The Facts Emerge

[signmanbob 592]

FACT: Microsoft Flight Simulator for the PC is dead.

The fact that Microsoft has given up PC flight simulation does not make PC flight simulation dead. I don't believe the future of PC simulation rests completely in Microsoft's hands. If Microsoft decided to stop making an operating system, do you think there would no longer be personal computers? Do you think if the big three all went out of business, there would be no more cars? (gosh, what am I saying, that may happen...).The real enjoyment and beauty of FSX and FS9 is more within the control of all the great payware developers than in the environment of MSFS itself. Payware developers make the beautiful aircraft, scenery and utilities that make FSX and FS9 worth spending time with. These develoopers will roll up their sleeves and pump out great add-ons for the coming years. After several years, common logic tells me that someone is going to fill any gap that Microsoft might leave and begin raking in the money that people are willing to spend on a hobby that is loved as much as golf to a golfer or hunting to a hunter.

[gman! 1]

All I have to say is if Microsoft does this whole "LIVE" thing AND makes it all arcade and one-sided and hard for 3rd partires to develop, they know NO ONE will buy it. So I think there is a chance this new version will be a SIMULATION and will build upon or create new technologies and depth. From what I have seen with the job position for modeling the whole earth for flight simulation and one of the employees at ACES is back; he says he is very happy, and I know if they were doing a whole LIVE and arcade flight simulation thing he would not be glad, and he probably wouldn't have written that blog post, because he would want to stick with what they were doing or improve on the old ideas. The employees at the new ACES studio will tell Microsoft how much this means to them and not to do some stupid LIVE or ARCADE bullcrap. (Blog: http://paul-flightsimguy.spaces.live.com/B...#33;1246.entry)...and to all the people that are speculating FS will be on Xbox. Please read this post and the rest of the thread (if you can):http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?s=&...t&p=1537935

[Guest cuizinier]

FACT: Microsoft Flight Simulator for the PC is dead. There are no plans to continue the FS series in a form that we would recognize. The wholesale dispatch of the ACES team speaks volumes to this.

Just my two cents about this one. pure speculation inside :-) The decision to lay off the ACES team might have come from the fact flight simulator releases have a very long life cycle. FS9 is still going strong almost six years after its release and FSX has a promising future even if it is already 2 years old. It seems that hardware it beginning to catch up on FSX requirement and this open new perspectives for addon developpers. Thus I am sure MS is still selling copies of FSX and if it was available FS9 would still sale few copies also. It is very likely that FSX will remains the king of the flight sim for the next few years and that a person willing to get into flight sim will buy a copy. Thus M$ will make money without paying any dev team on FS. In 3 or 4 years, the need for a new platform will come and then MS might hire a new dev team to answer the market need and revive the franchise.In short MS is not killing flight simulator but they only save the cost of having a dev team working on something that they don't need to be the market leader.cheersJulien

[LarryRF 0]

"Nowhere out there is there anything to compare in what we have enjoyed for FS, companies the likes of PMDG, Eaglesoft, Real air make amazing addons that take years and cost a lot of money to create....." Thank you for mentioning us at Team Eaglesoft.From the first announcement until now we've stayed out of the fray and hysteria and stated one simple truth regarding our on intent.We currently develop for two MS Flightsimulator versions and will continue to develop for both FS9 and FSX for as long as they remain viable or until there is no market for either.We emphasize MS Flightsimulator because we've long thought that it should be considered closer to a simulator than a game. We expect that dedicated Flightsimulator users will continue to add content to their existing MSFS Versions for years to come simply because they want to maximize their experience on current MS Flightsimulator versions.The dedicated group could care less about the gaming aspect of the franchise since their primary interest is real aviation related.If MS never revives Flightsimulator as we know it then all dedicated users and dedicated developers still has two very viable simulator versions to enjoy. :(

No thanks necessary Ron, just stating the facts :) We all need to thank you developers for giving us these works of art, for a resaonable price and for expanding the envelope of the FS series. I like to think FS will go on forever because of the dedicated freeware and payware developers out there :) Now I need to go pick up V2 of the Citation X :( ...scuze me....Larry

[dmaher 0]

These quotes are clipped from MS

[Cloud9 0]

Hi everyone,I haven't posted here since Dec 2006, I think. I left this forum and FS in general, hoping to come back one day. And now I find out that FS for the PC is dead and ACES is no more!I still have my FSX in the retail box since all my desktop computers were built in 2003. I had installed FSX once and then removed it. For me, FSX was an end to my involvement with this fun hobby. I guess we all will have to wait and see what MS actually does with the FS franchise. I'm on the fence about a subscription to use MS FS and add-ons. Will we have to purchase a console like the Xbox?Meanwhile, if I can't find employment this year, I'll be in graduate school for a few more years - maybe as a professional student. :( David

[Mace 1,927]

Hi everyone,I haven't posted here since Dec 2006, I think. I left this forum and FS in general, hoping to come back one day. And now I find out that FS for the PC is dead

How do you know that?

