One sentence sums up what may well prove to be a "Watershed Moment" in the not too distant future:"Throughout more than 20 years in continuous publication Flight Simulator has fostered an amazing grass roots community with little or no help from Microsoft but we realize that

Sounds to me like they have big plans for some kind of online multiplayer gaming community. Simlar to an Everquest, etc.Figure the Zone is three versions only now and needs to be replaced with something better. Maybe this is it.I can't wait to see what they have in mind. "Multi-Version" tells me they will be rolling it out over the next 5 or 6 years with improvements being made in each new version of FS.Matt

Unless they are willing to let me work from Phoenix, I can't apply. Washington is too cold for me :)-John

Perhaps it's the color of the glasses I view the world through, but it suggests to me that they're seeking a closer involvement with the addon community (free and pay), as well as some mechanism to allow greater feedback/interaction with the users... ;)

I agree, and it also sounds like they intend to keep the process evolving through multiple versions--IOTW, it sounds like this won't end with FS2006.-John

My guess: a 64-bit flight simulator version to showcase the benefits of their new 64-bit windows.BTW, this could be a great employment opportunity for some of the talented developers around here. Plus, we could get one of "our people" on the "inside". ;-)

Quote:"We have an ambitious, multi-version strategy ..." Translation: we'll be releasing future versions of FS on the XBox first, then, after two years, those versions will be ported to the PC. Quote:"making the community an integral part of the game experience..."I agree with the other poster: Microsoft is probably looking into turning FS into a multiplayer online game.I mean, Microsoft had almost 10 years to make the addon community an "integral part," and they've never shown anything other than the flimsiest interest in the addon market - so why now?ricardo

Will see if this thread does better linking to microsoft instead of simflight ;)

and whether people will continue the blatant anti-Microsoft flames of one of the earlier posters...

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Well, I did not consider the X-Box line of thinking. In hindsite, I can see where one could deduce that FS may being going towards X-Box and the online community that revolves around X-Box. I would personally hate to see that happen if us PC users and our version of online (Vatsim/Ivao)are relegated to has been status by MS.

>and whether people will continue the blatant anti-Microsoft>flames of one of the earlier posters...There is a difference between being anti FS on XBOX and being anti FS from microsoft flames you know ;)XBOX just happens to be made by Microsoft. Now for the record XBOX is by far the best console to port FS too since it

Microsoft would be taking a huge gamble on demographics if it developed for XBOX first.On one hand, it's a programmer's dream--a consistent environment which is much easier to debug. But there's a huge number of adult users of MSFS who live at their PC. They want to use TurboTax, switch to Powerpoint to prepare a presentation, and have a flight from EHAM to EGLL in the background. XBox isn't just the domain of the young, but it's still on the fringes of the developed MSFS community. Many of our peers here--myself included, are not gamers. I own a handful of entertainment titles, but use only one full time. MSFS.Microsoft needs to port MSFS to Xbox--to build a legion of users that will either purchase a second copy for their PC, or "move up" to the more sophisticated simming environment that a PC can offer. Still, there are tens of thousands of users that won't be interested in any XBox offering. Those are the users that got MSFS to where it is today. They'll be needed to take it where it's going.-John

I can't find the thread in question so I guess it was deleted. I'm wish I could have read it first. I posted a comment this morning and I hope it wasn't misconstrued as "MS bashing" by anyone becuase that was not my intent at all. I'm assuming it must have been something posted later that cuased the trouble (I hope). Wish I could have read it...

Much as I like the Xbox as a gaming console, for the MSFS series it would be wrong; no proper form of control, unless MS have something to come that will interface standard keyboard and mouse to the box...unlikely though, and of course, where will that leave all the independant add-on developers? For many, the only way to get add-ons would be via specialy made DVD's...I, and I'm sure many others, don't have, or don't want/need Xbox Live. Unless MS licensed official Airlines for an Xbox version, I doubt many folks would be too happy trying to be 'as real as it gets' in a bunch of Pacifica and Soar 737's, and with minimal fake AI; we'd be crying out for real airlines, and a wider variety of planes, and tons of real and varied AI just as we do for the PC version now!!