Microsoft flight simulator benchmark: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Benchmarks, Performance and System Requirements

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Benchmarked

Today we’re benchmarking a cargo plane load of graphics cards in the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. The game was released this week, so we pre-ordered it for testing and the second it was available we got to it… only to waste an enormous amount of time downloading the 100 GB game.

For some reason Microsoft won’t use Steam servers, at least for the bulk of the install. Instead you download a 500 MB mini-installer from Steam which downloads effortlessly, then loads up an inferior installer which doesn’t work as smoothly and kept bugging out. Sadly we’re not alone as we’ve heard from plenty of people that have reported issues downloading the game. Not a great start.

Thankfully, the installation pain was worth it as the game is incredible. Visually the game is breathtaking and we’d say that we’re looking at truly next generation stuff here. From a technical standpoint the game is very impressive, though on the hardware front there are some limitations that we’ll discuss towards the end of this article.

Flight Simulator 2020 has been built upon Asobo’s in-house game engine and it uses Microsoft’s Bing Maps to access over two petabytes of data from the cloud on-demand, allowing it to simulate the entire earth. Using Microsoft’s Azure the game analyzes the map data to generate photorealistic 3D models of buildings, roads, trees, grass, water, terrain and so on.

There’s a lot more to it, but for this feature we want to focus on PC hardware performance, or more precisely, what kind of GPU do you need to take smooth flight in Flight Simulator 2020.

To answer that question we’ll be testing 28 graphics cards at 1080p, 1440p and 4K resolutions using the ‘Ultra’ and ‘Medium’ quality presets.

For benchmarking the game we used the Sydney Australia landing challenge. Once loaded in, we allow 30 seconds for the game to fully load. For proper context and so you know, Flight Simulator 2020 takes about a minute or so to load, then it takes a further 30 seconds before you stop seeing huge frametime spikes. After that you’re good to go and in our case we got testing, running the benchmark pass for 60 seconds.

We’ve dumped our Intel test system in favor of a Ryzen 9 3950X for this one. Along for the ride with the 16-core/32-thread processor we’ve got 32GB of DDR4-3200 CL14 memory and the latest AMD and Nvidia drivers that claim proper support for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

Before we jump into the results, we should stress that for this game you don’t require more than 30 fps. The game is certainly smoother with 60 fps, but to play and enjoy Flight Simulator 2020, 30 fps is fine.

Benchmarks

Starting with the 1080p Ultra results, we see that the frame rates aren’t quite what you’d normally expect to see under these conditions, but then Flight Simulator 2020 isn’t your typical game. Fortunately as we mentioned, the game is very playable at 30 fps, so keeping that in mind you can really enjoy the breathtaking visuals and insane render distances with fairly modest hardware.

Here we’d recommend at least a Radeon RX 5600 XT or GTX 1070 Ti, or if we’re talking current gen hardware from Nvidia, the RTX 2060.

The higher-end GPUs are CPU limited at this resolution, this wasn’t as much of an issue at 1440p and wasn’t at all a problem at 4K, but we’ll discuss CPU performance towards the end of the article. Due to those limitations the 2080 Ti is just a few frames faster than the 2070 Super and 1080 Ti, for example.

Increasing the resolution to 1440p heavily reduces the number of GPUs that can deliver playable performance.

For around 30 fps on average you’ll require an RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700. Not crazy demands for 1440p gaming, but we think quite a few of you will be shocked by just how low the frame rates are. For a smoother experience here you’ll ideally want an RTX 2070 Super or RTX 2080.

For those of you wanting to play at 4K with the Ultra quality settings, right now your options are the RTX 2080 Ti, and that’s it. Even then, there are sections of the game that crush even the 2080 Ti, so this really is a game for next generation hardware. For the most part you’ll see between 30-40 fps on average with a 2080 Ti using maximum quality visuals.

Playing at Medium

Given how crazy the demands are on hardware with the Ultra quality preset, we thought we’d also test using the medium preset, and here are the 1080p results. We’re running into a serious CPU bottleneck even with the Ryzen 9 3950X (due to the lack of multi-core scaling), limiting performance to 66 fps on average with the RTX 2060 Super and up.

