Microsoft Flight Simulator is naturally associated with aircraft, airports, and the act of flying itself. Over time, however, the platform is also becoming an all-embracing digital sandbox, used for fictional scenarios, recreational activities, landscape exploration, but also education and historical interpretation. Time Machine Designs sits firmly in that latter category, with a focus that sets it apart from most third-party developers working in the MSFS ecosystem.
Rather than airports or aircraft, the UK-based studio specialises in historically informed scenery projects. Time Machine Designs is already known for Hadrian’s Wall 180AD, and its latest release, Iron Age Hillforts Vol 1: North Somerset, continues that focus by using Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 as a medium for archaeological interpretation and digital heritage.
A research-led scenery project
Iron Age Hillforts Vol 1: North Somerset is a scenery add-on for MSFS 2024 that recreates 21 Iron Age hillfort sites across North Somerset and parts of Bristol. According to the developer, each site has been interpreted using a combination of archaeological survey data, academic publications, LiDAR information, and consultation with heritage professionals. The project also benefited from guidance provided by Lee Newton, Senior Archaeologist at North Somerset Council.
Time Machine Designs says the goal was not to create exact architectural reconstructions, which would not be possible given the fragmentary nature of the archaeological record, but instead to produce credible visual interpretations that reflect how these sites may have appeared and functioned within the Iron Age landscape.
The result is a collection of three-dimensional landmarks integrated directly into the simulator’s terrain, allowing users to explore them from low-altitude flight, helicopter operations, or drone camera views.
Using MSFS as a historical landscape tool
To build this add-on, the dev team took advantage of MSFS 2024’s terrain system and lighting engine. Ramparts, ditches, and earthworks have been re-profiled based on survey data, with terrain adjustments used to restore features that have been softened or obscured in the modern landscape. In some cases, modern buildings, roads, or dense tree cover have been removed or reduced to improve historical visibility.
The developer says that vegetation and textures were selected to remain consistent with the simulator’s natural environment while still reflecting how the landscape might have looked before modern development. Structures such as roundhouses, granaries, gateways, and palisades are included to indicate domestic, agricultural, and defensive areas, without extending beyond what the available evidence can reasonably support.
Time Machine Designs admits that creative interpretation plays a role, but says it remains constrained by archaeological probability rather than speculation.
Coverage and included sites
The package includes a large range of hillfort types, from small univallate enclosures to large, complex multivallate forts positioned along ridges, coastal headlands, and inland escarpments. Notable sites featured in the add-on include:
- Dolebury Camp, one of the largest and best-preserved hillforts in Somerset
- Brent Knoll, a prominent landmark rising above the Somerset Levels
- Worlebury Camp, overlooking Weston-super-Mare and known for its extensive archaeological record
- Brean Down and Sand Point, both coastal promontory forts with strong visual relationships to the Bristol Channel
Each site is positioned at its real-world coordinates and elevation, and references are provided to the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland, allowing users to cross-check interpretations against academic records.
Exploration-focused features
To support exploration, the add-on includes a pre-made .PLN flight plan that links all 21 hillforts in a continuous circuit. The route begins near Bristol Airport (EGGD) and concludes near Weston-super-Mare (EGFJ), offering an organized way to tour the entire collection.
Time Machine Designs recommends low-altitude flying, typically between 300 and 1,200 feet above ground level, with morning or late-afternoon lighting to better reveal earthworks through shadowing. Slow aircraft and helicopters are the most suitable options to explore this scenery.
A niche, but deliberate use of the simulator
Iron Age Hillforts of north Somerset is definitely a niche release, even by MSFS standards. It does not target procedural flying, airline operations, or airport realism. Instead, it demonstrates how Microsoft Flight Simulator can be used as a platform for spatial storytelling and historical interpretation, and can seriously serve as inspiration for other developers.
Iron Age Hillforts of north Somerset is available for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. It’s currently listed on the Time Machine Designs website at £4.99, with plans to bring it to the in-sim Marketplace following the platform’s approval process.
