Yeah, MS would need to concede and use Google Maps. and even when they go over their ego there will be the licensing costs.
Google maps for what?
I think the more difficult part is creating models automatically from that data. A thousand foot view of a mountain or sky scraper is one thing, but a detailed street?
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that’s a challenge, but it has already been solved by Google and Apple, in big cities at least. their geometry interpolation of buildings is light years ahead of what’s available on Bing Maps.
accurate 3D Maps
Enough for a game?
in most big cities I would say so. but we are talking about a world simulator here I guess.
So we know Xbox is teaming up with the following studios on first party games (assuming these are all first party IP deals):
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Asobo (Flight Sim DLC/post launch support)
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Avalanche Studios Group (at least two of them)
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Behaviour Interactive
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Crystal Dynamics
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IOInteractive
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Kojima Productions
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Oxide Games
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Relic Entertainment
With Jez/Jeff previous comments about “tryouts, might be a good idea to keep an eye on these teams. Anyone else I’m forgetting?
Some other notable ones that might be working on Xbox IP:
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Dlala Studio - working on resurrecting a “beloved IP”. Seemed interested in furthering relationship with Rare after Battletoads per interviews, but this is complete speculation.
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Playful Corp - rumored Rare game from years ago. Did this get cancelled, is it still in development, or was this just a silly rumor?
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Another Sunday. Seven studios you say? Xbox M&A offices:
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Why not? MFS already provides the template for the streets and building. What is needed is better details, but every simulator game has already made some worlds in their own engines. What they need is to move these details to the new engine (even by recreating from the beginning).
The allure of Flight Simulator was modeling the entire world using map data, not having to manually create models (because that would be expensive and take forever). This works at a thousand feet view, doesn’t work great at street view where you expect higher level of detail and more accurate modeling.
If other simulators like Euro Truck Simulator or Train Sim World provide the detailed worlds using the same map, MFS will also get these details if they are using the same map. The point is to use the same world map - Train Sim World or Euro Truck Simulator have to use their own in-engine maps to in-game worlds - they have to create buildings, traffic lights and so on. If they do that on the same map - Flight Simulator will also get these details.
Who is going to create street level details of the entire world?
Right - If we are going into detailed street modeling for a flight Simulator. then the game should not be called a Flight Simulator. You are creating a digital twin of the world then.
I think this forum thread needs to see the Noclip documentary for how Flightsim is made. This might be a true super high budget ‘game’.Not to mention a 10 year continuing dev cycle.
AI is only for tree and terrain generation for the base model of the world. Autogeneration of ANY models is not possible technically, unless there is photogrammetry data available. Satellite/aerial images can give good elevation data, but not enough to create 3D assets for points of interests.
Importing 3d data made by either Google or other users is a strict no-go. These are not made for a real time 3d game. They are static models and super dense meshes that are made for just viewing a 3D map.
The map can only provide base layer data for the AI engine. Once the AI engine generates a base 3D model of the world, everything has to be hand built after that.
There are a few dozen partners contributing to various types and categories of world data - including usage of AI to formulate the base terrain and partners creating rich game oriented 3d models on top of it. Or partners creating 3d assets like Eiffel tower, or Football grounds, or coastal terrains or waterfalls or famous peaks. Or creating detailed replica of airports. Or things like Asobo’s detailed ambient environment lighting and multilayer clouds. Or a hundred point aerodynamic point set on top of the plane for detailed flying condition modeling. Or aerodynamics on top of a mountain versus in between buildings etc. Or detailed recreation of the innards of a plane with connection to flight mechanics.
Not to mention real time air traffic, real time multi depth weather, real time generation of clouds, VATSIM, control tower simulator, coop flying, flight stall modeling, tree generation depending on season and geography. Actual tuning into the the real world vatsim radio etc.
Degenerating the conversation into better street modeling for flightsim is a wishlist item - but just very very strange.
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For entire world it won’t happen fast, but even now those simulators provide the decent details of the surroundings on their maps. So gradually it can be improved.
Just like the map packs or world upgrades everything can be achieved in time.
Don’t mix 3D models found in Google maps, Bing maps and Apple maps for assets that can be used in a game engine. Not the same.
Even Nick said something similar in one of the podcasts, and he is wrong too.
Those are meant for reasonably slow+static viewing and are dense meshes for things like Google Earth or Bing 3D views or Apple Maps aerial views, but don’t have a use beyond that in a game engine like Flightsim’s engine.
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Just generating the world is several (yes, I said several) large super-computer cluster level tasks for the Flightsim team.
Adding real time street models with detailed cars and traffic - is one more cluster of superomputing load. And loads more years to do it.
We will be using Nvidia’s 7050 or 7080 or 7090 by that time. LOL
would love to hear/read more on what parts of Bing Maps they’re actually using in flight sim.
Check this -
Good starting point:
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I am not asking for real time traffic. What I am asking is to remake Truck Simulator using Flight Simulator Engine. If the game - whether it is Truck Simulator or Train Simulator - could achieve decent level of details on the ground level, I don’t see a reason why it can’t be achieved with Asobo’s engine.