We’re still seeing 60 fps or better on average with the GTX 1070, so you’ll be getting a great experience with current gen mid-range hardware like the 5600 XT. The game was also very playable on entry-level stuff like the GTX 1650 and RX 570, though the Radeon GPU in this matchup did fare considerably better, boosting the average frame rate by 14%.

The 8GB version of the 5500 XT was also a lot smoother than the 4GB model, boosting 1% low performance by 18%, so ideally you want at least 6GB of VRAM at 1080p using the medium quality settings.

Even at 1440p the game is still CPU limited with the medium quality preset. We saw the same average frame rate performance with the RTX 2070 Super, 2080, 1080 Ti, 2080 Super and 2080 Ti.

The good news here is that entry level GPUs such as the RX 580, 5500 XT and GTX 1650 Super are still able to deliver playable performance, with around 30 fps on average.

Parts such as the 5600 XT and RTX 2060 were smooth, keeping 1% lows over 40 fps and this was a nice experience. Although the game doesn’t look quite as striking when compared to Ultra quality, we did appreciate how smooth the game was when changing camera angles, for example.

Finally we have the 4K medium quality results where the 2080 Ti delivered 54 fps on average with a 1% low of 46 fps. As before, these frame rates provide a smooth experience in Flight Simulator 2020. With lower quality settings it’s possible to achieve playable performance on even the RTX 2060 Super and RX 5700 XT at 4K, though ideally you’d want a GTX 1080 Ti, 2070 Super, RTX 2080 or better.

Preset Scaling

Here’s a brief look at performance with the RTX 2080 Ti at 4K using the ultra quality preset at a few different locations. We’re still benchmarking the landing challenge for each one of their airport locations and Sydney was one of the more demanding locations. Frame rates typically hover between 30-40 fps under these conditions, though we did see performance plummet to unplayable levels over New York, dropping to just 17 fps on average.

Cleared For Takeoff

After three days of nothing but benchmarking — and truth be told, mostly watching loading screens — we’re finally done with Flight Simulator 2020. For now at least. We’ll almost certainly be including the game for future graphics testing.

Microsoft currently only supports DX11, which is very surprising as this game could definitely benefit from a low-level API. We’ve read reports that the game will be updated at some point in the future to support DX12 along with ray tracing, but no official word on this yet.

So for now, DirectX 11-only means the game is not great at CPU scaling. As a result, Flight Simulator 2020 limits itself to using 4 CPU cores which is a waste, as we just saw in a lot of instances we were CPU limited with the 16-core 3950X, yet the game only uses 15 — 20% of the CPU. The same problem was seen with the Core i9-10900K, though the higher clock speeds do allow for a little more performance at lower resolutions. Still, the 10-core processor just saw 4-cores loaded to around 80-90%, with the rest doing very little.

But don’t go thinking, «great, I can stick with my old Core i5 or Core i7 processor, if the game only uses 4 cores.» And that’s because the game uses an enormous amount of system memory, and as a result memory bandwidth is also very important. CPUs using DDR3 memory are going to struggle and the same is also likely true for first-gen Ryzen CPUs as they suffer from high memory latency.

Therefore you’re really going to want a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10600K for optimal performance, though the larger caches of higher-end CPUs can still be beneficial, so this is something we might have to look into. At the same time, the full power of the 10900K or 3950X is not well utilized and that’s a real shame.

We just mentioned RAM usage, and this is a game that will help justify that 32GB memory kit. With 16GB you’re right on the edge and we often saw memory usage exceed 16GB, so for optimal performance 32GB will be required.

Also, as we observed with the Ultra quality preset, the game is a heavy VRAM user. Ideally, even for 1080p, you want to have an 8GB buffer, though with enough system memory you can get away with a 6GB graphics card. Be aware that 4GB cards will cause you some headaches. Then going beyond 1080p, the game unquestionably requires 8GB of VRAM.

For choosing the best GPU for Flight Simulator 2020, if you’re just targeting 30 fps which as we’ve said is enough for playable performance, though opinions may vary on this one, but assuming you agree… for 1080p Ultra you’ll require a GTX 1660 Ti, GTX 1070, Vega 56 or 5600 XT. Then at 1440p you need an RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700. Finally for smooth 4K performance, an RTX 2080 Ti, or you might as well wait for those next-gen GPUs to arrive.

Overall, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is an incredible looking game that will blow your mind. We just wish we had countless hours of free time to go sightseeing.

