[Viper101]

View Article: Microsoft Flight November Update Discusses Performance

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November 15th, 2011 – Performance & Hardware

Learn about how Microsoft Flight was developed with performance in mind

Amongst the most popular questions the Flight team has been asked via e-mails to msflight@microsoft.com are those about the release date and game performance. While we aren’t quite ready to talk about a release date, we did want to share a bit about our approach towards performance and hardware.

Performance optimization has been a core focus of our development from an early stage. To achieve this, we constantly monitored game performance metrics across a range of hardware configurations and reacted each time we saw a new feature or code change that caused a dip below the established thresholds. The end result is that Flight looks fantastic on a brand new PC, but because of the emphasis on performance throughout development, it also runs well on older desktops and budget laptops.

We’ve found the game runs well on low graphics settings with hardware meeting the following specifications:

• CPU: Dual Core 2.0 GHz
• GPU: 256 MB card capable of shader 3.0 (DX 9.0c compliant)
• HD: 10 GB Hard Drive space
• OS: WinXP SP3
• RAM: 2.0GB

It was also one of our goals to ensure that the game can run well with high settings on hardware that is attainable today. Based on our testing of core scenarios, the game runs smoothly on high graphics settings with the following hardware specifications:

• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7 960 @ 3.20GHz, AMD® Phenom™ II X6 1100T 3.3 GHz or better
• GPU: ATI Radeon™ HD 5870, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560 or better
• HD: 10 GB Hard Drive space
• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• RAM: 6GB

The graphic below illustrates the visual difference between the low and high settings. Please continue sharing your feedback with us and check back in December for an exciting announcement.


Thank you,
The Microsoft Flight Development Team

[Tom_Weiss]

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HD: 10 GB Hard Drive space

they sure don't need that much space for Hawaii only - I guess that means some more areas will be made available - the specs are high too, this is not going to be a lightweight sim

[SinCityJet]

I'm really hoping they make the Flight engine SLI, Nvidia Surround and Nvidia 3D compatible.. I'm currently flipping between three 28" screens @ 5760*1200 resolution in 2D, or a 46" Samsung 1920*1080 in 3D*. So far, FSX wins in 3D when flying photorealistic terrain, especially over customized locations (Try the Grand Canyon!) but situational awareness (and lackluster results from unsupported 3D settings) demands 2D in the A-10C.

(*Here's something I didn't learn until recently.. the HDMI 1.4 spec tops out 1080P 3D displays at only 24 frames per second; it's why the PS3 only outputs 3D games at 720P. The only way to get higher frame rates is to use a Dual DVIcable connected at both ends, which most residential HDTV sets don't support, but most desktop 3D LCD monitors do. Bottom line, if you want decent FPS in 3D, don't use HDMI.)

Finally, I notice the minimum specs indicate DirectX 9.0c, which is somewhat of a surprise, given FSX's DX 10 option. However, those using SofTH will be pleased, as the multi-screen utility doesn't support DX 10 or 11.

This post has been edited by SinCityJet: 21 November 2011 - 04:44 PM
Reason for edit: SoftTH good news

[Tom_Weiss]

if they make Dx10 work - which they promised for FSX and did not deliver, it will open a huge number of possibilities

[Viper101]

SinCityJet, on 21 November 2011 - 04:31 PM, said:

Finally, I notice the minimum specs indicate DirectX 9.0c, which is somewhat of a surprise, given FSX's DX 10 option. However, those using SofTH will be pleased, as the multi-screen utility doesn't support DX 10 or 11.

From the looks of it, MS Flight is just a recycled version of the FSX sim engine with some added features. Just like FSX, I am sure it will require a super beast of a rig to max it out. The ugliest part about it is I am sure the multiplayer netcode stability will be even more of a disappointment if you are hoping for a change.

[Tom_Weiss]

for sure there is a lot of anger in the payware FS community about how FLIGHT is shaping out

I agree that it should be a recycled FSX, I doubt that in the short space of time between the disbanding of the FSX team and the announcement of FLIGHT that MS had the means to release a completely new engine.