@rush1169: well stated

Agree. :(

@rush1169: well stated

Agreed also! Thank you Rush (Dan), whoever you are.Kind regards,

Edited January 13, 201214 yr by SpiritFlyer

I don't agree at all. Well, I do, really, but I am not used to people agreeing all the time on this forum so I just HAD to disagree. Which I don't, of course... :(

One considerable advantage to this new model is the fact that MS can automatically "push" bug fixes as soon as they're throughly tested and validated, instead of the old method of very few (if any) Service Packs...

... and they would also have a much higher motivation to do so.

However, we put too much emphasis on the current well-known, top-level developers. The greater utility of the SDK is that it allowed amateurs to also contribute and, perhaps, evolve into contributors to the commercial market as well.

I'm very concerned about this too. For many reasons the open SDK is the real secret ingredient that has made advanced add-ons possible. I really hope this doesn’t get overlooked. Take it away and I see a slow decline. If you read the many dev forums there is a genuine shared passion and enthusiasm….and a commitment to solving problems and sharing knowledge. It’s sort of jargon but it ‘s an example of crowd sourcing. A wide net draws from the expertise of many-many real world professionals. Even if those professionals keep only a casual involvement. As the pool of developers shrinks the breath of expertise will too.

I'm very concerned about this too. For many reasons the open SDK is the real secret ingredient that has made advanced add-ons possible.

Agreed! The SDK is the center piece of the FS ecosystem acting as an add-on business incubator.Likely most pro developpers:

1. First cut their teeth developping as amateurs,
2. Then started seling their add-ons,
3. Progressed to quitting their day jobs,
4. Went pro,
5. Founded a company,
6. Hired staff

Cheers,- jahman.

Edited January 13, 201214 yr by jahman

**deleted duplicate** Darn forum editor is messing up again today... :(

1. First cut their teeth developping as amateurs,
2. Then started seling their add-ons

Nope, most payware developers stopped at #2. As far as "Hiring staff" goes, nope again. Most simply found one or more fellows who shared their interests, and each contributed his area of competence to the whole product.Even some of the biggest "development houses" are nowhere near as large as they and their customers like to imagine... :(

I'm reasonably sure that Flight will never mature into a sim that will appeal to hardcore flight simulator fans just as Age of Empires Online never matured into a strategy game that appeals to hardcore strategy fans.

I'm reasonably sure that...

...regardless of how it finally turns out, there will be a very large group who will be horribly embarrased by all their absolute and intolerant comments. Note that this could fall either way, so that's why I'm determined this round to remain close to the middle of the road so to speak

I'm reasonably sure that Flight will never mature into a sim that will appeal to hardcore flight simulator fans

Do you think it will mature into a sim that will appeal to medium-core flight simulator fans? Not trying to be facetious, but what takes FSX to "hardcore" status? Can someone who flys only GA in VFR (albiet very accurately) be considered "hardcore"? Is "hardcore" only those who can take a PMDG cold-and-dark 737 from startup to shutdown in IMC weather with only a checklist?What would have to be missing from FS for it to no longer be considered a "hardcore" simulator? Was FS5 hardcore? FS98? Or was it not until FSX that it became hardcore? I'd suspect you don't need a whole lot (and *nothing* MS doesn't already have) to make Flight "hardcore".I read of many saying it won't appeal to hardcore simmers and/or Flight won't be hardcore, which got me wondering what would be missing to make Flight not hardcore and the answer isn't very clear as merely defining a hardcore simmer or simlulator is not easy.Obviously, in the free version of Flight, it won't be hardcore by any of our definitions, but all it would take is one download to make it a hardcore, regional GA VFR simulator and one one different download to make it a hardcore heavy simulator. You can see where this one can go and don't forget, MS already has all the assets sitting there ready to go.

Edited January 13, 201214 yr by Rush1169

there will be a very large group who will be horribly embarrased by all their absolute and intolerant comments. Note that this could fall either way,

Amen. Of course, I don't know where it will all shake down either. But, based on what MS said in the Flight blog and reading between the lines and looking at the assets MS has on the shelf and wearing my "businessman cap", everything I see points to a modular, customizable, modern, FS2012 (along with a stripped down, easy-to-fly mission-only arcade setup that many seem to think is where MS plans on stopping even though they already have all the content for something much bigger).

One considerable advantage to this new model is the fact that MS can automatically "push" bug fixes as soon as they're throughly tested and validated, instead of the old method of very few (if any) Service Packs...

Yes. A big improvement.- "Overall, the game is a lot more experimental than past Flight Simulator games sold at retail. But offering the game as a free-to-play title opens up new options for experimentation and innovation, Howard said." (venturebeat.com).Hope you will play a part in this innovation!

The greater utility of the SDK is that it allowed amateurs to also contribute and, perhaps, evolve into contributors to the commercial market as well.

Again: flyawaysimulation:- "The Live marketplace allows for constant content flow and users that opt-in to share data, allow the team to react to user behaviors to improve the game and add more of what users want."What is the meaning: users + share? Share what?

Edited January 13, 201214 yr by torium

Again: flyawaysimulation:- "The Live marketplace allows for constant content flow and users that opt-in to share data, allow the team to react to user behaviors to improve the game and add more of what users want."What is the meaning: users + share? Share what?

It means that you allow MS to collect data about your flying habits. They call this "telemetry". MS thinks that this will allow them to decide what to develop next. If they see many people doing one type of activity, they will likely do more of those.It has nothing to do with a publicly available SDK and users sharing what they have created.