Shopping Shortcuts:

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti on Amazon

GeForce RTX 2080 Super on Amazon

GeForce RTX 2070 Super on Amazon

GeForce RTX 2060 Super on Amazon

AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT on Amazon

AMD Radeon RX 5700 on Amazon

GeForce GTX 1660 Super on Amazon

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X on Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 on Amazon

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 laptop and desktop benchmarks

1920×1080 Medium AA:TAA AF:4x 1920×1080 High-End AA:TAA AF:8x 1920×1080 Ultra AA:TAA AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU MSI Raider GE76 12UHS @175 W TGP, i9-12900HK	114. 4 (37.3^min, 55^P0.1, 72.6^P1) fps ∼78% 78.7 (33.9^min, 47^P0.1, 57.2^P1) fps ∼80% 63.1 (30.6^min, 35.6^P0.1, 45^P1) fps ∼81%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG, i9-9900K	79 (8.52^min, 55.19^P1) fps ∼54% 62.6 (5.7^min, 43.595^P1) fps ∼64% 46.3 (7.82^min, 35.3^P1) fps ∼60%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Desktop) MSI GeForce RTX 2080, i9-9900K	71.6 (6.43^min, 52.364^P1) fps ∼49% 58.4 (5.84^min, 46.6^P1) fps ∼59% 47.3 (7.05^min, 38.736^P1) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop) MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, i9-9900K	70.8 (5.47^min, 53.536^P1) fps ∼48% 58.6 (5.59^min, 46.184^P1) fps ∼60% 47. 3 (7.17^min, 38.971^P1) fps ∼61%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop) MSI GeForce RTX 2070, i9-9900K	70.5 (5.28^min, 50.072^P1) fps ∼48% 56.1 (6.12^min, 45.108^P1) fps ∼57% 41.2 (7.15^min, 34.462^P1) fps ∼53%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop) Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming Desktop DDR4-2666, i7-8086K	69.1 (5^min, 50.7^P1) fps ∼47% 54 (6^min, 43.6^P1) fps ∼55% 43.1 (8^min, 36.7^P1) fps ∼55%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop) MSI GeForce RTX 2060, i9-9900K	68.6 (4.83^min, 51.935^P1) fps ∼47% 51.6 (6.21^min, 41.962^P1) fps ∼52% 35.9 (7.81^min, 28.35^P1) fps ∼46%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile MSI GP65 Leopard 9SF, i7-9750H	60. 1 (5.3^min, 44.126^P1) fps ∼41% 48.9 (6.4^min, 35.9^P1) fps ∼50% 35.3 (7.24^min, 27.587^P1) fps ∼45%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile MSI GE65 Raider 9SE, i7-9750H	59.6 (5.32^min, 37.092^P1) fps ∼40% 44.7 (7.37^min, 30.4^P1) fps ∼45% 30.8 (8.04^min, 21.758^P1) fps ∼40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile MSI GP65 Leopard 9SD, i7-9750H	56.9 (6.31^min, 41.2^P1) fps ∼39% 41.3 (7.43^min, 32.4^P1) fps ∼42% 28.2 (10.7^min, 22.251^P1) fps ∼36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile Alienware 17 R4, i7-7820HK	56.4 (5.57^min, 41.7^P1) fps ∼38% 44.7 (6.46^min, 31.8^P1) fps ∼45% 33 (7.1^min, 23.926^P1) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile Asus G752VS, 6820HK	53. 4 (6.22^min, 39.242^P1) fps ∼36% 40.6 (6.26^min, 31.2^P1) fps ∼41% 28 (9.57^min, 21.3^P1) fps ∼36%
AMD Radeon RX 5500M MSI Alpha 15, R7 3750H	39.9 (5.35^min, 30.6^P1) fps ∼27% 27.8 (7.42^min, 16.359^P1) fps ∼28% 14.4 (5.49^min, 7.273^P1) fps ∼19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile MSI GP75 Leopard 9SC, i7-9750H	39.1 (7.48^min, 30.503^P1) fps ∼27% 27.6 (10.2^min, 22.43^P1) fps ∼28% 17.7 (8.51^min, 12.446^P1) fps ∼23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile MSI GT62VR, 6820HK	39 (6.83^min, 28.502^P1) fps ∼26% 28.7 (8.74^min, 21.9^P1) fps ∼29% 19.5 (8.94^min, 15.313^P1) fps ∼25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile MSI GE72 7RE, i7-7700HQ	26. 2 (8.94^min, 18.3^P1) fps ∼18% 17.3 (8.28^min, 12.122^P1) fps ∼18% 8.42 (5.57^min, 5.831^P1) fps ∼11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Desktop) Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming Desktop MSI GTX 1050 Ti, i7-8086K	25.6 (8^min, 21.2^P1) fps ∼17% 18.1 (10^min, 12.3^P1) fps ∼18% 12.1 (7^min, 8.3^P1) fps ∼16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile MSI GL62M 7RD, i7-7700HQ	21 (1.947^min, 4.8995^P1) fps ∼14% 14.7 (6.28^min, 9.11^P1) fps ∼15% 6.88 (0.2478^min, 0.488509^P1) fps ∼9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (Desktop) Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming Desktop DDR4-2666, i7-8086K	19.2 (12^min, 14^P1) fps ∼13% 12.1 (7.2^min, 9^P1) fps ∼12% 5.5 (3.8^min, 3. 9^P1) fps ∼7%
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Desktop) Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming Desktop XFX Radeon RX 460, i7-8086K	17.8 (9^min, 13.5^P1) fps ∼12%
NVIDIA GeForce MX350 MSI Prestige 14, i7-10710U	15.7 (9.25^min, 9.9964^P1) fps ∼11% 11 (5.72^min, 6.7819^P1) fps ∼11% 3.56 (2.18^min, 2.5508^P1) fps ∼5%
NVIDIA GeForce MX330 MSI Prestige 14, i7-10510U	12.1 (6.01^min, 8.2054^P1) fps ∼8% 6.92 (4.48^min, 4.8428^P1) fps ∼7% 3.34 (0.848^min, 2.1328^P1) fps ∼4%

