I've just started with Flight and there is a heck of a lot that I like about it.I am a long term FSX user with far too many add-ons than is good for my bank account, and I am picky about realism - but as we all know there is a debate about realism actually amounts to. Anyway, I've been trying to find a developers forum, ie, a forum in which develpoers talk to customers etc, but can't and I am wondering what they are going to do with the project. There seems to be a fair consensus that there are things that are great and things that coudl be done much better. Forgive me if people have already discussed this but have the developers said whether they are going to do things like improve clouds, add ATC and so on? I know they have talked about an alaska Add-on - looking forward to that, but are they 'going for the world' in the end?

 

Thanks all

 

NeilG

No one knows for sure :-(

 

Everything can be expected, so, as someone suggested, we should use what becomes available if it pleases us, or simply don't and wait for another interesting DLC.

 

I have all of the cockpitless airplanes released until now, but will skip the Corsair (would have got it instead of the p-40 ...). Look fwd for Alaska, but embarking on it depends on what it can really give me, appart from the scenery area...

 

If, for instance, the weather stays the same, not in terms of themes (I am ok with that) but in terms of the necessary variability at least in temperature, and preferably in pressure too, then I already have an "ISA World" in Hawaii, and I will save my bucks for another DLC...

 

Regarding add-on cockpitless aircraft, and althought I have them all, I believe I will not buy it again. Those I have will surely be enough for some Challenges and aerocache hunting...

 

To be terribly honest, I will skip all the upcoming DLCs until the bugs I have identified and really spoilled my experience with FLIGHT are solved, namely, the inconsisten piston engine model and probably also the irrealistic "spin to the mesosphere / outer space exploit".... So... in a way Alaska can be my last contact with FLIGHT for a looong while :Waiting:

The only forum I am aware of , that the Flight team actually posts and responds to occasionally, is the Steam Flight forum. Some of the Flight team reads this forum fairly regularly, but I have never known them to actually post here.

However, MS is staying very "mum" over what is planned for the future. They are just not revealing any plans for what is coming.

We do know that Alaska is the next scenery release, and while initially announced for Spring - this has since been removed from the announcement - the general consensus is we will probably see it around the latter part of June.

 

Tom Allensworth here at Avsim did an interview with Joshua Howard, the lead guy for Flight, several weeks ago - a forum search will find it for you, may find it interesting reading.

 

As for your last question, are they going for the whole world in the end - if you are talking about something like FSX, that has the whole world along with all the different planes, etc - I think the general consensus would be no. Flight was not developed to be a successor to FSX, but a different product to try to appeal to a much larger audience. Many of us are very hopeful to see more included in Flight, to give it more sim depth, like more planes with virtual cocpits, gps, maybe atc and some ai traffic, etc...

 

It will certainly be interesting to see how Flight develops over the coming months...

I've been trying to find a developers forum, ie, a forum in which develpoers talk to customers etc, but can't

 

The closest you will get to 'talking with developers' will be this forum http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1375 where some MS-employes actually post every now and then. However, no one ever says what they are up to with Flight.

 

To be terribly honest, I will skip all the upcoming DLCs until the bugs I have identified and really spoilled my experience with FLIGHT are solved, namely, the inconsisten piston engine model

 

Considering the fact that this has been a 'bug' in FSX and previous versions also (afaik) I also fear the adventure ends here for you... I do hope of course MS will adress this issue but I really doubt if they will. Obviously most virtual flyers won't even know what this is all about and they couldn't care less. I know now what it is all about but I would never ever give up Flight for what (simply put) only is a gauge not really showing exactly what it should... It doesn't influence the experience at ALL for me.

The most likely place to find the Flight Team is on the Steam Forum for Flight. At this time the Team has said that they will create a new aircraft DLC each month and a scenery DLC every three months. The next release will be an aircraft and we know it is a warplane and most folks believe it will not have a virtual cockpit. This is in line with the release plan which seems to cover the Islands of Hawaii and a set of WWII warplanes that flew there. We have been told that the next release will be the last in the series of warplanes over Hawaii. So far everything we have seen was certainly set in stone before the original release. There has been a lot of feedback on the DLC to date - much of it negative. The more impatient among us feel agreived that MS did not change direction over planes with no VC. However in reality their production plans so far will preclude much based on post release user feedback.

 

Alaska is due and we will have to see what that brings. It is a big area and provides big opportunitues for new DLC - both aircraft and activities. Those who are already predicting more old warplanes without cockpits are unlikely to be correct. There was action between Japan and the US in the Aleutians but they are to the far west of Alaska and in any case the planes involved are already released with Hawaii. More likely we can expect bush type aircraft and maybe some passenger or cargo types.

