Friday, August 28, 2020
Upgrade your Microsoft Flight Simulator experience with these leading mods and add-ons in 2020.
Microsoft Flight Simulator delivers a complete digital recreation of planet Earth, but it's only the start of a multi-year journey. The title provides a platform for future updates to come, while also supported by a growing community of third-party developers and their content. The latest installment already features a selection of mods and add-ons, showcasing a peek at what's to come moving forward.
The company has debuted its integrated Marketplace inside Flight Simulator, which serves as a hassle-free channel to download both official and third-party content from partners. However, developers have also launched their mods outside the store, only requiring some minor technical know-how. We've rounded up the best mods and add-ons available for Microsoft Flight Simulator, so far.
Clink's Liveries Megapack for Flight Simulator
With Microsoft Flight Simulator yet to serve liveries through its in-game marketplace, users looking to customize their aircraft should consider this third-party bundle. Clink's Megapack taps into the game's content creation tools, as a collaborative product from dozens of designers. It's available for free as an external download, but with a relatively easy installation process. It includes the world's biggest airlines, brands, and services, adding further realism throughout the simulator.
You can view our full step-by-step guide on installing and using liveries in Microsoft Flight Simulator, which explores their implementation. They're suited for switching up your aircraft's aesthetics, or role-playing your favorite airliners, as you explore the continents. I've even other players equipped with these liveries in multiplayer, which adds another layer to the experience.
The pack boasts considerable variety, whether piloting the Airbus A320neo as Delta, replicating the Cessna 208 Grand Caravan in the FedEx fleet, or adding new colors to a Cessna 172. It's also entirely free, making this a must-try if you're comfortable shifting some files around on your hard drive.
Clink's Livery Megapack now available for download for free, via MSFS Addons.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Premium Deluxe Upgrade
If you own Microsoft Flight Simulator's standard edition or play via Xbox Game Pass, one of the best value add-ons comes from the game's developer. The Premium Deluxe Edition isn't cheap with its $120 price tag, but extends the experience with more planes and airports, presenting value unmatched by third parties. Microsoft has sweetened the deal with a Premium Upgrade, which provides the ability to jump between editions at a discount.
The Premium Deluxe Edition centers around ten bonus planes, although with half also included with the mid-tier Deluxe Edition. The upgrade consists of all 30 aircraft offered at launch, spanning new airliners, jets, turboprops, and propeller planes. The Deluxe Edition bonuses include the Beechcraft Baron G58, Diamond DA40-TDI, Diamond DV20, Cessna 152 Aerobat, and the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. The full Premium Upgrade doubles the craft with the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, Cessna Citation Longitude, Cirrus SR22, Virus SW 121, and Zlin Shock Ultra.
The upgrade also features similar airport bonuses, with another ten handcrafted locations included. These airports differ from the computer-generated models used across the game's 37,000 airports, instead featuring humanmade models with deeper intricacies. The upgrade from 30 to 40 airports extends to some iconic locations, as detailed in full via our Microsoft Flight Simulator airports list.
Microsoft Flight Simulator's Premium Upgrade pack is available via the Flight Marketplace.
ORBX Handcrafted Airport Packs
While most of Microsoft Flight Simulator is built using computer-generated scenery, the company also delivered 40 handcrafted airports from release. These tailored destinations helped faithfully recreate aviation hotspots, whether the busiest international airports or placed famed for their unique properties. ORBX continues to deliver further handcrafted add-ons as we go, providing world detail missing from the base game.
The current list of ORBX airports is limited, only recently entering double digits. But it helps create airports overlooked by Microsoft, initially further exploring North America and Europe. The company continues to release new airports regularly, spanning various price points.
ORBX's airport upgrades are available via the Marketplace and ORBX Central.
ORBX Landmarks London City Pack
Using mapping data and photogrammetry in Microsoft Flight Simulator allows for countless hyper-realistic cities, near-mirroring real-world counterparts in architecture and street layout. But the London skyline has drawn criticism for its representation, missing various iconic landmarks and less-than-perfect skyline. That included many defining structures replaced with generic buildings, while Buckingham Palace was swapped for a block of flats. Its seen third-party developer ORBX step in with a fix to tidy up rough edges, available through the integrated Marketplace.
The Landmarks London City Pack addresses some primary complaints, retrofitting over 100 new models across the heart of England. It tweaks numerous skyscrapers with unique features, including a full rework of Canary Wharf, while fixing the River Thames and its bridges. The result is a London that better reflects its identity when overhead during day and night, packing in all the defining features that sit above the horizon.
It's worth noting this pack from ORBX hasn't launched without issues, though. The developer has received backlash over low-resolution textures used, often making landmarks significantly less detailed up close. That's not a dealbreaker when a couple of hundred feet in the air but can produce some eyesores when up close. ORBX has prepared a fix that releases soon, which looks to address some current frustrations. But with limited content in the Marketplace, it's still a worthwhile pickup priced at just $8.
ORBX's Landmarks London City Pack is available via the Marketplace and ORBX Central.
These are just a taste of the content headed to Microsoft Flight Simulator, with hundreds of developers working on more scheduled for the months ahead. What do you hope to see from future add-ons and mods? Let us know in the comments section.
0 comments:
Post a Comment