Applications open for Microsoft Flight Simulator alpha test — Games

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9027 field of view and subtitle size settings
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Gangster 1990s

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30%

Mongol invasion

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17%

LEARD LEARD / HABR 1995–2021

The project could be called a series of games, but technically this is one game that has been modernized and improved for 26 years. The current version 11.53 was released in March. This is a universal flight simulator that will let you sit at the controls of military and civilian aircraft. But there are important differences from the above opuses.

As in MFS, there are no story modes, the player is free to move around the global map, which covers most of the planet. The scale is somewhat smaller than Microsoft’s, but you’ll have enough, believe me. The first difference from analogues is the application of the theory of the blade element, which applies to the fuselage, wing and tail, that is, to all parts of the aircraft that create lift.

We will not delve into the nuances, but the behavior of the aircraft in the air duplicates the real parameters so realistically that many private companies use X-Plane as a simulator to train their pilots. Another feature is the built-in editor of aircraft and airports. That is, without any additional software, any user can roll out their updates (although, to be honest, it is very, very difficult to model your own aircraft). The photorealism of the aircraft themselves and ground objects is available.

Looks even better than MFS in places, because the game takes data from SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission, the coolest international project that is «digitizing» the topography of the planet right now!). The features of the game also include the most flexible configuration of control buttons and various controllers to date (mainly using special joysticks). Recently, Laminar Research has decided to go beyond the earth, literally. First, players were allowed to fly in the upper atmosphere on American space shuttles, and now they can go to Mars. By the way, there is a free demo version that can be downloaded from the official website.

CH Products Combatstick 568

Photo: https://beru.ru

This easy-to-use joystick has a compact size. Thanks to this, it fits easily on a computer slot and does not interfere with other users. The device is connected to the PC using a USB cable. This wired model has only 6 buttons. Despite this, it has quite a wide range of possibilities. The joystick has 2 view switches, which will increase the realism of the game and create additional difficulties in control. The only significant drawback is the presence of a minimum number of axles.

CH Products Combatstick 568

1 DEPARTURE

Quick access to flight simulator

1.1 Aircraft selection

Select an aircraft from the list on the left.
Choose a coloration (REAL or MAKE UP): click on the arrows on the sides of the coloration name or click on the name to open the full list.

ACCEPT: Go to route selection.
BACK: return to the main menu.

