Asobo Studio has announced Microsoft Flight Simulator (MFS) Game of the Year (GOTY) Edition is now available.
The new edition was released to celebrate the positive feedback, reviews and awards garnered since the initial release of Microsoft Flight Simulator but is also a thank you to its customers.
The GOTY Edition also ties in with the release of Sim Update VII, which adds a host of new features and bug fixes to the platform.
GOTY adds a substantial amount of content to the simulator such as new aircraft, handcrafted airports, additional photogrammetry cities, new missions and tutorials. The five new aircraft include the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, VoloCity eVTOL urban air taxi, the Pilatus PC-6 Porter STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, a CubCrafters CC-19 with a nosewheel option and a single-seat version of the Aviat Pitts Special S1S.
The update also adds eight handcrafted airports in Central Europe and the US:
- Germany: Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP), Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA) and Kassel Airport (EDVK)
- Switzerland: Lugano Airport (LSZA), Zurich Airport (LSZH) and Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)
- United States: Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF) and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX).
Additionally, approximately 545 previously missing airports in the US have been added.
New Discovery Flights, at six locations globally, include: Helsinki, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mecca, Monument Valley, Singapore and Mount Cook.
Asobo, in partnership with FS Academy, has produced 14 new tutorial flights and additional bush flying experiences in the Icon A5 and IFR flights in the Cessna 172.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with Bing Maps, photogrammetry data is improving at a steady pace. This release includes coverage for eight new cities:
- Finland: Helsinki
- Germany: Freiburg im Breisgau
- United Kingdom: Brighton, Derby, Eastbourne, Newcastle and Nottingham
- Netherlands: Utrecht France: Vers-Pont-Du-Gard and Chambord and Port-Vendres.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Game of the Year Edition is available as a free update for existing customers on both PC and Xbox Series X|S.
Sim Update VII
The launch of GOTY tied in with the release of Sim Update VII, adding a host of new features and bug fixes.
The update list is extensive but highlights include an early implementation of DirectX 12, an in-development replay system and upgraded navigation data. Additionally, the weather system has been improved with better METAR ingestion into live weather and it is now possible to place clouds below sea level (-400m) in regions such as the Dead Sea.
The default general aviation aircraft have received several updates such as better sound effects, new key bindings for the condition lever on turboprops and improved logic for the primer on piston aircraft. The default airliners also have upgraded flight management systems and cockpit displays.
For the global scenery, new watermasks have been added around the world and night lighting is more realistic.
Finally, Asobo Studio revealed World Update VII is scheduled to release on January 25 and will cover Australia. Like the six previous World Updates, it will feature new POI (Points of Interest), satellite imagery and 3D photogrammetry cities.
