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Roman Britain · 180

Hadrian's Wall 180

Fly the length of Rome's greatest frontier as it stood in 180 — every milecastle, turret and fort reconstructed from archaeological evidence across 73 miles of Northumberland landscape.

Now & Then

Now — Today © The Vindolanda Trust

Vindolanda in Microsoft Flight Simulator — 180AD reconstruction

Then — 180AD TMD reconstruction in MSFS

Vindolanda fort as it appears today from the air (left) and as reconstructed in MSFS at 180AD (right). The fort's street plan, principia, granaries and bathhouse are visible in both images.

About this Product

In a world first, exclusive to MSFS 2020, Hadrian's Wall 180 allows you to travel back 2,000 years in history to experience one of the great building projects of the Roman Empire, as it originally appeared.

Hadrian's Wall is perhaps the best known monument to the Roman conquest of Britain. At eighty Roman miles long it cuts across northern Britain from the Solway Firth to the mouth of the River Tyne — an unmistakable expression of Roman Imperial ambition, might and logistical control.

Whilst individual sites have been recreated digitally before, reconstructing the whole system and placing it in its wider landscape has not proved possible — until now. Drawing on expert advice, excavation reports, academic literature, physical and artistic reconstructions, we have rebuilt the entire Wall system as it is believed to have looked at its peak in the year 180.

What's Included

✦ 73 miles of Roman Wall, accurately following the terrain of northern England
✦ 158 turrets and 78 milecastles
✦ 18 individually modelled legionary forts plus two Romano-British villages
✦ 3 Roman bridges with corrected river courses
✦ Over 140 unique building models
✦ Over 5,000 terrain modifications, including through the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
✦ A User Guide covering the history of Hadrian's Wall and the HW180 design process

Planned updates will add almost two hundred miles of earthworks, night lighting and civilian infrastructure including the remaining villages, the Roman harbour at South Shields and the complete Roman town of Corbridge.

To find out more, download the Hadrian's Wall 180 User Guide here.

The Team Behind It

Hadrian's Wall 180 is the result of a unique collaboration between Time Machine Designs and boomsatsuma Education, designed to bring accurate reconstructions of the past to MSFS whilst creating early career opportunities for digital technology students and recent graduates.

Students and graduates from boomsatsuma worked with Time Machine Designs to develop HW180, resolving the many technical challenges presented by the project. The core team includes two recent graduates in the roles of Production and Technology Manager, two 3D modellers who graduated during the life of the project, and four undergraduates.

Using the digital twin technology that powers MSFS, we believe that Hadrian's Wall 180 represents the future of the past.

Research Sources

Bidwell, P. (2007). Roman Forts in Britain. The History Press

Bidwell, P. (2019). Hadrian's Wall at Wallsend. Arbeia Society

Breeze, D. (2006). Guidebook: Hadrian's Wall. English Heritage

Breeze, D & Dobson B. (2000). Hadrian's Wall. Penguin

Connelly, P. (1997). The Roman Fort.

Crow, J. (2012). Guidebook: Housesteads Roman Fort. English Heritage

Fields, N. (2003). Hadrian's Wall 122–410. Osprey Publishing

Hill, P. (2006). The Construction of Hadrian's Wall. The History Press

Hodgson, N. (2015). Guidebook: Roman Corbridge. English Heritage

Hodgson, N. (2016). Guidebook: Chesters Roman Fort. English Heritage

Hodgson, N. (2017). Hadrian's Wall: Archaeology and History. Crowood Press

Jones, G.B.D. (2001). Hadrian's Wall from the Air. The History Press

Sorrell, A. (1981). Reconstructing the Past. Book Club Associates

Wilmott, T. (2018). Guidebook: Birdoswald Roman Fort. English Heritage

Wooliscroft, D.J. (2001). Roman Military Signalling. Tempus

What People Are Saying

Academic Partner

"This truly is a remarkable achievement. The images are incredible. It really gives a sense of the environment, the imposition, the integrated system and culture of it all."

Dr Richard Cole — Lecturer in Digital Classics, University of Bristol

Heritage Professional

"Wow, those stills are amazing, they really put into perspective how it may have looked. Visiting the sites, even as an archaeologist, I still think it's hard to envisage that this was one, continuous, coherent structure that ran from coast to coast as a tangible dividing line."

Lee Newton — Senior Archaeologist, North Somerset Council

Academic Partner

"Congratulations, this looks amazing. Seeing the wall snaking across the landscape with all its fortifications and towers is really impressive to see."

Matthew Clark — University of Exeter

MSFS Community

"Amazing. Watching your video was my history lesson of the day. I had no clue that that wall was much more than just a wall."

Phbvq77 — MSFS Forum

MSFS Community

"I loved seeing Hadrian's Wall like that, I realised for the first time that Game of Thrones is not quite as fantastical as I thought!"

Allegra Galvin — Cultural Development Consultant

MSFS Community

"I'm looking forward to it!! It's been really amazing to read your posts over time with details on the reconstruction and how you're adapting it to the sim environment — it's going to be really fun to explore with helicopters and low & slow planes."

Vibstronium — MSFS Forum

Development Team

"This project has been an incredible learning experience for me, offering both professional growth and valuable studio experience. I am so genuinely grateful to have been part of such an amazing project — especially one that is a world first."

Hannah Maggs — Concept Artist

Development Team