1.2 Route selection

Use two fingers to zoom in or out on the map.
To select an airport on the map, touch its ICAO code or press the ICAO search button.
Select takeoff or landing by clicking on the icon to the right of the airport. Pressing again will cancel the operation.

Types of airports:

Airport HD — Choice

Airport SD/LD — Choice

START FLIGHT: Take control of the aircraft.
RESET: Deselect the airport.
BACK: return to aircraft selection.

Thrustmaster Warthog

Best high end joystick

Cons

Very expensive
No Z rotation

It was very difficult to choose the winner in the overall standings. You can usually use numbers in this situation, but in the case of the two best controllers at the moment — Thrustmaster Warthog and Saitek X-55 Rhino — everything was very subjective and incredibly close.

Warthog is much more expensive, but once you start unpacking it, you will realize that you have not been cheated. The sheer mass of the device is simply incredible, mainly because Thrustmaster used a metallic finish on everything from the base of the traction control knobs to the very joystick grip. And this handle alone weighs a whole kilogram. The mass not only gives a certain sense of solidity, but also allows you not to worry that in the heat of battle the joystick will dangle around the table.

Quality and design match, although this is not entirely Thrustmaster’s merit, since Warthog is an almost perfect copy of the controls of a real A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. Thanks to this heritage, there are more buttons than you have fingers, and on the outside, this is one of the most beautiful controllers you will ever connect to your computer. There are a lot of “hats” on the handle and handle of the thrust, and the base of the thrust handle is dotted with toggle switches.

Unfortunately, the adherence to exact copying means that the handle does not rotate in the Z axis — and this is one of the very few drawbacks. Although with so many controls, you can always bind the rotation to one of them.

The operation of the handle and traction control levers is just perfect. The joystick moves smoothly in all directions, which translates perfectly into the game. The resistance is just enough that the movement doesn’t feel too loose, but it doesn’t feel too stiff either. The resistance of the thrust control stick can be adjusted on the fly, increasing or decreasing the intensity of your flight. The range is quite short, but in our opinion, everything is fine there anyway, and the movement step allows you to perfectly fine-tune the speed, which is very useful when docking with these complex space stations.

Recommending such an expensive item might seem crazy, but if you’re serious about sims — or Elite: Dangerous — this is the best joystick you can buy.

Logitech X56 H.O.T.A.S.

Photo: https://beru.ru

X56 H.O.T.A.S. considered the best joystick in terms of price and quality. It uses the included USB cable to connect to a computer. Despite the relatively low cost, the model has 13 axes and 31 buttons. Thanks to them, you can achieve complete immersion in the gameplay. An additional advantage of the model is the presence of a D-Pad and engine control knobs.

Joystick Logitech X56 H.O.T.A.S.

Disadvantages:

not the most convenient stand

Flight Simulator is a popular game that allows everyone to be at the controls of an airplane. To make the gameplay even more realistic, you need to buy a quality joystick. When choosing it, consider the recommendations of professionals, as well as the advice of our editors. Enjoy the shopping!

#Top 10

Read us first — add the site to your favorite sources.

5 OTHER POSSIBILITIES

5.2 SETTINGS

SYSTEM

QUALITY: The quality of the 3D world detail. Lower it if you are experiencing frame rate or game stability issues.
Hardware resolution: Activate the device’s hardware resolution (Android devices only). May reduce frame rate.
Flight UI: ON = Game UI is always displayed; OFF = The game interface is displayed only when touching the screen.
CLEAR CACHE: Clears the downloaded data cache. Use only if you are having issues with oversized app or corrupted textures.
SATELLITE EARTH: allows you to turn on/off high quality world maps.
SATELLITE HEIGHT MAP: Allows you to turn ON/OFF high quality international height maps.
REAL TIME TRAFFIC: Allows you to turn ON/OFF real air traffic during the game.
LOCAL AIR TRAFFIC: Allows you to turn ON/OFF local traffic during the game.

SOUND

GENERAL: Adjusts the overall sound volume.
AIRCRAFT: Aircraft volume setting.
EPBR: Setting the ground proximity early warning volume.
PILOT VOICE: Pilot voice selection.
COMMUNICATION WITH ATC SERVICE: select the volume of the voice of the pilot and controller.
OTHER COMMUNICATIONS: volume selection for other pilots and communication with controllers.

