MSFS 2024 Takes Ground Detail to 4,000x the Realism
To demonstrate the dramatic difference the new ground modeling makes, Asobo Studio’s CEO and co-founder, Sebastian Wloch, showed us an example of a small hill at the end of a runway in MSFS 2020. In the current version, it resembled the smooth contours of a skate ramp, something you could likely glide over without much trouble. Then he revealed the same spot in MSFS 2024. What had once been a gentle slope was now filled with jagged protrusions and uneven knobs, resembling a rough, partially exposed rock formation. In other words, attempting to roll over it in 2024 would likely cause serious damage to your aircraft.
Thanks to the enhanced detail provided by the MSFS 2024 engine, landings will need to be more deliberate. Gone are the days of casually setting down a Boeing 747 in a random field, because the improved surface modeling will introduce rougher, more realistic terrain. The ground itself will now respond dynamically. Snow, mud, and even grass will show wheel marks as you move through it, and if you attempt to land a large plane on a muddy riverbank, the results will be as messy as you’d expect.
This realism even extends to how rough terrain affects your aircraft. We caught a glimpse of a bush plane with its oversized tires coated in mud. Curious if that was just for show or an actual feature, I asked Wloch if the mud really sticks to the tires. His answer: “Oh yes.”