 

As for the future we do know that the Team has listened to the community and if you want to participate in trying to influence the future direction then we have a suggestion list that is stickied here.

I've just started with Flight and there is a heck of a lot that I like about it.I am a long term FSX user with far too many add-ons than is good for my bank account, and I am picky about realism - but as we all know there is a debate about realism actually amounts to. Anyway, I've been trying to find a developers forum, ie, a forum in which develpoers talk to customers etc, but can't and I am wondering what they are going to do with the project.

 

MS appears to be using the Flight Forum on Steam as their official venue. There is a small amount of official interaction there, mainly in regards to helping deal with bugs or other problems. They don't talk about "the future" at all.

 

 

There seems to be a fair consensus that there are things that are great and things that coudl be done much better. Forgive me if people have already discussed this but have the developers said whether they are going to do things like improve clouds, add ATC and so on? I know they have talked about an alaska Add-on - looking forward to that, but are they 'going for the world' in the end?

 

We just don't know, yet. Based on what we've seen so far, don't expect any word about what's to come until it's close to release.

 

Being MS's first "continuing revenue generation" flight sim through ongoing DLC sales, the sky really is the limit. They can add, improve or replace literally anything they wish as time goes by, as people will pay them to do it. The only question is, will they? And you already know about as much as anyone outside MS.

What direction will Flight take?

 

North to Alaska.

 

=D

Perhaps they'll see where their customers are located and try to give them some more local scenery. The "lower 48" is too obvious though.

 

Maybe the UK or Oz could be next. Buzzing around the Midlands in a Spitfire or bush piloting the Great Outback might be fun.

Just to get "on record"...

 

My prediction for the post-Alaska scenery DLC is a "Pacific North-West" area including British Colombia, Washington, Oregon, and possibly (but probably not) Idaho (if they want to go further inland).

 

This has the advantage of being contiguous with the Alaska scenery, as well as a visually and aeronautically interesting and better populated area.

 

I do keep hearing a vague rumor about "Africa" though...

Ditto Pacific Northwest. And most likely sometime the British Isles, Australia, Western Europe, Caribbean. When is the question. But, I seriously doubt if they will bother creating the whole world, and the majority of FS users never bothered to visit the entire world anyway. But, all of this is just a lot of guesses. Only MGS knows the short-term plans for Flight.

 

Best regards.

Luis

To put it bluntly, if you don't like it as it is at the moment then best persue something else. Josh Howard has already stated in the Avsim interview that they don't expect to do the whole world, airliners, long haul, ATC among other things. Flight is a different direction aimed at different people than FSX or X-plane. Lots of people like flight, but if you do, like it for what it is now. Don't expect FSX on steroids.

One has to assume that the direction is anything but FSX. The architecture of the code base is FSXI -. The studio was working to put the UI, career, etc on top of the perf improvements that happened before FSXI was killed. Sure, some of the original product team actually continued to work on Flight, but it's a fraction of the people who created FSX, for example.

 

The new management intentionally broke backward compatibility. Time will tell if third parties will support this new platform.

One has to assume that the direction is anything but FSX. The architecture of the code base is FSXI -. The studio was working to put the UI, career, etc on top of the perf improvements that happened before FSXI was killed. Sure, some of the original product team actually continued to work on Flight, but it's a fraction of the people who created FSX, for example.

 

The new management intentionally broke backward compatibility. Time will tell if third parties will support this new platform.

 

FSXI was never started.

The code is "improved" FSX code which is trimmed back.

 

 

Anyway, J. Howard gave the statements what the direction is and i doubt they will change major things. At least they will do minor adjustments according to the echo and sales.

 

There will never be a Flight with all the things we wish it should have.

But i like it for what it is.

 

Just let`s hope theye`re working on brand new MSFS for future release in 2-4 years. They need to start from scratch because the code is too old, that is what a developer said when FSX was "shut".

Honestly, how many really unique places are there in the world to create scenery of the sort that Flight would do well in? Places like Alaska, The Alps, Bahamas and maybe some location in Africa... but then where? The area has to be relatively large, have alot of different types of terrain (for the aerocache stuff), have identifiable and well known landmarks, and have some history of aviation. Not to say that there aren't thousands of beautiful areas to fly around, but searching for aerocaches in a Maule around the Black Hills isn't too exciting either.

Honestly, how many really unique places are there in the world to create scenery of the sort that Flight would do well in? Places like Alaska, The Alps, Bahamas and maybe some location in Africa... but then where? The area has to be relatively large, have alot of different types of terrain (for the aerocache stuff), have identifiable and well known landmarks, and have some history of aviation. Not to say that there aren't thousands of beautiful areas to fly around, but searching for aerocaches in a Maule around the Black Hills isn't too exciting either.

 

So... the Sahara scenery DLC is definitely next... ; )