Microsoft isn't just going to be throwing out full-cockpit planes every month.

 

One or two every six months would be nice, though. Nobody has said they expect a VC plane every month.

Making a cockpit plane is a serious programming undertaking...Microsoft isn't just going to be throwing out full-cockpit planes every month. They first need to see what people are interested in....and see what is going to sell well enough for their time investment.

 

Making a cockpit for something like a 737 is a HUGE undertaking. Requiring more time then the rest of the aircraft put together. The time is eaten up by making custom things, like MFD's, glass panels, and custom gauges. Basic aircraft already have 99% of the gauges programmed into the sim (speaking as an FSX dev, NOT a Flight dev), and all you need to do is to link those gauges to the built in systems. Those systems are already built into Flight, from the Maule, Stearman, Vans, and Icon, so there really would be no programming what-so-ever to make the Cubs pit IF they go all Steam. If they chose to do the glass panel, thats a HUGE can of worms. The thing is, the Cub has an option for a 100% steam gauge panel, so it would take me 3 weeks from start to finish to do a pit for that thing.

They first need to see what people are interested in....and see what is going to sell well enough for their time investment.

 

If there were interested in market research, they would have released one or two of the warbirds with a cockpit, to see how the sales compared.

 

I don't mean any offense at all, but do any of you actually have video game programming experience? There is simply so many factors that we, the public, are out of the loop on.

 

There are a number of people commenting in these threads (not including me) who are either third-party flight sim add-on developers or who even (formerly) worked on the MS team for Flight.

Yes Alex... that is what I leave it to... time... instead of nutty speculation.

 

it's quite a serious undertaking to get a full-scale cockpit working correctly with all the "gizmos". I'd be willing to bet the MS Flight team is considerably smaller than any of the teams that worked on the FSX games.

 

Two questions for our resident expert Kevin M (because of my severely jaundiced eye from the above statement):

• Based on the fact they reuse code... and ACES has developed I see you answered this before I could type it in.
  
• Do you know the size comparison btwn Aces and the current team? I would have said this one (the FLIGHT Team) larger...
  

Thanks

Rob

Just to be clear, I have not worked on any game or large project at Microsoft. I am purely speculating.

So you all have played nice for months now, forbidden to say a bad word about the game, and this is the reward.

Well, at least you got Track IR. Splendid views from the outside.

So you all have played nice for months now, forbidden to say a bad word about the game, and this is the reward.

 

Anyone else care to make some juvenile statement?

So you all have played nice for months now, forbidden to say a bad word about the game, and this is the reward.

Well, at least you got Track IR. Splendid views from the outside.

 

I disagree with this assessment. I have no problem finding negative comments about Flight.

Anyone else care to make some juvenile statement?

What's juvenile about that statement?

But since you have 1055 posts and a little medal, I'll defer to your judgement.

 

I disagree with this assessment. I have no problem finding negative comments about Flight.

 

Some people feel that if they are not permitted to scream profanity and hurl insults that "nobody is allowed to say anything that's not glowing praise."

 

What's juvenile about that statement?

But since you have 1055 posts and a little medal, I'll defer to your judgement.

 

Fine... I'll try to educate you... Because it is stupid to whine about something... or expect something from not whining. You don't whine over some game (FLIGHT / FSX / FS9 etc) because A. it is grossly immature especially when you think some kind of change will come because of it and B. I do not care to hear it. :Talk to the Hand:

 

I don't take much stock of #'s of posts or little medals (your sarcasm acknowledged). Some people have thousands of posts and say next to nothing in most of them. Some have very few posts and I would not want to miss a word they say. And the forum medals just fun little ditties. So nothing to defer to if that is what you think is important or a "status i.d.".

