Hype Performance Group is working on one of the first helicopters for Microsoft Flight Simulator even before official support comes with the 40th-Anniversary Edition. <\/p>\n
Interestingly, the Airbus H145 and its Action Pack add-on are offered in early access, which is a rare business model for flight simulator add-ons. <\/p>\n
In order to hear more about the developer\u2019s work, Twinfinite talked with Hype Performance Group\u2019s co-founder Steve Daniels. <\/p>\n
Giuseppe: Hype Performance Group is a developer that started pretty much with Microsoft Flight Simulator. Could you explain how was the idea born and how the studio has progressed since?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels: <\/strong>Dave Amenta (HPG\u2019s lead developer) and I first connected over our mutual love of the Icon A5. I had released a performance mod for the A5 and Dave got in touch with me to collaborate. He ended up completely overhauling the avionics and adding autopilot functionality and HPG was born. We then decided that for our next project we wanted to take on the challenge of bringing a native helicopter to MFS despite there being no official support.<\/p>\n We connected with Destroyer121, and with his help and that of some other incredible developers in the community we released our freeware H135 which is the most downloaded item ever on Flightsim.to.<\/p>\n As development was wrapping up on the H135, the community made it very clear that they wanted HPG to deliver a payware level project next and from there we began development of the H145. I\u2019m so proud of the team we have in place today, Dave is brilliant and virtually any idea you throw at him he can make happen.<\/p>\n Our art team consists of Tony and GB and they both had years of professional modeling experience prior to HPG and it shows in their work (and their perfectionism). I genuinely think HPG is in a class of our own when it comes to our systems depth and visual quality and of course innovation. Obviously, we like to challenge the boundaries of what\u2019s possible within Microsoft Flight Simulator.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: One pretty unique element about your studio is that you\u2019re offering your H145 and now its Action Pack via an Early Access model. This is something other flight simulator add-on developers don\u2019t usually do. How is this working for you, and do you think there\u2019d be more room for widespread use of the model in this industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels: <\/strong> The Early Access program has been a huge success for our team, but more importantly it\u2019s improved the H145 and the H145 Action Pack experience for the community. One of the great benefits about the Early Access program is that we get feedback in real time from simmers who have already pledged their support for the project \u2013 these people are invested in seeing the H145 become the best aircraft possible and together we\u2019re making that happen. <\/p>\n I think there\u2019s enough room in this industry for developers to each have their own unique approaches to aircraft development and releases, but I don\u2019t really have an opinion on if our strategy specifically will become more widespread.<\/p>\n Giuseppe:<\/strong> You personally appear to be a gamer on top of being a flight simulation enthusiast. Does this influence you in any way on how you approach creating add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels: <\/strong>Absolutely, everyone on our team has gamed to some extent and the impact this has on our approach to development is that we want simmers to get in our aircraft, be impressed by the visual fidelity and system depth, and once they\u2019re in the air have an experience that is just as exciting and satisfying as gamers get from their favorite titles. <\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just enough for us to develop a beautiful aircraft, we wanted the sim pilots to be rewarded by being able to learn all the depth of the available systems and now with the Action Pack, be able to complete real activities and missions within the sim as well.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: Yours is one of the first helicopters that have been made available for Microsoft Flight Simulator. What are the challenges of releasing an aircraft based on principles that aren\u2019t officially supported yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels: <\/strong>Developing for MSFS is always a challenge as you\u2019re developing for a platform that is always evolving (for the better, for the record), but developing an aircraft that doesn\u2019t have a supported flight model was a huge undertaking. <\/p>\n This is again where the H145 Early Access and the freeware H135 projects benefited our team, we established many contacts with real-world helicopter pilots, mechanics, and other professionals that have helped us do justice to these incredible aircraft.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: With helicopters being officially supported with the 40th-Anniversary Edition in November, do you expect revisiting the H145\u2019s implementation to adopt the systems that will be made available natively?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> Yes. Currently our plans are to continue our development of the H145 and Action Pack as planned and once the native helicopter flight SDK is available to developers our team will identify if there\u2019s any opportunity to improve our own work with these new native systems.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: As a third-party developer, what do you think about the support provided by Microsoft and Asobo to third parties? Are there any advice you would provide to them on this to make things easier for everyone?