November 3rd, 2022 Development Update - Microsoft Flight Simulator

Screenshot by WinterBand54341 (Forum)

It’s the final countdown! The launch of the highly-anticipated 40^th Anniversary Edition is only one week away, and we couldn’t be more excited. Helicopters, gliders, a new study-level Airbus A310, several fan-favourite planes from previous editions of MSFS, classic airports, missions, and more are all coming as part of this free update on November 11. In conjunction with the 40^th Anniversary Edition, we will also be releasing Sim Update 11 at the same time, which includes dozens of bug fixes and other improvements to the base sim.

Leading up to the launch of the 40^th Anniversary Edition, we have a contest in partnership with Thrustmaster. We’re giving away one of the brand new TCA Captain Pack Airbus Edition throttle and sidestick plus a digital copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator Premium Deluxe Edition. These new Thrustmaster peripherals are now compatible with both PC and Xbox and include several other new features compared to the previous TCA Airbus Edition products. All you have to do to enter is follow both @MSFSOfficial and @TMThrustmaster on Twitter and retweet this tweet. Good luck!

As a reminder, we have a Dev Q&A livestream coming up on November 18. If you would like to ask questions to our panel of Jorg, Seb, Martial, plus some special guests, please submit and upvote questions in our official forums.

MSFS Team

Development Roadmap

Click here for the web-friendly version.

Feedback Snapshot

Please see last week’s Development Update for the latest version of the Feedback Snapshot. Click here for the web-friendly version of the Feedback Snapshot.

Marketplace Update

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

There are 31 new and 30 updated products in the Marketplace today. Marketplace updates generally go live on Thursdays between the release of this blog post and 5pm PT.

31 NEW PRODUCTS: 17 ON PC, 14 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 ✅
New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC ✅	New on PC ✅
New on PC ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅
New on PC ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅	New on PC and Xbox ✅

30 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 16 ON PC, 14 ON 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 ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅	Updated on PC and Xbox ✅
	Updated on PC ✅

SDK Update

Come meet us on the next SDK Live Q&A on November 23^rd at 10:30AM PT!

- We need your attention on two features that work differently now on SU_11:

- - Localization process: New Localization Process
  - Stricter control of the files present in a SimObject type AssetGroup: Documentation on this one will be made available today on DevSupport.

General:

- We fixed the MapViewAircraft sample.
- We added a new sample to show how to use NavData to handle airways, waypoints…
- Project Editor:

- - We fixed errors on saving thumbnails when creating a new project while having another one open.
  - We fixed a crash upon saving a project as the same project [name?].
  - We fixed some cleaning issues:

- - - Clean Package now also checks that no metadata files are opened before cleaning.
    - New “Clean Bundle/Pack” button in Publishing Group inspector.

- Aircraft Editor:

- - We improved the Aircraft Editor UX:

- - - Marked modified fields with a ‘*’
    - The tab items now fit their labels.
    - Reverted the color of the section header to light grey.
    - Fixed water ballast version handling.
    - Removed obsolete parameters.
    - File tab now adapts to the file name size.

- - We fixed the Arrays default values.

Third Party Update

As of 10/30, we have now approved 285 (+5) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 170 (+1) have released 1,535 products on PC (+10) and 1,244 on Xbox (+10).
In total, 2,431 products (+17) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 611 products (+10) from 3^rd party developers are in production (309 announced, 302 unannounced). In total, over 3,042 3^rd party products (+27) have either been released or are in development.
Airports:

- 1,664 airports (+11) are either released or are in various stages of development.

- - 1,440 airports (+10) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 934 airports (+5) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 114 airports (-1) beyond the released airports have been announced.
  - 110 airports (+2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.

Aircraft:

- 461 aircraft (+1) are either released or are in various stages of development.

- - 175 aircraft (+1) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 122 aircraft (+1) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
  - 93 aircraft (+1) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
  - 176 aircraft (+0) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
  - 110 aircraft (+0) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.

Scenery:

- 791 scenery packs (+3) are either released or are in various stages of development.

- - 705 scenery packs (+4) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 242 scenery packs (+3) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 19 scenery packs (+0) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
  - 67 scenery packs (-1) are not announced, but the dev let us know that scenery is in production.

Mission Packs:

- 126 mission packs (+12) are either released or are in various stages of development.

- - 111 mission packs (+2) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 42 mission packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced.
  - 15 mission packs (+10) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production.

Twitch Update

November 3 is Panama’s National Day, commemorating the 1903 separation from Colombia and the founding of Panama as a sovereign nation. To mark the occasion, Friday’s Fly-In will be a flight over the Isthmus of Panama, culminating with a tour of Panama City and the Panama Canal.

There is an optional Panama City scenery addon from Orbx available from the Marketplace. This addon is not required to participate in this flight, but it will enhance the experience.

Event details here. All are welcome to participate!

Community Video

The 40^th Anniversary Edition is only eight days away, and with it comes two new helicopters being added for free to the base sim. On YouTube, Sergio from helisimmer.com recently answered an interesting question from one of his viewers: can you use a flight simulator for real flight training? The answer is “yes”, but there are some important considerations and limitations to keep in mind. Check out Sergio’s video for more information!