announcement Introducing Landmarks Paris for Microsoft Flight Simulator!

[Orbx]

We are pleased to announce our next exciting Landmark City Packs - Paris!

 

 

Paris, the capital of France, has been one of Europe's major centres of diplomacy, finance, commerce, fashion, science and the arts for the past 300 years. Paris, known for having beauty, elegance, and for being a boldly romantic city is transformed for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

 

Our TrueEarth team, led by the legendary Tony Wroblewski, have packaged together 200 Points of Interest (POI) with 15 high-detail POIs. These carefully selected hero-asset POIs allow you to get up close and explore, whilst still maintaining excellent performance across the city.

 

The 200 medium-detail POIs are the perfect balance between quality and performance. They allow us to capture the essence of the city’s unique architecture, without impacting performance.

 

Other refinements, such as night lighting, custom terraforming and custom orthos brings the city to life in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

 

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be revealing more exciting Landmarks products for Microsoft Flight Simulator — so keep an eye out!
 

Key Features

• 15 high-detail custom landmarks including Notre Dame, Panthéon, The Centre Pompidou, École Militaire, and Église Saint-Sulpice
• 200 medium-detail custom landmarks, balancing quality and performance
• External night lighting for all default landmark objects, including Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Sacre Coeur, and Grand Palaise
• Extensive terraforming across the coverage area, enhancing how our custom landmarks sit within the simulator’s terrain
• Flattening of the Seine River and correcting riverbank heights
• Custom orthoimagery patches across the city to cover the blurred-out military areas in the default simulator

 

Enjoy these previews! Note that they are from the current beta build and we look to release in early January.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yanlaoge]

Wow, Paris, and France, finally! 

[carlosqr]

 

No way!!!! I mean no way... I can't believe my eyes, this is simply fantastic, thank you! 

Edited December 20, 2020 by carlosqr

[carlosqr]

53 minutes ago, Orbx said:

we’ll be revealing more exciting Landmarks products for Microsoft Flight Simulator

 

I'll pray for New York and Hong Kong (with option for Kai-Tak) to be included

with candles, incense and everything

[Er!k]

Wow! Looks great. Hoping for good performance as well with 2 large airports in the vincinity...

[maunakea]

Nice, I'm really enjoying these city packs! I really hope to see more Asian cities for MSFS such as:

 

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3. Seoul, Korea
4. Jeju Island, Korea
5. Da Nang, Vietnam
6. Ha Noi, Vietnam
7. Hong Kong
8. Taipei, Taiwan
9. Manila, Philippines
10. Pattaya, Thailand
11. Phuket, Thailand
12. Busan, South Korea
13. Daegu, South Korea

[MasonDominique]

Oh My God !

Oh My God  !

I love when Orbx loves France.

Perfect for a good new year's eve night flight

Dom

 

PS Everything is astonishing realistic.

I would have remove Viollet-Leduc Arrow over Notre-Dame but after all.. why not !

 

PS : yes, I am from Paris

Edited December 20, 2020 by MasonDominique

[Fizzelle]

Sorry but those river bridges in pic no. 1 look dreadful. Will that be fixed in the release version?

[SGunard]

3 hours ago, Fizzelle said:

Sorry but those river bridges in pic no. 1 look dreadful. Will that be fixed in the release version?

Yep, I have to say they do look a bit 'Fisher Price', though I suspect it may be a limitation of the host sim . . . 

[hypercide]

I'm another potential buyer with concerns about performance issues.

 

Because the scenery addon market (both free and payware) is exploding unlike anything we've ever seen with previous platforms, I find myself taking a very long step back from rushing into payware as it is currently not immediately clear that payware will consistently outperform (aesthetically or in terms of fps or mystery CTDs) some of the better freeware. This has become common knowledge. 

 

Is it possible to offer some sort of demo version of these sceneries or provide some sort of fps comparison with competing offerings? I have begun to realize there is an unintentional drift toward turning MSFS2020 into a walking simulator with planes. But that's not why I flightsim. 

