FSX-SE DoveTail Games Buys Licensing Deal with Microsoft

[Faisal altheyab 11]

Yup, I should have quoted him directly instead of quoting your quote of his post.  ^_^

 

Sorry.

Nah. Don't worry about it

[Kattz 132]

I have a sneaky suspicion (without a thing to back it up) that Microsoft may have rejected those more overtly hardcore oriented companies (well funded or not) for the simple reason that they would have inevitably released a product with appeal to only an extremely limited audience...... With all that entails for hopes of profit.

 

It may be because it's already been done for the hardcore simmer - it's called Prepar3d.  In my opinion, whether single engine GA or tubeliners, that's where the majority of the non-government/commercial sales have went to.  That would be the extremely limited portion of the audience.

[Joe Flyer2 3]

When I read the first paragraph, I giggled with excitement!  I can't wait to see how the next year unfolds! Ladies and gentlemen... expect something spectacular!!! ^_^

[Guest]

I cannot but think based on my own speculation that putting FSX on Steam is all about starting a row with LM. FSX at this time from a sales point of view is dead. DT are bringing it back to life. It is similar enough to P3D for them to have a legitimate grip with LM. MS most likely pulling the strings and acting as the concerned mediator ( ) but DT being the vocal party. If they launched Flight right away they would have no axe to grind but they would still have to compete with P3D. However, if they can push LM into more rigid enforcement of who can and cannot buy P3D before the release of Flight on Steam, then they don't have to compete with it. Releasing FSX on Steam is going to be a monster headache for them. I guess they think that it is going to be worth it if they get LM and P3d out of the picture :mellow:. DT is just MS puppet.

[LeeL 272]

I doubt LM and Prepar3d really care.

 

They purchased the code for the training version of FSX remember

[styckx 1,872]

I cannot but think based on my own speculation that putting FSX on Steam is all about starting a row with LM. 

 

I don't.. It doesn't even make any sense. MS is a multi-million dollar company licensing out their own technology to two different people.. It's a professional business, not a 12 year old licensing selfies on Facebook.

[tttocs 301]

I've always thought of the whole shooting, crashing argument as a comfortable community myth, that justified ignoring a wider audience.

 

The majority of us aren't trying to "justify" anything you know, and don't want to intentionally exclude anyone.  The fact remains that what works for much of this community is going to be different from what excites mass audiences.  Would you really argue the truth of that?  Doesn't mean the two can't coexist or potentially even be synergistic (as they have for years in the FS franchise), but the concern for many here is that enthusiasts (my preferred term as it isn't so pejorative as some of the other terms being used - y'know, like hard-core  and elitists) potentially get shut out in typical DLC scenarios.

 

 

 

Clueless scrubs? You mean like most of us were in the beginning before the elitism set in?

 

C'mon Devon - be better than that.  Countering name-calling and labeling with more name-calling and labeling doesn't advance the discussion.

 

For my part, I'm all for widening the appeal of flight simulation, so long as widening the appeal doesn't end up locking out those of us who are enthusiasts, or burying us in arcade features that can't be disabled.  THAT's my real concern, and I expect the concern of most here.  I understand where you're coming from but I don't think you recognize the legitimate concerns that many of us have, especially with THIS company and their track (sorry! :rolleyes: ) record.

 

Like you, I'm going to wait and see how things unfold before screaming and yelling that the sky is falling and that we're all doomed.  But I'd be a fool not to at least have some concerns given past history and market trends.

 

 

 

Too many have climbed to the mountaintop and then allowed the ladder to crash to the ground behind them: creating a huge bar to entry for the following generation: Those crashing, racing, unwashed masses so many roll their eyes at.

 

What "huge bar" do we enthusiasts place in front of these people?  Sorry, but I've never bought this argument of yours.  The bar to flight simulation hasn't changed AT ALL, for many, many years.  If anything, it's lowered as more systems have the horsepower necessary to run our aging platform app.  No one is forced to buy into what we niche users do, and I find it a bit frustrating to see enthusiasts criticized for being, well... enthusiastic about their niche. 

 

What has changed is the increased visual and gameplay appeal of other titles, along with a lot of other factors having to do with aviation itself no longer carrying the cache it once did.

 

If the masses can help pay for better visual appeal in a flight simulator while still allowing an enthusiasts market to flourish then Hooray for That!  But I can't help but worry that most companies in general, and this one in particular will not follow that path.

 

Scott

[wims80 121]

I wouldn't say most  . probably a few , lets take this for an EXAMPLE : do you think that eventually ( IF ) p3d becomes the new fsx in terms of popularity . we'll have the same "clueless scrubs" ? of course not .  the main reason is , is the PRICE . i dont think that anyone would like to pay 200 $ ( or 60$ ) for a flight sim unless they take it very serious . So if Dovetail release fsx on steam for a price of lets say 10$ . this number of clueless scrubs will greatly increase . 

cheers

 

No doubt. Perhaps it's a good thing tho, we need all the casual simmers to finance our future platform

[RWFeldman 159]

MY opinion. WHO CARES. I will keep doing as I have done for 20yrs. Nothing changes because you can buy a sim as a DLC. 500 threads of personal opinions. Typical FS world.

[TheFamilyMan 280]

Selling FSX on steam does nothing to make FSX any more appealing than it is right now as it is sold on Amazon, unless they offer it for $7.  And even then, it will be slammed because it is soooooo outdated graphically and runs like a xxxxx.  Face it, FSX is DOA in this day and age in the marketplace.

 

I have read that dovetail will be updating the remains of Flight! and launching it in a manner they see most fit.  This will be their contribution/legacy in the FS market.

