History VideoGame / MicrosoftFlightSimulator

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was released on August 18, 2020, developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam. A version for Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the Platform/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] was released on July 27, 2021, with an upgrade to the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12 coming soon after. An expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' launched in May 2022, alongside the movie's sequel ''Film/TopGunMaverick''. A sequel to this game, ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024'', has been announced, and brings engine improvements alongside a heavy focus on various specialist jobs and roles that aircraft can perform beyond just flying from point A to point B.

** Bird strikes, natch. It might be funny to fly into a flock of birds, not so much when it severely affects your aircraft.

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator series produced by - [[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt as you can ascertain from the title]] - Creator/{{Microsoft}} for [[Platform/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] and Platform/{{Xbox}}. The series is renowned for its detailed flight models, sophisticated aircraft systems and large gameplay area (i.e. the entire Earth). The games also have a large online community involved in such activities as multiplayer flying and virtual airlines, and enormous third-party add-on potential to the (relative) ease of creating and/or editing many game files, including thousands of both commercial and freeware custom aircraft and scenery.

!!This VideoGame contains examples of:

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator series produced by - [[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt as you can ascertain from the title]] - Creator/{{Microsoft}} for [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The series is renowned for its detailed flight models, sophisticated aircraft systems and large gameplay area (i.e. the entire Earth). The games also have a large online community involved in such activities as multiplayer flying and virtual airlines, and enormous third-party add-on potential to the (relative) ease of creating and/or editing many game files, including thousands of both commercial and freeware custom aircraft and scenery.

The series was created by Bruce Artwick, who developed the idea of creating a flight simulator on a computer while a student at the University of Illinois in the mid-1970s. After graduation, he founded the company subLOGIC to market the original ''Flight Simulator'', with the UsefulNotes/AppleII version proving especially popular. Microsoft licensed the program to create a more sophisticated version for the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer IBM PC]] in 1982; many of the improvements featured in ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.00'' were then ported back to the Apple II and other home computers as ''Flight Simulator II''. The IBM PC version was used as an informal benchmark of IBM PC clone compatibility. Microsoft acquired the copyright for ''Flight Simulator'' in 1995, and Artwick continued to work on the updates well into the Windows era.

The level of detail put into the games means that they are quite an efficient training tool, and various situations that are not safe or practical to perform in real life (i.e. engine failures) can be flown as a training aid to supplement real world training. The series was later succeeded by the [[AllegedlyFreeGame free-to-play]] ''VideoGame/MicrosoftFlight''. After ''Flight'' failed to get much attention and was quietly taken down, Dovetail Games released ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X: UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Edition'' on December 18, 2014, an UpdatedRerelease of the original ''Flight Simulator X''. It was recompiled using Visual Studio 2013, uses Steamworks for multiplayer instead of the late [=GameSpy=], and has improved compatibility with Windows 7 and Windows 8(.1).

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was released on August 18, 2020, developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam. A version for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the UsefulNotes/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] was released on July 27, 2021, with an upgrade to the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12 coming soon after. An expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' launched in May 2022, alongside the movie's sequel ''Film/TopGunMaverick''. A sequel to this game, ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024'', has been announced, and brings engine improvements alongside a heavy focus on various specialist jobs and roles that aircraft can perform beyond just flying from point A to point B.

* InsistentTerminology: FSX is a ''simulator'', not a '''game''', completely ignoring that FSX is classified as a game by the ESRB and is also sold as one in '''UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}'''.

** Hawaiian Checkout is meant to be a checkout to ensure you can fly the Mooney Bravo you rented but your co-pilot encourages exploration. Passing by points of interest has him give some personal stories or other historical and geological trivia of the areas you fly to. This mission is only in the Deluxe edition of ''X'' (also included in the Gold and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Edition) to showcase the enhanced SceneryPorn and G1000 glass MFD variant of the Bravo.

*** The Xbox console release similarly was the first game to truly show off the graphic prowess of the [[UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS Series X and S]]. It particularly silenced critics of the Series S who claimed its lowered specs would result in a worse experience, but managed the same visual fidelity at lower max resolution. [[note]]While the Series S is perceived as "weaker" than the last-gen One X due to similar teraflop [=GPUs=], targeting sub-4K removes a lot of overhead while the CPU is significantly more powerful, being only slightly clocked down from the Series X and FS is a much more CPU intensive game[[/note]]
* TimeMarchesOn: ''X'' was released all the way back in 2006 and thus many scenery objects today are otherwise non-existent. For example: the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis has long been replaced by the U.S. Bank Stadium but the former still exists in the game. This is averted in the various scenery add-ons by Dovetail Games in the ''UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Edition'' that adds up-to-date scenery sets of specific locations.

