'Up above the streets and houses' Flight Simulator 2020.

[Pinball]

Its disappointing, but I knew full well they were going to can the idea of it coming to Xbox One.

That's me buying a next-gen console then, it's all I care about outside of what I can get on Game Pass. Getting my mate to fly places as I watch him on a choppy discord stream isn't really the same.

I can't be bothered with PC upgrades/replacement, so will also be getting a Series X for this sim. Will an Oculus Quest work with XB, I wonder?

[mobias]

I got my Oculus Quest 2 VR headset delivered today and after a lot of faffing about I managed to get it working in flight sim. Its a bit of a shame that as of right now the Quest 2 is the headset that works least well with the sim, in terms of stability and initial set up problems. The various windows mixed reality headsets all require minimal faffing and pretty much just plug in and play. Generally though its very early days for the sim and VR and all headsets are quite unstable. Hopefully that'll improve.

As a proof of concept though its absolutely fucking amazing. Flight sims are really made for VR since you're seated down and stuck in one position. Its absolutely not for anyone who suffers from motion sickness. Amazing though it was after a flight in a fast jet I had to stop because I started feeling incredibly queasy. Its a really odd feeling if you're flying along and bank to the side but your body obviously stays in one position. Its all quite a sensory overload, to put it mildly.

From a technical point of view its somewhat let down by the fact that they really had to crank the visuals right down to get decent FPS in VR. The Quest 2 has pretty decent resolution screens in it but only a 90 degree field of view, which isn't great, its a bit like viewing the world through a diving mask.

[Pinball]

My preferred setup is a natively 4K Sony video projector on a 200-inch screen, with nice surround sound (Onkyo amps and Klipsch speakers). I've tried VR, but the resolution isn't good enough yet IMO.

[Cold Meat Platter]

I got my Oculus Quest 2 VR headset delivered today and after a lot of faffing about I managed to get it working in flight sim. Its a bit of a shame that as of right now the Quest 2 is the headset that works least well with the sim, in terms of stability and initial set up problems. The various windows mixed reality headsets all require minimal faffing and pretty much just plug in and play. Generally though its very early days for the sim and VR and all headsets are quite unstable. Hopefully that'll improve.

As a proof of concept though its absolutely fucking amazing. Flight sims are really made for VR since you're seated down and stuck in one position. Its absolutely not for anyone who suffers from motion sickness. Amazing though it was after a flight in a fast jet I had to stop because I started feeling incredibly queasy. Its a really odd feeling if you're flying along and bank to the side but your body obviously stays in one position. Its all quite a sensory overload, to put it mildly.

From a technical point of view its somewhat let down by the fact that they really had to crank the visuals right down to get decent FPS in VR. The Quest 2 has pretty decent resolution screens in it but only a 90 degree field of view, which isn't great, its a bit like viewing the world through a diving mask.

I understand DCS is pretty good in VR.

[mobias]

I've tried VR, but the resolution isn't good enough yet IMO.

Yeah I kind of agree. Its almost there but certainly for the consumer level headsets its just not quite there yet. There are headsets like the Pimax 8K headset which are meant to be amazing, 4K per eye and really wide field of view and they're 'almost' becoming affordable now. You still need a beast of PC to run one of course. I'm sure all that tech will become more common in the cheaper headsets though. The new HP Reverb G2 is flying off the shelves because its starting to have some of the higher end features, high res and wide field of view, in a £650 headset. I would have got one but they're impossible to get hold of.

I understand DCS is pretty good in VR.

It is yeah, as is XPlane apparently. Fundamentally different sims though. The whole data streaming the whole world thing in FS2020 just eats up shit tons of processing power that can't be put towards making something like VR work as well as it should. Give it a few years though.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Do you play Il2 Sturmovik? Just bought the Battle of Stalingrad base game on sale, not installed it yet. LOVE the older Il2 games.

[mobias]

Do you play Il2 Sturmovik? Just bought the Battle of Stalingrad base game on sale, not installed it yet. LOVE the older Il2 games.

I haven't no. I'm pretty new to flight sim games. I can see the appeal of combat aircraft sims though. It does look fun.

[mobias]

Massive free UK update for this out now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMlE9WWxdKg&feature=emb_logo 

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Love it. Eyes popped out to see the Humber Bridge and staring at my home town in the background.

I also prefer not having to hear the CHUG CHUG CHUG of the engine. Cunt some epic stonkers on the soundtrack and I'll crash my biplane into Barton Tesco.

[mobias]

They've now got a proper fully accurate 3D model of London and it really is something to behold.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Wow... brilliant

[mobias]

A local Sottish paper got in contact with me earlier in the week wanting to run an article about the scenery mods I've been creating for the sim. I had to do a telephone interview with a journalist answering a whole load of questions.

Its all getting real now.