[ahuimanu 50]

In fact, I have always felt that MS continued the FS line because someone important at MS liked airplanes, rather than because they were making money with it. How can this business model support 100 top level programmers working full time in ACES? In the ongoing economic disaster in the U.S., MS no longer has this luxury.

I think you're right. You know, ol' Billy G might've been that "somebody."Something happened about 3-4 years ago that tipped me off that FlightSim might finally go XBOX - MS put out a Managed Interface to DirectX and it seemed promising. However, within about 18 months, they turn around and spring XNA, which is totally geared to the XBOX, and require a subscription just to deploy your own "hobby" games to the XBOX.Maybe it is a symptom of my own aging, but, frankly, I am not interested in "gaming" on an XBOX and I feel that consoles are (by design actually) a lowest-common-denomintor medium. Simple dumbed-down interface with a totally commoditized (passe once it hits the retail shelf) hardware spec and titles you pay out the wazoo for. This makes for very little flexibility and a completely controlled environment for the vendor.Of course, this is also likely a response to piracy (either directly or indirectly). Big money-making machines WILL get their pound of flesh, one way or another. My guess is that it is 1% of the total number who buy MSFS are also the types coming to a site like this. Statistically, we are NOTHING. I also think it is a generational shift.... in general, people like gagdets. But, I think the generations now coming into their 20s and 30s, just don't relate to the PC, see it as old-fashionied, and actually WANT iPhones and netbooks and all maner of low-powered, small-screen interface and mobile devices. Also, most console games are not serious and are geared towards 'action.' All of the "thinking man's" stuff will be in niche and "boutique" markets for the PC, until the PC itself is threatened.It would be a MASTERSTROKE if Apple were to acquire the rights to Flight Simulator, but I think there's a snowball's chance in hell for that one. No, MS will keep the IP on the MSFS franchise and give us either:1) A "flying game" of the console/cheeseball variety2) A subscription/locked down, take our toys without notice, monthly payment type system like Tom says here3) Both of the above, causing severe dumbing downHalf of the new team that works on the replacement "flying game" will be "game designers*" and other such trivial contributors who, despite being talented, will bring only fluff to what was once called a "simulator." All Opportunities to put effort into the serious aspects of the title will have evaporated by the time our new "flying game" comes out. *- no knock on games designers with respect to their rightful place: games. I did not buy flight simulator in the past for the "game" aspect of it. Oh well...... do you hear that? It's the Fat Lady singing...It's all well and truly over... Doesn't matter anyway, we'll all be in the bread line by this time next year and won't much care about MSFS, because we sold our PCs, at a loss, to pay some bill, fill the gas tank or eat. Like I said in another post a few weeks back, nothing is tying me to an MS operating system anymore and this (Vista) is my last MS OS.

[JasonD210 0]

I fully agree with Tom Allensworth's comprehension of this matter, and sentiment.I also agree witb ahuimanu, who mentioned that we can expect "a "flying game" of the console/cheeseball variety...a subscription/locked down, take our toys without notice, monthly payment type system like Tom says here.But the worst of all is that this will stifle creative development. We like things we can tinker with and tweak ourselves. We like freeware because we know that people who produce freeware

[JasonD210 0]

 

 

 

[JasonD210 0]

sorry I hit some button on the keyboard that screwed everything up.I was saying that people who produce freeware do so from passion, and not for commercial gain, and that's what makes it so good in my opinion. This extends to payware too.

It seems to me MS has just killed off "the vibrant third-party ecosystem that has developed around the game."

Indeed - unless a new platform emerges. This is the worst of thing about their decision. People who enjoy this hobby tend to get some creative satisfaction out of tinkering and tweaking it, hacking it and trying out different add-ons and so on. Even if MS brought out a decent replacement (which I gravely doubt), they would control it absolutely. There would be little room for individual creativity. As usual, Microsoft are trying to stitch us up. I really wish that there was a law that prevented them from hanging on to the name of "Flight SImulator".I think most of us, who are serious about this hobby, feels pretty much the same way as Tom. It doesn't feel the same to use Flight Simuator anymore - it's kind of depressing. I don't want to use it. I feel I have been too attached to it. I sincerely hope that X-plane takes on a new phase of development.