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> As we have not yet released a product on the marketplace, I don\u2019t feel it\u2019s appropriate for me to speak on Asobo and Microsoft\u2019s relationship with third parties.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: As a relatively new studio that started with MSFS, did you find it difficult to approach the community and market your product in an industry that was very established, or perhaps the fact that this is a new simulator helped?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> Prior to forming HPG with Dave, I had spent time being a content creator, so I had done work with other flight simulator developers and has a good understanding of the typical marketing cycles in this industry. <\/p>\n While this is a very established industry, I think the audience is always willing to give their attention to an aircraft that shows it\u2019s been developed by a team that truly wants their products to be among the best available.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: Pricing, in general, is a bit all over the place in Microsoft Flight Simulator, with some developers still selling add-ons at higher prices, and some selling them for very affordable prices. You\u2019re positioned more or less in the middle, I\u2019d say. Was it challenging to find the appropriate pricing for your add-ons?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> We want to make our aircraft accessible to as many simmers as possible, but pricing has to be balanced against making sure the company is profitable enough to remain in business and continue to develop high-quality aircraft.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: While work on the H145 and Action Pack isn\u2019t finished, are you floating any idea for possible new projects to create in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> Our team has a pretty long list of aircraft we\u2019d like to see brought to the sim, and we\u2019d love to be the development team behind many of them.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: Is there any hint you can provide, or they\u2019re top-secret for now?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> We\u2019re not yet ready to announce what we will work on after the H145 and Action Pack are completed. The best hint I can provide is that as usual, we\u2019re always listening to community feedback.<\/p>\n Giuseppe: I had to try. Is there anything you\u2019d like to add about your products that our readers may want to know?<\/strong><\/p>\n Steve Daniels:<\/strong> We\u2019d love your readers first to know that we appreciate all of their support! Whether it be through supporting us with a purchase of our aircraft or through being a friend to our team in the community [Editor\u2019s Note: HPG\u2019s Discord Server can be found here]. <\/p>\n Aside from that, I want the community to know that the H145 is more than just an aircraft at this point, we\u2019ve built an entire platform around allowing users to enjoy missions like HEMS rescues and firefighting inside the sim using generated missions or by using our editor to create their own missions, some of which are even multiplayer-compatible.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to learn more about Microsoft Flight Simulator, you can check out our\u00a0brand new interview with head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann about the 40th Anniversary Edition, the world update, and more.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious about Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, you can enjoy our recent reviews of\u00a0Anchorage International Airport,\u00a0Fenix\u2019s Airbus A320,\u00a0West Virginia International Yeager Airport,\u00a0Kansai International Airport,\u00a0Toronto Pearson Airport,\u00a0the Twin Otter,\u00a0Auckland International Airport,\u00a0Skiathos Airport,\u00a0Athens International Airport,\u00a0Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport,\u00a0Amami Airport,\u00a0Bristol Airport,\u00a0Marrakech Menara Airport,\u00a0Great Britain Central,\u00a0Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport,\u00a0Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport,\u00a0Shanghai Pudong Airport,\u00a0Krak\u00f3w Airport,\u00a0Fukuoka City & Airport,\u00a0Fort Lauderdale Airport,\u00a0Chongqing City & Airport,\u00a0Manila Airport,\u00a0Santiago Airport, the\u00a0Frankfurt City Pack,\u00a0Key West Airport,\u00a0the Okavango Delta,\u00a0Bali Airport,\u00a0London Oxford Airport,\u00a0Berlin Brandenburg Airport, the\u00a0CRJ 550\/700, the\u00a0PA-28R Arrow III,\u00a0Kristiansand Airport,\u00a0Macau City & Airport,\u00a0Bonaire Flamingo Airport,\u00a0Milano Linate Airport, the\u00a0Singapore City Pack,\u00a0Tokyo Narita Airport,\u00a0Yao Airport,\u00a0the F-15 Eagle, the\u00a0Paris City Pack,\u00a0Greater Moncton Airport,\u00a0Tweed New Haven Airport,\u00a0Santorini Airport,\u00a0Sydney Airport,\u00a0Helsinki-Vantaa Airport,\u00a0Reggio Calabria Airport,\u00a0Bastia Poretta Airport,\u00a0Munich Airport,\u00a0Paris Orly Airport,\u00a0Newcastle International Airport,\u00a0Sankt Johann Airfield,\u00a0Dublin International Airport, and\u00a0Seoul City Wow.<\/p>\n We also recently\u00a0published a review of the Thrustmaster TCA Yoke Pack Boeing Edition, which is a great controller for Microsoft Flight Simulator.<\/p>\n If you want to learn more about the game itself,\u00a0you can read our review\u00a0which will tell you everything you need to know about Asobo Studio\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/twinfinite.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-Airbus-H145-Interview-4.jpg\")
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