Cultural Clothing Reflects Countries of Origin in MSFS 2024
People are now dressed in clothing and styles that reflect their countries of origin, and they speak in their native languages. If you’re flying from the U.S. to Finland on a commercial flight, for example, you’ll hear a mix of English and Finnish spoken by passengers as you walk through the cabin.
Jörg Neumann, who previously served as a supervising producer on 2013’s Zoo Tycoon and holds a biology degree, has a particular fondness for animals. He wants to ensure they’re more realistically represented in MSFS 2024. “I wasn’t happy with how animal flights were handled in 2020,” he admitted. “It really bothered me, it was like, ‘Find the elephants!’ and the interface just showed three sad-looking elephants and a marker.”
To improve realism, Asobo is tapping into an open-source database that tracks wild species, both extinct and living, with distribution maps that show population densities over time. This allows the animals to appear in the correct locations and numbers throughout the year, factoring in migration patterns. So, where you might find wildebeests or caribou one day could change the next, depending on their seasonal movements.
Animal behavior has also been upgraded to reflect reality. If you’re flying over rural Australia in a helicopter and spot a herd of sheep, you can even herd them with your chopper, a nod to classic Australian fun. Neumann hasn’t disclosed exactly how many animal species will be featured in MSFS 2024, set for release in November, but he did promise there would be “a lot.”
