PMDG's Position on the Future of Flight Simulator

[CapnOz 112]

I'm sure we'll have a statement when the time is right guys - as of right now we don't.Just to shoot down a likely rumor though that could start up - we are not actively developing anything for Flight. I don't want people getting the idea that we are in secret or anything. We're making a 777 for FSX, that's the next project. (along with the secret one, which also does not involve Flight, both are FSX)

- No Dash ?

[skylane182 12]

Thanks PMDG Team for staying with FSX! Very good news! I really sure MS Flight will be an acarde game, so not the platform for PMDG ;)

[Leoneomatrix 0]

It's funny how life is, FSX was BIG VILLAIN in the beginning now it seems its becoming the BIG HERO..lololol

[TheDanger 182]

It's funny how life is, FSX was BIG VILLAIN in the beginning now it seems its becoming the BIG HERO..lololol

Sometimes in life the villain doesn't seem quite so bad when you get to know him/her and when compared to someone who is ten times as bad

[Paul_Smith 92]

I suspect this is shapeing up to be even worse then the FS9 vs FSX debates when FSX was starting up. Black is white and day is night! No 3rd party development at all or all the 3rd party development you can imagine with an iTunes style business and distribution model - chose whichever 'facts' best fit your bias and keep repeating them until they become your truth. Oh, and don't forget to make references to fraud, second world war dictators, the Hindenburg diaster etc.And people wonder why MS are not being 'loyal' to their hardcore fans. I must admit, it is one area of our hobby that really embarrasses.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Paul_Smith

[gweilo8888 1]

I'm sure we'll have a statement when the time is right guys - as of right now we don't.Just to shoot down a likely rumor though that could start up - we are not actively developing anything for Flight. I don't want people getting the idea that we are in secret or anything. We're making a 777 for FSX, that's the next project. (along with the secret one, which also does not involve Flight, both are FSX)

Frankly, I am glad to hear you're not actively developing anything for Flight. As of the current time, it appears to be a dead-end.What I'd hope, though, is that you're preparing for another future, because I'm sure that as soon as Flight's available, Microsoft will stop shipping FSX in an attempt to prevent it competing with Flight. At that point, we'll have a shrinking community, and you'll have a shrinking audience for your products.What I'd hope to hear is not that you've been strongarmed by Microsoft into living with bad terms to develop for what appears to be a bad product, but rather that you're working on moving to another competing platform that offers what Flight Simulator once did.Be that X-Plane, Prepar3D, or something else altogether, I want to see PMDG show the way towards a new future for our community, where you can feel free to develop products of the same quality for which you've become known, on your own terms. (But if it's Prepar3D, please don't take that step unless they make it official that they support the general public using their product, rather than simply turning a blind eye to it -- that's my biggest problem right now with them.)

[Sekstifire 10]

They are not allowed to sell prepar3d to the general public ... they are only allowed to sell it as a training tool. I can see that being a huge problem for a commercial addon developer like PMDG. I wouldnt want to invest resources into a sim that cannot be legally sold to the masses.

[jturie 0]

I don't think Prepar3D will ever be popular enough to make it worthwhile financially for PMDG to spend the resources necessary to recreate great software that already exists on a reasonable, non-fee based alternative like MSFS. IMHO, if PMDG ever decided to develop for another platform, they would probably choose FS9 due to the number of active users out there. It's not about the capabilities of the sim, it's the potential of making a profit. They've been pretty clear about FSX being THE choice going forward.

Edited January 5, 2012 by jturie

[dazz 69]

I suspect this is shapeing up to be even worse then the FS9 vs FSX debates when FSX was starting up. Black is white and day is night! No 3rd party development at all or all the 3rd party development you can imagine with an iTunes style business and distribution model - chose whichever 'facts' best fit your bias and keep repeating them until they become your truth. Oh, and don't forget to make references to fraud, second world war dictators, the Hindenburg diaster etc.And people wonder why MS are not being 'loyal' to their hardcore fans. I must admit, it is one area of our hobby that really embarrasses.

I admire you willingness to remain optimistic. Unfortutately I think it's safe to assume Flight was never disigned to be a full simulationWithout an SDK it will never be even close to what FSX is now. MS simply can't do it. And if they never inteded to, why would they build an engine capable of it?It probably doesn't even allow for proper A/C simulation, AI traffic, complex ATC...Ckeck this out. Look at the options

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZVgUuDY1UjM

"Propeller effects - reduces the aerodynamic and rotation side effects of a spinning propeller"you know there's no serious simulation there when they can't even mention torque

[WickedClown 0]

I would like to say:After Microsoft fired the whole ACE team everything has become a incredible disaster. I beat with just a bit more time just a little more power FSX could have become a very enjoyable more bugfree platform like it is now. Microsoft is trying to place a new product on the market. But it´s far away from good and they will never have the same again like they had with FSX or F9. Why? Because ACE had 25 years of experience in Flight Simulator work. They have fired a whole era of experience. And now they are placing their ###### skilled Developers onto a Game which requieres the probably most advanced code in history of Microsoft Flight Simulator games to beat Lockhead or X-Plane. But instead of giving people what they want they are just for profit and thats why Microsoft fail. Just because it holds the "Microsoft" in the title doesnt mean you can compare this one to the complexity of FS9 or FSX. It will be Microsofts biggest fail in history. I hope they never gonna develope any Flight Simulator again. X-Plane 10 beats Microsoft Flight by miles.Enought said i think

[SKEWR 364]

I suspect this is shapeing up to be even worse then the FS9 vs FSX debates when FSX was starting up. Black is white and day is night! No 3rd party development at all or all the 3rd party development you can imagine with an iTunes style business and distribution model - chose whichever 'facts' best fit your bias and keep repeating them until they become your truth. Oh, and don't forget to make references to fraud, second world war dictators, the Hindenburg diaster etc.And people wonder why MS are not being 'loyal' to their hardcore fans. I must admit, it is one area of our hobby that really embarrasses.

