@ZachLW: Confused by that one. Did you edit the quote? I can't find it. Talking to whom? Me?

When someone is quoted, it has their name and the time they posted the quoted material. Click the arrow beside the person's name I quoted. Yes, I edited it!

Microsoft may not realize it yet, but they just give Austin Meyer and X-Plane 10 a huge gift.

Huh?

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by ZachLW

I'd have prefered that Xplane 10 also took a similar approach-a small highly detailed geographic area for free with the promise of more soon to come for purchase, rather than a huge undetailed area of everything. I for instance pretty much never fly anywhere but the US-worldwide scenery has not much interest for me. I'd prefer highly detailed areas of the places I want to fly.I think missions are a big deal for flight training. I did one for fsx which gives the pilot a sense of what happens to a pilot when they loose an engine in a Baron at critical altitude-when they least expect it. The VA/game stuff has little appeal to me. I

Fair enough regarding the missions for flight training; however, I simply took my "MSFS for Pilots" book and recreated the training flights rather easily within X-Plane....actually far easier than within FSX simply because reloading is virtually instantaneous amoung other reasons.With regard to "whole world-v-little island of detail" the full coverage provided within XP (XP9 currently in my case) works fine and I am free to add whatever scenery enhancements I choose to make my favored flying areas more immersive. I love the open and creative XP community contrasted with the now closed shop that seems to be in Flight.....and with very few exceptions within XP I have lovely airport scenery virtually everywhere I fly thanks to the community and some very talented 3rd party payware developers (and its not expensive payware either by the way).I am really looking forward to my new gfx card I just ordered to finally start properly testing XPX. But honestly I am in no rush as XP9 looks and flies great. Why fix what ain't broke!

Geofa:Oh, there's more to it than that, though: the initial download will feature a single general aviation plane with a second unlocked when you sign into Windows Live for a grand total of two. Also, all downloadable content will be strictly regulated by Microsoft, and they will not be releasing a software development kit to end users (I don't know if they will offer one to commercial developers). Finally, it's aimed primarily at the casual user who wants to sit back and fly planes through stunt rings using his mouse. Microsoft claims that more advanced users can fly using "authentic piloting procedures", but nobody knows exactly what that means, and it's worth noting that you can use "authentic piloting procedures" in an arcade flyer like Pilot Wings, so there's no guarantees one way or the other.Don't get me wrong, Flight will probably sell a bunch of copies and make Microsoft lots of money, but anybody wanting a serious simulator will be looking elsewhere. To X-Plane 10, for example. :(

I think missions are a big deal for flight training. I did one for fsx which gives the pilot a sense of what happens to a pilot when they loose an engine in a Baron at critical altitude-when they least expect it. The VA/game stuff has little appeal to me.

I'm not sure those are the kinds of missions they're talking about. The handful of screenshots I've seen depict things like collecting floating tokens, or playing dodge 'em with hot air balloons. Some of that serious training stuff might be introduced at some point, but I have my doubts since that doesn't gel with Microsoft's stated goal of producing a fun, accessible game for the casual market. I think the marketing phrase they're using is "It doesn't have everything, but it is for everybody." Isn't that nice.

Hi,I have to disagree, I believe Prepar3D has a better shot of becoming the flight sim of the future than XP10. With numerous 3rd. party software already working with P3D and some in need of only minor adjustments, I think the jump will be toward P3D. I certainly hope it is, because I do not want to fly in a plausible world that does not represent the real world.As far as XP10 being the only sim being kept up to date, that is simply not true. P3D is being worked on and updated even today.

So more and more simmers and hardcore-developers will inevitable move to XP10. It is now the only sim that is kept up to date and utilizes modern hardware. If Laminar makes some real effort designing XP more user friendly (UI, UI, UI, UI, a small training mission, in-game-help - not dialing down complexity or flight-experience!) the change would be even faster.Anyway, good times to come for XP...

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by Mike_CFII_MEL

When someone is quoted, it has their name and the time they posted the quoted material. Click the arrow beside the person's name I quoted. Yes, I edited it!

