X-plane 10 coming to Steam...(?)

[ohsirus 241]

Steam can easily handle the sim-size as others have pointed out, Steams DRM is a onetime activation and they are MAC/Linux friendly. I pity whoever would be anointed the forum community manager though.If it does get picked up on Steam and they achieve another in-flux of cash I hope they hire a few more people to help in development.

[arsenal82 120]

Do you also understand that if steam avid gamers users do not like xplane (believe me many will complain from day 1) could be the end of it ??

This is a big gamble !!! and in my opinion xplane 10 is not yet mature; definetly need more cosmetics; fly over London and see what i mean !  London is a Major city that should be well covered. Those steam users like sparkling graphics and rich content; something that xplane as is need to improve.

 

Once upon a time there was a game on steam called Flight and ............  DLC  ...................  Online Activation ..............and .................................... you know what happened next !

[carrotroot 77]

That would be really good news if it is picked up by steam. Hope it will happen.

[ohsirus 241]

Do you also understand that if steam avid gamers users do not like xplane (believe me many will complain from day 1) could be the end of it ??

This is a big gamble !!! and in my opinion xplane 10 is not yet mature; definetly need more cosmetics; fly over London and see what i mean !  London is a Major city that should be well covered. Those steam users like sparkling graphics and rich content; something that xplane as is need to improve.

 

Once upon a time there was a game on steam called Flight and ....................................

 

Most avid Steam Gamers are not simmers. I once tried to help out some users with a few FSX tricks like limited frames to 30, etc, and got blasted that all games should run at 60+ fps. Steam users are mainly fast twitchers, not procedural junkies. It's destined to get mass bad reviews. 

[fscottee 10]

As a die hard FSX/P3D user, I'm very happy to see this. there's nothing wrong with more flight simmers.

[arsenal82 120]

Most avid Steam Gamers are not simmers. I once tried to help out some users with a few FSX tricks like limited frames to 30, etc, and got blasted that all games should run at 60+ fps. Steam users are mainly fast twitchers, not procedural junkies. It's destined to get mass bad reviews. 

Could not agree more with you !

 

It is a Huge Risk; and once the vicious circle start; it will spread.

Xplane need simmers that have passion for flight simulation and not Avid Steam Gamers that are not simmers but pure gamers breed ! used to full colors and flashing bright lights; fast and furious weapons / cars / asteroids / planets / etc etc. The difference between the styles is HUGE !!

[starflight 8]

Most avid Steam Gamers are not simmers. I once tried to help out some users with a few FSX tricks like limited frames to 30, etc, and got blasted that all games should run at 60+ fps. Steam users are mainly fast twitchers, not procedural junkies. It's destined to get mass bad reviews. 

 

I'm extremely ambivalent about this (supposed?) business move as well. Laminar simply do not have the development resources in place to handle a sudden awareness by Steam users. They might make a lot of money short-term on Steam, enough to hire more core developers, but it might come at the expense of bad reviews from gamers who don't know what they're getting (was going to say "whose expectations weren't managed properly" but let's face it, tell them up front all the shortcomings, that it's a sim not a game, etc, many will still buy it and then complain).

 

However, I wonder also whether this marks a business direction change for Steam as well. In the past they've been all about games, maybe they're looking at this to build credibility as a distribution system for professional software too? In fact, I just checked their site and there is a small selection of software titles (about 75) that are clearly not games, even if many of the top sellers are geared toward producing them.

[EngineRoom 205]

 

 

Do you also understand that if steam avid gamers users do not like xplane (believe me many will complain from day 1) could be the end of it ??

 

The end of what? X-Plane? Why? Can't quite see your line of thinking.

 

 

 

Most avid Steam Gamers are not simmers. I once tried to help out some users with a few FSX tricks like limited frames to 30, etc, and got blasted that all games should run at 60+ fps. Steam users are mainly fast twitchers, not procedural junkies. It's destined to get mass bad reviews.

 

There are more than just twitch style games on Steam, and Steam users are more than just twitch gamers.

 

 

 

Laminar simply do not have the development resources in place to handle a sudden awareness by Steam users. They might make a lot of money short-term on Steam, enough to hire more core developers, but it might come at the expense of bad reviews from gamers who don't know what they're getting (was going to say "whose expectations weren't managed properly" but let's face it, tell them up front all the shortcomings, that it's a sim not a game, etc, many will still buy it and then complain).

 

Why would they need extra development resources? It's just another means by which they can market and distribute the sim. Steam doesn't review games and neither does it publish user reviews, they display the Metacritic score on the game's store page. You've got the Steam forum for that particular game, but that's about it, no different than any other forum online. If users buy it and complain it's no different than the users who have complained about XP in the various flight sim fora over the years.

 

Also see that Steam is used to publish many indie games that only have very small development teams.

 

 

 

However, I wonder also whether this marks a business direction change for Steam as well. In the past they've been all about games, maybe they're looking at this to build credibility as a distribution system for professional software too? In fact, I just checked their site and there is a small selection of software titles (about 75) that are clearly not games, even if many of the top sellers are geared toward producing them.