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was released on August 18, 2020, developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam. A version for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the UsefulNotes/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] was released on July 27, 2021, with an upgrade to the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12 coming soon after. An expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' launched in May 2022, alongside the movie's sequel ''Film/TopGunMaverick''.

* RareVehicles: If you choose to tail the Challenger jet after the helicopter portion of "Tokyo Executive Transport" in ''X'' and match it's altitude to stay hidden, you'll encounter a Russian Ekranoplan briefly sailing/flying(?) in the same direction as said Challenger once you enter the foggy overcast area.

'''NOTE''': The article includes tropes from both the series and also from Lockheed Martin's [=Prepar3D=], since the program is [[SpiritualSuccessor almost exactly the same as FS, as it use an advanced version of the FSX's engine and shares the same tropes]].

** Outside multiplayer, this trope reaches its logical conclusion with [=Prepar3D=] (FSX's SpiritualSuccessor): The EULA explicitely forbids the use of the simulator for entertainment purposes and only can be used for professional use (like training new pilots), but oddly enough, as for 2017, the current EULA doesn't mention this anymore. Justified, since Lockheed Martin's (the owners of the FSX engine, who also hired most of the Microsoft FSX's programming team) main job is designing ''fighter jets'' for the U.S. Air Force.

** ''2020'' takes it UpToEleven by making use of Bing Maps satellite data and Azure AI to render the entire planet in real time. On top of that, select airports have been rendered by hand to near photorealistic accuracy.

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was released on August 18, 2020, developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam. A version for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the UsefulNotes/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] was released on July 27, 2021, with an upgrade to the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12 coming soon after. At E3 2021, an expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' has been announced, set to launch alongside the movie's sequel, ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', in May 2022.

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator series produced by - [[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt as you can ascertain from the title]] - Microsoft for [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The series is renowned for its detailed flight models, sophisticated aircraft systems and large gameplay area (i.e. the entire Earth). The games also have a large online community involved in such activities as multiplayer flying and virtual airlines, and enormous third-party add-on potential to the (relative) ease of creating and/or editing many game files, including thousands of both commercial and freeware custom aircraft and scenery.

* ArtifactTitle: The 2020 game was released after Microsoft switched to using the Xbox brand for all of its gaming efforts regardless of platform, but the name "Microsoft Flight Simulator" stays due to the GrandfatherClause.

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was announced at [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3 2019]], developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam on August 18, 2020. A version for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the UsefulNotes/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] was released on July 27, 2021, with an upgrade to the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12 coming soon after. At E3 2021, an expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' has been announced, set to launch alongside the movie's sequel, ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', in November (since delayed to May 2022 alongside the film).

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator series produced for [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}. The game is renowned for its detailed flight models, sophisticated aircraft systems and large gameplay area (i.e. the entire Earth). The games also have a large online community involved in such activities as multiplayer flying and virtual airlines. The games also have enormous third-party add-on potential to the (relative) ease of creating and/or editing many game files, including thousands of both commercial and freeware custom aircraft and scenery.

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was announced at [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3 2019]], developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam on August 18, 2020. A version for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the UsefulNotes/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] was released on July 27, 2021 with upgrade to the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12 coming soon after. At E3 2021, an expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' has been announced, set to launch alongside the movie's sequel, ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', in November.

* TheBackwardsR: Happens a lot with some freeware Russian planes's gauges, but in this case it's not for parody purposes, but as a mix of reality issues (since being Russian planes, they cannot use English gauges) and the fact many programmers don't speak Russian.

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator series produced for [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] and [[UsefulNotes/Xbox]]. The game is renowned for its detailed flight models, sophisticated aircraft systems and large gameplay area (i.e. the entire Earth). The games also have a large online community involved in such activities as multiplayer flying and virtual airlines. The games also have enormous third-party add-on potential to the (relative) ease of creating and/or editing many game files, including thousands of both commercial and freeware custom aircraft and scenery.

''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a flight simulator series produced for [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]]. The game is renowned for its detailed flight models, sophisticated aircraft systems and large gameplay area (i.e. the entire Earth). The games also have a large online community involved in such activities as multiplayer flying and virtual airlines. The games also have enormous third-party add-on potential to the (relative) ease of creating and/or editing many game files, including thousands of both commercial and freeware custom aircraft and scenery.

A new ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' was announced at [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3 2019]], developed by Creator/AsoboStudio. Featuring 4K resolution graphics powered by satellite data and Microsoft Azure AI, the franchise made its triumphant return to PC on the Microsoft Store and Steam on August 18, 2020. A version for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS[[note]]originally planned as a cross-gen title, reports suggest the UsefulNotes/XboxOne version has been shelved due to performance problems[[/note]] will be released on July 27, 2021 along with upgrading the PC version to [=DirectX=] 12. At E3 2021, an expansion based on the movie ''Film/TopGun'' has been announced, set to launch alongside the movie's sequel, ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', in November.