One of the most beloved helicopter destinations in Microsoft Flight Simulator has just made the jump to MSFS 2024. Aerosoft has released a fully native version of Offshore Landmarks: North Sea, and this time you don’t just get to land on the oil rigs, you can actually step out of your helicopter and walk on them.
The original release for MSFS 2020 happened back in November 2022, which landed just as helicopters were officially introduced to the sim with the 40th Anniversary Edition. The timing made it a favorite among rotorheads. Nearly four years later, the concept remains just as compelling, and the MSFS 2024 version takes advantage of features the original sim simply didn’t have.
The North Sea in the default sim is a big, empty stretch of blue. The real one is anything but. Aerosoft points out that by 2030, 65% of the North Sea will be an industrial zone, and that over 90% of European helicopter traffic serves the offshore industry. This package recreates that world across the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Irish Sea.
The numbers are still impressive: 388 new heliports, 196 new airports with ICAO codes, 741 ships with helidecks or winch locations, 78 NDB stations, and 72 wind park substations with helipads. Aerosoft says every object sits in its exact real-world position, with all ships placed where they actually were on January 20, 2022, at 12:00 GMT. It’s a neat approach, since it means every vessel is doing something logical, whether that’s a cargo ship waiting at a Rotterdam anchorage or a trawler heading out to its fishing grounds. Twenty named wind farms are included, from the London Array to DanTysk, alongside drilling rigs, floatels, crane vessels, and just about every type of ship you’d expect to find in Europe’s busiest waters.
What’s new in the MSFS 2024 version
For this updated version, Aerosoft says all models have been converted to the native MSFS 2024 format with the new LOD system, and objects are now visible from above 40,000 feet, so even airliner pilots crossing between Britain and the Nordics will notice the difference.
The most interesting addition, though, is support for the sim’s character mode. Platforms, ships, and tankers are now landable and walkable, so you can shut down your helicopter on a production rig, hop out, and explore on foot. Aerosoft has also added 24 animated characters that appear at different times and temperatures (they sensibly stay indoors when it rains or snows), plus a completely new crew vessel built by Rodrigo Moraes.
The Rotterdam-Rijnmond Pilotage Service heliport (EHTP) received a substantial rework as well, with new LED lighting, five helicopter parking spots for cold and dark starts, cloth-animated flags and windsocks, and a terrace with animated people. The nearby Maasvlakte area gained 36 new wind turbines, radar towers, and upgraded port infrastructure. Aerosoft also fixed a long-standing quirk, correcting the reversed wind turbine orientation in Maasvlakte, and the scenery has been adapted to the photogrammetry from City Update 14 covering Belgium and the Netherlands.
Plays nicely with your ship traffic add-ons
Aerosoft says the package integrates optimally with Vessels: Global Shipping 24 by Seafront Simulations, as well as Henrik Nielsen’s GAIST shipping add-on. That’s good news if you picked up Seafront’s rebuilt maritime package, which launched last December. Between the two, the waters of northwestern Europe should feel properly alive, with Aerosoft’s static industrial world and Seafront’s moving traffic complementing each other.
Pricing and availability
Offshore Landmarks: North Sea for MSFS 2024 is available now from the Aerosoft shop for €14.28 excluding VAT. If you already own the MSFS 2020 version, the upgrade will cost you just €5.95 including VAT.
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