Probably they want to:1) Make money with it the way they never did with previous versions of MSFS. Can I blame them for that? Certainly not! I fully support their strateggy, provided it results in an even better FLIGHT for the future!2) They want to make the extraordinary experience of flying come closer to the casual sim user who may end up seriously considering to have flight lessons and get her/his PPL, ATPL... whatever...3) They want those who classify themselves as serious simmers, or hardcore simmers, not to be able say that, from the physics model standpoint FLIGHT is a joke/game. All of the features to make it a serious trainning platform are there, at least as long as VFR goes....4) They want to save their users the burden of spending countless hours tweaking instead of "flying" interesting and funny missions / aerocaches...5) If they wanted me, they got me 100% :-)

Q: What does Joshua Howard and Microsoft really want?A short answer is: they want me! I have a little interest in flight training (for real flight), in procedures, in air traffic control, in big planes.I hope thousand or million of virtual pilots like me will follow the Flight journey to make it successful.

Sounds like me. I like what they have done so far but it remains to be seen if they will sell enough DLC to satisfy the suits. If they continue in the direction they are going now then I'll be happy.

Agree with your post, Albaran..Microsoft - Please read this. We do not need another flying combat game! No shooting DLC please!!bestjake

But Microsoft wants money, and game where you can shoot something usually brings it better than game where you can just fly around or collect coins.

Imho,It seems to me the goal is to " reel in" a wider audience, a larger number of consumers for the product. I highly doubt that goal could have been realized with the creation of an FS11. They certainly would have made the hard core simming enthusiast of the MSFS franchise very happy if they did create FS11, but most likely would not have broadened the scope of consumers by doing so - many new users would do what many did with FSX and previous versions, by it out of curiosity, try it for a week or so, found it way too overwhelming, and shelved it - thereby not buying the next incarnations. Once this is rinsed and repeated as each version is released, they find their market not growing at all, if not diminishing to some extent.Whether this goal that I perceive it to be is realized, remains to be seen over the coming months and/or years...

You state my feelings exactly, and more eloquently than I could have.I would only add, that many of the audience they hope to capture with Flight have neither the time, cash, nor inclination to invest in buying or building, tweaking, and maintaining a computer system necessary to run FSX as well as Flight runs on the computer they likely already own.For so many here, and elsewhere, the hobby of FS is as much about computer engineering as it is about flying.

Q: What does Joshua Howard and Microsoft really want?A short answer is: they want me! I have a little interest in flight training (for real flight), in procedures, in air traffic control, in big planes.

As a potential customer, Flight meets none of your interests (procedures, ATC, big planes). Maybe Flight will someday, but most people aren't going to feed into paying for DLC on a hope that Flight will eventually meet their desires.

As a potential customer, Flight meets none of your interests (procedures, ATC, big planes). Maybe Flight will someday, but most people aren't going to feed into paying for DLC on a hope that Flight will eventually meet their desires.

I believe... and I could certainly be wrong... that the poster meant 'little interest in', not 'A little interest in'... at least that's the gist I got from his entire post.And if I misread it, I apologize profusely.

poster meant 'little interest in

That makes sense, and in that case Flight is perfect for his needs!

Sorry, 'little interest in' is the correct wording (first writing was: 'no interest in', may be to strong for simmers). Unable to correct the incorrect post.

“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” - multiple sources incl. bill cosby and me

These are really wise words, and by the way also a key idea of basic marketing. But it seems that at present someone at MS thinks differently (pun intended). We will see quite soon the results.A.

So what is it that MS wants?

Money, of course. It's just a bussiness. The don't care about local minority of hc sim player, because they don't make them profit. It's much profitable selling to mass. It is sad, but it is reality. In deep past, many years ago, in begining of game industry, firms was proud on their games. They tried to be original, creative and as good as possible. Even now, i preffer many of those old games ahed of new one. So many very different games in past with enormous playability... Today everyone product only such titles, where they sure by profit . Sigh. Sorry for nostalgia...