I figured it all out!

[etheris 0]

The whole concept of an APP STORE evolved when smart phones first come on the market (namely the iPhone back in 2007) because it was an inherently simplistic and efficient way for the mass consumer to discover, install and use applications to extend and enhance the functionality of their newer more capable phones. The App store was a way to overcome the computational, form factor size, and bandwidth limitations of a smart phone and other tablet devics, it is totally unnecessary on the PC platform.. Because of the carrier's traditional control and tight grip of phones, and partially because of the phones small form factor, there had to be a more dumbed down way to install applications, hence the evolution of the APP STORE concept, which first applied only to phones, but now creeping its way into pads and tablets and yes even netbooks (Google Chromium OS, Chrome browser, and Chrome App Store)Another parallel can be drawn. Why has the PC gaming market (to large part) died to be replaced and displaced by its console brethren? Some people say because piracy is rampant on the PC platform and thus consoles, being that they are locked down tightly, prevented the majority of pirating attempts. So there is a natural instinct for developers to code for xbox and ps3 rather than natively for the PC platform. Another reason is the trend we are seeing where the common denominator keeps gravitating towards instant gratification, casual gaming, mobile and convenience, basically the masses are collectively asking for watered-down no-brainer experiences. Instead of loading up Photoshop to fix that red-eye, "there is an App for that"... Gamers no longer want to mess with installing patches, upgrading hardware or operating systems, going into the registry to fix some settings or editing some game configuration file... We have traded customization, ownership, control, privacy and security and self respect all in the name of "mobile", "social", "networking", "convenience" and laziness...So piracy and the fact that gamers want casual, dumbed-down, watered-down, lowest common denominator gaming experiences, cheap thrills and instant gratification have contributed greatly to the demise of PC gaming platform and the rise of consoles.Consoles, like that of smart phones, are essentially locked down computers serving specific purposes... although both are trying to become more general purpose (xbox wants to be living room entertainment center, smartphones are your mobile computer on the go) neither affords you the freedom, control, security, privacy and self-determination and customization ability of the traditional desktop PC platform. By their very nature, smart phones and consoles and the like (tablets, pads, netbooks, etc) are going to be severely locked down and extremely restricted... both in terms of the hardware, software, and also the licensing and legality aspects. You are basically leasing those devices, you have no ownership.Now lets come back to the point of all this. Traditionally the Microsoft Flight (Simulator) franchise has been a PC game geared towards only the PC platform. So why is it now coming out with DLC (a console tactic) and basically requiring us to log into a Games for Windows Live and Xbox 360 gamer-tag system? What's next, "Like us on Facebook" for an extra Prius flying machine? Why has Microsoft casualized, consolized and mobilized what is/was essentially a desktop PC simulator? I'll get back to this point later...But lets see it for what it is. The so-called "Free" base package of FLIGHT is nothing more than a GAME DEMO. How is FLIGHT any bit fundamentally different than the FSX DEMO? One tiny little island, a 1930's useless plane, and a joke of a Toyota with wings. Seriously? This is not a FREE game, its a restricted DEMO. It is actually a Trojan Horse with the sole intention of milking your wallet per every quart of gas, flight mile and parcel. I can just smell "monthly subscription" coming up on the near horizon!Microsoft is in the business of making money. They give away a free game (DEMO) so to discourage piracy and then consolize FLIGHT so it can sell more copies on the Xbox360 platform than it ever could on PC (mark my words, FLIGHT is coming out for xbox with kinect... pretty soon we will find out what it really means to deploy flaps) counting and betting on the fact that they will milk more out of the casual user that way than they could by charging $65 USD upfront. So in one fell swoop, Microsoft elminates the piracy issue, cuts out the retailer and distribution middle man, caters to the mass casual gaming audience, codes a basic shell of a game and pitches it to both the PC and xbox audience to essentially double-dip on what used to be exclusive PC territory... then lockes it down as if it were a mobile or console game and forces all third party devs to go through their FLIGHT STORE ... skimming and taking percentages from each transaction and making free monies off the backs of laboring developers... so its a win, win, win, win, win for Microsoft no matter how you look at it. Who made Microsoft judge, jury and executioner? MicrosoftFT is riding up platforms on top of platforms (Windows OS -> FLIGHT Game -> MS FLIGHT APP STORE -> Paid Third party Addons) and laughing all the way to the bank.Now if FLIGHT was developed FOR the Windows 7 PHONE, or for the iOS and Andriod marketplace (iPad game or Kindle fire app) or even strictly for the console gaming platforms then I would have nothing to complain about. But Microsoft is essentially pulling the rug from underneath our feet and retroactively bait-and-switched what was an exclusive PC franchise to now a console and smartphone platform with all the unnecessary restrictions and limitations that come with it. (see above for the rationale of app stores and DLCs in the first place! there is no reasonable excuse or justification for doing this cheap underhanded tactic for a PC simulation!)I can only conclude that Microsoft is doing this because their market research has shown that casual gaming/ console/ app store is where the monies are... Microsoft has abandoned the hardcore simming community and has zero intentions of ever releasing an SDK.Basically, it all boils down to how can Microsoft make more money. FLIGHT has nothing to do with actual flight, but everything to do with your hard earned money flying directly into the hands of Redmond.Thus, we are not the target audience for FLIGHT. FLIGHT is as good as dead to us. It is supremely ironic that Microsoft does NOT think of the simming community as large enough to be worth the effort of appeasing or catering towards (basically FLIGHT sold out to casual console mobile gaming) but DOES however think of the hardcore simulation community as a convenient easy target to milk easy monies. They approached PMDG, Level-D, Orbx, etc to try to rip off the devs and make money from us simmers of the backs of their (third party devs) hard labor (MicrosoftFT being the middle man that does nothing - FLIGHT is essentially a DEMO and empty shell - but gets everything...) MicrosoftFT is basically making the developers and the simulation community subsidizing the developement of FLIGHT and then selling it back to us for twice the money. Vote with your wallet. We need to all boycott FLIGHT, don't be tempted by the "Free" DEMO. MSFT is counting on that Trojan Horse tactic to lock us within the confines of their walled garden. The developers did the right thing by rejecting FLIGHT as a viable simulation platform moving forward. The community need to back up the developers that made flight simulation what it is today, and not back up some conglomerate that only cares about double and triple dipping us and milking us for all its worth.