 

How is a company like Orbx going to prove to me I should choose its products over others, especially when, in recent months, Orbx has made a number of us question its commitment to the quality that had previously distinguished it? (Reputation is meaningless when the memory of those new to the hobby extends no further than Aug 2020)

[MasonDominique]

10 hours ago, carlosqr said:

I'll pray for New York and Hong Kong (with option for Kai-Tak) to be included

 

Oh absolutely, Manhattan would be the ultimate "Landmarks for MSFS".

I remember Aerosoft's Manhattan released more than 10 years ago - that was good at that time.

Orbx & partners can do so much better.

[wolfko]

Please guys, don't let this become just another "sim A vs sim B" thread. This beautiful scenery of Paris doesn't deserve it.

[SGunard]

18 minutes ago, wolfko said:

Please guys, don't let this become just another "sim A vs sim B" thread. This beautiful scenery of Paris doesn't deserve it.

Er . . . don't see any sims being compared here Wolfko. Indeed the buildings in Paris Landmarks look amazing. However, as pointed out by Fizzelle the bridges can hardly be said to be of the same quality. They are a different colour/shade to the adjoining roads and have a 'ramp' at each end that makes them look toy-like. Looks like a fair criticism to me. Hypercide also asks a fair question about quality (see recent reviews of Bristol and Zell am Zee, for example - and let's not even mention 'Londongate' - tho now sorted). My own feeling is that Orbx is not quite the stand-out company in terms of quality that it once was . . . 

[Abriael]

2 hours ago, hypercide said:

I'm another potential buyer with concerns about performance issues.

 

Because the scenery addon market (both free and payware) is exploding unlike anything we've ever seen with previous platforms, I find myself taking a very long step back from rushing into payware as it is currently not immediately clear that payware will consistently outperform (aesthetically or in terms of fps or mystery CTDs) some of the better freeware. This has become common knowledge. 

 

Is it possible to offer some sort of demo version of these sceneries or provide some sort of fps comparison with competing offerings? I have begun to realize there is an unintentional drift toward turning MSFS2020 into a walking simulator with planes. But that's not why I flightsim. 

 

How is a company like Orbx going to prove to me I should choose its products over others, especially when, in recent months, Orbx has made a number of us question its commitment to the quality that had previously distinguished it? (Reputation is meaningless when the memory of those new to the hobby extends no further than Aug 2020)

 

That's why reviews exist. Incidentally, a lot of the freeware out there is simple google maps rips with *massive* performance and polish issues. That's what really is "exploding" in the freeware space. 

 

The minority that actually comes with custom models is great, and some does catch up in quality to some payware scenery. Be happy that you have the choice. 

 

15 minutes ago, SGunard said:

Er . . . don't see any sims being compared here Wolfko. Indeed the buildings in Paris Landmarks look amazing. However, as pointed out by Fizzelle the bridges can hardly be said to be of the same quality. They are a different colour/shade to the adjoining roads and have a 'ramp' at each end that makes them look toy-like. Looks like a fair criticism to me. Hypercide also asks a fair question about quality (see recent reviews of Bristol and Zell am Zee, for example - and let's not even mention 'Londongate' - tho now sorted). My own feeling is that Orbx is not quite the stand-out company in terms of quality that it once was . . . 

 

What a strange thing to say. 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Abriael

[Fizzelle]

What is " a strange thing to say"?

[Abriael]

6 minutes ago, Fizzelle said:

What is " a strange thing to say"?

 

I'm not sure what was meant with the previous comment about "limitations of the host sim" considering that MSFS has some fantastic bridges. 