I think what's even more embarassing are posters who try to hide behind hyperbole while demeaning other posters. Sadly these forums are rife with this behavior.I'll agree to an extent with the implied point of "no one knows for sure". Perhaps I misinterpreted what ORBX and Aerosoft were trying to say, but at this moment in time, it's not looking good for the "hardcore".As for "loyalty" between a consumer and a company? It is simply defined by profitability. Edit:The video below was posted in the Flight forums. I wasn't happy to see achievemens, but it is intersting to see some nav points on the GPS... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVgUuDY1UjM&feature=player_embedded#! Edited January 5, 2012 by SKEWR

[Rossini 2]

Helllooouuu ?!....Ever heard of FSX ? :smile:I don't quite understand why there is such a dire need all of a sudden for statements from devs which platforms they plan to work on and the sudden urge of having to decide beteween XP10, Prepar3D, Flight or whatnot...Last time i checked my sim installation of choice (did i mention it's called FSX ?) didn't disappear or has changed in any way between January 3rd and 4th.A platform that, in my opinion, really only started to shine (please don't mistake with peak) in 2011, with hardware you can run it on becoming mainstream and the release of a marvel called NGX only 4 months ago.The same NGX that bedazzled many of us so much, because after having already been given a great 747, MD-11 and J41 the bar was all of a sudden, once more, set so much higher with it showing us what potential this platform still has to offer...did i mention it happened only 4 months ago ?The same NGX a whole platform around the platform was constructed for to mark a beginning, not the end (check a sticky called "Thank You" on top of this board).So if you ask me, i feel quite comfortable right now (and maybe some devs do too), almost a win-win situation, because the only news January 4th 2012 brought me was the realization that there is a lot going on platformwise out there, meeting all kind of requirements, needs, ages and purses, while reassuring me that my/our hobby is far from dead. Therefore i'm just going to engage the autopilot and lean back right now, enjoy my current platform to its full potential with what i have and the things to come and follow where this trip will lead me to.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Rossini

[Joel 10]

Helllooouuu ?!....Ever heard of FSX ? :smile:I don't quite understand why there is such a dire need all of a sudden for statements from devs which platforms they plan to work on and the sudden urge of having to decide beteween XP10, Prepar3D, Flight or whatnot...Last time i checked my sim installation of choice (did i mention it's called FSX ?) didn't disappear or has changed in any way between January 3rd and 4th.A platform that, in my opinion, really only started to shine (please don't mistake with peak) in 2011, with hardware you can run it on becoming mainstream and the release of a marvel called NGX only 4 months ago.The same NGX that bedazzled many of us so much, because after having already been given a great 747, MD-11 and J41 the bar was all of a sudden, once more, set so much higher with it showing us what potential this platform still has to offer...did i mention it happened only 4 months ago ?The same NGX a whole platform around the platform was constructed for to mark a beginning, not the end (check a sticky called "Thank You" on top of this board).So if you ask me, i feel quite comfortable right now (and maybe some devs do too), almost a win-win situation, because the only news January 4th 2012 brought me was the realization that there is a lot going on platformwise out there, meeting all kind of requirements, needs, ages and purses, while reassuring me that my/our hobby is far from dead. Therefore i'm just going to engage the autopilot and lean back right now, enjoy my current platform to its full potential with what i have and the things to come and follow where this trip will lead me to.

I think that it's a perfect time for devs to talk about the future of FS now that their NDAs with Flight are lifted. It's important to look forward and in the right direction. Which Flight is not.

[frank1223 4]

I will go where PMDG goes :(

[Paul_Smith 92]

I admire you willingness to remain optimistic. Unfortutately I think it's safe to assume Flight was never disigned to be a full simulationWithout an SDK it will never be even close to what FSX is now. MS simply can't do it. And if they never inteded to, why would they build an engine capable of it?It probably doesn't even allow for proper A/C simulation, AI traffic, complex ATC...Ckeck this out. Look at the options

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZVgUuDY1UjM

"Propeller effects - reduces the aerodynamic and rotation side effects of a spinning propeller"you know there's no serious simulation there when they can't even mention torque

At what point does simulation become 'full' or 'serious'? The video you linked showed takeoffs, flights, manouvers, stalls, crashs and landings. It could just as easily have been made with Xplane9, FS2004 or FSX (does FS9 have aircraft casts shadows on self?). I saw nothing that said to me 'this is a game' or 'that is incomplete', but if you did, please point it out.So the word 'torque' is not mentioned? My copy of "The Air Pilot's Manual (vol 1)" doesn't mention torque until lesson twelve (page 195).MS has not published an SDK at this time, on the other hand, they have not published Flight at this time either.Instead of knocking a product that does not yet exist, why not try ignoring the opinions and wild guesses that uninformed people insist on making, and wait to make up your own mind. It won't cost you a penny to try it when it is released, and allowing that it won't have Orbx, PMDG, ASE2012 or any of the other add-ons that take FSX out of the mundane, you can decide for yourself if it has potential or not. My personal opinion is that even though it is aimed at attracting new people to Flight Simming, it will not be able to retain them without the underpinnings that you and I call hardcore.