How long can FSX live?

[moggel 0]

Everyone seems busy speculating whether FSXI is "to be or not to be" but, either way, it seems likely we'll have to settle with FSX or slowly move to some other alternative in the next few years. However, as has been pointed out by sereral forumists, in the best possible scenario FSXI is "to be" and we'll just have to wait longer. The question is: How long can it "be" without Microsoft? Third party studios can certainly improve the sim quite alot but there's limits; stuff that can't be changed without the actual FSX source code. What are they and what can be done to improve the sim and prolong its lifespan?I'd like to discuss what's reasonable to wish for, maybe some wort of list even, of stuff we'd all like the third party studios to prioritize in the upcoming years when they can be fairly sure their work won't become incompatible with a new FS platform.I have never journeyd into the SDK myself but, unless I'm misinformed, there's no reason to ask for such things as cloud shadows which is a real shame. My peronsonal pet peeve is the amazingly ugly rain/snow effect which seems impossibe to replace. I'm sure there's some technical reasoon ACES chose to drop the much better looking effect in FS9 but I have no idea what it could be.What else?Cheers/Jonas

[vgbaron 3,496]

If things stayed exaxtly as they are now -I figure at least 5-6 years. But by that time the hardware will have advanced enough to allow running FSX with full sliders, etc which will make it a whole new sim. Not to mention the fact that MS has stated that they are committed to the Franchise.In the best case, FSII wouldn't have been available until December 2010 at the earliest. That's *still* 2 years away. A lot can happen in two years.I look for the dust to settle and for work on FS to begin anew - possibly with contract people, maybe even the old Aces team.Personally, I'm now taking the time to really enjoy FSX.The world is not coming to an end and the sky is not falling - no matter what some of the media and doom n gloom folks say.There are too many possible and eminently probable scenarios to consider to start playing what if - even as an exercise.In actuality I think it will allow developers the freedom to actively create titles for FSX w/o worrying about compatability with FSII in 2 years. I see a lot of good things coming.As usual, Just MHO,Vic

[michal 44]

Not to mention the fact that MS has stated that they are committed to the Franchise.

They certainly did not say this. They only provided a vague statement that they are committed to "flying games" and this of course can mean lots of different things.

[Highmike 68]

To answer the question in your headline, "How long can FSX live?" I personally feel that both Microsoft and FSX (because of the drama which it now entails) are legends of fairly monumental proportions. For this reason I doubt that FSX will go the way others have gone in the past, others such as Pro Pilot or Fly! I got a lot of enjoyment out of Pro Pilot, I cut my teeth on this sim. I found that Fly! became an irritation after a while because of the difficulty I was having with my joystick at the time, but compared with FSX both these sims were fairly crude representations of flight. I reckon that FSX is such a sophisticated representation that it will be iconic, at least, for a very long time to come. In fact, I'm considering buying a couple of copies of FSX Gold now, so that I'll be able to use it sometime way into the future. And in case you think I'm nuts, or something, I should add that I've got a pretty high end rig now (a Core i7 940, with two GTX 280s), so I've seen what FSX is capable of, and believe me, it's impressive!To answer your question about what can be done to prolong the life of the sim, I suggest that, in spite of not being able to alter the source code, FSX is already a sim which works without needing repairs of any sort, and so it is one which others may build upon without having to struggle with doubts about its reliability. As has been mentioned several times on this forum, third party developers can now "go to town" perfecting a sim which is already pretty impressive. I think you'll find that FSX has a great future.As for your question of what else could be done to improve the sim, I'd like to see the terain texture resolution exploited to its full potential. I'd also like to see the modelling of some really comprehensive VCs which chips will be able to render in future.While we all feel for those who have suffered because of this diversion from prior development goals at Microsoft, we can't really complain about the future of the sim because it could become legendary in its longevity!

[Guest Nick_N]

They certainly did not say this. They only provided a vague statement that they are committed to "flying games" and this of course can mean lots of different things.

"We are committed to the Flight Simulator franchise"however I do agree that right now they are not committed to anything and what happens in the future is based on them simply waiting out the economy

[Guest christian]

It can live a very long time. Grand Prix Legends is several years old and still has a dedicated fan base. Having said that, the GPL fan base is fairly small and I would expect things to slow down massively for FSX in the next 2 years in terms of add-ons due to an also shrinking fan base. So, I'd expect FSX to be around for quite some time, but things will become progressively quieter. It doesn't really matter though as long you enjoy it.

[Geofa 108]

"We are committed to the Flight Simulator franchise"I wonder though if it won't be like the Subway/Taco Bell and likewise franchises that operate out of gas stations now.They are supported, and part of the franchise, but certainly not as feature rich.

[Guest Nick_N]

I wonder though if it won't be like the Subway/Taco Bell and likewise franchises that operate out of gas stations now.They are supported, and part of the franchise, but certainly not as feature rich.

LOL!You're a riot!You know.. lets put our faith in a Phoenix.. out of the ashes

[Geofa 108]

LOL!You're a riot!You know.. lets put our faith in a Phoenix.. out of the ashes

Pass the hot sauce...and the rolaids... :(

[Guest Nick_N]

Pass the hot sauce...and the rolaids... :(

now you're talkin.. I'll fly with you anytime. I will bring the wings.. you pick the sauce, I'm game

[Geofa 108]

now you're talkin.. I'll fly with you anytime. I will bring the wings.. you pick the sauce, I'm game

Sounds like a plan!

[bnic 0]

Sounds like a plan!

I cannot believe there are no threads tonight about Microsoft shutting down the entire Aces department and the ending of Flight Simulator after it's 28 year life... They say there may be an internet version in the future but from the sounds of it FS11 is history and Flight Simulator is done... You may like to read one of the many news articles going round... http://www.computerworld.com/action/articl...rc=news_ts_headI cannot imaging how many 3rd party FS software companies will be impacted by this dramatic ending to MSFS as well as all the employees who lost their jobs today...bnick

[michal 44]

I cannot believe there are no threads tonight about Microsoft shutting down the entire Aces

There are such threads (since Jan 22) but there may be problems with your vision or with power of your observation ... :(

[guy 24]

Read Randazzo's rather optimistic comment on the Pmdg forum:http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=241934Guy

[pasterke 4]

Read Randazzo's rather optimistic comment on the Pmdg forum:http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=241934Guy

and this :http://www.fsinsider.com/news/Pages/AMessageFromAces.aspx