I know that. But editing the quote itself made it look like you quoted someone else or like you would put words in someone else's mouth. And that´s what I meant with "I can't find that quote".I think that's not the way quotes should be used. Anyway. Let´s go back to flightsimming.Regards Flo

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by FloB

I'm not sure those are the kinds of missions they're talking about. The handful of screenshots I've seen depict things like collecting floating tokens, or playing dodge 'em with hot air balloons. Some of that serious training stuff might be introduced at some point, but I have my doubts since that doesn't gel with Microsoft's stated goal of producing a fun, accessible game for the casual market. I think the marketing phrase they're using is "It doesn't have everything, but it is for everybody." Isn't that nice.

MM-you are still making a lot of assumsions as it seems many are and no one will know how "serious" (which imho is in the eye of the beholder) and the scope of what Flight has to offer.My suspician is this move has been entirely made to allow Microsoft more money to pocket by controlling and taking a take or total profit of add ins. All the add ins so far have not brought them a cent. If I were them I would do the same.

I believe Prepar3D has a better shot of becoming the flight sim of the future...

Except that it's not presently intended for the average consumer.

Also flight wont support 3rd party addons at all, which really makes it total failure.http://flyawaysimulation.com/news/4317/microsoft-flight-behind-scenes-at-microsoft-studios/It will be total flop I can see.

Microsoft may not realize it yet, but they just give Austin Meyer and X-Plane 10 a huge gift.

Yes and no - the impatient flight simulation geek types like me instinctively look to other options to see what's new and exciting. I've got FSX as my daily flyer, and it satisfies my needs nicely, but I'm always looking for new new new. Then there's Prepar3D, which for less than the monthly cost of a membership to World of Warcraft or EVE Online you can get FSX on steroids and the serious simmer have their cake (a slew of past and present addons and developers) and eat it too (reportedly improved performance and ongoing core development by Lockheed Martin). Then, of course, there's XP10 which has all the plusses and minuses we've been hashing over the past month or so. On top of all that, we still don't have a good handle on what the true nature of MS Flight and its future will be.This news is only a gift to Laminar Research if they can make good on the marketing of X-Plane 10 and finish what they have started in a timely manner. If XP10 remains an unfinished product which excels in some areas but fails miserably in others, it will not put a dent in the flightsim marketplace above and beyone those who are already X-Plane fans. In my eyes, today's news about MS Flight only buys time for Laminar - it doesn't give them a free pass.C'mon, Austin - get those scenery elements finished up and into the package! Stick it where Billy Gates' sun don't shine! Git 'r done!! Git the new airport editing tool out. Git goin'! Fix the cities! Go go go! Don't let the early life cycle of MS Flight pass you by as yet another missed opportunity...Edit: Edited out a large chunk of rhetorical questions which were answered by reading info at this link, seen in pvjinflight's post above.

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by greggerm

All the add ins so far have not brought them a cent. If I were them I would do the same.

They don't deserve a cent after leaving FSX the bug-riddled, registry-invading, un-optimized, and random-file-placing steaming pile of dog-earned code after 2 "patches" and called it a day.It's the FSX third party developers that deserve every bit of credit (and money) for being able to bring us a vast variety of payware and freeware that makes it a fun place to spend time....and in some cases improving performance.MS wants a slice of the MMO pie (and microtransactions) and who can blame them. Give away the razor and sell the blades-oldest marketing concept in history but not boding well for those of us that enjoy a serious simulator.

They must deserve a cent because despite what you said about fsx it was their best selling fs title ever..

This news is only a gift to Laminar Research if they can make good on the marketing of X-Plane 10 and finish what they have started in a timely manner.

+1!

The ultimate gift may be less about the immediate influx of end users but an increased interest in present add on developers who see a future dead end in the fs franchise for them (I hope) and thus make it into the potential it shows much faster.

This is a bonanza for Laminar - will they capitalize on it ?Will they lean more towards 3rd party developers or individual users ?Or will they continue with their "you can do what you want" and chose to do what they want no matter what.THIS IS PERHAPS A MAJOR TURNING POINT IN FLIGHT SIMULATION.M$ BLINKED !

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by m_av