One last comment for the evening, and then I hope everyone here will be enjoying a weekend of sim flying,

 

The way I see it, we're in a potentially good situation with the two main hardcore flight sims, because Prepar3D is in continuing development by LM, a company that has no no worries about cash flow (cough... F-35 program).

 

The other, X-Plane, is in continuing development and headed by an independently wealthy GA pilot who has developed the product for years as his dream personal flying sim. Which explains the "missing" features... Austin doesn't care, although there is a small staff of very talented programmers who are trying to move it into something the traditional MS/FS community might enjoy.

 

So, two developers with no money worries (unless Austin loses that patent troll lawsuit with Uniloc).

 

That's a good thing for civilian flight sims moving foward, right? In that context, whatever DTG is doing doesn't matter, because they're profit-driven and not on the same wavelength about simulation.

 

My only risidual worry is that 1) LM might decide that P3D is too small a project to continue moving forward, especially as the overall military spending budget continues to wind down, and 2) I don't know if X-Plane could survive if Austin left the company for whatever reason.

 

So don't get your hopes up too far, for X-Plane as the Tywin Lannister of flight sims.

 

And there is always, still, Microsoft lurking in the background. One day, the right person might decide to revive their IP with completely new code, since they didn't sell the farm, just the "lite" version of the idea.

Never mind, he was doomed to be shown the door.

 

Where does Tom find these people?   

 

X-plane is Tywin Lannister.

Have you read the books? Your analogy is pretty funny given what happens to poor Tywin in the end.

Where does Tom find these people?   

"Walk The Plank".com LOL

Where does Tom find these people?   

 

We have a collection, donchaknow? Some day we'll publish a book... But, to answer your question, we work hard at looking under every rock, spot of slime mold, three day old ramen noodles and of course, our 20 year old collection of kimchee left overs. Makes for interesting Friday and Saturday night AVSIM Staff socials.

 

My only risidual worry is that 1) LM might decide that P3D is too small a project to continue moving forward, especially as the overall military spending budget continues to wind down

 

My opinion. Nothing factual..

 

 

I honestly think Prepar3D is a drop in the bucket as far as LM expenses go. Relatively small (but damn efficient) team for it, and near zero marketing expenses since they aren't competing with other developers. ie: It's not a video game.  On top of that the money they are probably saving by being able to create their own solutions in house when developing new (real world) aircraft. They have a complete flight simulation solution at their disposal.  Even if cash wise Prepar3D isn't turning profits (which I find hard to believe) it's paying off more as a component/tool to their overall business in the aerospace industry.   

Have you read the books? Your analogy is pretty funny given what happens to poor Tywin in the end.

 

I haven't read that series, but (post quick Wiki-fu)... well, that could happen, metaphorically... yes. :o

 

Which is why, as much as I've put all my eggs in one flight sim basket or another during the years starting with FS back in the SubLogic days, I know nothing is forever. The skills and experience we all develop will translate to anything new worth spending time on, because "flying the wing" hasn't really changed in the last 100 years.

My opinion. Nothing factual..

 

I honestly think Prepar3D is a drop in the bucket as far as LM expenses go. Relatively small (but damn efficient) team for it, and near zero marketing expenses since they aren't competing with other developers. ie: It's not a video game.  On top of that the money they are probably saving by being able to create their own solutions in house when developing new (real world) aircraft. They have a complete flight simulation solution at their disposal.  Even if cash wise Prepar3D isn't turning profits (which I find hard to believe) it's paying off more as a component/tool to their overall business in the aerospace industry.   

 

Well, maybe, but "drop in the bucket" doesn't even begin to describe the situation with Prepar3D as a part of Lockheed Martin. Look at the numbers for this company (Wiki sourced), US dollars for 2013:

 

Revenue:               $45.358 billion

Operating income: $4.50 billion

Profit Increase       $2.98 billion

Total assets           $36.18 billion

Employees             116,000

 

That's "billion: with a B. This is the company that has out-foxed and out-lasted all the major US Defense contractors over the years except Boeing, and they still have the largest share of the pie, like the F-35 boondoggle and a bunch of programs and space-based stuff in black budgets that aren't even shown here.

