All I can say is Flight will be good, just wait and see, dont go jumping to conclusions, I believe the name change was not because they made it into a "game" but more to signify that they have changed and are building from the ground up, Microsoft isnt stupid enough to make it a game because if we look at all the airplane games, how well did they sell?

Before telling MS Flight won't be a sim I would encourage skeptics to take a look at this yesterday's article where Microsoft describes the sim aspects and features of MS Flight, there is also a outstanding high definition picture of a hoovering Seahawk !!! Pls note also the taxi tarmac details, stunning indeed http://www.gpb.org/jayjayMark Fosseth

What would really suck, is if Microsoft gets the coding right for FLIGHT. The performance is fantastic, the graphics is great and the flight dynamics are more realistic.... but no NGX!

MS Flight will be a game. FSX was already heading in that direction even before they axed ACES and put Flight under MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS (I'm sure there is a hint there somewhere).Whether we like it or not, the PC is a niche gaming market, and MS are going to want to make $$$ out of Flight, so bet that it will be a console game as well. This may or may not mean that it is a console port to the PC, but we shall have to wait and see on that one.For serious non-FSX flight sims there is only one game in town, and I suspect it will remain that way for a long time.Best regards,Robin.

And what "game" would that be? X-plane?

I hate to break it to ya but FSX is only a game as well.

That was actually the whole entire point of his post, from the first sentence on...

Tell me, if they were NOT heading in the direction of GAME, why did FSX ship with a mode that has you flying behind the aircraft in external view, with a big green arrow in the corner of the screen and lines drawn through the sky?

I seen the broadcast of "Ten Minute Taxi" and he said that he had inside information that Microsoft Flight will be released February 2012. It will be a simulation that will be open and friendly to addon developers. All addons will be sold through the Microsoft store and will need no security within the software to protect against pirating. All developer software will be highly protected and secured by Microsoft.Default scenery should be at the standard of Orbx and the environment will provide real flight dynamics to addon aircraft. I suppose more similar to the way aircraft fly in X-Plane.

FSXman, seeing your signature picture I assume you are a MS a really excited user as well as scandinavian13 Mark Fosseth

Ha, ha, ha :( You bet! It took me a minute to figure what you were referring to. Well, I'm also a PMDG Fan-Boy and proud of it, so I need to put up several fans.

And what "game" would that be? X-plane?

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ - check it out. A-10C developed for USAF training.It kicks the arse of FSX in every respect, and runs very well (40+ FPS maxed out on detail, online with 6 other A-10s and multiple AI units, and is fluid - no stutters).Best regards,Robin.

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ - check it out. A-10C developed for USAF training.It kicks the arse of FSX in every respect, and runs very well (40+ FPS maxed out on detail, online with 6 other A-10s and multiple AI units, and is fluid - no stutters).Best regards,Robin.

Gents-If you read Robert Yunque's post above, you will learn a bit about what is currently known about FLIGHT.As to whether PMDG will/will not support FLIGHT: We will make this decision if/when a viable business model is presented by the developers of FLIGHT that provides for the growth of future developers and development. A business model that places onerous financial burden and creativity strangling restrictions on the development of future products will obviously have a negative impact on such decision making.This is unfortunately the limit of what we can say at the moment.

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ - check it out. A-10C developed for USAF training.It kicks the arse of FSX in every respect, and runs very well (40+ FPS maxed out on detail, online with 6 other A-10s and multiple AI units, and is fluid - no stutters).Best regards,Robin.

I won't disagree with you there. DCS A-10 looks amazing, and I want it.

Gents-If you read Robert Yunque's post above, you will learn a bit about what is currently known about FLIGHT.As to whether PMDG will/will not support FLIGHT: We will make this decision if/when a viable business model is presented by the developers of FLIGHT that provides for the growth of future developers and development. A business model that places onerous financial burden and creativity strangling restrictions on the development of future products will obviously have a negative impact on such decision making.This is unfortunately the limit of what we can say at the moment.

You produced aircraft for Fly!, Fly! 2, FS2004, FSX. Whether or not you choose to continue with Flight, I know you'll be back in some form. I've been with you since the 767 for Fly! and though you skipped FS2000 and FS2002, you will be back for the next one, and if not, maybe you'll contemplate the development of your own sim (which we know would be a 10).

I have to imagine Microsoft isn't so stupid as to torpedo the FS addon community. Sure, they want to perhaps have a broader audience... and they can throw in extra features that airliner sim freaks will never use without compromising the quality of the sim. They have to know that we ARE their market. I hope.

They know :(

Gents-If you read Robert Yunque's post above, you will learn a bit about what is currently known about FLIGHT.As to whether PMDG will/will not support FLIGHT: We will make this decision if/when a viable business model is presented by the developers of FLIGHT that provides for the growth of future developers and development. A business model that places onerous financial burden and creativity strangling restrictions on the development of future products will obviously have a negative impact on such decision making.This is unfortunately the limit of what we can say at the moment.

App stores are here to stay. If the SDK tools are at all improved, a cadre of developers will take up the reigns. In fact, the DLC model is alive with Kuju and their use of Steam to deliver Rail Simulator content. It seems that they've attracted some new-entry developers into that realm given the stability of Steam as a vector to the market.These App Stores will no doubt cut down on piracy, then it is a question of whether the gains due to avoided piracy outweigh the drain of collateral fees for the privilege of using the App store.Accusations of "too-gamey" notwithstanding (and I've levied these accusations myself), it is clear that MS is doubling down on the franchise and refreshing it in some ways. It could be that our beloved developers, PMDG being in highest esteem, may not adjust quickly to new market dynamics (such as App stores and publishers taking their cut), but for consumers, the single entrypoint into the market will be wonderful. No more accounts on 15 different vendor/developer sites, just a straight interface into a common market.As a customer, I look forward to this arrangement. As a hack/hobby developer, I hope on hope that the SDK tools will have matured a bit and that the entry path is easier and friendlier. With the 3rd-party "APP" being back in fad and fashion again, any SDK that lets developers get products to market rapidly is great. Development cycles are hideously out of hand as the voodoo required to bring fidelity is too cumbersome. If the tools facilitated the high-fidelity approach a bit better, the market may be invigorated.I find it hard to imagine that a high-profile developer like PMDG will avoid the new platform, I suspect it will make very important advances in performance and quality that will be too hard to resist for most simmers. In fact, if they plan on more GPU reliance, it could be that many people's systems will make Flight sing and the demand for hi-fi addons will explode for that platform. I can't help but think that executives at MS have done a hard-core market analysis of the add-on market and realize that, if people can charge $50 for addons (give and take) and that many of the hard-core spend $$$$ on those addons, this market is worth tapping. An MS-controlled store gives them an opportunity to grow that market. If the hard-core are a sliver of the market now, then doubling that to 2 slivers must be pure profit as the costs are all included upfront. Moreover, if, like RailSimulator, the content I download from the MS app store just seamlessly drops in, then that's GOLD for me.So, I hope powerful and ground-breaking legacies, like PMDG, don't sit out the party too long. Flight will very likely succeed as I suspect that they've prioritized performance. As Robert Y said, we can very likely expect the modeled world's appearance to be such a rapid leap, that "eye candy" alone will cause a mass exodus towards Flight.