Microsoft creates a heavy duty version of Flight Simulator

Lord Dagon

Lord Dagon

Adept
According to a recent Business Week article, Microsoft will release a $799 version of Flight Simulator called Microsoft ESP. Well, to call it Flight Simulator is a bit misleading since the new software is based upon technology used for the 25-year-old Flight Simulator series. ESP's target audience is aviation and military companies who want to create training simulations for their upcoming products.

The article says that Microsoft, even after companies including Northrop Grumman sought to license the game engine for use in their simulations, said no. Recently, seeing an opportunity to make money, the game development team took nine months to work on the ESP platform. It's biggest beta tester, Northrop Grumman recently used the software to create a simulation program in three days -- a significant alteration considering the normal six to 18 month simulation project schedule.

Military developments have always offered video game-like simulations with recent efforts like America's Army, which walks gamers through a virtual boot camp to the now-defunct Jane's series, it appears that gaming's connections to just about every serious facet of life continues to develop.

There's no word on whether well-heeled Flight Simulator fans will have a chance to buy a copy of ESP for themselves.
source: Video Game News, Video Game Coverage, Video Game Updates, PC Game News, PC Game Coverage - GameDaily
 
Actually, from what I can tell, this appears to be more of an SDK+engine. The idea is not just that you can use the flight sim they give you, but that you can probably create your own planes and flight paths.
 
and i bet your own custom sim hardware too

@spindoctor
pretty sure x-plane has this beat by miles.
Click to expand...

both are in a completely different league dude (if the info on the new FS is to be believed) and not comparable. One is a personal FS and the other is a professional.
 
The avionics in X-Plane are superior in the sense that they actually simulate in realtime the required airflow for lift and such instead of relying on pre-written spreadsheets like FS does.
And I doubt MS has changed their entire physics engine for this version of FS.

Like KK said, it's more like an SDK with complete under-the-hood access to better support hydraulics and other motion simulator stuff.
 
I don't think the idea of ESP is to simulate the physics. You don't need that kind of accuracy for basic training (though obviously it wouldn't hurt). For more advanced levels you do, and that point you'll use a true simulator (you know, the closed ones in which you sit inside...) I suppose. The basic thing here is if you make a new plane (which Northrup Grumman is likely to do...) then you can program a sim yourself.
 
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