ACCOUNT

SUPPORT: opens your email client to send an email to support.
PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy.
GOOGLE: Sign in with your Google account.
FACEBOOK: Sign in with your Facebook account.
ID: Your account ID.
PLAYER NAME: Name visible to other players. Choose wisely as you can only change it once.
PLAYER’S CALLSIGN: This callsign is used to CONTACT WITH THE CONTROL ROOM and identify your aircraft in online play. Must consist of 4-6 letters and numbers.

FAULT

all failures are global and apply to any aircraft.

CUSTOM / RANDOM / DISABLE: Choose your own failures, be surprised by random ones, or turn them off completely.
Drag the list of failures up/down to see all possible problems.
Move the slider for each fault to adjust its desired frequency or disable it.

CONTROL

SENSITIVITY: Set the control sensitivity. The lower it is, the smoother the aircraft will react to your actions.
CONTROL TYPE: select your device’s accelerometer or virtual joystick (it can be activated in any free part of the screen, except for the dashboard).
INVERT VERTICAL AXIS: Toggle between normal and inverted virtual joystick vertical axis.

PILOTS

The first setting item will allow you to select the gender of the first and second pilots. The second is their appearance.

PERSONALIZE: allows you to change the pilot’s face by uploading an image in .png or .jpg format.
VOICE: allows you to change the voice of the co-pilot.

5.3 LOG

For all events

REAL DATE: The actual calendar date that marks the event that occurred.
EVENT DATE: The date selected in the flight plan.
AIRCRAFT: the aircraft used on the flight.
FROM: airport of departure
B: arrival airport.
DURATION: flight duration.
TOTAL TIME: total time of all flights.

IL-2 Sturmovik

Developer: 1C Maddox Games Released: 2001

The legend hardly needs introduction, the publishing rights of which Ubisoft snatched from 1C with hands. The game is almost 20 years old, but mods for it are still being sawn, and very actively. Because the IL-2 Sturmovik remains, in every respect, an unrivaled combat aircraft simulator from World War II.

Initially there were 8 campaigns in the game, concentrated around the biggest battles (for Moscow, Stalingrad, Berlin). The player launched the campaign and sequentially went through the scenarios that were included in it. In each scenario, it was possible to choose the side of the conflict and the aircraft. Aircraft were chosen only those that actually participated in that battle. 32 units of military equipment were presented for three countries — the Soviets, Germany and the United States.

Today, craftsmen have drawn hundreds of aircraft models and dozens of new maps, which you can conquer alone or with friends over the network. What wins the game? Firstly, all original aircraft models are recreated according to real drawings with rivet accuracy. Secondly, pilots and aircraft engineers were involved in the development of the game. Thirdly, the guys from Maddox Games tried to draw ground objects in detail and in a variety of ways, and not just scattered conditional cities on the map, created using the “Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V” method.

As a result, we got a really difficult simulator to master, which conveyed the physics of controlling a real combat aircraft as realistically as possible for a computer game. In order not only to fly, but also to destroy the enemy, you need to spend many hours behind the mouse and keyboard at the helm. Of course, a system of ranks and combat awards has been implemented. In terms of graphics, at one time it was the top, but even today, due to user modifications, the game looks good.

9th place — Air Conflicts: Vietnam Ultimate Edition

Air Conflicts: Vietnam Ultimate Edition is a simulator of air battles during the Vietnamese military campaign. The game is complemented by a normal and advanced passing mode: advanced — three-dimensional mode requires the use of a stereoscopic TV and special glasses.

Released: April 26, 2014. Developer: Games Farm. Publisher: bitComposer Games. Game mode: single-player or multiplayer. Genre: air transport simulator. Platform: PlayStation 4.

The central figure in the simulator is a US Air Force pilot who has to fight against the army of Vietnam. Joe Thompson flies a fast and agile fighter. With the purchase of the Ultimate Edition game, you will be able to access the network mode: from 2 to 8 players fight together. To use online features, you will need to purchase a PlayStation Plus subscription.

An alternative campaign is also being implemented (several missions), in which Nguyen An Tuna, a pilot of the Vietnamese army, becomes the protagonist. In the Lost Letters task, you will have to destroy the invaders using all available means. The gameplay is played from a third person, allowing you to more accurately localize enemies and destroy them.

