the idea of patch vs core engine

[Guest]

The expression of this new version being a patch makes me sick. I love FS2002 with a few small problems. Almost 95% of them are being covered as improved for the next version so I read. Ever since I've been simming starting with 98 its been a whole new sim when it comes to engine and visuals. I'm very happy with 2002 looking at it as a main engine. They don't need to re-create the wheel to me just improve it. I look forward to the day that its all about add-ons and not a new releases because the main engine of FS only gets revampt every 4 or more years.However at some point theres going to be a point where as real as it gets means just that. They made leaps and bounds from prior version to now but with every release it keeps getting closer and closer to the real thing. I'm sure marketing is also a major factor. They will always need to leave room for more or else they have just shut off a money supply. The closer it gets to real the less they have to add/change/improve to warrant a new version. Imagine all the great add-ons or programs that you run in the background and have them hardcoded into FS. Add that to all the things that would make it the best sim ever and then ask yourself why should there be a next version...you have everything you want?! For the na sayers that say I'll just wait til FS10...do you really think its going a major leap? You have ai, real weather, atc, and auto gen. I think its more of improved from here on out than added or new.MHOKilstorm

[LAdamson 240]

>The expression of this new version being a patch makes me >sick. FWIW---- Same here!!Instead of complaining that new 3rd party add-ons are half the price of MSFS................. how aboutFS2004 with two years of additional programming, is only twice the price of an add-on!! :)L.Adamson

[Chris Willis 8]

Hi, "Instead of complaining that new 3rd party add-ons are half the price of MSFS................. how about, FS2004 with two years of additional programming, is only twice the price of an add-on!!"Very well said and even with some "3rd party commercial" that's should be freeware. Trowing money here and here you get a new version of Msfs.ThanksChris Willis[link:fsw.simflight.com/FSWMenuFsSim.html]Clouds And Addons For MsFs

[gosta 0]

Too true!Is my memory playing up, or was it not so long ago that there were lots of threads on this forum with 'wish lists' for FS2004, at the top of all of them being improved AI and weather, and compatibility with existing add-ons?I may have missed something somewhere along the line, but I'd say the MS announcement looks remarkably similar to those wish lists...Cheers,Gosta.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[spotlope 0]

Yep, there were quite a few threads like that (I know, it was a rhetorical question ;-)). You just have to let some people vent. I'm not sure what they've got to get so hot and bothered about, but I for one am very pleased with the announcement, especially the fact that they aren't touting a "whole new engine" for FS2004...er, CoF... er, whatever. Anyone who has suffered through CFS3 probably has some sort of Pavlovian reaction to the phrase "all new engine"... and it isn't drooling! :-erks The funny thing is to watch the heavy-iron junkies trashing the new version because the new planes are all a bunch of antiques with... gasp... no FMCs! I say give me anything with a radial engine -- preferably one that leaks like a sieve and sounds like the earth itself is being torn apart, and I'll happily fly forever!

[gosta 0]

I definitely like the fact that there's no new engine - it means that most add-ons are likely to work with only minor patches, none of that 'patch-frenzy' we saw when FS2002 came out (with a lot of them still not working properly). And I agree, from MS's point of view, the old planes make a lot of sense - with old-style gauges they're much easier to program than a complex fly-by-wire system for a jet that will probably be only flown by a minority of users (remember that most FS users don't visit sites like Avsim and fly the sim out of the box). And if done properly, they should be quite fun to fly. And as far as the big iron goes, there's always PSS etc...Cheers,Gosta.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Guest]

"And as far as the big iron goes, there's always PSS etc..."Indeed, all of which will also work in this new version, according to the press release.What else do we want? We are BURIED in great add-ons of modern airliners, all of which will work in FS CoF and all of which won't be beaten in quality by MS stock planes.Thus MS concentrates on planes which area) rare as add-ons (exacty HOW many Wright flyers do we have available? Vegas, anyone?).:( easy to model (The Spirit of St Louis and all its systems is way easier to model then a modern FMC fly-by-wire airbus with all its bells and whistles).c) easy to learn (flying a Piper Cub around requires less manual digging and practising then managing a 747).I can't see anything wrong in this selection of aircraft, not from a development POV (easy to model), not from a marketing POV (easy to learn for those new to the sim) and not from my, jet-craving POV (I already have all I want if DF737, PIC767, PSS Airbus and the like work in FS CoF).Regards,Robert

