Friday, March 29, 2024

Five Things I Learned About Canada (With Flight Simulator)

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Alan Binder
Alan Binder
"Alcohol scholar. Twitter lover. Zombieaholic. Hipster-friendly coffee fanatic."

Nearly 90 POIs, 5 new airports, more realistic cities, 9 missions: Canada Microsoft Flight Simulator Renovated, marking the 11th global update of the popular flight simulator. And flying from coast to coast can teach you a lot about the land of The Tragically Hip, John Diefenbaker and Terry Fox.

Canada has beautiful hotels

Screen capture: Maxime Johnson.

Flight Simulator features many beautiful hotels in Canada, such as the Prince of Wales Hotel.

When Microsoft is preparing a global update like World Update XI launched on Thursday, the development team flight simulator You go looking for the best places to ask. “We often listen to suggestions from the community in our discussion forum, and seek advice from various travel agencies across the country,” said Jane Reynods, Senior Community Manager at flight simulatorduring the update launch event.

Other factors are also taken into account, such as the quality of the available data (accuracy of maps and satellite imagery, for example, or the presence of 3D models), and the interest of these points to the pilot in melodies (this is probably why many beacons are usually designed in these updates) .

Looking at the game’s digitized list of points of interest, it’s clear that the people Microsoft consulted about the Canadian update are very fond of hotels in the country. Chateau Frontenac, Chateau Lake Louise, Fogo Island Inn, Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara, and Prince of Wales Hotel are all included in the list.

This is more than average, when compared to the latest updates. Although it is debatable whether a private hotel deserves to be on this list, it is clear that each of these places has a majestic side, and that pilots are likely to actually visit.

Except for the Great Wolf Lodge, pictured above. This, frankly, is kind of nonsense.

The largest ax in the world is located in New Brunswick

This is the largest ax in the world, which is perhaps even more impressive when viewed from the ground.

Screen capture: Maxime Johnson.

This is the largest ax in the world, which is perhaps even more impressive when viewed from the ground.

Speaking of nonsense, did you know that the largest ax in the world is located in Canada, in Nackawic, New Brunswick, and has a height of 15 meters? not me. By reading the comments on Google, I learned that it is a nice place for a picnic. As one visitor summed it up so well, “You pass by, you take your picture and you leave.”

or equivalent flight simulatorFly over there, take a screenshot and restart the game.

The Rocky Mountains, it’s pretty badass

The Rocky Mountains deserve the virtual detour.

Screen capture: Maxime Johnson.

The Rocky Mountains deserve the virtual detour.

While it’s easy to lift your nose at a big axe, it’s hard not to be swayed by the Rockies, making us feel like we’re flying through a 1,000-piece puzzle.

“Nature parks are often well mapped, with a lot of data, so they make beautiful reproductions,” Jayne Reynods explains. This is really the case here. if you own flight simulator (or an Xbox Game Pass subscription), it’s worth venturing into.

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There are many swimming pools in Laval

My plane moments ago

Screen capture: Maxime Johnson.

My plane moments before “landing” in a swimming pool in Laval.

cards flight simulator They are generated largely automatically, from satellite images. So what we see is very close to reality in general.

Flying over Laval’s neighborhoods also allowed me to realize something: there are plenty of swimming pools in Quebec’s third largest city.

Why am I talking to you about Laval? In fact, it is one of three cities in Quebec, along with Sherbrooke and Montreal, designed using a grid of irregular triangles (TIN structure, from English irregular triangular mesh). Thus, these cities are more realistic than others, and the improvement is still significant.

The Olympic stadium has been changed in Flight Simulator.

The Olympic stadium has been changed in Flight Simulator. Screen capture: Maxime Johnson.

The Olympic stadium has been changed in Flight Simulator.

Note that among the many, however, Montreal is worth visiting above all, because many points of interest are built there, such as Habitat 67 and the Olympic Stadium, which is particularly impressive (you can even see the cables that hold the roof). Note that not all 3D models are equally successful. La Ronde, in particular, seems rather sad.

(Still) Rocher Percy is unloved

Rocher Percé is better than it was when Flight Simulator launched, but it's not 3D designed.

Screen capture: Maxime Johnson.

Rocher Percé is better than it was when Flight Simulator launched, but it’s not 3D designed.

I come from Gaspé, so I’m a bit biased. But if I had to compile a list of Canadian places to visit by plane in a flight simulator, Rocher Percy would surely be at the top of the list.

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Unfortunately, when we go there, the rock hasn’t been digitized yet. To use the words of Andre’s famous guitar, “Rocher Percy interfaces, I tell you, are not made.”

Search the discussion forum for flight simulatorI note that quite a few users have requested the Rock over the past few years, but the Borgne du Golfe Saint-Laurent (as I now intend to call it) was clearly not in high demand either.

Maybe we should build an ax 16 meters high and put it right next to it.

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