Pros of the game

Not a bad graphic component, as for a game of this level and year of release;
Possibility of passing some missions together.

Weaknesses

Offers a gaming experience that transports the player to the previous generation of consoles;
Cheap animations and destruction effects;
Control does not function properly, creating artificial barriers to passage;
High cost for a project of this quality.

Note: The PlayStation 4 platform does not currently feature air transport simulations. The above game is more likely to suit inexperienced players who want to try out a simple but primitive simulator.

Learning to Trim

By this point, we have already learned that changes in flight configuration (engine mode, flaps) require holding the nose in one position — and this position does not always correspond to the neutral position of the helm. You can fly, constantly putting pressure on the steering wheel — but this is not very convenient and safe. The constant «fight» with the steering wheel will lead to hand fatigue and the inability to accurately control the flight parameters.

Luckily, we can move our helm’s «neutral point» so that it generates the pressure itself. This process is called trimming.

Restore normal flight (rpm, pitch, roll, yaw, flaps). Release the yoke and see what happens to the plane.

If it drops its nose down, level the plane and try to take the pressure off the yoke by turning the wheel up and down. If it lifts your nose up, twist in the opposite direction. Release the helm to check trim accuracy. Repeat the procedure until the aircraft is holding the nose horizontal in the neutral helm position.

We have just trimmed the aircraft. Let’s summarize the effect of trim: Turning the elevator trim wheel changes the force on the yoke along the pitch axis.

Flying in the clouds

The graphics in Microsoft Flight Simulator have been taken to a new level compared to its predecessor. The developers used all the latest technologies, such as volumetric clouds, dynamic global illumination and advanced anti-aliasing. The picture is so good that even Phil Spencer (Phil Spencer), the head of the Xbox division, mistook the game for a real video and asked in a puzzled way: “Why are we watching this video?”

Support for virtual reality deserves special praise. MFS is fully compatible with the TrackIR head tracking system, and some time after the release, also with virtual reality helmets. True, by default, VR support is limited to the Windows Mixed Reality and SteamVR platforms.

The only thing that worries me on the technical side is problems with installation and launch. Initially, a small launcher is downloaded from the Microsoft Store, which subsequently downloads the distribution kit for 97 gigabytes. This process is long, and if the connection is interrupted for a short time, the download starts again. As a result, downloading the game from the author of these lines lasted almost a day, even when using a wired connection.

The first launch was also problematic: it lasted more than ten minutes, while the screen was black all the time, as if the game had frozen. Then the installation of some data began again, but, fortunately, this time it lasted several minutes. Finally, the system requires language packs that match the selected language in the game. If, for example, you are using an English version of Windows, but want to play MFS in Russian, you will have to additionally download the corresponding language pack.

***

For a long time, the series grew with new parts every year or two, but after 2012 this stopped. It seemed to many that in the modern gaming industry there is simply no place for such projects. Indeed, games have gotten bigger and more expensive, niche titles are rarely given the green light.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a rare example of a game that is created for a very narrow audience, but is not inferior in quality to the mainstream AAA giants. This is the best civil aviation simulator. And bass.

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Aerodynamics

The same goes for aerodynamics. With a wind speed of 150 knots, which is more than 77 meters per second, the behavior of the aircraft does not change so significantly. In such extreme conditions, it becomes more difficult to control, and at some point it even begins to seem that the plane is flying in place, but even taking off at such a wind speed is quite realistic.

But in fact, during the takeoff and landing of civil aviation, the tailwind speed should not exceed 5 meters per second, and the average crosswind speed should not exceed 17 meters per second. I repeat, we are not experts in this matter, but this moment seems rather strange, so we decided to voice it.

By the way, with such a wind, decent waves appear on reservoirs. A trifle, but nice.

All around its axis 360

And now, a novice pilot, let’s try to deal with this immense number of axes, channels and buttons.

