Microsoft Flight Simulator fans have been waiting with bated breath for the release of the sim’s next major update, World Update 3. Originally intended to launch in mid-January, the developers over at Asobo had to postpone its release due to issues with incorporating the new scenery. In the latest dev update, the studio confirmed that systems are now ready to go and that the update is expected to finally arrive on February 11.
This new update for Microsoft Flight Simulator will encompass a scenery overhaul for the United Kingdom. A big part of the update, and the reason why it was taking so long to complete, is the incorporation of new photogrammetry data from a new source, Blue Sky. This photogrammetry imagery will give a much-needed facelift to five major cities in the U.K., namely: Oxford, Birmingham, Bristol, and Cambridge.
Additionally, there will be 80 new Points of Interest (POIs) scattered across the U.K. and five new hand-crafted airports that have been given some special attention to detail.
Some of the new content has been shown off in the latest dev update, giving us a decent look at the sights we can expect to enjoy come next week when the update finally rolls out.
Beyond the horizon
Though many simmers are gearing up to explore Microsoft Flight Simulator’s new rendition of the U.K., Asobo is already hard at work on the next upgrade. You may want to take your time exploring, as the next update won’t be available until April 27 (barring any delays). However, we do know that it won’t be too far from the U.K. content. France and Benelux are next in line for Asobo’s dev team to be exact. For the uninitiated, Benelux is not one place but is actually a collective term for Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Asobo has yet to give the key specifics of what this update for Microsoft Flight Simulator will do to those areas, but looking back at the world updates we already have, we can expect there to be some revamped airports, upgraded scenery, more accurate elevation and terrain data, as well as properly modeled POIs.
Even before that, there will be a game update for Microsoft Flight Simulator on March 4. This update will upgrade the core gameplay elements of the sim, bringing about improvements to the flight model and some fixes for aircraft systems.
Another small mention in the latest dev update references more visual FX “coming soon.” These visual effects will consist of contrails and landing effects (assumedly particles kicked up by the engines, and/or vapor trails that come off wing tips and flap edges). Asobo has not provided an exact time for when we can expect to see these implemented though. It simply states that the changes will be available “in one of the next few updates.” For now though, we can look forward to flying the royal skies when World Update 3 comes to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
