Ultimate Game Engines for Flight Simulators Discussion Thread

Flight Sims
41

Well the way I see it, is first acknowledging that I have given attention to the importance of a solid physics capable game code from a programmers point of view and adding features that count in this thread but not the main topic addressed.

Although the code-base and the the components added are two topics in one, if that makes sense. Its component part or branches in development waiting to be merged to the master source code-base by a programmer who is working on various parts on the master code-base. Where in this instance and thread discussion we are addressing the graphic engine branch or component.

I repeat, its only a matter of time that something will have to be done to bridge the gap between old methods of flight sim development and patching new technology for it to be up-to date and reach out to a dwindling sim market to the wider gaming audience so flight sims just won’t pass into oblivion.

Its either purchasing a graphics engine from the market and further developing it or a complete rewrite!

The environment you are in is what brings reality and life and an unforgettable visual experience where you are engaged in, especially from an air to ground combat sim perspective or even civil aviation looking at low and high level scenery (IMMERSION), because the FSX look to sims is old and boring to say the least. To give credit some airports look amazing but still missing the mark from where things are going a complete redesign a world modern map game engine is sorely needed.

Not the best video discussing the topic but all I could quickly find -

Maybe this is good for opening the discussion further…

However you are entitled to your opinion but from a wider audience most want a modern game engine, with threads like this found everywhere online Why are my graphics kind of..meh? - XP11 General discussion - X-Plane.Org Forum

So its just a matter of time, will have to wait and see, so I’m waiting…:smirk:

42

Fire up X-plane. Add some scattered clouds with high cirrus above. Pick a particularly pretty spot. Pull your camera up and far enough away to take in the scene. Now watch this world while advancing the clock through a 24 hour cycle. I’ve done this a bunch. And while I love an occasional FPS dive. I find those worlds beautiful but, well, unreal.

43

Like this then right…

Just remember its about the next generation of simmers and those of us that want more in a graphics engine not so much the old crowd. :smirk:

44

That’s me. Old. Probably dead soon if the Pitts has her way. Then you can have whatever you want. :wink:

45

Frankly, the folks that are really disappointed with the graphics don’t strike me as the type to be future simmers anyways. They’re more likely just trucking around because the idea of flying seemed cool and they have no clue – or desire – to understand it beyond what they’ve played with in Battlefield. It’s not a question of graphics detail, but whether or not the audience is interested.

There’s a disconnect here because of age group, culture, and values. The younger generation didn’t grow up with Desert Storm, watching aviation mature from simple jets to advanced ones, nor knowing of people who actually flew in a massive conflict like WW2. My interest in aviation started because my father flew helicopters, my uncle worked for Grumman, and my grandfather told me all the stories of his youth, making wood airplanes and then later his time in the Pacific watching all the aircraft flying around. Someone in their late teens or early 20’s won’t have that – their grandparents might remember Vietnam, but that’s it. They came of age when cell phones became a standard thing, the seemingly endless and controversial wars in the mideast against a unconventional foe, and when the standard FPS game is typically Call of Duty, Battlefield, Fortnite, Team Fortress 2, etc. Their actual exposure to sims will have been limited, much less actual aviation interest.

And why should they have much interest in aviation? Look at how expensive and time consuming it is to get a pilot’s license in the USA. Look at how difficult it is to get on a plane at an airport. They might get some flight time on a RC quadcopter, but that’s about it. The idea of simulating a F/A-18C from pre-flight to post-flight doesn’t interest them. Learning how to start up a jet from cold start, then all the flight procedures, then all the training stuff like aerial refueling, emergencies, etc. isn’t as cool as being a delta seal navy operator operating in Call of Battlefield XIV, where all they need is a Xbox controller and they’re good to go. They can be playing the game in 5 minutes, leaving them 55 minutes before bedtime. If they want to play that but with aviation, there’s always Ace Combat, which is good enough for them.

Fact of the matter is that most of what we do in sims is rapidly going to the realm of history. UAVs are the future and that’s not cool enough for 95% of the younger generation out there. They have no connection or understanding of running an A-6 in a strike package over Vietnam or searching for armored columns in Allied Force over Serbia. That doesn’t interest them and likely never will.

Are there some people out there that are likely interested in that sort of thing? Sure. But it’s not going to be a majority. There’s a reason most of the game engines are tailored toward FPS games.

