Is Flight running out of fuel ?

[Longranger 148]

Never a reason for that Ramon - part of the problem in some of the perception the Flight team has of us flight simmers, and is evidenced by comment or comments made in the JH interview, is so many have been so rude in comments both at the website, and their facebook site, down to just downright nasty in every respect. I mean seriously, some of that stuff I read I would expect to hear spoken in a big mob fight that has broken out somewhere, not in a comment regarding a product on a website. Life is just way the heck to short to sweat the small stuff, and trust me gang, while to many this is really a big deal, this is the small stuff.

Thanks for reminding me, what bothered me so much about this interview: in some parts of the interview he didn't behave like a professional!The first thing you learn when dealing with customers: some of them take everything personal. You mustn't be bothered by this, otherwise you are in the wrong job!You have to find out what his real problem is, then you can decide what to do.Some of these customers can be really friendly and especially good customers, once they got rid of the steam. You have to always remind yourself that for every of such calls there can be at least five customers with the same problem. So if you try to get revenge in an interview you don't only hit this guy but five people that might have been good customers,.He didn't behave this way. Normally you would counter the problem with a misunderstanding and then explain wzhy you had to react this way. Especially in such cases with NDAs involved the other side can't really grasp what the situation is/was. You have to be friendly since everybody that buys your product, pays your bills!But he missed these points, instead he got agitated. But if i look at the Zero I think I know where the problem might be: The flight team wasn't one group, but two! When I saw Flight i just thought: Wait a moment, at least some of the guys don't bother with the title: they want to make Flight Simulator XI ! But now imagine what these guys say, when they see things like the P%! and the Zero. I don't think that they would behave very civil. So when he got agitated he wasn't thinking about customers but about members or even Ex_Members of the team, This would be a pretty bad sign. This would indicate that some of the members have left or are leaving the project right now. And it would be very likely that some of them were in fact foundations of the Flight project.There is a reason behind such planes: they are pretty much in the league what a typical game designer can do. Design the exterior and animate it, The rest can be programmed according to books.

[RamonB 449]

Not to mention a slap in the face to Americans like me that would rather not fly a Zero over the Arizona. Seems this would have been better suited for a historically accurate combat flight sim.

I understand the feelings that might bring up. (Sorry, I didn't mentioned it on my post )

[Stoli151 6]

I understand the feelings that might bring up. (Sorry, I didn't mentioned it on my post )

I was not implying that you were insensitive, my apologies. It was my intention rather, to expose what I consider poor marketing on the part of MS.

[Jayskits 0]

I've read Tom Allensworth's interview with Howard a few times and still don't know what Howard actually wants the game/sim to be.

Neither does Howard, my friend. He's leaving all his options open. He'll take it down the road that seems to offer the best result. All he wants it to be is a cash cow. But if he's not careful, it may not turn out to be a cow - it may be a slug.

[RamonB 449]

I was not implying that you were insensitive, my apologies.

None needed, I understood the meaning.

It was my intention rather, to expose what I consider poor marketing on the part of MS.

Couldn't agree more.

[Tomsky 0]

Neither does Howard, my friend. He's leaving all his options open. He'll take it down the road that seems to offer the best result. All he wants it to be is a cash cow. But if he's not careful, it may not turn out to be a cow - it may be a slug.

I doubt that he even has a real clue but don't want to call him names here. He always seems to be strangely detached in some way - as if he wouldn't really care about his very own project.I'm not that enthusiastic about Flight being "wholly new" or the "future of flightsim" as I can still see the underlying FSX core along with most of its too annoying flaws but Flight for sure has much more potential than the development team is currently gettíng out of it. However, in my real (business) life experience I have seen promising and well funded projects going down big time due to failing leadership and lack of strategic thinking. And I'm afraid that is what's going to happen to Flight rather sooner than later...Thomas

[Jayskits 0]

Flight for sure has much more potential than the development team is currently gettíng out of it.

