RealFlight version 10.10.249 is now available as a free release for all Evolution users. It adds several Blade helicopters as new stock models, ranging from a 155-size collective pitch model to an exciting scale Jet Ranger to a larger high-performance machine. It also contains some impactful graphics setting and art changes, as well as numerous other improvements and fixes.
You can fly these helis in the new update:
- Blade Fusion 550
- Blade Bell 206 Jet Ranger 235 CP
- Blade Revolution 155 CP
Combined with the Blade Revolution 235 CP from another recent update, this makes 4 new helis we have released for free this year to all RealFlight Evolution users!
We've also wanted to turn normal maps on by default for a long time. They add a lot to the appearance of vehicles and objects in the sim. Most computer hardware can handle them without issue these days, except for in virtual reality, where enabling them has an outsized impact on performance. This fact has stayed our hand, but as of this update there is a separate "Normal Maps in VR" setting. It is off by default for performance reasons, but separating the virtual reality behavior from the rest of the sim let us make regular normal maps now default to on! This should noticeably improve the appearance of the sim for the average user.
Along those lines, specular maps are now always on all the time. This further improves the appearance of vehicles and objects in the sim while eliminating the potential for art to look radically different between their on/off states. There is no expected performance impact.
Release Notes:
Features
- Added new helis:
- Blade Fusion 550
- Blade Bell 206 Jet Ranger 235 CP
- Blade Revolution 155 CP
- Added a "Normal Maps in VR" setting to independently control normals while in virtual reality (Default value: off)
- Added "NormalMapsInVR" support to the "settings" console command, allowing checking and modifying the new setting via the console
- Normal maps now default to on outside of VR
- If you have not changed your graphics quality settings from their default values, normal maps will automatically be turned on for you
- If you have changed your graphics quality settings but have not turned normal maps on, we encourage you to try (RF will not do so automatically). You can simply turn them back off if performance suffers too much on your hardware.
- Specular maps are always on (previously they were tied to the normal maps setting)
- Added support for increased reflectivity for airport object art
- Note for custom content creators: New airport object art will default to 100% reflectivity vs. the previous value of 35% that was applied to all objects. Adjust your specular maps accordingly, or you can tune the new "Reflectivity" value in the .airportobject file.
- New User Tutorial: The menu works correctly again when pausing a challenge (this broke in the last update)
- New User Tutorial: The end of airplane training lesson #5 no longer plays a brief snippet of the audio from the beginning of the lesson
- Removed "pilotName" console command
User Interface Improvements/Fixes
- Environmental setting values are only output to the console when loading a saved scenario (stock or custom)
- In the Award dialog used by the Challenge and Training systems, pressing the Enter or ESC key is equivalent to clicking the OK button
- Using an InterLink controller button to clear the Award dialog does not also close the Finished dialog behind it
- Onscreen gadgets no longer get stuck in drag mode if you release the mouse button with the cursor offscreen while moving them
- Deselecting filters in selection lists does not change the current selection unless that item becomes unavailable due to the filter change
- Load Flight Recording menu item is disabled while a recording is in progress
- For settings using slider controls, all possible values are able to be reached by clicking and dragging
- Renamed "HID Deadband" controller setting to "Deadzone"
- Pilot Nametags setting lists the correct default value
- Multi-line descriptions are left-aligned for a more natural presentation. Single-line descriptions remain center-aligned.
- Multiplayer: Added various Voice Chat and Microphone functionality to the Multiplayer Audio settings menu
- Multiplayer: Visual Aids can now be toggled from within a multiplayer session via Settings > Visual Aids
- Multiplayer: Settings menu is disabled while in a multiplayer game
- Multiplayer: Multiplayer Gadget cannot be dragged outside the edges of the main application window
- Multiplayer: Resizing the Join dialog causes the "Airport" and "Game" dropdowns in the Filters section to grow proportionally to each other, allowing the "Game" field to better accommodate the length of the text it contains
Aircraft
- Blade 150 S: Eliminated a wobble during piros while hovering in SAFE
- Hangar 9 Hawk (T-45) 140-160N Turbine: Adjusted some aerodynamic traits and relocated fuel tank component for greater real-world accuracy
- HobbyZone Carbon Cub S+ 1.3m: Updated description to remove inaccurate portion of AutoLand explanation
- Maelstrom Marauder: Updated description to list the correct switch for rotor spin-up
- ME 262: Removed some duplicate text from the aircraft description
- Increased reflectivity to improve the appearance of the following models:
- E-flite A-10 Thunderbolt II 64mm EDF
- E-flite Air Tractor 1.5m
- E-flite Beechcraft D18 1.5m
- E-flite Beechcraft RC-45J 1.5m
- E-flite Carbon-Z Cub SS 2.1m
- E-flite Carbon-Z T-28 Trojan 2.0m
- E-flite Cherokee 1.3m
- E-flite Cirrus SR22T 1.5m
- E-flite Commander mPd 1.4m
- E-flite Conscendo Evolution 1.5m
- E-flite Delta Ray One
- E-flite DRACO 2.0m
- E-flite ElectroStreak 1.1m
- E-flite Extra 300 3D 1.3m
- E-flite F-14 Tomcat Twin 40mm EDF
- E-flite Habu SS 50mm EDF
- E-flite Habu SS 70mm EDF
- E-flite Habu STS 70mm EDF
- E-flite Habu XS 80mm EDF
- E-flite Havoc Xe 80mm EDF
- E-flite Micro B-2 Spirit of America Twin 30mm EDF
- E-flite Micro Scrappy 800mm
- E-flite Mini Convergence VTOL
- E-flite Night Radian 2.0m
- E-flite UMX Eratix 3D FF 450mm (listed in 10.10.239 release incorrectly)
- SAFE+ models in Intermediate mode transition to Beginner mode behavior below a certain altitude. That altitude threshold is now set per model based on product manual specifications. Affects:
- E-flite Apprentice STS 1.5m
- E-flite Delta Ray One
- E-flite Habu STS 70mm EDF
- HobbyZone Carbon Cub S+ 1.3m
- HobbyZone Carbon Cub S 2 1.3m
- HobbyZone Carbon Cub S 2 1.3m Cleetus McFarland Special Edition
- Water Park: Fixed a minor Lifeguard Chair appearance glitch caused by incorrect normals
How to Get It
Steam has recently made a change to their client so that each time you launch RealFlight it checks for updates first. That should ensure you have the latest version without any extra action on your part. For that to work you will of course need to be online and have a current version of the Steam client.
If for some reason you find you need to trigger the RealFlight update manually, you can do so by completely restarting Steam. Right-click the Steam icon in your system tray and select Exit. Once everything closes, run Steam again, and the update should complete.