Since Microsoft has not released any DLC sales figures, I would caution people to avoid reading too much into what type of DLC is released in the near term as confirmation of how well the Maule sold versus the P51.These DLCs take time to model, develop and test, and so it is likely that their DLC release schedule/strategy for the first 6 months was already set in stone and well along before Flight ever came out of beta, and so it is not being radically changed by DLC sales at this particular point.I suspect this is also why they can't easily stop work on what they have in progress and commit to doing enhancements asked for in the beta or since release, until they get the initial set of product completed and out the door (leaderboards must be finished before any enhancements)The DLC sales will likely only influence the future development after the initial set is completed, although one can hope that the relative low number of P51s online will signal not many more cockpitless aircraft to follow.

This. It takes months to do a DLC even as simple as the Zero, and im sure the Zero was in production before even the beta started (meetings, meetings, license, research, RFP's, financing, approval, modeling, artwork, programming, more meetings, and meetings on that, beta testing). Even if sales proved the P-51 was a flop, you wont see remifications of that for months since it takes time to change. Even if they decided 1 week after release that cockpitless aircraft is a failed idea, im sure there are more in the hopper they will release before they can change direction. The thing is, we will never really know whats going on behind closed doors. Maybe even with low sales and low interest, they are so cheep that they make gobs of money? We simply dont know. Even I dont know! I just hope that these cockpitless warbirds are not the future of Flight.

n4gix, on 29 March 2012 - 10:58 AM, said:We have been informed in the beta forum that every aircraft is vetted by a "geopolitical risk assesment" whatever that means...

Yes, I saw that. :P

Google it!

Google it!

I know exactly what they want it to mean. My own cynical interpretation is that if a firestorm erupts, they have somebody else to point the finger at.WHAM! Some poor guy in a department somewhere gets thrown under a bus.(I take full responsibility for the only partially serious cynicism in that statement) :LMAO:

The biggest issue (in my opinion) is lack of communication (from MS); along with hostility between Flight and the "hard-core" flightsimmers (FSX users) . . . on both sides.I've pretty much given up hope that this is going to improve, which means that the current issues are going to continue; which is frustrating for everyone.I was initially excited about Alaska, but now I really have no interest in supporting Flight unless they start to focus on improving the simulator aspects (instead of just focusing on the gaming aspects). I'm not investing in any product that I feel will fail, and the only way I believe that Flight has any chance of success is to for MS to start wooing the flightsim community, instead of alienating us.

Arwen, I agree with you, and it also seems they even want to alienate the "ex hard-core" now Flight Supporters

The thing is, we will never really know whats going on behind closed doors. Maybe even with low sales and low interest, they are so cheep that they make gobs of money? We simply dont know. Even I dont know! I just hope that these cockpitless warbirds are not the future of Flight.

So true, we will never know.Please, please, no more interviews! This fire is up and running.

Considering the huge PR success of the previous one, for the good of Flight it's surely better to avoid :-)A.

Agreed, I actually hope they don't do anymore interviews for a while.The last one (despite Tom's great questions) was full of corporate non-answers or half-veiled swipes at the "hardcore simmer" customer segment IMHO, and was a major bummer and morale sink for me.But it gave us the info we needed, confirmation that the Flight team is set on following it's own strategy now and doesn't see simmers as a big priority customer at this point, so I'd rather just wait and see their current strategy play out, see if it is successful or not and whether the strategy changes in time or if they become interested in listening to all customer segments.Another interview where neither their strategy changes or our expectations change is just like the politicians grandstanding about their positions but where neither party is willing to listen or change, all it does is rile up the bases and generates bitterness on both sides.

(I take full responsibility for the only partially serious cynicism in that statement) :LMAO:

Then I guess I forgot to put this " :Just Kidding:" after Google it!, sorry, my mistake.

Please, please, no more interviews! This fire is up and running.