Remember that MS has already been down the "full flight sim" road for many years, so they know exactly what their costs are to keep one alive, and what ROI that can expect for their efforts. What they are doing now is using an existing (sunk cost) asset to explore alternative roads to see if there is a more attractive ROI to be had. If they don't find one, will they go back to the full flight sim model? Probably not. If it was so attractive in the first place, they never would have left it.

[Tomsky 0]

Remember that MS has already been down the "full flight sim" road for many years, so they know exactly what their costs are to keep one alive, and what ROI that can expect for their efforts. What they are doing now is using an existing (sunk cost) asset to explore alternative roads to see if there is a more attractive ROI to be had. If they don't find one, will they go back to the full flight sim model? Probably not. If it was so attractive in the first place, they never would have left it.

Hi Jayskits, you are actually wording exactly my thougts and now I gotta say it anyways: To me Flight is nothing more than gnawing off the last bits of flesh from FSX's corpse. The Flight developers to me rather look like a swarm of vultures circling above that carcass - minimum effort, maximum yield. Maybe they already lost most of the former ACES staff on the team. At least if I would have been on that team under JH as a previous ACES member and still had some self respect left in my weary bones I would have had run away screaming a long time ago. Maybe that's the reason why they can't publish aircraft with VC anymore.And I agree, don't see MS going back to the full flightsim model anytime in the future. If - or should we already say when(?) - Flight fails they'll simply scrap the entire flightsim business.Regards Thomas

[frankla 44]

Thank you both, you spared me from flaming MSGS management. I'm afraid what I had in mind could probably get banned from this site.

:Just Kidding:

And I'm not going to spend any money for any DLC unless I know what the future of Flight is supposed to look like. I'm sick and tired of that silly, childish hide-and-seek "Guess what will be next?" game by the developers.

Very well said

[Stoli151 6]

And I agree, don't see MS going back to the full flightsim model anytime in the future. If - or should we already say when(?) - Flight fails they'll simply scrap the entire flightsim business.

Yes, then they'll blame its failure on "there simply is no market for flight sims". When in fact there clearly is but they continue to ignore it.

[RamonB 449]

The Flight developers to me rather look like a swarm of vultures circling above that carcass - minimum effort, maximum yield. Maybe they already lost most of the former ACES staff on the team. At least if I would have been on that team under JH as a previous ACES member and still had some self respect left in my weary bones I would have had run away screaming a long time ago. Maybe that's the reason why they can't publish aircraft with VC anymore.

Don’t blame the developers, artists, engineers or the past or present ACES staff.It is not their fault. Like anyone of us they have the right to make a living.If you want to blame someone, blame management:Mr. J. Howard interview:

Q: I thought the ACES studio was fully shuttered back in 2009?A: The reality was inside the company there were already efforts underway to bring that core expertise back together with a new mandate of how they could move forward.

Source: http://seattletimes....syndication=rss

[isaac 0]

Mr. J. Howard interview:

Cutting out the chaff to cut down a team to staff that are actually needed sounds like a sound biz decison.

[Tomsky 0]

If you want to blame someone, blame management:

That's what I did. I can only speak for myself - but if I would have been a member of the Flight development team and especially one who came from the former ACES staff I don't think I'd still be there. That's what I wanted to say, nothing more, nothing less. Can afford that living single and I have walked out of jobs in real life when I couldn't take the circumstances any longer.But I definitely don't blame anyone who's got to make a living and make ends meet when having to support a family or even just her- or himself. The failure is with the management, no doubt. Just feeling sorry for all the hard work and efforts of most people on the team that will probably just be wasted if the managers screw up one more time...Thomas

[Jayskits 0]

Yes, then they'll blame its failure on "there simply is no market for flight sims".

Clarification: no BIG ENOUGH market to interest MS.

[AliB 0]

"The failure is with the management, no doubt"Yes - and here he is:

Wow... !I would like to have Bill the Geek back in control instead of this raving maniac.