Fenix Sim took to their Discord server earlier today to announce the release of the much anticipated V2 B2 update for their rendition of the Airbus A320-200 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The developers announced the release date just 24 hours prior and shared feature previews showing off the newest changes a while back.
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Key features of the A320 V2 B2
The A320 V2 B2 update brings a host of new improvements and features including the most anticipated and highly sought IAE V2500 engines. While the team did build an external engine model from the ground up to correctly simulate the intricate functioning of these complex machines, it is not limited to the IAE model but also extends to the current CFM56 engines.
The external engine model deeply simulates every aspect of the engine’s functioning. It includes oil flow, temperatures, response to adverse external weather conditions, oil usage, etc. If you aren’t familiar with the limitations of the CFM56s or IAE 2500s, you could end up damaging them. These complex workings of the machine and its limitations were showcased by Aamir, Fenix’s lead developer, in a YouTube video just a little while ago.
The EFB in the A320 V2 B2 has also been completely revamped, and the EFB version 2 while looking almost exactly the same, is much more snappier and buttery smooth. A new application called “Failures” has also been built into the EFB and, as the name suggests, allows you to set and customize failures of the various aircraft systems. You can also change its background image, send calculated takeoff data to the CDU, and also support external keyboard input.
Fenix Sim has also extensively reworked the flight model and the handling of the aircraft in the latest A320 V2 B2 update. A result of these changes is a new feature called SDS or side-stick-dampening. The introduction of SDS aims to correctly emulate the reactivity and damping dynamics of the real-world aircraft and translate these to real hardware used for simming. By default, it is turned off as the simulation might have a significant influence on various, less-used joysticks in the hobby.
This new feature will make flying the A320 more immersive and smoother; Fenix has outlined a quick start guide and new recommended sensitivity settings for the joystick and rudder controls. Flare logic will also be different and will need some circuits to get used to.
GSX integration is now added to the aircraft out of the box and a complete guide to get it functioning smoothly is available on the FenixSim knowledge base. A PC restart after installing B2 is also recommended by the team to get things rolling hiccup-free.
More painters, better liveries
After announcing the release date yesterday, Aamir promised more features and “tidbits” regarding the newest changes coming with the A320 V2 B2. As expected, Dave, another developer of the Fenix team, shared a bunch of information regarding the liveries that will launch with V2B2.
Simmers place a lot of importance on the accuracy of different airline liveries and the nuanced complexities of every sticker, wing outlines, and cabin interiors. Fenix being Fenix, wanted to completely embrace this aspect of livery creation and realistically creating so many liveries with so much detailing would be an almost impossible task.
So the team decided to go recruiting. They put out a request for talented painters to add to their new livery creation team appropriately named ‘The Crayon Club’. Some of the names added to the ‘Club’ are Flightsim.to’s Painter of the Year, Atarium, Comet133, Enzo, Jviation, and Tavers. Each member brings something unique to the table and are exceptionally talented individuals. You can read more about this in Patrik’s article which covered this topic in better detail.
The bottom line is that as simmers, we can expect a lot more detail and quality in the liveries that launch with A320 V2 B2 and although the initial number will be low, updates to the livery roster will be made frequently. Fenix has also stated in their release notes that previously created liveries for V1 and V2 B1 will not be compatible with A320 V2 B2. Older liveries will have to be removed and new ones can be installed and updated via the Livery Manager.
Closing notes
This A320 V2 B2 update, although highly anticipated and welcomed with warm hands, was not devoid of criticism. Most of it was directed towards the near one-and-a-half-year-long development time to release the new changes, particularly the IAE V2500 engines.
But as Aamir had explained in a Reddit post not long ago, the development of the external engine model and IAE V2500s was on track while the CFM56s would take another month or so. Upon release, this essentially meant supporting two different versions of the same aircraft leading to extra headaches for the team, and the decision to delay was taken and release the entire package as one.
Without any doubt, all of those criticisms will subside as simmers get to enjoy a whole host of new features, changes, and of course the new engine variant. In case you want to catch up on all the new changes, a full changelog list has also been shared by the team. For more up-to-date flight sim-related news, announcements, updates, and more, do check out FSNews.