 

But more importantly, an add-on doesn't necessarily need to focus on bridges. This looks great from what I can see, but it also looks like it'll offer a lot of buildings. A developer needs to keep frame rate in mind and not just beauty. Perhaps they decided to focus on more iconic buildings instead and keep the bridges relatively simple. Otherwise, we find ourselves with stuff that is absolutely beautiful but that drops your frame rate from 50 to 10, as there are some examples out there, without naming names. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Abriael

[tanker50]

I really like the images that I see.  I think that it would be interesting to have this city pack updated over time to show the progress of the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral.  Mike Gutierrez, North Hollywood, California.

[carlosqr]

8 hours ago, MasonDominique said:

 

Oh absolutely, Manhattan would be the ultimate "Landmarks for MSFS".

I remember Aerosoft's Manhattan released more than 10 years ago - that was good at that time.

Orbx & partners can do so much better.

Je suis d'accord.

They have the capacity of creating marvels, and now that you mentioned that I pictured DD, Gaya and Orbx as a team working on NY

Can you imagine the result?

Salut,

Carlos

[Seanmo]

On 12/20/2020 at 1:54 PM, SGunard said:

My own feeling is that Orbx is not quite the stand-out company in terms of quality that it once was . . . 

 

LOL!

 

Well, anyway... I love my London Landmarks and I will purchase Paris the moment it becomes available for purchase. I have no idea what cities you will do next, but I eagerly await the announcements. When I first saw MSFS on Youtube, I thought I'd buy a few airports but couldn't imagine buying non-airport scenery. Thanks for proving me wrong and congrats on taking your scenery to the next level. 

 

 

[carlosqr]

1 hour ago, Seanmo said:

 

LOL!

 

Well, anyway... I love my London Landmarks and I will purchase Paris the moment it becomes available for purchase. I have no idea what cities you will do next, but I eagerly await the announcements. When I first saw MSFS on Youtube, I thought I'd buy a few airports but couldn't imagine buying non-airport scenery. Thanks for proving me wrong and congrats on taking your scenery to the next level. 

 

 

 

Oh boy!

I had to Googled your location and zoomed it to the maximum, and move the cursor all around to find it

Interesting location.

Now there is no doubt Orbx definitely has worldwide presence 

Merry Christmas!

Cheers

Carlos

[Ian St]

On 12/25/2020 at 4:18 AM, carlosqr said:

 

Oh boy!

I had to Googled your location and zoomed it to the maximum, and move the cursor all around to find it

Interesting location.

Now there is no doubt Orbx definitely has worldwide presence 

Merry Christmas!

Cheers

Carlos

I am not sure if Seanmo really lives there, but wasn't it something to do with Kiribati being the first place to see the new day that people moved their VPN to Kiribati to get the MSFS release first?

[MasonDominique]

On 12/20/2020 at 12:20 PM, MasonDominique said:

Perfect for a good new year's eve night flight

Hmm ok, not this year, then.

Dom Mason

 

[Gulfstreamtwo]

4 hours ago, Ian St said:

I am not sure if Seanmo really lives there, but wasn't it something to do with Kiribati being the first place to see the new day that people moved their VPN to Kiribati to get the MSFS release first?

Lots of us did...and then moved back home. I did and it worked great.

[carlosqr]

5 hours ago, Ian St said:

I am not sure if Seanmo really lives there, but wasn't it something to do with Kiribati being the first place to see the new day that people moved their VPN to Kiribati to get the MSFS release first?

Not a clue

 

45 minutes ago, Gulfstreamtwo said:

Lots of us did...and then moved back home. I did and it worked great.

Interesting

 

 

[carlosqr]

4 hours ago, MasonDominique said:

Hmm ok, not this year, then.

Dom Mason

 

Nop

It says:

 

On 12/20/2020 at 2:45 AM, Orbx said:

to release in early January.

