April 30th, 2020 Development Update - Microsoft Flight Simulator

Screenshot by RentalCanoe6839

As we bring April to a close, the team remains focused on the core deliverables needed to bring the next iteration of Microsoft Flight Simulator to market. That said, we also recognize the importance of others deliverables that many of you in the community value and we wanted to take a moment to provide a status update on a few of these:

DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP

The team is currently working on updating the DR. We are pushing to release an updated DR on 05.07.

PARTNERSHIP SERIES

The current health challenges have added a bit of a delay to our Partnership Series updates. As we continue to work through this situation with our partners, the team is excited to officially announce that the next Partnership Series Spotlights will feature – NAVBLUE, meteoblue, and FlightAware. We expect to provide a timeline for when we will be releasing each spotlight in our 05.07 update, along with the next set of Partnership Series Spotlights we are planning to announce.

SDK UPDATE

The team is targeting 05.07 to provide an update on the SDK work.

Though we are all working through a unique and challenging situation, our commitment to deliver the very best Flight Simulation experience in collaboration with the community remains strong. Whether posting to the forums, providing Alpha build feedback, commenting on posted screenshots, debating runway undulations, discussing inaccurate reporting, or just keeping up with the latest… thank you. Bringing people together, even if to debate, is a great way of keeping people connected in a time when so many of us are separated from each other. This community that we share together, has been an incredible source of inspiration and motivation to the team.

Wishing all of you, your family and friends, the very best of health and well-being.

– MSFS TEAM

Here is an update on the current postponed deliverables:

MAY/JUNE – Partnership Series update will be released.
- FlightAware
- meteoblue
- NAVBLUE

MAY – EPISODE 8 (IFR) will be released.

ALPHA BUILD UPDATE 1.3.X.X IS COMING

The team is currently wrapping up final testing on the upcoming Alpha 1.3.X.X build. Among the many content updates and bug fixes included in this build, we are excited to release the Boeing 747 for community testing. Similar to the Airbus A320, we will provide the community detailed build notes upon release.

The team is still tracking to release in the next 7-10 days.

MAY – Alpha Build 1.3.X.X
- Build currently in final testing phase.
- Content update to include the Boeing 747 for community testing.
- Full build notes to be posted upon release.

ALPHA INVITATIONS

The team is completing the last remaining tasks on step 1 while beginning to transition over to step 2. We will be sending out new invites with the release of build 1.3.X.X.

Ensure that everyone that received an acceptance email has access to the Alpha.
- STATUS – Performing final pass.

Assess Alpha participation options for adding more people as quickly as possible.
- Prioritize access for those that registered early for pre-release build testing.
- STATUS – New invites will be sent with the release of build 1.3.X.X.