Well from what I'm Learning here..."FLIGHT" is a Game...And for all its eye candy it is not a Sim. If all this is true, talk of Planes with out Cockpits,,and if true,. then It would be disappointing.By now Microsoft should have reveled what ALASKA Flight is to be?...they Bait us with nice looking scenery,but the very definition of "FLIGHT" means FLYING,CONTROLLED FLIGHT,IN a Cockpit..with gauges.. Yes flying like a RC plane is fun,but not for me!.For PRETTY Pictures ,why I will look at National Geographic or something!...then again they never did say "AS REAL AS IT CAN GET"...So It Seems we have a "GAME" a glorified PIN BALL MACHINE.Good for Desk Top Ego's...I do not detect that PILOTS were involved in this development!. Why would an ultralight be chosen for ALASKA!...If the MAULE still can be used in ALASKA,mabey I will go for it..I will block out all the "GAMES" and Fly..letting my imagination show the way!...but Then again I have to ask my self why??....certainly my FS9,and FSX,with huge hangers,state of the art planes,designed by talented people who love flight...Great Scenery,that I can improve...,.As I write this I'm watching WILD ALASKA!....Soon as the program is over,I will Go to Barrow,Fire up my Cessna Grand Caravan ,.Plot a course,check the weather,.and then let the adventure begin.Flying VFR,and IFR..with A tower to talk too,and LIFE on the Surface!...However my great grand kids Love FLIGHT...They now can use it at will....as My FSX, andFS9 are VERBOTEN!..thanx for allowing me to BLOVIATE!!

When I read it, I read it as someone else said, just a basic version of the Cub, with tires and the basic panel. Not a fancy one with skis, floats, or a panel full of expensive instruments. If it is indeed exterior only, and no VC option or other planes with VC included or to buy, I will not buy Alaska, even as much as I was looking forward to it, as my only way of showing MS I do not approve.

Well from what I'm Learning here..."FLIGHT" is a Game...And for all its eye candy it is not a Sim. If all this is true, talk of Planes with out Cockpits,,and if true,. then It would be disappointing.By now Microsoft should have reveled what ALASKA Flight is to be?...they Bait us with nice looking scenery,but the very definition of "FLIGHT" means FLYING,CONTROLLED FLIGHT,IN a Cockpit..with gauges.. Yes flying like a RC plane is fun,but not for me!.For PRETTY Pictures ,why I will look at National Geographic or something!...then again they never did say "AS REAL AS IT CAN GET"...So It Seems we have a "GAME" a glorified PIN BALL MACHINE.Good for Desk Top Ego's...I do not detect that PILOTS were involved in this development!. Why would an ultralight be chosen for ALASKA!...If the MAULE still can be used in ALASKA,mabey I will go for it..I will block out all the "GAMES" and Fly..letting my imagination show the way!...but Then again I have to ask my self why??....certainly my FS9,and FSX,with huge hangers,state of the art planes,designed by talented people who love flight...Great Scenery,that I can improve...,.As I write this I'm watching WILD ALASKA!....Soon as the program is over,I will Go to Barrow,Fire up my Cessna Grand Caravan ,.Plot a course,check the weather,.and then let the adventure begin.Flying VFR,and IFR..with A tower to talk too,and LIFE on the Surface!...However my great grand kids Love FLIGHT...They now can use it at will....as My FSX, andFS9 are VERBOTEN!..thanx for allowing me to BLOVIATE!!

 

Maybe your grand kids got tired of stutters, and glitches and crashes and blue screens of death and programming that is over a decade old. :Party:

• Based on the fact they reuse code... and ACES has developed I see you answered this before I could type it in.
  
• Do you know the size comparison btwn Aces and the current team? I would have said this one (the FLIGHT Team) larger...
  

Thanks

Rob

 

Well I can only say this since Joshua Howard said it in an interview but it went up to 50 people just prior to launch (Josh said 50). The old ACES team was about 150 people. There is a huge gap in the size of the dev team, but that gap was closed by processes other then just throwing man hours on it. I cant go into details due to NDA, but the Flight team is VERY lean and VERY capable, if given the chance. My contract ended just before Josh Howard took over, so I dont know the current situation, and my information is over a year old. A cockpit for the Cub would be no problem at all. Warbirds would of taken considerable more work, but the cub is 10x more simple then the Maule and RV.