 

The one that was supposed to be released this month was Singapore

But well we still got Dec 31st to come

 

Cheers

Carlos

Edited December 30, 2020 by carlosqr

[Senchay]

On 12/20/2020 at 11:40 AM, maunakea said:

Nice, I'm really enjoying these city packs! I really hope to see more Asian cities for MSFS such as:

 

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Manila, Philippines
3. Pattaya, Thailand
4. Phuket, Thailand

 

 

Signed ^^

[carlosqr]

1 hour ago, Senchay said:

• Bangkok, Thailand
• Manila, Philippines
• Pattaya, Thailand
• Phuket, Thailand

Macau

Hong Kong

etc

etc

[Senchay]

anything Asia really.  I buy those Orbx cities anytime. Seems my sim doesnt like photogrammetry, it looks awful most oft the time, at least in the fast planes.

But the fixed 3D buildings from Orbx etc look always nice. Thats a big pro imo

[dtrjones]

On 12/20/2020 at 9:41 AM, carlosqr said:

 

I'll pray for New York and Hong Kong (with option for Kai-Tak) to be included

with candles, incense and everything

 

Yep I'll vote for those two, but after these screenshots I want a London 2.0 haha! Hong Kong is already available from Samscene but I have to say I was a little dissappointed - I do think the base MSFS scenery doesn't help, it's a very challenging area to get right with the topology and buildings, not an easy task but I'm sure somebody will step up to the plate do this city justice.

Edited January 14, 2021 by dtrjones

[dtrjones]

Fantastic modelling of Paris. Looking forward to this coming out soon. Orbx are setting a high bar with these cityscapes, some other developers have tried to create 100+ buildings but the quality drops off drmatically. This is an outstanding effort by the team, well done.

[Huddison]

Any more news on the release date for this scenery package?

[Ed Correia]

10 hours ago, Huddison said:

Any more news on the release date for this scenery package?

Hoping for this weekend, we are testing some optimisations still. 

[Fizzelle]

1 hour ago, Ed Correia said:

Hoping for this weekend, we are testing some optimisations still. 

 

And the bridges as mentioned above will be fixed?

[Ed Correia]

4 hours ago, Fizzelle said:

 

And the bridges as mentioned above will be fixed?

 

We have cleaned up the ortho below the bridge to make it blend in better, if that is what is meant by "fixed".

 

This is how they appear now.

 

 

[Fizzelle]

Sorry Ed but just look at that bridge in the foreground there - absolutely no blending of the road and riverbank. With that like so, I just can't contemplate it.

 

Just not really very good for such an iconic city. This looks like the London Landmarks saga all over again. Apologies.

[Abriael]

18 hours ago, Ed Correia said:

 

We have cleaned up the ortho below the bridge to make it blend in better, if that is what is meant by "fixed".

 

This is how they appear now.

 

 

 

Looks awesome to me. Some may be forgetting to "contemplate" the fact that this is a flight simulator, not a stroll along the Seine simulator.  

[Fizzelle]

Well as long as you're happy, that's fine then. Personally I think it looks amateurish, bit like the game itself.

 

But I'll buy it if it's better than the opposing product released today. It just wouldn't be my first choice,  as it stands presently. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Fizzelle

[Abriael]

23 minutes ago, Fizzelle said:

bit like the game itself.

 

.... aaand we're done here. 

 

Imagine considering this scenery "amateurish" just like the sim, when the other sims in the market have scenery that make this look basically photorealistic. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Abriael

[Ed Correia]

Key Features

• 15 high-detail custom landmarks including Notre Dame, Panthéon, The Centre Pompidou, École Militaire, and Église Saint-Sulpice
• 200 medium-detail custom landmarks, balancing quality and performance
• External night lighting for all default landmark objects, including Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Sacre Coeur, and Grand Palais
• Extensive terraforming across the coverage area, enhancing how our custom landmarks sit within the simulator’s terrain
• Flattening of the Seine River and correcting riverbank heights
• Custom orthoimagery patches across the city to cover the blurred-out military areas in the default simulator

The bridges are part of the whole bigger picture. As to getting it to blend with the ortho and those OSM vector transparent overlays, impossible. Unless we replicate those terrible textures on the bridge itself.