March 9, 2023 MSFS Development Update

[David Mills 4,774]

MARCH 9th, 2023 DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

Posted by: Microsoft Flight Simulator Team

Screenshot by DaveBGaming (Forum)

Public testing for Sim Update 12 continues with a new pre-release beta build (1.31.21.0) available today. You can see the change log for this version on our forums here. Anyone not currently enrolled in the beta who would like to help test Sim Update 12 can find instructions on how to download the test build here.

Additionally, to enable Xbox support for 3rd Party aircraft which use WASM, we have recently released a new addon to the Xbox Store. At present, this addon is not functional, and downloading it will have no effect on Microsoft Flight Simulator. Once WASM on Xbox support is available, this addon will install automatically when Microsoft Flight Simulator is launched on Xbox. We’ll have more details to share about WASM on Xbox support as we get closer to the release of Sim Update 12.

Our next Developer Livestream hosted on our official Twitch channel is scheduled for March 21 at 1730Z. This livestream is dedicated to Sim Update 12. We will cover some of the larger updates within the build, announce near-future plans, and invite a few guests to talk about various projects. We will also spend part of the stream answering your questions about Sim Update 12. Questions can be submitted here on our forum.

We have been listening very closely to feedback from both players and developers regarding the Marketplace intake process, and we are pleased to announce some upcoming changes that will take effect on March 24th. We’ve prepared an outline detailing these changes and new policies, and our goal is that these improvements will empower and enable developers to get their products released to the Marketplace faster.

Those of you who fly with online multiplayer enabled have surely noticed that the virtual skies of Microsoft Flight Simulator are now filled with Antonov An-225s following the plane’s release to the PC Marketplace last week (the Xbox version will be launching soon alongside SU12). We know the Mriya is a complex aircraft to handle, especially for those simmers who want to follow real-world procedures, so developer iniBuilds have created four Discovery Series videos explaining how to operate the An-225 in the most realistic manner. Be sure to check it out, and let us know if you learned anything new!

Finally, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team was saddened to see the announcement earlier today that 2023 will be the last year that the National Championship Air Races and Air Show will be hosted at Reno-Stead Airport (KRTS). This is one of the world’s premiere aviation events, and we hope it will find a new home soon. The spirit of the Reno Air Races lives on in Microsoft Flight Simulator, though, starting with an organized virtual air racing competition we are hosting over the next two weeks. You can find more details about this event in the Community section below. 

MSFS Team

FEEDBACK SNAPSHOT

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Feedback Snapshot.

DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Development Roadmap.

MARKETPLACE UPDATE

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Marketplace Update.

This week’s Marketplace Update includes the launch of Got Friends’ Mini-500! Check out the trailer:

 

There are 20 new and 33 updated products in the Marketplace today. Marketplace updates generally go live on Thursdays between the release of this blog post and 5pm PT.

20 NEW PRODUCTS: 10 ON PC, 10 ON XBOX
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
	New on PC and Xbox

 

33 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 17 ON PC, 16 ON XBOX
Updated on PC	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox		Updated on PC and Xbox

SDK UPDATE

ASOBO

• WASM
  • Using a very long function name (expand + demangle) no longer crashes the sim when compiling a module (debug only).
• VFX Editor
  • We fixed the orientation axis feature.
  • We fixed the visual effect instances that were not being properly stopped and restarted when the Visual Effects Editor was closed.
  • We’re working on new nodes: sin and cos.
• 3DSMax Exporter
  • We added a log for number of meshes and export for helpers.

 

WORKING TITLE / MSFS AVIONICS FRAMEWORK

• MSFS Avionics Framework
  • We have completed back-end work to make avionics packages available via the NPM registry and are now preparing to release source code and documentation in conjunction with the SU_12 launch, including updates to the framework for SU_12. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we made these preparations and will strive to release documentation and source code simultaneously for future releases.
  • Remember you can find the MSFS Avionics Framework on GitHub here.
  • Upcoming framework updates:
    • Added legacy panel.xml aurals support to the framework. (AAU_02)
    • Updated the framework autopilot by adding more configurability to the directors and standardizing common logic. (AAU_02)

•  
• Avionics Framework Feature Highlight: Key Events and Intercepts
  • What are Key Events?
    • Key Events represent the MSFS control binding system: all controls that are bindable though the simulator controls menu are available to also be driven and read via code. Examples of things you can bind in the controls menu would be pressing various autopilot buttons, moving your trim axis, turning on an engine starter, etc. All of these events have names within MSFS and we can use the names to interact with those events within the framework.
  • What is a Key Intercept?
    • A key intercept, or key event intercept, allows you to be notified when a key event has been received by the simulator.
  • Why use a Key Intercept?
    • There may be circumstances you encounter developing your avionics or aircraft where you want to be notified when the pilot sends a key event via a virtual cockpit interaction or hardware interaction, and then either augment some action the sim is already taking, or even block the sim from receiving the event altogether in order to replace the behavior with some custom behavior specific to the aircraft or avionics you are developing. It is important to be very careful when using key intercepts, particularly if you elect to block the event from being received by the sim, as this may have undesired results if you do not fully understand all the uses of that key event.
    • Simple example: Imagine you wanted to add custom behavior to a particular key event – for example if you wanted to display an indication on your glass cockpit display when the pilot sends a trim command. In this case we would want to intercept the key event, but still pass the event into the sim for proper handling of the trim event. You could setup your intercept to allow pass through, and still be notified in your code when a trim event has been received without interfering with the default behavior.