 

Why is this company even interested in FS as a consumer product?

 

I mean, I know why, as a lightweight (from their perspective) way to do the initial design and training on whatever they're developing in-house, that will later be expanded (at taxpayer expense) as a "real" military simulator. The main point is that they have the financial freedom to not care about what the amateur sim market wants from the platform. Which worries me.

 

I have equally heartburn-inducing worries about X-Plane as a company that may be too small and too founder-focused to move forward in the long term, so it's equal opportunity heartburn.

So.......

 

Before DTG even gets a chance to announce what direction they are going in, talk to the community, show anything, or even get a chance to explain themselves in any way.....

 

We have resolved that they are awful people, planning to do horrible things, and we want no part of it.

 

Seems legit.  

 

Hopefully they wont write us off as quickly as we seem ready to write them off.

 

For myself, I'm going to see what they actually come up with before consigning them to the pit.

Before DTG even gets a chance to announce what direction they are going in, talk to the community, show anything, or even get a chance to explain themselves in any way.....

 

Well to be honest, if they really cared about us they would've said something by now. It's been 3 days.

So.......

 

Before DTG even gets a chance to announce what direction they are going in, talk to the community, show anything, or even get a chance to explain themselves in any way.....

 

We have resolved that they are awful people

 

Awful people is a bit extreme.. I despise them as a company, but I still hold high regards for some of their employees. Derek Siddle is world class and a gentleman. We've butted heads numerous times but I'd buy him a pint any day of the week..  Adam the same.. Tom.. Ditto.  The list goes on.. Their employees are great and extremely talented people and I really miss communicating (and butting heads) with them. The person calling the shots of the company I wouldn't even shake hands with though. I can't express enough how I have nothing nice to say about Paul Jackson.

Just wow. Dovetail games has slowly destroyed, in my opinion, the train sim franchise.

Each version that was forced upon people via STEAM has been more buggier than the last. They turned a decent train simulation into a ad infested DLC gateway.

 

This does not bode well for the franchise... DTG games support is absolutely terrible. They go to great lengths to hush people who speak out about the product and its extreme years old bugs. Anyone looking forward to bugfixes in the flight/FSX engines are deluding themselves.

 

DTG mainly consists of suits from EA and graphics artists. They do not know how to fix train simulator, they certainly are not going to be able to fix Flight/FSX. They see it as a DLC gateway... nothing more.

 

Out of all the passionate flight sim companies... this could not have gone into more wrong hands.

 

 

Such pessimism and negativity. DTG has improved Train Simulator to amazing realism. Compared to MSTS when it first came out, TS2014 is truly amazing. It keeps getting better and better. And I have operated REAL WORLD trains AND real world aircraft! There are still things to improve but the world is not perfect and never will be. Unless I am missing something?

Well to be honest, if they really cared about us they would've said something by now. It's been 3 days.

 

Maybe...... I have no idea what external and internal restrictions they are working under, and certainly it won't be the first time a company didn't spill the beans quickly enough for this community's tastes.  :ph34r:

 

I think its a safe bet that there's an interview in the works out there, somewhere.

 

 

Awful people is a bit extreme.. I despise them as a company, but I still hold high regards for some of their employees.

 

Noted.

Well to be honest, if they really cared about us they would've said something by now. It's been 3 days.

 

Probabaly be cause Dovetail has many  more important things to do in the 3 days since the announcement.

 

Also why should it care in view of the attitude of some posters towards DoveTail in these forums? Anywhere, I suspect it reality we're as not  important as some posters like to think.

Yeah, he was looking for a fight. When you are flying 40 feet AGL, slamming the stick forward is not really a great idea.

ROFLMAO!