Demanding absolute perfection in all things straight off the bat, we get nothing at all.

 

Remember Microsoft Flght? RIP.

 

Hook

I'd say Devon has a point. And one can see that point in every 'close to release' thread there is. While I can respect all wishes, some still still surprise me.. just when you think you've seen them all. ^_^

 

So if there is a nice, stable and open basis, the product can go anywhere. Doesn't have to be perfect right from the start.

This is our next home flight simulator. :LMAO:

 

http://www.gizmag.com/boeing-crvs-jvc-e-shift-flight-simulator/25288/pictures#1

 

The good news is its not from microsoft. haha.

What architecture would a new base flight simulator use?

 

Using FSX's would sure cause objections from Microsoft and Lockheed-Martin: using X-Plane's from Laminar Research.

Question: Why can't people tinker with fsx and make it better short of changing config settings and code values etc? For example, horizon blending. It sucks in fsx, so why can't a tech savvy person change it so it's better? Is the code encrypted? Somehow unchangeable?

Is the code encrypted? Somehow unchangeable?

Legal and ethical considerations aside, it is incredibly expensive and difficult to modify compiled C++ code, difficult enough one may as well say "impossible..."

Legal ... considerations ...

 

Those are likely to be a show-stopper.

I suppose the real question here is crowdfunding as there is with the next instalment of Wing Commander?

 

Also, I would hope cloud shadows are a part of any new simulator as well as photoreal textures being incorporated into the engine.

 

I suppose this thread could go on for a long time, but what features do people wish to see?

I suppose this thread could go on for a long time, but what features do people wish to see?

 

1) An integrated addon/appstore with one click purchases and automatic downloads/installs/updates.

2) Freeware addons allowed in appstore, but with some kind of quality control system. Automatic system to merge addons, so that scenery for a region is merged into one package (you enable a region, then all new quality freeware for that region will download each time you start the sim).

3) A higly upgradable platform where features can be added as time goes by. Rather have a decent base simulator now, than waiting ten years for every feature under the sun wanted by the "community". Maybe a voting system where the 10-20 most popular features are to be worked on for each update.

4) Denser landclass system with a lot more classes and more variety of textures (250x250m).

5) A user friendly intergrated SDK that take NO technical know how to use for scenery creation. Creating a house f. ex. should be as simple as in "The Sims" game series. Roads, airstrips etc. should be drawn with a road tool (like in Outerra). Landclass added on the fly from top down view with a grid, much like an excel spreadsheet etc.

1) An integrated addon/appstore with one click purchases and automatic downloads/installs/updates.

 

That would change the FS Community as many sites and forums depend on income from their stores to survive. Would also increase the cost per addon as the appstore takes a percentage of the sale.

 

A good concept but FS Community is different then the Steam concept.

In no particular order:

 

1) Better flight model (Flight had quite a good one), maybe even make it completely modular so 3pds can make their own if desired.

2) Better modelling of what happens on the ground (friction, wet runways)

3) Modelling of icing effects

4) Integrated Vatsim/IVAO client

5) Updatable Navaid/waypoint database

6) World wide scenery coverage. Obviously at Orbx quality is unrealistic, but there should at least be a complete globe with scenery that is decent to look at.

7) Lighter than air support

8) Thrust vectoring support

9) Integrated multiplayer hosting/client

10) Focus on mod-ability from the concept design upwards.

That would change the FS Community as many sites and forums depend on income from their stores to survive. Would also increase the cost per addon as the appstore takes a percentage of the sale.

 

A good concept but FS Community is different then the Steam concept.

 

I am a memebr of many many FS forums that have no income from addon sales. There are many free or very cheap alternatives for hosting websites, blogs and forums these days.

 

I think an appstore would see a higher volume of sales. It would be in both the dev and 3PD interest to make terms livable. Income would also be needed to cover costs of hosting freeware content, otherwise a yearly subscription would be needed.

http://www.eurotruck...2.com/world.php this company and others are needed to combine truck, train, auto, flight combined into one simulator. Will call it Merger like businesss does from time to time. FSX is great but we need crowd funding setup to build next geneation of simulator for flying.

 

For Example, European Truck Simulator is scaled 1:10 to 1:15 ratio delivering goods across Europe and they built landmarks and airports, and roads are semi-realistic. Haul goods from Lyon to Rostock or Brussels to Munich it semi-realistic with roads and landscapes, sinage etc. Xplane is good but it was no eye candy that is why VFR flyers stick with FSX even if FSX is flawed from time to time. Truck simmers like hard core ones want 100% realism and flight simmers no different, but X-Plane is missing the sitting ducks. Therefore, the way to work this idea would be crowd funding a platform which 3rd parties can build off of. One builds the planes, one builds the roads, dams, power lines, one builds the weather systems, and one for flight characteristics and physics. The things is $$$$$$ and crowd funding it is a way to go. Coalition of flight, truck, train simmers is what is needed. Truck Simmer are similar to flight simmers they want real weather, clouds, winds, snow, fleet, hail, water textures, real cities.

I am a memebr of many many FS forums that have no income from addon sales. There are many free or very cheap alternatives for hosting websites, blogs and forums these days.

 

That is true, For many Flight Sim is a labour of love...

 

I don't mind an appstore but would prefer the software to be unlocked so as I have the option to purchase from any source.

 

Currently PMDG and Carenado for example I can purchase direct, which is something I prefer to do as to support these developers directly, and not have distribution clip the ticket and reduce margins for the developers.

 

The more revenue base the developers get, the more they will be able to produce these products. An Appstore does nothing but give someone else money for something they didn't do.

An Appstore does nothing but give someone else money for something they didn't do.

 

I disagree with this statement. No matter where or how you buy the add-on, there are distribution costs (so someone is always making money from something they didn't do if you want to look at it that way). Similar concerns came up with Steam, and very few, if any, raise this issue any more. It really helped the indie and small developers that had no chance of putting their software in front of very many potential users on their own. The advantage of a built in store is that it essentially reaches the largest market possible as it would be in front of all potential users. While the developer may make a little less on each sale, they can easily make up for it in volume. Another way to put it is that the developer gets a slightly smaller piece of a much larger pie. If you read Phil Taylor's blog post about how well FSX sold (it made the top ten list for 2006, so it must have sold many, many thousands of copies at least), and then read comments from developers about add-on sales (<10,000 copies seems to be common), you can see there is a huge gap in there. Some of which is certainly caused by new users not knowing what's out there.

 

On top of having to go find the add-ons, you then have to install it. This can vary from a nice clean installed provided by the developer to just a .zip full of files that you have to manually place in the correct location. Not exactly a good way to attract new users used to just hitting download and then running the game (I know I like flying the aircraft, not playing file manager...). MS Flight did this pretty well. Linux distributions have been running application repositories with easy installations for over a decade now. No need to muck around with files and where they belong, just download and go.

 

As for app stores being locked down, that is entirely up to the company running it. Apple has always liked absolute control and Microsoft failed miserably with Flight in this regard. In contrast, Google is happy to let you download Android apps from either the Google Play store, or any other source you can find. Steam doesn't prevent gamers or developers from using other sources either.