• Read more about Key Events, Intercepts and the framework’s Key Intercept Manager here.

 

THIRD PARTY UPDATE

• As of 03/07, we have now approved 209 (+0) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 184 (+0) have released 1,738 products on PC (+18) and 1,452 on Xbox (+18).
• In total, 2,699 products (+26) have already been released in 3^rdparty stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 768 products (+29) from 3^rd party developers are in production (349 announced, 419 unannounced). In total, over 3,467 3^rd party products (+55) have either been released or are in development.
• Airports:
  • 1,849 airports (+12) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 1,584 airports (+13) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 993 airports (+7) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 121 airports (+1) beyond the released airports have been announced.
    • 144 airports (-2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
• Aircraft:
  • 583 aircraft (+28) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 212 aircraft (+8) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 152 aircraft (+3) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
    • 123 aircraft (+4) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
    • 207 aircraft (-1) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
    • 164 aircraft (+21) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
• Scenery:
  • 869 scenery packs (+2) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 766 sceneries (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 283 sceneries (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 21 sceneries (+0) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
    • 82 sceneries (+2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that scenery is in production.
• Mission Packs:
  • 166 mission packs (+13) are either released or are in various stages of development.
    • 137 mission packs (+5) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
    • 67 mission packs (+5) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
    • 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced.
    • 29 mission packs (+8) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production.

 

RENO AIR RACE SERIES

We have two special events planned for March 15 and March 22 on our Twitch channel. Members of our player community will be competing for fame, glory, bragging rights, and fabulous prizes in Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Reno Air Racing mode! The first event, on March 15, will be the preliminary qualifying heats to narrow the field down to seven finalists. The second event, on March 22, is the Grand Finals. Both races start at 1900Z.

We have a fantastic panel of guest commenters joining our livestream for these two events: Blu Games on March 15 and Chewwy94 on March 22. Also joining us during both rounds will be Greg Gibson from the National Championship Air Races. We can’t wait to hear all of Greg’s stories, anecdotes, and trivia about the real Reno Air Races, the world’s fastest motorsport!

Be sure to check out this event and cheer on the competitors!

 

COMMUNITY FLY-IN

Located on the outskirts of Geneva near the border between Switzerland and France, CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, one of the most influential scientific organizations in the world. On March 12, 1989, British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee published a proposal for a new method for CERN researchers to share the vast amounts of information required for their work. This proposal later became known as the World Wide Web, one of the most transformative advances in human communication ever created.

In recognition of the web’s anniversary, this week’s fly-in will be a beautiful flight in the shadow of the Swiss Alps en route to Geneva and CERN.

Event details are available here. All are welcome to participate!

COMMUNITY VIDEO

Wind shear — a sudden change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance — is one of the most dangerous meteorological phenomena encountered by pilots, especially if it is experienced at low altitudes and airspeeds (e.g. final approach). Learning how to properly identify the risks of wind shear and what to do in response is an essential part of any pilot’s training. In this video, real-world Boeing 737 pilot and YouTuber 737NG Driver uses Microsoft Flight Simulator to teach simmers what to do in the event of wind shear. Check out this highly informative and educational video below!

 

SCREENSHOT CHALLENGE

You can submit your screenshot via Twitter with #MSFSchallenge or the Weekly Forum Post! This week’s screenshot challenge: Aquatic Aircraft

This past week’s Screenshot Challenge was “Color Series – Purple“

Screenshot by canuck695 (Forum)

Screenshot by CpuGeta486 (Twitter)

Screenshot by CV409i (Forum)

Screenshot by HeKa48 (Forum)

Screenshot by mk89ns (Forum)

Screenshot by THECHIZINATOR (Forum)

Screenshot by tsujiKa_air (Twitter)

Screenshot by ukaka5656 (Twitter)

Screenshot by ValTrust (Twitter)

Screenshot by YusufWardana (Forum)

 

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NEXT DEVELOPMENT BLOG UPDATE – March 16th, 2023

Sincerely,

Microsoft Flight Simulator Team

Edited March 10, 2023 by David Mills

[Krakin 6,189]

Letting devs determine when their products are ready for release on the marketplace is big news. Less delays will lead to more money in their pockets faster.

[David Mills 4,774]

I've noticed in the last few Development Updates, Asobo has devoted more space addressing developers than they've devoted to anything else. I think the obvious attention Asobo is giving the SDK is extremely encouraging. A great SDK will further expand the already-exploding community of third-party developers for MSFS. And the products these third-party developers produce will further enhance MSFS -- WT being a prime example. It's a win-win for everyone.

[cmpbellsjc 2,963]

🌲’d

[DAD 2,671]

5 hours ago, David Mills said:

these improvements will empower and enable developers to get their products released to the Marketplace faster.

Great news! That was on my personal wish list shortly after release of MSFS 😉

[Shack95 2,701]

Great news indeed. Maybe a bit late, but better late than never.

[Luis Hernandez 627]

On 3/9/2023 at 11:03 PM, David Mills said:

We have been listening very closely to feedback from both players and developers regarding the Marketplace intake process, and we are pleased to announce some upcoming changes that will take effect on March 24th. We’ve prepared an outline detailing these changes and new policies, and our goal is that these improvements will empower and enable developers to get their products released to the Marketplace faster.

I've just read the flowchart, but I don't understand it well: I mean, all the functional tests will be done now by the developer (and maybe results reported to MS), but I still see to many yellow and orange boxes in the chart. Judging from my experience working with my customers (automotive OEMs), I can´t see how is this sped up.