Been a bit since I wrote about X-Plane 12 but this latest update has me intrigued as the team at Laminar Research announce that the next update is focused on upgrading some scenery in the Caribbean. Interesting! Let’s have a look at that and a few other recent X-Plane 12 updates.

Upgrading the Caribbean

Version 12.1.2 is heading into open beta right now and Laminar Research are talking up some of the new features of this latest version of the sim. X-Plane now will display dynamic ship traffic with a variety of ship models being added to the sim. Reportedly, different types of ships will appear regionally representing the type of craft in that area. Cool!

Another interesting update is that the sim is adding some new scenery into the mix. Princess Juliana International Airport (TNCM), Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (TNCS), and Gustaf III Airport (TFFJ) all now have custom scenery. Check out the screenshots!

I can’t remember the last time that X-Plane added new airport scenery like this but I am loving the direction and how this all looks.

Other upgrades in this update and recently

Laminar are reporting a milestone 20,000 3D airports in the sim thanks to the X-Plane scenery gateway system. A special thanks has gone out to the community who have been adding scenery gateway elements to airports over the last several years.

Some other new features are out with four new camera tilt options (letting you tilt left, right, up and down 45 degrees). There’s also new Dual Jetway options at airports and new general library objects that include new airstairs, buses and ground power units

Several fixes have also been implemented with a fixed replay system that improves stability, an upgraded Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, rain drop windshield fixes, and minor upgrades for the Cirrus Vision SF50 and Beta ALIA VTOL.

While Laminar Research considers this a minor update to the X-Plane platform, this is one that I think is consequential in terms of offering new content and beginning to address scenery as one of the weakest parts of the presentation of the sim. Other elements of the graphical stack have made some substantial improvements over the last few updates (including 12.1.0 which was very graphics focused). Laminar do say that they are working on a next generation scenery system which I am looking forward to learning more about when they announce that.