“A major milestone” has been achieved by the SayIntentions.ai team, as the new utility for Microsoft Flight Simulator formally enters a new phase—the public, “paid beta” stage.
Keeping its promise of a January 15 release date, the announcement was made on the main website for SayIntentions.ai, along with all of the features it currently supports. This includes support for “Class-B, C and D airspaces, offer flight followings, radar services, traffic advisories, closed-traffic pattern work, ATIS, TRACON, ARTCC, VFR transition routes, and flight plans.”
As long as you intend to fly routes throughout the USA, you’ll be able to make use of the SayIntentions utility.
SayIntentions.ai is a new utility that seeks to totally replace the built-in ATC functionality of Microsoft Flight Simulator. With the power of GPT-4 and the team’s own “secret sauce,” its creators describe the experience as being on par with speaking to actual air traffic controllers.
Nothing is menu-based, unlike the built-in ATC functionality; by means of actual voice communication, players interface with the “hundreds” of voices of SayIntention’s virtual controllers. According to the news update, certain airports even feature custom voices, along with “unique personalities” for some controllers.
Attention to detail has been taken into consideration, with “real-world procedures and noise-abatement requirements at select airports” being integrated into the experience. Seeing that Microsoft Flight Simulator has become known for its mostly accurate rendition of scenery that allows for authentic VFR flying, SayIntentions will allow a player to be guided in using familiar landmarks, just as is the case in the real world. There’s also a Student Pilot mode that’s been designed for newcomers to learn and hone their communication skills with ATC.
As SayIntentions has now formally crossed into the beta phase, curious customers can gain access by joining the waitlist. The team stresses that this beta phase will last “for a while” and urges joining the waitlist for a chance to get patched in.
This is a paid beta, however. SayIntentions.ai is being offered at a price of $29.95 USD per month, which comes to about $295 annually. According to its creators, the cost of the software will be reinvested into maintaining the usage fees of the AI stacks that power SayIntentions. That said, the price is expected to come down over time “as the costs of these services decrease.”
For those who’d like to get a feel for SayIntentions themselves, there is a free demo area around Lake Tahoe/Reno, Nevada. But, one can only try it out by means of getting approved for the waitlist. SayIntentions.ai will continue to release news updates on its site and its Discord server.