 

DCS moved to Steam not long ago and it raised their profile quite a lot. Likewise RSC's Railworks/Rail Simulator series has been Steam-only for a few years now and that seems to be going pretty strong.

 

Look guys, if you listen to what any sim developer/publisher is telling you these days it's all about increasing market exposure to maximise the sales in a niche market. As I explained above, putting any flight sim, be it DCS or X-Plane on the front page of the store of a distribution platform used by 65 million users is not an opportunity to be sniffed at.

[BleedAir 28]

My first thought was 'damn that's a big download', the 'how the hell are they going to handle the scenery' and finally 'what about the copy protection issues'

 

I'd say quite a few hurdles to overcome before steam picks up XPX.

no problem for people with very fast connections....I have a 200mb/s  connection.

[CapnSplat 36]

 

 

[...] Steam doesn't review games and neither does it publish user reviews, they display the Metacritic score on the game's store page. You've got the Steam forum for that particular game, but that's about it, no different than any other forum online. If users buy it and complain it's no different than the users who have complained about XP in the various flight sim fora over the years.

 

Just a minor correction: the most recent updates to Steam have, in fact, implemented support for user reviews, which are displayed on the actual Steam store page. I suppose time will tell whether these user reviews carry any weight in the community.

[ohsirus 241]

 

 

There are more than just twitch style games on Steam, and Steam users are more than just twitch gamers.

 

I agree as I have 166 games in my Steam Library. I'll say this MSFlight was prominently displayed and DLC sold on Steam and we know how much a success that was. I just checked the stats on the only other comparable title on Steam, Aerofly, and at it's peak 30 users in a month used it via Steam. Now I think it's great for it to have Steam exposure as it will boost some sales, but doubtful it will hit the top sellers.

[MdMax 233]

I just put my stamp of approval. Steam could definitely boost the userbase with one holiday sale. 

 

+1

[HiFlyer 9,358]

There is some evidence that FLIGHT was on target to sales similar to that of FSX. (See thread the man who killed FSX)

 

That however, was apparently just not enough to attract a company the size of Microsoft, which you will remember closed ACES despite the "success" of FSX.

 

However, numbers that are/were nothing to MS would probably be solid gold for X-Plane.

 

My question is whether LM has the type of consumer focus necessary in a broader market. I asked once is XPX a sim for pilots, or everyone? And that question is still an open one.

 

Ones eyebrows do have to raise a bit though at the sheer numbers of Pepsi, coke and pizza fueled people (who never sleep) that might be unleashed as enthusiastic scenery designers in a potential Steam workshop if the tools were usable enough........

[saed45 38]

I agree as I have 166 games in my Steam Library. I'll say this MSFlight was prominently displayed and DLC sold on Steam and we know how much a success that was. I just checked the stats on the only other comparable title on Steam, Aerofly, and at it's peak 30 users in a month used it via Steam. Now I think it's great for it to have Steam exposure as it will boost some sales, but doubtful it will hit the top sellers.

 

why would it become a top seller? does every game become a top seller on steam?

to think xplane will somehow beat fsx just cause it got released on steam is absured. but hopefully this leads the pathway for better digital distribution of xplane and more users for years to come

[EngineRoom 205]

Just a minor correction: the most recent updates to Steam have, in fact, implemented support for user reviews, which are displayed on the actual Steam store page. I suppose time will tell whether these user reviews carry any weight in the community.

 

My apologies, I haven't looked too closely at the store pages for some of the more recent games. Even so I don't think user reviews will have much effect.

 

Laminar have reached just about everyone they can in the small flight simming community, Steam would give them the chance to reach an awful lot more.

 

 

It is a Huge Risk; and once the vicious circle start; it will spread.

Xplane need simmers that have passion for flight simulation and not Avid Steam Gamers that are not simmers but pure gamers breed ! used to full colors and flashing bright lights; fast and furious weapons / cars / asteroids / planets / etc etc. The difference between the styles is HUGE !!

 

I really can't understand why this is a "huge risk" and how the "vicious circle" will spread? What exactly will happen to X-Plane or Laminar if XP10 appears on Steam? Some people will buy it, a lot of people won't. Go and check out the Steam forums for the likes of Total War Rome 2 and X-Rebirth - these games have been very poorly received yet they sold by the bucketload on Steam, so much so that Creative Assembly are just about to release the first expansion for Rome 2.

 

I think you are making a gross over simplification of things here. Please take a look at what's available on Steam - DCS World and all the modules are available, as is the likes of IL-2 1946, IL-2 Cliffs of Dover, Aerofly FS, Rail Simulator 2014, Euro Truck Simulator to name a few simulations.

 

Cast your net a bit wider and there is the likes of the Total War series, Paradox titles like Europa Universalis, Victoria, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, the Silent Hunter series, the Anno series, Sonalysts' titles like 688(I) Hunter Killer, Sub Command and Dangerous Waters, Sid Meier's Civilization series... I'm just scratching the surface of literally hundreds, if not thousands of games that could not be any further from "full colors and flashing bright lights; fast and furious weapons / cars / asteroids / planets / etc" and are every bit as cerebral and intellectually challenging as anything you might want to do in a flight simulator.