation franchises. From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and stunning aircraft in an incredibly realistic world. Create your flight plan and fly anywhere on the planet. Enjoy flying day or night and face realistic, challenging weather conditions." The game was released for Windows on August 18, 2020, through Xbox Game Pass and Steam on PC. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was released on Xbox Series S/X on July 27, 2021.


''Microsoft Flight''

:− Released in February 2012 On August 17, 2010, Microsoft announced a new flight simulator, ''
Microsoft Flight ''Microsoft Flight'' is an amateur flight simulation from Microsoft Studios created as a spin-off of the ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' series. The game is offered "free-to-play"; charging players for downloading extra content, aircraft or s ...
'', designed to replace the ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' series. New to ''Flight'' is
Games for Windows – Live Games for Windows – Live or GFWL (trademarked as Games for Windows – LIVE) was an online gaming service used by ''Games for Windows''–branded PC titles that enables Windows PCs to connect to Microsoft's Live service. Users, each with a uniq ...
integration, replacing the
GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
client which was used in previous installments. An add-on market place was implemented as well, offering some additional scenery packs and aircraft as
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
(DLC). The new version was aimed at current flight simulator fans, as well as novice players. However, ''Flight'' has a different internal architecture and operational philosophy, and is not compatible with the previous ''Flight Simulator'' series. Some users and critics such as ''Flying Magazine'' were disappointed with the product, the main issue being that the product is ''a game'', rather than ''a simulator'', to attract a casual audience rather than enthusiasts who would want a more realistic experience. On July 25, 2012, Microsoft announced it had cancelled further development of ''Microsoft Flight'', stating that this was part of "the natural ebb and flow" of application management. The company stated it will continue to support the community and offer Flight as a free download, but closed down all further development of the product on 26 July 2012.


Products based on the ''Flight Simulator X'' codebase


Lockheed Martin ''Prepar3D''

In 2009,
Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
announced that they had negotiated with Microsoft to purchase the intellectual property and including
source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...
for ''Microsoft ESP'' which was the commercial-use version of ''Flight Simulator X'' SP2. In 2010 Lockheed announced that the new product based upon the ESP source code would be called ''
Prepar3D ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a series of amateur flight simulator programs for Microsoft Windows operating systems, and earlier for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed sig ...
''. Lockheed has hired members of the original
ACES Studios Aces Game Studio (ACES) was an American video game developer based in Redmond, Washington, owned by Microsoft Game Studios. It was founded in 1988 under the name Bruce Artwick Organization Limited (BAO Ltd.) at Champaign, Illinois, by Bruce Art ...
team to continue development of the product. Most ''
Flight Simulator X ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X'' (abbreviated as ''FSX'') is a 2006 flight simulation video game originally developed by Aces Game Studio and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to '' Microsoft Flight ...
'' addons as well as the default FSX aircraft work in ''Prepar3D'' without any adjustment since ''Prepar3D'' is kept backward compatible. The first version was released on 1 November 2010.


Dovetail Games ''Flight Sim World''

In May 2017, Dovetail Games announced ''Flight Sim World'', based on the codebase of ''Flight Simulator X'', and released later that month. Only a year later, on April 23, 2018, Dovetail announced end of development of ''Flight Sim World'' and the end of sales effective May 15, 2018.


Reception

In 1989, ''
Video Games & Computer Entertainment ''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Offe ...
'' reported that ''Flight Simulator'' was "unquestionably the most popular computer game in the world, with nearly two million copies sold."


References


External links


"Flight Simulator History"
- Detailed history of early versions of ''Flight Simulator''

- Evolution of ''Microsoft Flight Simulator''

- Extensive information and support for ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 4''
"Lockheed Martin Prepar3D"
- Prepar3D home page {{Microsoft Flight Simulator Microsoft games
Flight Simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...
Flight Simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...
Microsoft Flight Simulator ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a series of amateur flight simulator programs for Microsoft Windows operating systems, and earlier for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed sig ...
Video games developed in the United States Microsoft Flight Simulator D.I.C.E. Award for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year winners