The way it looks to me, FSX is the last platform of its kind and we are not likely to get one that surpasses it - unless the kiddies get tired of Flight and want more serious simulation. Fat chance of that, as everything around is getting dumber and dumber.XP10 cannot replace FSX, because LR does not have the resources nor the professionals to build XP up to get FSX users to move over in large numbers. LR strikes me as a group of enthusiasts who need a better CEO, one that understands how a professional outfit needs to operate, how to release updates and how to determine what's important to the customers. Seeing the number of people who are unimpressed by XP10, LR missed on many marks.LM has the source to FSX, but it is the wrong company to make good use of it - for us. P3D will be developed with commercial users in mind and if they want submarines, that's what will be developed. There seems to be no rush, no milestones to meet, just a bunch of engineers and programmers passing the time at a large company. With LM, it is a certainty that we will never know anything for certain not the least of which is for how long they will continue to play with the code.So, make sure your FSX and add-ons are properly backed up, for you will be using them for a long time.

Any chance you could share that answer?

No, it is obviously a complex issue and I would rather John answered directly. Apart from telling people that what they say is nonsense and damaging to people who are doing our favorite simulator a big favor I rather stay out of the discussion (okay bit late for that...) But if you just ask at there forums (http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/) you will see that they got great folks there. You will also see a lot of well know people from the FSX scene there who are helped as much as possible.We should all stand behind LM and cheer them on, they are doing us a huge favor. P3D is a better FSX right now and it is worked on all the time.

LM has the source to FSX, but it is the wrong company to make good use of it - for us. P3D will be developed with commercial users in mind and if they want submarines, that's what will be developed. There seems to be no rush, no milestones to meet, just a bunch of engineers and programmers passing the time at a large company. With LM, it is a certainty that we will never know anything for certain not the least of which is for how long they will continue to play with the code.

As opposed to say... MIcrosoft who did not even fix the known bugs and would not support add-on developers beyond a very incomplete SDK? Let's give the developers of FLIGHT all the room to do better, I know some of them and they are just fine folks, but the history of MS with FSX was not pretty. Just as the professional users who were left with a dead platform.It sounds like you do not know the current P3D. It already IS a better FSX, it's faster, has a few more options, is far more stable in development, looks better in many conditions (water) and the user interface is just a heck of lot better. There are weeks I never start FSX only P3D.

In your opinion Mathijs, what is LM's goal?

As opposed to say... MIcrosoft who did not even fix the known bugs and would not support add-on developers beyond a very incomplete SDK?

Umm, no :)But the consortium of developers that got together in 2009 would have been much better.As for P3D, the jury still seems to be out on that one. I check in on them from time to time, but as many others here, for me, there is just not enough improvement to abandon FSX.

Wow, if you think a company like LM is going to exploit a loophole where they could potentially end up in trouble then either you dont know corporate lawyers very well or you are just being silly. I am not sure which.......

The whole point of exploiting loopholes is that it's technically legal, and lawyers know their way around stuff like this -- it's what they do -- but like I said, Microsoft might feel motivated to clamp things down, possibly with a contract renegotiation, if they perceive that the success of Flight is threatened.Still, it seems a bit cheeky of LM to say, "We can only sell to developers, but if you tell us you're a developer -- nudge nudge wink wink -- then we'll happily sell you copy."

Edited January 5, 201214 yr by Mountain Man

Hi.We'll just keep, for a long time, what we have already been doing.Each released scenery goes to our users with 3 options included, in the form of 3 independent installers: FS9, FSX and Prepar3d.They choose what to use, or use all if they want to.Of course, XP keeps been observed, as a future possibility...why not?My best regards,Carlos Pereira.www.tropicalsim.com

Edited January 5, 201214 yr by Coral Sea

But the consortium of developers that got together in 2009 would have been much better.

You mean the meeting in Amsterdam (or rather Hoofddorp)? I fully agree but it was very hard to reach agreements at that moment. One of the biggest issues was that the situation in the US and Europe was so different.

In your opinion Mathijs, what is LM's goal?