The minimum number of axes required even for arcade flights is 4 (roll, pitch, thrust, yaw). All of these features are included in the Medium RUS. So buying ores might not be necessary if you’re just looking into the sim genre.
In the top models of joysticks, the number of axes reaches 10-20. Appropriate software-customizer will help you not to rack your brains before entering the first battle.
Expensive RSS models are most often deprived of the yaw function, because. the manufacturer provides for the purchase of a complete set, which includes pedals. Therefore, you should carefully study the technical specifications before buying in the «leader of sales» store.
Yaw is an element that can be assigned to additional buttons (to the detriment of functionality and atmosphere, of course). Most often, in budget RSS, this axis is responsible for the rotation of the stick by 360 degrees.
HOTAS can be supplemented with pedals and additional gadgets, as well as separate configurations of the RUS. A high-quality two-component system costs an order of magnitude more expensive, but the harmonious compatibility of the two levers is definitely ensured for you.

What to choose? HOTAS from one manufacturer or a hodgepodge from different?

The answer lies, as before, in the user’s genre preferences.

If the goal is to fly for pleasure, but with realism in War Thunder or World of Warplanes, it’s better to HOTAS to come up with something difficult. MMO-flying does not require monitoring of all sensors in the combat vehicle, even in simulation mode. For IL-2 and the X series, the system is also easily suitable. In some space sims, everything is a little more complicated, the principle “more buttons = better” works there. These games include the latest Elite. And if the choice fell on a budget joystick, the main thing is to monitor the presence of the yaw axis in RUS, for semi-arcade games this parameter is very important.

For serious simulators like Microsoft flight simulator, the «full set» is already useful. All those panels and buttons that were unnecessary in dynamic battles are involved here. DCS World generally requires everything that is on the controller market, and even then, many players do not have enough of this kit for a comfortable game. It is clear that the price for such a super-set will be super-large.

The most «arcade arcade games», like World of Warplanes, do not require excessive luxury at all. I will say more — you can play without forking out, using a mouse and keyboard. But if the soul asks for a helm, RUS with minimal equipment will come to the rescue.

FSX add-ons play a role

Preparing an aircraft for takeoff, taking off and independently guiding it from point A to point B, regardless of weather conditions and technical malfunctions, is a task that the pilot of an FSX passenger aircraft solves. The advantages of the game in its updates: accurate models of most small aircraft, accurate models of airports and terrain, training courses, air traffic control, loading real weather conditions, etc. One of these additions FSX A2A Accu-Sim allows not only to fly a Cessna172, but also to serve it yourself.

Before you take off, you need to make sure that your aircraft is in good condition. The operator’s manual must be in the cab, the parking brake must be turned off, the steering wheel lock removed, and so on. As in reality, one of the inspection stages is to bypass all the important nodes, the condition of which determines the success of the flight.

Checking the water level in the fuel, the operability of all control units, the reliability of the cables and control rods, the absence of water in the fuel tank … before checking the tailgate lock. If something is wrong, and anything can happen, the mechanic in the hangar will help fix the problem. You can also install fairings on wheels, replace candles from cheap Massive Electrode with durable Fine Wire, fill in one of three types of oils 100W, 20W-50 and 25W-60, put wheels for soil and much more.

Pre-flight inspection completed, bugs fixed, aircraft ready to fly, sit comfortably and prepare for FSX test flight:

MIXTURE valve handle and fuel mixture adjuster handle to max
Turn on the starter and avionics: button (Master Power) and Avionics (avionics)
Starting the engine (MAGNETO switch)
Turn on the backlight of lights
Set flaps between 0 and 10 degrees
Once again, we glance at the readings of the engine and engine temperature sensors, warning about possible malfunctions in the operation of certain systems
Request permission to take off from the dispatcher
Step on the gas and keep the tach at 1000 rpm while taxiing
Gas at full capacity. Someone can take off like a fighter: block the wheels with brakes, give full throttle, release the brakes … as you like. Upon reaching the speed of 75-85 we go into the gap. It is worth maintaining the speed at this level until there is 3000 feet of altitude (1000 meters). Ideal cruising speed is achieved when the engine control stick is set between 45% and 75%.
At altitudes above 3000 feet reduce fuel consumption to achieve optimum engine performance

If necessary, the game allows you to pass an exam for a pilot’s license, teach you how to use the radio, read and understand navigation charts. The number of fans of the game is such that on youtube.com you can find instructions for passing almost any test and practicing any flight mode, for example, a test flight for obtaining an Instrument Flight certificate on a Cessna 172:

What to choose? HOTAS from one manufacturer or a hodgepodge from different?

The answer lies, as before, in the user’s genre preferences.