- Offizieller Beitrag
Ok... Here's some information!
Our next product will be called Active Sky Next (ASN). It will release first for FSX, with a P3D version coming very soon after (they are not cross-compatible). We're in the beta stage right now, and when the product is solid and ready, we'll release it.
ASN is basically a brand new design, rewritten almost entirely. Our users have been asking for a lot, competition has been heating up, and well, we really wanted to "bring it". So…
Say goodbye to DWC
Say goodbye to Standard and Smooth Cloud Transitions modes
Say goodbye to depiction modes entirelyWe're using something brand new, it's actually a hybrid depiction system, using Dynamic FS Theme Weather, SimConnect, and our new low-level AS Connect Module.
What this means is this:
For Clouds, you get accurate skies, all the time, everywhere... no strange gaps in the cloud ceiling when it calls for overcast. No hard transitions. Everything is silky smooth and dynamic.. the clouds update when they should, but so slowly and smoothly you won't even notice. And you don't need to worry about your options. You'll always get accurate, smooth, dynamic weather no matter how you configure things.
For Winds, you get accurate winds, all the time, everywhere. No wind shifts, ever. No S-turns. Nothing but 100% accurate winds that now have full inter-layer interpolation so even vertical transitions are smooth (i.e. no large changes to new targets at specific altitudes like 9K, 12K, 18K). By the way, this is from the same source data we've been using for many years now... some like to call it "GRIB" , but we call it "World Forecast System Winds Aloft Data"... because that's what it is (GRIB means Gridded Binary, used for many types of data). This is 1x1 lat/lon base source resolution (approximately 60nm) that covers the entire globe. For ASN we have added new multiple winds aloft forecast data windows (current, +6hr, +12hr and +18hr) that are integrated into the weather data for full winds aloft forecast integration and better winds aloft forecast accuracy.
For Other ambient conditions like temperature, pressure, precipitation and visibility, everything is totally controlled by ASN at all times and smoothed like butter, like everything else.
For conditions in general, nothing is compromised... everything is accurate and synchronized with FS itself so ATIS reports in-sim are never wrong... the surface weather is correctly reported. No more DWC ATIS woes.
This is simplifying things, as there is much more here behind the scenes to make the entire weather experience immensely accurate in the sim, totally smooth and incredibly realistic. It's a brand new beast that makes FSX (and soon P3D) render weather like we could only dream about before.
The weather depiction is HUGE in ASN, most definitely the most important feature set... but there are tons of other things, that users have been asking for, we are finally delivering...
Things like...
A redesigned simple UI focused on performance and flexibility, with resizeable, undockable and multiple window support (You can have the map, flight plan, command center, and 3 different condition report windows all up at the same time, all updating dynamically, for example).
New cloud sprite awareness, so we know exactly when you enter a cloud and when you exit it. We synchronize turbulence, precipitation, updrafts/downdrafts and visibility with the clouds.. the increase in realism is immense.
Now that we know where the clouds are, we decided to make a detailed accurate NEXRAD radar precipitation overlay for both the Map and the included radar gauge. Real radar simulation.. not generic station-based imagery. You see the cloud, you see the rain cell, and when you enter it, it's all synchronized. Thread the needle between cells. Realistic avoidance procedures. This overlay data is also coming soon to aircraft NDs as we are working on an interface of our radar data to aircraft developers.
Speaking of entering clouds... be careful.. especially with those thunderstorms. They now can render your aircraft uncontrollable if the conditions are right (and your decision making is wrong). Synchronized turbulence and updrafts/downdrafts are here (and we can't forget about the new microbursts and redesigned wind shear effects).
Turbulence is also redesigned (along with wind shear), bypassing the FS-internal simulation. Vertical and horizontal wind action affects your aircraft realistically.
We're analyzing the terrain in detail now, so much more realistic terrain up/downdrafts are now included. Ridge soaring is a treat. Be careful of downdrafts on approach when you see that warning in the AFD, because if the conditions are right, you'll get them.. even from fairly small terrain features. The entire vertical air simulation system was designed to be as realistic possible at a high level of resolution.
Wake turbulence was redesigned, trails now moving correctly with wind while also sinking and dissipating. We also added a new "other aircraft" overlay so you can see all aircraft around you on the map (and a visual representation of their wake trails too).
Integrated forecast weather, both surface and aloft, creates dynamic changes in weather if the METAR gets stale, and also lets you quickly see how conditions are expected to change, by just moving a slider (also works on the map).
New global airmets and sigmets are enabled, no longer just for the USA. This is provided by real data, available in real-time mode, and these reports are shown visually on the map. But they also now influence the weather conditions accordingly. For example, if severe turbulence is reported between FL330 and FL370 in a certain region, you should expect it during your flight.
These are just a few of the new features.. we'll be talking much more about it all in the near future as we prepare for release. I just wanted to give you all a better idea about what is coming.
In summary, it's a game changer, and while we're very proud of our past products, and impressed with what others have done with weather recently, this completely blows everything out of the water.
After almost 3 years of development work on this (and 12 years of progress in the making), we're super excited to let the cat out of the bag and show you all what we're talking about!
With that said, there is still work to do, and we are focusing on getting things closer to completion before we finalize our feature list and provide official details, press releases, screenshots, videos and more. Thanks for your patience and your support while we finish things up.
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Die fliege ich dann zwar nicht oft, aber doch immer wieder gerne.
Ich bin gespannt und werde berichten.