[Guest]

My biggest question is are these classics going to be part of AI?! God I hope not. Imagine, "American 2312 heavy, your cleared to land number two behind a wright flyer on base"!!! It would be nice to get a feel for what they might have or (hopefully) add to AI. Never expected the piper, Dash, and MD80. Hopefully we could get a regional, a commuter, and the Helo to be added to the AI pool. I never used Project AI but plan to with the new release. New features that are not mentioned that I have my fingers crossed for a transponder that has a on/stby/alt/off swtich that works, bring back the static on the radio like 2000 had with the atis, for once get the green/white beacons at airports just to be a stobe like the rabit and turn down the VASI and rabit lights and turn up the city lights, pilot controlled lighting by using the ~ key as keying the mic, ai traffic to do touch and go's, palm trees in tropical regions, factories to have chimney smoke, the ability to load the plane with pax weight which changes the flight characteristic and print out a weight and balance, when filing a flight plan you can print out the FAA style of flight plan along with current way, ability to include gates or terminals with your flight plan for departing and arriving, when on unicom you have the option of ordering fuel and requesting a follow me car for ga parking, and finally tone down the range (or alt closeness and nothing from 4 to 8 o'clock) on report traffic in sight. But as long as the weather has improved to the likeings of Chris Willis and Damain then I will be happy, ATC to now provide holds and seperation to land at multipule runways, and AI to be more I than A...then I will be extremely happy.Kilstorm Almost forgot: add Southwest to the airline ID voice list!

[Guest]

Hi all,Here are my 2 cents for what they are worth.I've seen those posts where people start to look at it as a patch from MS, here is another view of it.If any of the third party payware companies would announce that they will release the following add-ons:Dynamic weather system based on realistic atmospheric physics for only $9.95Enhanced interactive air traffic control (ATC) for only $5.95Interactive 3D

[Geofa 108]

"Ditto" in every respect. I remember with the early version of Fs when they came out with 5.25 floppy disk add ins of several US states. For about $50 I was able to get a single black line that represented every airport in my state (and only 1 or two surrounding ones if I recall) to add to the basic fs program-to do the whole country with black lined airports cost about $250. I was thrilled at the time to have the increase in reality-it was not a "patch" but an improvement. I didn't see anyone at that time complain that the airports should have been included in the original program.When I look at what this sim offers right now for about $50 it is frankly amazing to me some of the petty complaints one sees.Many are catch 22 arguments-e.g. I am not going to pay for fs2002 only with only improvememts=I have already bought a lot of addins-if they don't work I am not gong to buy it. I want more visuals, more effects, taxiways sings etc.=it better run fine on my PII 800. and so on....It has been a "patch" from fs1 on-----but patch is a poor choice of words. How about an ongoing, always improving, increasing in reality, moving forward sim. Thank god for that! Considering the lost revenue MS (and yes they are a business-not a charity to keep all of us simmers happy) could have made by just issuing extra "patches"-e.g. airports, instrument approaches, flight dynamics-all seperately packaged, I consider that Microsoft is pretty generous releasing a new sim with major improvements in all these areas every couple of years for about $50. They certainly could have just left the sim alone with any version and then issued a nickle and dime add on every couple months that would add to it-or worse just stopped making it.Add up what a typical user has spent in addins in a 2 year period-v.s. an upgrade to a core sim which improves every time in these very areas + the amount of time you use it vs. other games/simulations and divide by $50.There are not that many true bargains in life-but this sure is one.http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

[Guest]

Well said.Kil~

[Guest]

I totally agree.