Edited January 10, 2012 by etheris

[DylanM 1,069]

Good points.We'll see how this gets ported to the XBox (it would never run on that hardware in it's current state...).

[Jacoba 55]

I can just smell "monthly subscription" coming up on the near horizon!

Its already here, its called P3D...

[Guest]

Vote with your wallet. We need to all boycott FLIGHT, don't be tempted by the "Free" DEMO. MSFT is counting on that Trojan Horse tactic to lock us within the confines of their walled garden. The developers did the right thing by rejecting FLIGHT as a viable simulation platform moving forward. The community need to back up the developers that made flight simulation what it is today, and not back up some conglomerate that only cares about double and triple dipping us and milking us for all its worth.

I do not consider " Trojan horse " the Flight demo. A trojan horse is a sophisticated trick used in many aspects of life, from social engineering to software trivial viruses etc.... while Flight demo is a bluff even for the Q.I. of a basic traffic light.Told that I am with you on boycotting Flight and that's the easiest boycott action the world. It is enough to do nothing, pretty much letting time and nature do their job and Flight will be dust within weeks.- Edited January 10, 2012 by Mark II

[N400QW 205]

etheris, on 10 January 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:I can just smell "monthly subscription" coming up on the near horizon!

Anyone who knows anything about Xbox Live caught that whiff years ago... :(

[FSMP 95]

One point -- If any Addon Developers do wish to develope for flight -- ( and I assume Microsoft would favour that, as it is basically additional income for MS), there there would have to be a SDK for flight. maybe not a PUBLIC distributed SDK, but one would have to exist -- and be kept secure . ?

[FSMP 95]

Yeah except I was NOT hoping to PLAY the FLIGHT SIMULATOR GAME by flapping my arms on the kinect. FLIGHT is going to end up like DLC hell.

Sounds good to me. !! Those who are too "Challenged" to actually "FLY" a plane, or do not have the attention span, to even Taxi out to the runway, can be Ground Marshalls, and "Kinect Marshall" the planes into the gates.

Edited January 10, 2012 by FSMP

[JohnFromCO 15]

We'll see how this gets ported to the XBox (it would never run on that hardware in it's current state...).

It already is! - Major Nelsons pic of the new Xbox 360 Arcade display at CES. Look to the left.photo fixed Edited January 10, 2012 by cr4ckm0nk3y

[N400QW 205]

Yeah except I was NOT hoping to PLAY the FLIGHT SIMULATOR GAME by flapping my arms on the kinect. FLIGHT is going to end up like DLC hell.

:(

[n4gix 4,947]

You guys, this, like every other xbox 360 game, was not ported from PC to xbox. Make no mistake, it was coded for the xbox360 and back ported to the PC.

Which "this" is it that you speak of so authoritatively? Surely it cannot be Flight, because even a caveman knows where its roots lie...

[n4gix 4,947]

I think MicrosoftFT turned its back on them "roots" you were refering to.

Of this I'm certain, Flight's roots are the legacy FSX code. XBox has nothing to do with it.

[Arwen 289]

To the OP: I think you're a bit premature in predicting the demise of the PC as a gaming/simming platform:http://www.tomshardw...ming,13499.html ANDhttp://gnvr.co.uk/2011/12/16/pc-gaming-vs-console-gaming/

Edited January 10, 2012 by Arwen

[drumsonly2002 3]

Made for a PC. Ported to X Box. Refined on the X Box, then ported back to the PC refined! :(