I play other sims (ie: Armed Assault 2 ; Silent Hunter 4 etc.).Armed Assault has nowhere near the number of players (or sales for that matter) that the fast action FPS's such as Call of Duty and Modern Warfare garner.This is MS's target market. Fast action , low learning curve , immediate gratification.That's where the money is.That's where they'll potentially sell hundreds of thousands of games and after market products as well.And after all , for MS and other gaming companies , the $$'s are what they're after.I put my money into X-Plane 10 for a number of reasons but primarily because X-Plane 10 (and Armed Assault 2 for that matter) are more a labour of love and are constantly being patched and improved.And the developers are approachable.As a simmer , I'm slightly disappointed but for MS I see it as a wise business decision.

Its always been about the money, many of the simmers here see themselves and their hobby with a grandiose sense of being... they think this hobby is bigger than it actually is by orders of magnitude.As many payware developers have pointed out by posting and discussing their sales numbers, this hobby, the serious simmers are a tiny slice of the overall flight sim buyers market and an even smaller slice of the overall gaming market.If MSFS was such a huge cash cow, we wouldn't be having this discussion and ACES would still be here...

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by Jacoba

I think MS don't really know what there target market is, these so called gamers will probably DL flight(for free) and have a blast for a bit, but I really can't see them getting into it enough to buy extra content.(and if it does attract some folks into aviation they will probably get into fsx p3d or xplane quiet quickly) I don't know if MS knows how much money us mild to hardcore enthusiast's are willing to dump into this hobby, I myself have probably thousands invested. Yet we always seem not to be the target.

I think MS don't really know what there target market is...

MS is a lot of things to a lot of people but accusing them of not "knowing their target market" is to to state that you know very little about them and their goals.... :(

This is MS's target market. Fast action , low learning curve , immediate gratification.

If this is their taget market then they have failed miserably, because Flight delivers on none of these.

Actually, they have a strong track record of late, of completely missing the market. That's why a significant number of people walked out right in the middle of Ballmer's last major address to the managerial staff in complete disgust. They just got up and marched out while he was speaking, in an act of defiance. It was widely reported by the press.http://www.theinquir...-ballmer-speechBob

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by Toys_R_Us

MS is a lot of things to a lot of people but accusing them of not "knowing their target market" is to to state that you know very little about them and their goals.... :(

Specific to flight I think I'm going to be 100% correct, I guess time will tell if Flight is a hit or a flop.

MS is a lot of things to a lot of people but accusing them of not "knowing their target market" is to to state that you know very little about them and their goals.... :(

And you can say this with a straight face after the long list of failed Microsoft products and missed opportunities??

Specific to flight I think I'm going to be 100% correct, I guess time will tell if Flight is a hit or a flop.

I agree. I also don't think Microsoft knows what the heck to do with their flying franchise. When it comes to Flight Simulator, 'Flight' proves someone is either very misguided, delusional, or just plain dumb at Microsoft.Their caught between open source or a closed platform, game or simulation. One thing is constant, PROFIT. Something in that area seems to have not worked after FSX was releasd and now a new direction is needed. Flight Simulator was a mainstay in the company from the beginning and Bill Gates may be the crediting force behind that. For some reason Aces wasn't financially feasable to keep around. A 'Game' like Flight (they believe) will bring back the dollars missed from the last version. I hate it when dummies with so called degrees run departments they personally aren't specialized in. Someone needs to be at the helm that's an actual pilot. It's like the struggle many have working in IT where you have managers making decisions not knowning a thing about IT.

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by Dillon

FSX alledgedly sold over 1 million copies of FSX in the US alone, so for a niche product I consider that pretty fantastic!

And you can say this with a straight face after the long list of failed Microsoft products and missed opportunities??

Of course. Note that I did not state that MS bats 100% or even 99%.What I refer to is known as Xbox Live for Consoles and Games for Widows Live for PC.Those franchises generate a ton of cash and MS appears to be "on track" to generating even more...Still think they "do not know their target market?" :Nerd:How many have begun to realize that FS as we know it no longer represents the # Numero Uno of the "target market."

Of course. Note that I did not state that MS bats 100% or even 99%.What I refer to is known as Xbox Live for Consoles and Games for Widows Live for PC.Those franchises generate a ton of cash and MS appears to be "on track" to generating even more...Still think they "do not know their target market?" :Nerd:How many have begun realize that FS as we know it no longer represents the # Numero Uno of the "target market."

Yeah, but its hard to believe that mainstream would really be interested in Flight very much.

They can set any target they want. That does not mean it exists.On a more serious side, I think a drawback was perhaps in order. The complexity of the game had set a limit on new people coming into the franchise. I hope they build off of that, and let the newcomers come with it if they so choose.

Edited January 10, 201214 yr by Toys_R_Us

Yeah, but its hard to believe that mainstream would really be interested in Flight very much.

Exactly the point. This release is not aimed at "mainstream" as in current FS Enthusiasts, but rather the Games for Windows Live for PC market.

They can set any target they want. That does not mean it exists.

It certainly does not mean that Games for Windows Live for PC does not exist nor a title called Flight for that Platform.I'm confident that they do indeed know what their target is and are busy with the business of making it a reality over the long term.