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/historic-fife-town-recreated-popular-flight-simulator-game-3136080?fbclid=IwAR0Sd8tUFSkHM99nOAeTMNIjc-ckOyAx0w3v_4r_vIgYNO1DSZI7WUjNKW4

[beanheadmcginty]

The one thing they've got wrong with that London thing is the sky

[mobias]

That was a custom sky I put in just mucking about for the photos. Live weather in the sim is pretty different. Usually a lot more grey.

[gmoney]

Did they include Croydon? Deal breaker for me.

[mobias]

A whole section of central London now has accurate photogrammatry but sadly it doesn't go as far out as Croydon. Other UK cities that are now fully modelled are Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge and Birmingham.
You really haven't lived until you've witnessed the sun rise over Birmingham Bullring from a 1000 feet up. It really is breath taking.

I've never been to Bristol before but I've always quite wanted to. Looks like a nice place.

If any CABers live in any of those cities and wish me to fly over their house and take a screen shot then just let me know.

[imitationleather]

Looking forward to Newcastle being fully rendered.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

A local Sottish paper got in contact with me earlier in the week wanting to run an article about the scenery mods I've been creating for the sim. I had to do a telephone interview with a journalist answering a whole load of questions.

Its all getting real now.

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/historic-fife-town-recreated-popular-flight-simulator-game-3136080?fbclid=IwAR0Sd8tUFSkHM99nOAeTMNIjc-ckOyAx0w3v_4r_vIgYNO1DSZI7WUjNKW4

Good stuff, you deserve some recognition

[mobias]

Good stuff, you deserve some recognition

Thanks chap. And it gets better. I've blasted Harry and Meghan off the front cover of todays StAndrews Citizen. My mum just sent me these photos.

[I.D. Smith]

Is Bishopbriggs fully rendered in it yet? Might actually consider getting a decent rig to play it if it is.

[mobias]

Is Bishopbriggs fully rendered in it yet? Might actually consider getting a decent rig to play it if it is.

Sadly its currently just an AI approximation of Bishopbriggs thats in the sim. Not sure whether its an improvement or not?

[St_Eddie]

Could somebody capture gameplay footage of themselves flying over Winchester?  I'm very curious how my hometown is represented in-game.

[mobias]

I'll take a flight over Winchester for you St Eddie. Any particular area or street you'd like to see?

[St_Eddie]

I'll take a flight over Winchester for you St Eddie. Any particular area or street you'd like to see?

Thank you!  If you could fly all around this area, that would be grand...

I'd particularly be interested in seeing Mews Lane (just below The Great Hall).  Many thanks.

[Pinball]

This is awesome. When Series X is released I'll be buying FS2020.

As many people just want to nose around their areas, there ought to be a simple Nose Around Your Area mode :-)

[mobias]

This is awesome. When Series X is released I'll be buying FS2020.

As many people just want to nose around their areas, there ought to be a simple Nose Around Your Area mode :-)

There pretty much is a nose around your area mode. You can create a marker on the map and drop in with your plane straight on it. I've been reading about the Xbox version and it sounds really good. Its not a stripped down bare bones version
of what the PC has. Its the full thing. The new consoles are so well optimised. Its going to be just as full an experience. Quite impressive.

Thank you!  If you could fly all around this area, that would be grand...


I'd particularly be interested in seeing Mews Lane (just below The Great Hall).  Many thanks.

Here you go. Looks like a nice area. I flew over from Portsmouth. Sadly its not got photogrammatry so its an AI approximation of Winchester.





[https://i.imgur.com/Xbs8PBr.jpg][/img]







I took my virtual girlfriend along for the trip. She's only 17 (or at least she says she is). She's looks great in VR and has been my only female company during lockdown.

[Pinball]

I've been reading about the Xbox version and it sounds really good. Its not a stripped down bare bones version
of what the PC has. Its the full thing. The new consoles are so well optimised. Its going to be just as full an experience. Quite impressive.

This is fantastic news.

All we need now is MS Driving Simulator using Streetview :-)

[falafel]

I got punched in the face in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral about 20 years ago. Have they got photogrammetry for that?

[mobias]

I got punched in the face in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral about 20 years ago. Have they got photogrammetry for that?

Sorry to hear that. There's talk of them releasing a stand alone military version of FS2020 using the same real world rendering tech so in theory you'd be able fire an air to ground guided missile from an F-15 at the perpetrators
house, if you knew where they lived.

I could imagine that being quite therapeutic. 

[St_Eddie]

Thank you, mobias!  Much appreciated.  Hopefully they'll add the proper photogrammatry at some point.  You'd think the ex-Capital of England might have warranted it!

I took my virtual girlfriend along for the trip. She's only 17 (or at least she says she is). She's looks great in VR and has been my only female company during lockdown.

Pfft.  A likely story.  She's 17 going on 37, if she's a day.

I got punched in the face in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral about 20 years ago. Have they got photogrammetry for that?

Crikey!  Small world.  I too literally got punched in the face in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral (around 2 years ago).  I wonder if it was the same bruiser who decked us both!