We are very pleased to announce the release of our DirectX 11 update for RealFlight Evolution. If you were previously affected by DirectX 9 compatibility issues, be sure to try again after updating to version 10.10.074. We expect this version to correct these issues for you.
Version 10.10.074 also adds support for our latest DLC release, Quarterly Content Pack 4.
The move to DirectX 11 is a tremendous step forward for RealFlight from an underlying technology standpoint. DirectX 9 was a very stable platform that served us well for many years, but we’ve reached a point where we can’t depend on it any longer. Basing RealFlight’s rendering on DX11 now will leave us in a far better position today, and it unlocks more options for improvement going forward.
This is first and foremost a stability and compatibility upgrade. With AMD casually breaking DX9 support off and on in their recent drivers and Intel dropping it altogether for newer versions of their on-chip graphics, we needed to update RealFlight to keep it running on all the latest hardware. This upgrade accomplishes that.
Things will generally look the same. We targeted the appearance of the current DX9 graphics so we could easily check our work during development and keep the focus on releasing this upgrade to our users as soon as possible.
Huge thanks to everyone who helped test during the public beta period for this update! This release benefited tremendously from your feedback. We will continue improving it. Please continue reporting your results.
Full DirectX 11 support – RealFlight now runs on DirectX 11! This will help a lot of people who could not run the software due to DirectX 9 compatibility issues.
Quarterly Content Pack 4 – The QCP4 aircraft and airport are supported in this version. See the full announcement for details.
Fullscreen mode – We reworked this. See “Additional fullscreen mode notes” below for more details.
New airplane – The HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm is now available as a stock aircraft.
Ambient sounds – Experience greater immersion as airports are brought to life through environmental sound effects.
Screenshots – RealFlight now uses Steam’s built-in screenshot functionality. The same Tab key shortcut will invoke it.
Spektrum SLT6 – RealFlight detects the new SLT6 radio connected via its USB port and automatically selects the new “Spektrum SLT6 (Wired USB)” controller profile.
Aircraft art – Lots of aircraft received art updates. In many cases the nature of the changes results in subtle differences, though in some instances the improvement is more substantial.
Additional fullscreen mode notes:
How to Get It
Steam will detect the new version and automatically update RealFlight when it thinks your computer is not very busy. You can trigger the update manually if desired 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.
Version 10.10.074 also adds support for our latest DLC release, Quarterly Content Pack 4.
The move to DirectX 11 is a tremendous step forward for RealFlight from an underlying technology standpoint. DirectX 9 was a very stable platform that served us well for many years, but we’ve reached a point where we can’t depend on it any longer. Basing RealFlight’s rendering on DX11 now will leave us in a far better position today, and it unlocks more options for improvement going forward.
This is first and foremost a stability and compatibility upgrade. With AMD casually breaking DX9 support off and on in their recent drivers and Intel dropping it altogether for newer versions of their on-chip graphics, we needed to update RealFlight to keep it running on all the latest hardware. This upgrade accomplishes that.
Things will generally look the same. We targeted the appearance of the current DX9 graphics so we could easily check our work during development and keep the focus on releasing this upgrade to our users as soon as possible.
Huge thanks to everyone who helped test during the public beta period for this update! This release benefited tremendously from your feedback. We will continue improving it. Please continue reporting your results.
Release Notes:
More detailed notes may come later. A number of other fixes and improvements went into this version during its lengthy development. In the meantime, here are some highlights to look for.Full DirectX 11 support – RealFlight now runs on DirectX 11! This will help a lot of people who could not run the software due to DirectX 9 compatibility issues.
Quarterly Content Pack 4 – The QCP4 aircraft and airport are supported in this version. See the full announcement for details.
Fullscreen mode – We reworked this. See “Additional fullscreen mode notes” below for more details.
New airplane – The HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm is now available as a stock aircraft.
Ambient sounds – Experience greater immersion as airports are brought to life through environmental sound effects.
Screenshots – RealFlight now uses Steam’s built-in screenshot functionality. The same Tab key shortcut will invoke it.
Spektrum SLT6 – RealFlight detects the new SLT6 radio connected via its USB port and automatically selects the new “Spektrum SLT6 (Wired USB)” controller profile.
Aircraft art – Lots of aircraft received art updates. In many cases the nature of the changes results in subtle differences, though in some instances the improvement is more substantial.
Additional fullscreen mode notes:
- RealFlight always renders at your current display resolution, using the entire screen
- Switching between RealFlight and other applications, or accessing MFC menus and dialogs within RF, is quick and no longer causes lots of flickering
- Fullscreen mode no longer changes the Windows display resolution, which affected the entire system and had some negative effects
- The option to select a specific resolution is currently removed
- Planned for a future update: Option to tune the rendering resolution. This should afford greater control over the balance between performance and appearance.
How to Get It
Steam will detect the new version and automatically update RealFlight when it thinks your computer is not very busy. You can trigger the update manually if desired 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.
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