


This would be forgivable if the terrain textures were a little more faithful to satellite imagery but this is not the case. It would be unfair to place such an unrealistic feature request on the small team behind X-Plane, and credit where it is due, most important landmarks can be found in high detail when exploring the world of X-Plane 12, but without the photogrammetry, the environment just feels flat and generic by comparison. This is the process of combining multiple layers of satellite imagery and data to synthesize the breathtaking world we experience in FS 2020. Players who are highly compelled by world detail will certainly miss the jawdropping visuals offered via photogrammetry. X-Plane 12, unfortunately, falls short in this regard, making the learning curve unnecessarily steep. FS 2020 spoiled us with helpful tooltips for every single control in the cockpit, making it accessible to newcomers and still detailed enough for the veterans. The user interface and virtual cockpit experience in X-Plane 12 feels less intuitive and user-friendly. This is such a useful and intuitive mechanic that is sorely missed in X-Plane. If I press the directional pad while holding the X button, I can control the various aircraft lights. However if I press the directional pad while holding the Y button, I can adjust my aileron and rudder trim. For example, in FS 2020, my directional pad (with no modifiers) is mapped to quick looking in a certain direction. This simple tweak lets you control so many more things using the limited set of buttons available on something such as a gamepad. By contrast, FS 2020 allows you to map button combinations to actions. You can map any button to any aspect of the simulation, but a button can only perform one action. This mechanic, which pushes pilots to interact with the environment in meaningful ways, is missed deeply in the somewhat static world of X-Plane 12.Ĭontrol mapping is one-dimensional. Guided exploration, an often overlooked yet highly immersive feature of FS 2020, is missing. However, these upgrades seem less like steps forward and more like minor alterations when compared with the competition. The rendering engine is top-notch: ambient occlusion, surface reflections, volumetric lighting and high polygon count. Flight dynamics feel realistic and challenging, presenting a substantial, and often appreciated, contrast to the sometimes overly forgiving nature of FS 2020. It's also worth noting the physics engine, a jewel of X-Plane. Conversations feel more real, more dynamic, making for an immersive in-flight experience.
STEAM XPLANE12 SIMULATOR
The ATC radio communications, for instance, are better than those of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. But with Microsoft back at the helm with Flight Simulator 2020, the recent X-Plane edition feels more like a distant echo than a true competitor.ĭon't get me wrong, X-Plane 12 has its commendable aspects.
STEAM XPLANE12 SERIES
When Microsoft stepped away from the development of its esteemed Flight Simulator series back in the 2000s, it left a vacuum in the world of aviation gaming.