To pay as much dividend to its investors, lol.Personally I think the people behind P3D are very practical. Just as Microsoft thought in 2006 that the community made their product better and would make it sell more copies, the people behind P3D think the same. A defense partner in Germany for example would think it is better that all the German airports are well developed. Sure P3D is aimed at professional users and sure you will never find a copy of P3D at BestBuy in the discount bin for 9.95. But that does not mean they would not benefit from the efforts of a community.But again, just ask them.

I could care less who makes it... I am a "flying a plane on my computer realistically" fan, 3rd party developers have made me spoiled over the years and there is a certain way I expect to be able to fly my planes realistically now. I really don't care who makes it just as long as I can have it.

Seriously. Do you think MS can do all that needs to be done to make Flight a full geared sim by today's FSX standards? world mesh, landclass, scenery, AI traffic, ATC, top notch airliners...

To pay as much dividend to its investors, lol.Personally I think the people behind P3D are very practical. Just as Microsoft thought in 2006 that the community made their product better and would make it sell more copies, the people behind P3D think the same. A defense partner in Germany for example would think it is better that all the German airports are well developed. Sure P3D is aimed at professional users and sure you will never find a copy of P3D at BestBuy in the discount bin for 9.95. But that does not mean they would not benefit from the efforts of a community.But again, just ask them.

Fair enough.

To pay as much dividend to its investors, lol.Personally I think the people behind P3D are very practical. Just as Microsoft thought in 2006 that the community made their product better and would make it sell more copies, the people behind P3D think the same. A defense partner in Germany for example would think it is better that all the German airports are well developed. Sure P3D is aimed at professional users and sure you will never find a copy of P3D at BestBuy in the discount bin for 9.95. But that does not mean they would not benefit from the efforts of a community.But again, just ask them.

If it was not for you folks of Aerosoft, the ones of PMDG and all the third party developers FSX would have died many years ago.I would like to thank you for you efforts and please keep on pushing the trhottle for FSX, we desperately need you.

Mathijs, while your here, what is Aerosofts take on the Outerra engine for flight sim? The forum post that mentions and links to it is here: http://www.flytampa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5223

No, it is obviously a complex issue and I would rather John answered directly. Apart from telling people that what they say is nonsense and damaging to people who are doing our favorite simulator a big favor I rather stay out of the discussion (okay bit late for that...) But if you just ask at there forums (http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/) you will see that they got great folks there. You will also see a lot of well know people from the FSX scene there who are helped as much as possible.We should all stand behind LM and cheer them on, they are doing us a huge favor. P3D is a better FSX right now and it is worked on all the time.

I don't mean to intrude on Aerosoft or any 3rd party devs here, but considering that P3D won't be seen on the shelves of your local game or hobby store, can the business model for companies such as AS still work with just the hardcore simmers who've been around the block and know about P3D and what it really is. I mean if I was new to the hobby and saw P3D listed for €500 and with "Devs Only" written on the site, I wouldn't be enticed to buy it. With such a small market, and unable to advertise itself to the public to get new people into the market [from what I can gather], would it really be worth the devs efforts developing for it in the long run as the primary sim? If not the market really only lies then with producing for XPX or for AS's new sim seeing as devs need sales to continue on with their work, and MS won't offer them a proper cut with flight. Not putting P3D down, just want to make sure the devs are on side... If anything I'd like P3D to be the next big sim, particularly with these rumours of a V2 being passed around...Capt. Rónán O Cadhain, Aer Lingus.

Edited January 5, 201214 yr by Rónán O Cadhain

I'm not an expert. I just know that the license prevents LM from marketing and selling directly to consumers, but they've gotten around this restriction by selling a so-called "developer's version" directly to consumers for $10/mo. with absolutely no effort made to confirm that those paying actually are developers. As I said, if Microsoft thinks that Prepard3D is a threat to Flight then it's pretty certain they'll put the screws to LM.

True, you're not an expert. You also don't know the license.The license prevents LM from selling it as an entertainment product (game). Period.