WORLD TRADE CENTER
Here we are to live the experience of visiting the World Trade Center in Microsoft Flight Simulator, in different weather and time settings, something unique in the history of games, as it is the first WTC with exterior and interior views in a modern game. The World Trade Center has been an iconic landmark in New York City since its opening in 1973. The complex consisted of 7 buildings, the best known being the Twin Towers, 417m high (One World Trade Center) and 415m high ( Two World Trade Center), were the tallest buildings in the world for decades. On a typical day, around 50,000 people worked in the towers, with another 200,000 people visiting. The complex was so large that it had its own zip code, 10048. The towers are offered with spectacular views from the Lobby on the both towers, Observation Deck (located at the top of the South Tower) and the Windows on the World restaurant and a office (located at the top of the North Tower).
The World Trade Center Twin Towers for Microsoft Flight Simulator was designed to look stunning, mostly in VR, seen inside and out to transport us to another time in New York history.
But unfortunately it was not possible to include more details in the in-game version, such as the PATH station, the Sky lobby 44th and 78th elevator terminals and a full version of the Observation Deck and Windows of The World. Instead, I've added limited versions of these latter locations, so as not to have too much of an impact on the frame rate during the simulation.
During the simulation, a delay of up to 1 minute is expected for displaying the interiors - the transition time between long distance and short distance LOD can be long depending on the device performance.
It is also important to say about the Lobby lighting in both towers. The point light system in MSFS insistently includes a shadow point on every light point, in some direction.
This causes dark spots in any large indoor environment where multiple light positions need to be added.
Finally, the block and streets around the Twins were recreated and re-imagined according to current MSFS photogrammetry, with construction markings and other details needed to be added to make the scenery transition subtle, but not in all situations. , some of them being impossible to do anything relevant to dealing with photogrammetry.
