Today, Orbx released a major update to its flight tracking software for flight simulators Volanta, numbered 1.11.
One of the most requested features for the application was faster real-time tracking, and premium users get 1-second server updates with even quicker visualization on the local client, providing much smoother visualization of maneuvers.
All users will also get more frequent updates with aircraft moving on a predicted flight path multiple times per second. Those who have less powerful systems need not worry, as this is optional and can be toggled off in the options.
Speaking of performance, efficiency has been increased considerably, massively reducing the performance footprint of the application when it’s minimized.
You can see an example of the smoother tracking below.
Of course, this is not all, as there are more new features and plenty of fixes to improve the experience. Below, you can read the full patch notes from the official Discord server.
Premium Enhancements
- Real-time tracking allows premium users to track their flights with 1 second server updates when maneuvering and even quicker in the local client. Say goodbye to choppy flight paths and hello to smooth turns!
Enhancements
- Other Volanta pilots’ flights are updated more frequently and they move on a predicted flight path multiple times a second.
- Added a real-time tracking section to General settings, where quicker position and predictive updates can be turned off for lower-end systems.
- Improved map performance. Volanta will now also cease most performance-intensive activities when minimized (apart from tracking your flight, of course).
- Added handcrafted airports to the scenery filter for schedules.
- If you share multiple teams with the same users, their color on the map will now be based on which teams are pinned.
- When creating a new aircraft from the active flight page, the registration you typed in to search will be carried over.
- Reduced the number of artifacts appearing in 3D mode when on the ground or below 3000 feet. See pictures below for before / after.
Fixes
- Fixed map centering not always centering aircraft in the middle of the screen.
- Fixed top-of-descent marker not showing.
- Fixed flight following not deactivating when dragging away on the map.
- Fixed the map tilting too far down.
- Fixed empty chat messages being sent.
- Fixed VATSIM center labels being clickable even when the VATSIM coverage map layer is turned off.
- Fixed screenshots sometimes being recorded with 0,0 coordinates.
Accompanying the release, we have a statement from Software Engineer Anna Győrffy, highlighting the importance of this update
“It’s something we wanted to do for a very long time, but we just weren’t quite ready for it, and it took a lot of work to optimize both our client and servers to be able to offer this feature. The ability to follow the flight in real time is very useful, especially when taxiing at an airport, which previously had choppy lines at higher speeds because of less frequent updates.
We’re also quite excited to be able to update other pilots’ flights on the map more frequently, as well as having predictive position updates for them, so they move continuously – similarly to real-world flight tracking tools.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Volanta, it’s a flight-tracking application created by Orbx that you can download and use for free, providing plenty of features and the ability to track your flights.
Users can opt into a premium subscription, payable monthly or yearly, to unlock premium features like the 1-second tracking mentioned above.
The app is platform-agnostic, so it’s compatible with all major simulators, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, DCS World, Prepar3D, and more. It’s available on PC, iOS, and Android.
It’s also an interesting way to keep track (literally) of what’s happening in the flight simulation world. For instance, we recently saw how Volanta unveiled plenty of interesting statistics about the launch of the popular Airbus A380 by FlyByWire.