Dialog is the only human option for conflict resolutionAs Winston Churchill said: To Jaw-Jaw is always better than to War-War

This. It takes months to do a DLC even as simple as the Zero, and im sure the Zero was in production before even the beta started (meetings, meetings, license, research, RFP's, financing, approval, modeling, artwork, programming, more meetings, and meetings on that, beta testing). Even if sales proved the P-51 was a flop, you wont see remifications of that for months since it takes time to change. Even if they decided 1 week after release that cockpitless aircraft is a failed idea, im sure there are more in the hopper they will release before they can change direction.The thing is, we will never really know whats going on behind closed doors. Maybe even with low sales and low interest, they are so cheep that they make gobs of money? We simply dont know. Even I dont know! I just hope that these cockpitless warbirds are not the future of Flight.

I think you forgot meetings.

Dialog is the only human option for conflict resolutionAs Winston Churchill said: To Jaw-Jaw is always better than to War-War

Agreed, those are wisdom words.But, seems to me so far it has been a MonologuePopular Saying: You need two to Tango

I think you forgot meetings.

When I was on the team, It felt like I spent more time in meetings then working on the game itself. The bigger the ship, the harder it is the steer away from an ice burg, and MS is about the biggest ship there is.

Agreed, those are wisdom words.But, seems to me so far it has been a MonologuePopular Saying: You need two to Tango

Exactly my point. A large number of us have refused to dance. Or talk, except to make demands in ways that would be considered rude in nearly any venue. Honestly if somebody talked to us the way we have been doing to them........Well, all I know is that is if somebody did that to my face, there would be issues.I cant really blame MS for seeking other partners/markets if we are off sulking........I can only blame them for being their old, secretive selves.

I cant really blame MS for seeking other partners/markets if we are off sulking........

But MS is the one that walked away from us?I'm pretty sure that after Aces was canned, pretty much the entire community was overjoyed when a new Flight simulator was announced. The sour grapes didn't come until there were signs that MS dumped their legacy customers in favor of new customers.(I don't even feel like the demographic shift is the main goal of Flight anyhow- I feel like this change is more about controlling the addon market and everything else is residual to that goal, or purely semantic. MS knew the current simmers would never allow the the free addon market to disappear without a fight, so MS needed to find a new demographic anyhow- one that MS is HOPING will be larger than the legacy demographic. There is no reason the new Flight pieces couldn't have been overlaid on top of FSNext and the free market could have lived on. But MS is doing a great job of diverting attention away from the market, and has even crafted infighting within their fan base- there are actually people sticking up for Flight which just baffles me. Bravo MS, Bravo.)

But MS is the one that walked away from us?I'm pretty sure that after Aces was canned, pretty much the entire community was overjoyed when a new Flight simulator was announced. The sour grapes didn't come until there were signs that MS dumped their legacy customers in favor of new customers.(I don't even feel like the demographic shift is the main goal of Flight anyhow- I feel like this change is more about controlling the addon market and everything else is residual to that goal, or purely semantic. MS knew the current simmers would never allow the the free addon market to disappear without a fight, so MS needed to find a new demographic anyhow- one that MS is HOPING will be larger than the legacy demographic. There is no reason the new Flight pieces couldn't have been overlaid on top of FSNext and the free market could have lived on. But MS is doing a great job of diverting attention away from the market, and has even crafted infighting within their fan base- there are actually people sticking up for Flight which just baffles me. Bravo MS, Bravo.)

Sounds very sinister...... I will leave it there.

Exactly my point. A large number of us have refused to dance. Or talk, except to make demands in ways that would be considered rude in nearly any venue. Honestly if somebody talked to us the way we have been doing to them........Well, all I know is that is if somebody did that to my face, there would be issues.I cant really blame MS for seeking other partners/markets if we are off sulking........I can only blame them for being their old, secretive selves.

Gar; I guess noone showed for the Tango, don't forget MSGS has done/is doing the same.

Exactly my point. A large number of us have refused to dance. Or talk, except to make demands in ways that would be considered rude in nearly any venue. Honestly if somebody talked to us the way we have been doing to them........

That goes both ways, Josh Howard's only slightly veiled swipes at hardcore simmers in the interview and some posters here stereotyping "hardcore simmers" create bitterness even for simmers who like Flight and are hopeful for it.Thankfully 95% of the dialogue here from both sides of AVSIM users is good and productive, and it's good to see new users as well, so we just have to keep the dialogue decent and keep in mind we are all part of the same community.