These are my opinions with a little bit of history thrown in for context. This "silence" is no surprise to me, and I suspect a number of folks who have been around here awhile would agree. MS' attitude toward "hard core" simmers is not a surprise for me either (with all the benefit of hindsight)... A new team, with no connection to our community, focused on delivering a product that can meet and exceed management expectations, and a market size that makes this "hard core" community minuscule in comparison. What other outcome could we anticipate?You can be angry about it, resent the message, bemoan the death of a relationship, and run around with your hair on fire screaming betrayal. You are wasting your energy if you do so. As I tried to say in my "PERSPECTIVES" topic of yesterday; take a deep breath, withhold judgment, and wait to see what really appears on launch day.

Exactly what we've hinted at for a good while now Tom...When your "best girl" leaves you in the lurch you just accept the facts, man up, and go on about your business... :(

Many here are still ignoring what is now fact... The lack of profitability is what got ACES canned...If Flight Simulator was such a powerhouse of gaming profits, (as so many continue to post)... ACES would still be here today, but it isn't... MS is driven by money, they could care less if that money comes from FS, first person shooter games or Hypnotoad... if it made money, they'd build it.

Many here are still ignoring what is now fact... The lack of profitability is what got ACES canned...If Flight Simulator was such a powerhouse of gaming profits, (as so many continue to post)... ACES would still be here today, but it isn't...

Sorry, that is totally wrong.

Many here are still ignoring what is now fact... The lack of profitability is what got ACES canned...If Flight Simulator was such a powerhouse of gaming profits, (as so many continue to post)... ACES would still be here today, but it isn't...MS is driven by money, they could care less if that money comes from FS, first person shooter games or Hypnotoad... if it made money, they'd build it.

Not true about lack of profitability. If you look back in history you'll see that Microsoft slated to cut 5,000 jobs over the next few years when this happened and ACES team was one the bean counters felt should go. YES it is about the bottom dollar for just about ANY business but in the end Flight Sim profitability wasn't the reason.

Sure they can. Default Boeing 737, you can do a lot with that thing :(

Heck, they can barrell roll a 707 in the real world, so I wouldn't count incredible maneuvers out. Just check this guy out in his Cub:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RkXaxQLXDYNow go try that in FSX!

Sorry, that is totally wrong.

Not true about lack of profitability. If you look back in history you'll see that Microsoft slated to cut 5,000 jobs over the next few years when this happened and ACES team was one the bean counters felt should go. YES it is about the bottom dollar for just about ANY business but in the end Flight Sim profitability wasn't the reason.

From Tom's Article... http://forum.avsim.net/blog/1/entry-24-the-ms-flight-sim-my-thoughts/

The lack of profitability with FSX lead to the enevitable; the ACES Team were let go, with only a handful transferred to other sections of Microsoft.

Edited January 18, 201214 yr by Jacoba

The spokeswoman confirmed that as part of Thursday's layoff of 1,400 employees , Microsoft closed the ACES Studio that produced FlightSim. She attributed it to restructuring by Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business that "followed our annual strategy review process."

She attributed it to restructuring by Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business that "followed our annual strategy review process."

Which found that the following held true in the beancounters eyes....

The lack of profitability with FSX lead to the enevitable; the ACES Team were let go, with only a handful transferred to other sections of Microsoft.

Which found that the following held true in the beancounters eyes....

Looking forward, not looking to the past, is the way I understood the decisions.

The spokeswoman confirmed that as part of Thursday's layoff of 1,400 employees , Microsoft closed the ACES Studio that produced FlightSim. She attributed it to restructuring by Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business that "followed our annual strategy review process."

:lol:Thanks for proving my point... you do know what goes on in a strategy review meeting, don't you?

Looking forward, not looking to the past, is the way I understood the decisions.

Okay, you clearly have little knowledge how business works... if you think even for a split second that companies only look forward when making financial decisions for their companies then I really don;t know what else to say to you...

Edited January 18, 201214 yr by Jacoba

Right, strategy means what we are going to do/may do in the future, not what has happened in the past.

Right, strategy means what we are going to do/may do in the future, not what has happened in the past.

Oh good grief... any strategy review process begins with the action and delivery phase where objectives are set, then collection and analysis of data occurs. Next critical evaluation of that data is performed to ensure its reliability. Exactly what, where and how do you think all this data is collected?The future?

The analysis we make here goes well but I think we start making a loop with some questions staying unanswered. First it must be clarified that we are NOT the minority and that is because of the success of the MSFS franchise. We made it successfull. But the story goes on. We expand the hobby by buying additional software (addons) with our hard earned money, we don't have the problem to pay some more euros or bucks to fly over our beloved scenery or airplane, and when the time comes when MS is about to release a new version, then the forums look like a stock market. That is known and MS knows too so nothing new here. So, there is no doubt that we are a strong voice and I hope we all agree on that.Now lets go to the point. I made a question earlier using as an example a boy called little Johnnie, but there is no answer on this. I repeat. What kind of model is this marketing when it has as a target group that little Johnnie and people in general that have no interest about aviation. You all think they will buy extra addons? I doubt. Perhaps one region or two and then what? Nothing. He/she will be satisfied flying around with the freeware. Where is now the profit that MS want to make with this model of marketing? On the other hand, you might ask "ok, are we the clever and the experts and the others are the stupid?" certainly not! I, personaly believe that FLIGHT is not an arcade game. For sure it has simulation elements but up to what extend i don't know. We are at the Beta testing period and we no nothing. Only some videos and photos. What happened at CES? Some short of reviews with no more than 10 lines of text but nothing official. That doesn't make you wonder why? I don't know either. To summit up, there are two questions remaining unanswered. Why MS selected (IF) that risky marketing model, and why the secrecy during Beta testing period. Perhaps we are in for some or big surprises.

Heck, they can barrell roll a 707 in the real world, so I wouldn't count incredible maneuvers out. Just check this guy out in his Cub:

Now go try that in FSX!

Much more entertaining than experts once again analyzing the marketing strategies of Microsoft. Will Flight thrill or embitter the FSX users. Who knows, certainly no one in public forums YET.

Heck, they can barrell roll a 707 in the real world, so I wouldn't count incredible maneuvers out. Just check this guy out in his Cub:

Now go try that in FSX!

AWESOME! But insane as well