Flight Simulator X Q&A - Missions, Multiplayer, and Vista

Flight simulators allow real-life and would-be pilots everywhere to experience the challenges and thrills of flying a plane, whether it's a single-engine propeller aircraft, a short-range shuttle flyer, or a lumbering airliner. Microsoft and its internal ACES Studio are busy putting the final touches on Flight Simulator X, the latest version in the nearly 25-year-old series. This will represent the first update in over three years, and Flight Simulator X features gorgeous new graphics, new multiplayer functionality, and even a wide variety of missions. As always, you'll still be able to take off from thousands of airports and airfields around the world, and you can pretty much fly over every square inch of the planet. To learn more, we caught up with Mike Gilbert, the lead program manager at ACES Studio. Flight Simulator X will be released next week.

GameSpot: Flight Simulator will be 25 years old next year, which makes it pretty much one of the oldest gaming franchises around. In fact, it's Microsoft's oldest continuing product. What does that mean to you, as someone working on Flight Simulator X?

Mike Gilbert: It means that we've been able to continue to build upon the award-winning history of this franchise to release a game of this caliber. Flight Simulator X is the culmination of those 25 years of development, and it is going to provide people with an incredible simulation experience that fans of the franchise have come to appreciate.

We've also added new content that more mainstream gamers will be excited to see, including the addition of missions. Mainstream gamers will appreciate the more adrenaline-pumping ones like Red Bull Air Race, Jet Truck Drag Race, and Loopy Larry, an air show performance. But for longtime customers, we've also included many missions that stay true to Flight Simulator's roots, with activities like airline flying, search-and-rescue missions, and instrument procedures.

GS: How do you explain the longevity of the series? Realistic flight sims were popular in the early days of gaming, but they're all pretty much extinct today, yet Flight Simulator keeps on going.

MG: Yes, it does! We think that's a big testament to the work we've put into the game and the fantastic community behind it. We designed the Flight Simulator franchise to have something for everyone, for players of all ages, types, and skill levels, and that's part of why it's been such a success. We allow aspiring aviators to visit exciting locations around the globe, watch the realistic world around them, and fly planes they've never even seen before. With each new addition, we've immersed our fans further and further in a beautifully rich and dynamic world. As you might expect, Flight Simulator X is pushing that realism to a new edge, while also offering a completely new gaming experience with real missions to complete, awards to earn, and a completely redesigned online experience.

GS: Who are your typical Flight Simulator customers, according to your research? Are they real-life pilots, wannabe pilots, or casual gamers? How does Flight Simulator X appeal to each of those categories?

MG: It's hard to pin down a "typical" customer. Many are interested in the technology and precision aspects of flight. Others enjoy the immersiveness of a busy environment, both in the air and on the ground. Still others simply yearn to explore the world in a very visceral and visual way. One common thread, though, is a passion for flight, be it because of the highly detailed aircraft or the feeling they get soaring above richly modeled and accurate terrain. Flight Simulator X will provide the beautiful, dynamic world our aviation fans have come to love to explore, while introducing new mission-based content and online experiences more-mainstream gamers have come to appreciate.

GS: The visuals have received a huge upgrade in Flight Simulator X, but what about the flight modeling? How realistic does it get? On the flip side, how nonrealistic can you make it if you just want to fly around and enjoy the sights without having to worry about angles of attack or stalling out?

MG: Our goal is to make as realistic a simulation experience as is possible today but with a level of scalability so that novice and more-casual users can still experience the product the way they want to. That's why you can find people who love nothing better than to firewall the throttle on the aerobatic Extra 300 and turn cartwheels in the sky, as well as those who monitor turn rates and fuel burn using the myriad glass panel displays in the Airbus.

Cleared for Takeoff

GS: While serious Flight Simulator fans will use a joystick, more-mainstream fans likely won't have one. How much work has been put into alternate control schemes? What's your advice to people who don't have a stick? Should they get a gamepad for their PC?

MG: Microsoft has gone to great lengths to provide accessories that are now cross-platform for the Xbox 360 and Windows gaming, such as the Xbox 360 controller, which is USB port compatible. Quite a few of our beta testers and developers actually now prefer it over more-traditional aviation accessories, and it would be a great substitute for more-mainstream gamers to help them jump quicker into the Flight Simulator experience.

Flight Simulator X will offer the following ways to "drive" your favorite aircraft: keyboard, mouse as yoke, joystick or yoke device, or the Xbox 360 controller.

GS: The online component seems a lot more fleshed out in this version of Flight Simulator. Now some players can serve as air traffic controllers for other players. What was the thinking behind that, and do you think it'll be a big part in online play?

MG: We are excited about the shared-skies experience and think that the air traffic controller will be a huge part of online play. Our enthusiast community has been using home-grown systems for years, and we've tried to bring that same experience to more users in a very approachable way in Flight Simulator X. Plus, don't forget the new and innovative shared-aircraft feature, which lets two users share the control of a single aircraft, be they in the same room or on other sides of the globe. We believe shared aircraft will provide an entirely new direction for cooperative gameplay and learning.

GS: Missions are another of the big new features in Flight Simulator X. What was the thinking behind the missions? Do you envision releasing new missions online postlaunch? Are missions something that third parties could easily create?

MG: We've added missions to help the simulator come out of the sandbox and help introduce more mainstream gamers to this series. While we may release additional missions online, our deluxe version will ship with a software development kit that will include the tools required to build new mission content, new aircraft, and new scenery. With the SDK, we expect many third parties to release additional missions and an abundance of content in the years to come.

GS: Flight Simulator has long had a cottage industry of third-party products. Does Flight Simulator X offer backward compatibility to exiting products, or will third-party planes and add-ons generally have to be modified to work on it? Also, is there anything in this version that makes mod support easier for the community?

MG: As with previous releases, our goal with Flight Simulator X is to offer backward compatibility with content from the past two versions of the game. In addition to the SDK, we're also offering, for the first time, a fully supported programming interface, which will open the doors to a wide range of unique and exciting add-ons. For this version, we began discussions and work with the third-party developers early in the development process and expect to see many exclusive add-ons available at or close to launch.

GS: There's some confusion out there about how Flight Simulator X is tied into Windows Vista and DirectX 10. Could you clear up the situation? Also, what sort of system requirements are we looking at to run the game?

MG: Flight Simulator X will really shine with the release of Windows Vista and DirectX 10, providing simulation fans with an even more realistic and genuine experience. We are currently working hard to provide a free, downloadable Windows Vista update for fans as close to the launch as possible to ensure they have the opportunity to game with the most advanced technology on the market, if they so choose. Nonetheless, Flight Simulator X is compatible with current Windows technology and will still offer a fantastic experience for customers from now until Vista is available.

GS: Thank you, Mike.