Just about costs and budgets...I think it’s a really interesting topic.For games, not FS specifically, this is roughly what I saw....in a very limited wayAt least for games and companies I’m acquainted with.The design team, part of the production team, pitches to the executive producers.An accepted project get’s an initial budget to proceed to a prototype.Once there’s a prototype sales helps determine the potential and allocate further funds.If it's approved, the project proceeds underfunded to playable...likely only one level.Sales evaluate the playable to determine further funding, and provide feedback.Provided the project is accepted it’s funded to roughly alpha. (by any realistic measure)Sales pitch the alpha build to retailers to gauge interest...and help allocate further funds.If there potential it’s well funded and the scheduled is padded to make a polished game.Otherwise it crawls out the door, not quite what it should be.Production’s goal is to make a great game but also win more time, money and confidence…even if they’re not aware.Adding twelve months when you least expect it - happens all the time.The thing is budget and schedules are relatively fluid.As it’s built both cost and projected sales are constantly adjusted.If the projected sales stay high and confidence is good money is doled out.If not the project is scraped or released as a second tier game.I don’t think anyone knows what they’ll spend until the last half – even quarter.It is the same with sales.It’s such a carp shoot.TV Investor/analyst Kevin O'Leary (Dragon’s Den also Shark Tank) was asked about games….he said ‘I HATE this space’.And his specialty is software.Good advice.

Here's my effort at helping to rectify one of the biggest ways in which FSX can get broken - corruption of the dll.xml file - inspired partly by this thread and partly by one on our forum today:http://support.preci...leshooting.aspx

And here is another example where a 3rd party addon overwrites default OBX files rather than using the correct method of using an exclude and recreating the data in a new file. There is no good reason why a 3rd party addon should overwrite default scenery files (the exception is things like the autogendescriptions and terrain.cfg files).http://forum.avsim.net/topic/319639-what-do-scenery-obxxxxbgl-files-do/It doesn't matter how well FSX is written if 3rd party addons go around overwriting default files or messing with the format of files without regard for the consequences (like in Ryan's example) then you are going to have problems.

I am certainly not amazed that many of the people who are doing the MOST complaining are the ones who are endlessly tweaking with add-ons and configurations and when FSX develops problems they look up blinking and blaming the program for crashing after they were the ones messing with it. Priceless. LOL.

I was saying that too, but changed my mind:FSX is not "the worst coded game"...its game-engine is simply AGES behind new tech.The engine was sufficient decades (!) ago (yes, FS is 28 years old!!), what it needs is a total overhaul at the core level and not simply building up and expanding on the old stuff as they did with all the versions of FS.So..in all fairness we need to give them a little credit.The fact that its (kind of) open source with a SDK and anyone can code addons and tools for it does NOT make it easier either. I had some terrible addons installed which totally ****ed up my FSX. Yesterday i deinstalled TILE-PROXY just to see that it screwed up many of my sceneries after the de-install. So i had to reinstall gigabytes of addon-sceneries because tileproxy overwrote configs. HORRIBLE. You can compare this to Linux where anyone and their mama can write code...

Yep..this is what I meant.The FSX engine feels like it came from 1998, but they just updated and updated it and polished it up rather than rewriting a new core. It feels like they removed features and added features with every release and the whole system is just bugged. Because of this addons clash with eachother, with FSX, with your system or all 3.Just to sum up all the problems i've had with FSX:-NTDLL error-BEX error-UIautomationcore error-ft734.dll error (wilco)-FSX did not shut down properly (FSinn problem with FSX, etc)-Squawkbox errors (player.cpp)-Unclickable VCs (FSinn+addons)-Duplicate runways-Default aircraft bugs, no avionics-Sudden wind changes-Missing BGLs-No FSAA with Fsinn/squawkbox-etcTo this day when FSX stutters for 1 sec I shiver because it used to be a sign of crashing.Yes..some might be addon-related, but I believe it's also because the core of FSX is so outdatededit:not to forget:-Horrible performance (performance/visual wise)-Texture loading issues-FSAA issues-Secondary monitor issues-DX10 issues-Graphic corruptions-FSAA

Yep..this is what I meant.The FSX engine feels like it came from 1998, but they just updated and updated it and polished it up rather than rewriting a new core. It feels like they removed features and added features with every release and the whole system is just bugged. Because of this addons clash with eachother, with FSX, with your system or all 3.Just to sum up all the problems i've had with FSX:-NTDLL error-BEX error-UIautomationcore error-ft734.dll error (wilco)-FSX did not shut down properly (FSinn problem with FSX, etc)-Squawkbox errors (player.cpp)-Unclickable VCs (FSinn+addons)-Duplicate runways-Default aircraft bugs, no avionics-Sudden wind changes-Missing BGLs-No FSAA with Fsinn/squawkbox-etcTo this day when FSX stutters for 1 sec I shiver because it used to be a sign of crashing.Yes..some might be addon-related, but I believe it's also because the core of FSX is so outdatededit:not to forget:-Horrible performance (performance/visual wise)-Texture loading issues-FSAA issues-Secondary monitor issues-DX10 issues-Graphic corruptions-FSAA

most of this list goes away .. when you are flying with the default install (no 3rd party addons).

most of this list goes away .. when you are flying with the default install (no 3rd party addons).

Yes, which I said in my post.Again... I think it's because of the way FSX works and because of the outdated core.Also... who uses FSX without 3rd party addons?

most of this list goes away .. when you are flying with the default install (no 3rd party addons).

I've never had any of those on the list. on my system, but then I have very few add-ons except aircraft and scenery I've created myself. Admittedly, they are simple and comply with the FSX SDK.It's wrong to blame Microsoft for the failings of others.