 

As for P3D, its market is TINY!!!!  Wakeup out there, there are maybe 300,000 people in the whole world (probably a lot less) that even (or care to) know that it exists.  Why do you think it's $200 for a personal license?  I seriously doubt that dovetail considers P3D a threat to its target market.

[HiFlyer 9,374]

The majority of us aren't trying to "justify" anything you know, and don't want to intentionally exclude anyone.  The fact remains that what works for much of this community is going to be different from what excites mass audiences.  Would you really argue the truth of that?  Doesn't mean the two can't coexist or potentially even be synergistic (as they have for years in the FS franchise), but the concern for many here is that enthusiasts (my preferred term as it isn't so pejorative as some of the other terms being used - y'know, like hard-core  and elitists) potentially get shut out in typical DLC scenarios.

 

Phrases like hardcore and "true" simmer are self descriptive and in common use. I didn't make them up, nor would I be the first to think that there is an elitist tone in them. I sometimes think the community doesn't really know how it can appear from the outside, or why the word "Simulation" has become a negative in so many minds. When I initially came across this community (after several years of thinking FSX was completely dead) the way people other than dedicated simmers were perceived and talked about seemed very off-putting (and borderline offensive) to the point that I almost turned right back around and wandered off. That nearly unconscious attitude has not appeared to change much (if at all) since then, and is still every bit as annoying. Handing it back can also annoy/offend/frustrate some people...... which is exactly the point.

 

C'mon Devon - be better than that.  Countering name-calling and labeling with more name-calling and labeling doesn't advance the discussion.

 

True! But after a few years of having anyone that doesn't enjoy taking a half hour to start up a plane be pretty much dismissed as just above orangutans.   I can't truthfully say I'm sorry either. It would be a lie.

 

What "huge bar" do we enthusiasts place in front of these people?  Sorry, but I've never bought this argument of yours.  The bar to flight simulation hasn't changed AT ALL, for many, many years.  If anything, it's lowered as more systems have the horsepower necessary to run our aging platform app.  No one is forced to buy into what we niche users do, and I find it a bit frustrating to see enthusiasts criticized for being, well... enthusiastic about their niche. 

 

Again, from the outside, this hobby has become nearly impossibly frustrating and convoluted. At this point, even the most savvy user dreads the inevitably of a re-install, not to mention tracking down updates and installing them in the correct order. Digging through CFG settings, Dealing with CTD's, DX10 fixes, Weather programs PMDG (guaranteed to scare the pants off of any newbie) ATC, SID and STAR..... the list of time consuming barriers to reach any sort of proficiency within this hobby at this point is nearly mind numbing to anyone who hasn't been swimming these murky waters for years and years.

 

Where is the entry point? Where is the simple gateway that allows one with little knowledge to smoothly progress up the ladder? The community myth is that no such gateway is needed because the "kiddies" (more condescension) just wanna crash and blow up stuff; only the faithful need be accommodated. Efforts like FLIGHT are doomed to failure because supposedly we are the only valid market; no other, except shooters exists, and "They" will get bored if they can't blow stuff up and crash things... as if many of us didn't start out doing the exact same things with Janes and all of those other "blow stuff up" simulators that started it all.........

 

Then, when a company Like DTG comes along and seems likely to offer a sim that might bridge the gap between the beginner and the hardcore..... as if we don't already have FSX and P3D and XPX to keep us occupied, its excoriated before it even gets a chance. Just like FLIGHT was, because a market that is already saturated to bursting may turn out not to be (as usual) the primary target.........

[HawkDsl 50]

I am a Flight Sim Elitist!

 

Behold my mighty opinion hath no time for thy wicked coin chasing, mindless 40 AGL stick down, DLC spending underlings!

 

 

yea...  allot of that kind of bombastic speech can only come from old men like us. Personally, I think its hilarious.

 

 

I have plenty of Snickers. Your not yourself when your hungry after all.

 

 

Anyway. 2006 FSX makes it to steam, where it will be as overlooked as a fat girl in a supermodel see through bikini contest. MS clearly wants us to go away, and as was stated, the team

we may have wanted to get the deal was rejected.. Punishment maybe, for our total, and utter rejection of that POS FLIGHT.

 

If it comes down that our keys are thrown out, then I'm off to the other two options.

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

Unless Microsoft decide to shut down the activation servers, they cannot do anything to us.

[BeechPapa 32]

http://time.com/2972718/heres-hoping-dovetails-version-of-microsoft-flight-simulator-is-a-bona-fide-flight-simulator/

 

"After the Microsoft Flight debacle, for me anyway, it’s as simple as this: If you’re going to make a simulator, then make a simulator, not something dumbed down or parceled out to broaden its appeal or sales potential. Figure out how to make ends meet by catering to the demographic that your genre, by definition, appeals to. When it comes to flight simulation, or really simulators in general, that’s going to be a niche, and it’ll always be a niche, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that." - Matt Peckham, TIME 

 

Well said. 

[HiFlyer 9,374]

http://time.com/2972718/heres-hoping-dovetails-version-of-microsoft-flight-simulator-is-a-bona-fide-flight-simulator/

 

"After the Microsoft Flight debacle, for me anyway, it’s as simple as this: If you’re going to make a simulator, then make a simulator, not something dumbed down or parceled out to broaden its appeal or sales potential. Figure out how to make ends meet by catering to the demographic that your genre, by definition, appeals to. When it comes to flight simulation, or really simulators in general, that’s going to be a niche, and it’ll always be a niche, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that." - Matt Peckham, TIME 

 

Well said. 

 

Whoops! there's a phrase I forgot. "Dumbed down"

 

So. don't worry about sales. Or profits. Or a broad audience/large market..........

 

Explains a lot.

 

Like how so many developers keep pointing out that they don't really do it for the money, cause with few exceptions, there is none.