How Microsoft Flight Simulator recreated Australia

Microsoft Flight Simulator (MFS) just released their most significant World Update ever, featuring the most authentic version of Australia through a screen. Microsoft boasts this to be the most lifelike imitation of Australia despite the few kinks that are still being fleshed out upon launch – like the system constantly crashing on Xbox or the misplaced buildings here and there.

Jörg Neumann, the head of the MFS, said this update marks not only the product of the blood, sweat and tears of his 100+ team but a collaboration with local Australia.

Below, Bella Richards explores how the company made it so accurate, the difficulties Microsoft faced and what the future holds for simulated Australia.

World Update VII: The details 

The game was initially released in August 2020, but Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge was omitted, and much of the country bore little resemblance to real life. The poor imitation was due to most of Australia being artificially recreated from Microsoft’s rival to Google Maps, Bing, rather than being designed from scratch. As of August 2020, the only parts of Australia that were available included Canberra, Darwin City, Gold Coast, Hobart, Newcastle and Wollongong. Despite a few updates in 2021, such as introducing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and certain state overhauls, the Australian landscape was quite limited. 

However, the developer behind the game has recruited Melbourne-based Orbx Simulation Systems to overhaul Australia. With this new update, there are now more than 94 custom-made points of interest recreated, alongside four handcrafted airports and a further 100 recreated in additional detail. 

Where did it all start?

Seven years ago, Jörg Neumann was deeply inspired by HoloLens, a pair of mixed reality smart glasses developed and manufactured by Microsoft. A version of it called HoloTour enabled users to teleport themselves from different places in Rome, San Francisco, or even Machu Picchu. Neumann remembers this because he had never seen something so lifelike and could hear the sounds and see the sights he always imagined. After that experience, his first thought was, can we create the whole planet? Can that actually happen? 

“The dream of it has always been to have the entire planet and to be able to fly anywhere you want, go wherever, land wherever and check it out,” Neumann said. “I think of it as digital preservation because time is eating away on all these planes… and this is a way to keep them pretty much forever.”

How did Microsoft create Australia?

While it was a hefty process, some of the ways the team were able to identify all points of the country were through using new satellite imagery fresh from 2020 and updating it every time there was new data. To create 3D cities, the team flew an aircraft low over the buildings and captured images every second, giving creators correct visuals to work from. Then the company researched many famous locations like observatories, large towers, sports stadiums, bridges and other vital landmarks to recreate. 

“We got input from people in Australia to make sure that we’re actually capturing everything,” said Neumann. The company worked with Orbx Simulation Systems, which built a significant amount of the simulation. Microsoft also worked hand in hand with Bing, and when new data streamed through, the company would use it. Neumann said it was all algorithmic, so to find every tree house and every street or make shapes out of points and make buildings look natural, it was all done through the cloud. 

“I wanted to work with local people who know the soul of the country,” Neumann said. “We tried to do it justice because I was hoping to achieve that the entire country gets represented, not just the most popular spots.” Neumann said it was necessary to capture the “spirit of the land” by also researching the animals, the trains, the boats, the bugs and butterflies that would fly in particular regions, so he could create a genuine version of Australia.  

Was any part of the process particularly hard?

Neumann said while Australia is a popular aviation hub, it was less commercial than expected. “It’s unfortunate how the world works, but data is available where people can make money off it,” he said. “So, there’s lots of Europe, lots of North America, and in Australia, lots of the East Coast and a bit of West Coast, but there’s almost nothing else.”

Due to the limited data, some of the difficulties were found when the company wanted to recreate the middle of Australia, the North and the South. Neumann also said airports were tough to create due to their intricate detail and importance to the simulation, so creators handcrafted the buildings themselves to ensure perfection. 

What’s next, and will it get better?

In a Microsoft Simulator thread in early January, many customers discussed their expectations of the update. While some were excited to see some of their favourite landmarks, others were hoping to see kangaroos and koalas appear in the simulation. 

While this update is significant, Neumann said there will still always be room to improve. “It’s the real planet, and you can go infinitely deep into the planet,” he said. The company is finding layers that make sense to recreate, according to Neumann, but will later focus on the dynamic world, including wind, rain and seasons. After that, Microsoft hopes to recreate the living world, such as moving people, more living creatures and plants, which he believes will be the “hardest to do, but the most worthwhile.” 

The Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows 10/11 and Steam.