2 Likes
46

After spending eight hours a day with middle and high school students, I feel like I can definitely but anecdotally say that adults are the last of the combat flight simulator fans. I have kids that routinely try to test the school’s firewall so the Fortnite client on their laptop can play online. They are not interested in DCS-level gaming, even the ones with the aptitude to play it. It takes a different kind of person to appreciate the nuances found in DCS World, and that is an exceedingly small number of people that is getting smaller. DCS is probably the last publisher still invested in that kind of gaming, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest hardcore combat flight simulations will remain their primary focus in the foreseeable future.

How long they stay in business will depend entirely on how well they grow their audience.

2 Likes
47

I don’t blame the young generation for having little interest. In fact, I respect their foresight. Manned flight will be just a memory in a generation. Why fantasize about an activity that has no possible personal meaning? I didn’t grow up longing for a Pony Express simualtor.

Just today I flew with a youngish FO who represented (I believe) the wisest of his generation. He will fly with United and occasional Pt 91 G550s until the robots take over at what he guesses (I think correctly) at age 45. His exit plan is to then farm the 200+ acres he currently owns in west Africa. He has zero expectation, or even desire, to be a widebody captain someday. Anyone under 30 sees aviation as a lost cause. Hardly the type of thing that makes you want to spend two weeks in front of a monitor learning.

I am thinking that maybe the resume I sent to Mudspike for the “Recruitment Officer” position has probably been tossed. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
48

I’m less certain that Skynet will be making me late for a connecting flight in Atlanta. I think as long as an airplane has 100 souls on board, there will be a reason for a living, breathing human being to be able to take the controls in the event of an emergency. I cannot say the same for freight aviation. It’s one thing for someone’s Amazon Prime order to wind up as a smoking crater in a Kansas wheatfield, but the minute an airline tries to blame ‘computer error’ on 100 people dying in an aviation disaster, that would be a hit to air travel that would be hard to come back from. People want other people to blame for their misfortune, a computer won’t do.

49

Red Dead Redemption doesn’t count?

Or maybe this:

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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50

I hope you are right. But I fear that King Bezos and Sir Musk will make a convincing case that human pilots have on several occasions committed mass murder through suicide. The “cool hand at the wheel” image airline pilots enjoy is a product of Hollywood. Hollywood can easily take that away and pilots become fat, pampered, unionized button pushers who lazily work 80 hours a month for $300k a year. Best put that slob out to pasture and let your iphone take you to Atlanta!

Yes, I believe you are correct that it will start with light cargo. Not the delivery drone (which is happening already) but something in size like the Cessna Caravan which FedEx uses in abundance. If that flies with an acceptable accident rate Skynet will grab the rest pretty quickly I think.

51

Interesting… Ambient Occlusion as Fast As Possible

1 Like
52

Outstanding detail to an environmental eco system imagine flying NOE Vietnam theater style or POPUP ATTACK

53

PhotoRealistic Landscape Pack 4 + TrueSKY

I like the light source and sky rendering.

1 Like
54

Amazing! Totally tempted to download Unreal Engine and poke around. Maybe a flight sim would be possible.

My main problem is I have both branches of DCS installed and it has sucked up my entire drive.

55

Already is, there have been several experiments with it. The most prominent is Project Wingman, an Ace Combat type game: Project Wingman Alpha by RB-D2

This one you can even download and try:

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Volumetric Fog | Feature Highlight | Unreal Engine

UnrealEngine

Streamed live on Jun 1, 2017

Announce Post: https://forums.unrealengine.com/showt… Daniel Wright joins the livestream once again, this time to talk about Volumetric Fog, a beautiful new rendering feature in 4.16. With Volumetric Fog, you can create incredible ambiance and mood in your environments using the new Volumetric Fog! Varying densities are supported so you can simulate clouds of dust or smoke flowing through light shafts, and any number of lights can affect the fog.

Volumetric Fog and Lighting in Unreal Engine 4 | GDC 2018 | Unreal Engine

UnrealEngine

Published on Mar 27, 2018

This session by Epic’s Sjoerd De Jong covers the latest improvements to Unreal Engine’s Volumetric Fog and lighting features. Within a beautiful nature scene you will learn how to set up these effects, and how you can achieve spectacular results by authoring Volumetric Fog through the Material Editor.