FSX-SE DoveTail Games Buys Licensing Deal with Microsoft

[PIC007 82]

Scroll to the bottom of their website.... 2 notices on the right side...

 

http://www.dovetailgames.com/

 

Head of Third Party Content - Ref HTPCH004 Role title: Head of Third Party ContentReports to: SVP & General ManagerDepartment: 004 BrandBase Location: Chatham, Kent Overview of Department The Third Party content team are responsible for the acquisition and management of external partners with a view to the release of quality, stand-alone content that compliments the work of our own development teams. The team are responsible for contract negotiation, development support and revenue generation. - See more at: http://www.dovetailgames.com/vacancies/2014/jun/30/head-of-third-party-content-ref-htpch004#sthash.pHhTbBS2.dpuf

[Boomer 1,619]

 

 

Finally, given the extremely introspective nature of flight simulation, how we have raised the bar for entry into the hobby so high in recent years (something which P3D has made even worse), putting both FSX and whatever new sim comes out on a digital storefront like Steam which is accessed by 75 million active users is a very good thing for the future of the hobby.

 

But which hobby?

 

Lite weight shallow flight simming that appeals to the masses?

 

Or (far less likely) the high-realism hardcore flight simming that we here are?

 

Because the former is of no account and of no use to us whatsoever.

 

And guess which option I think it likely to be.

[RatRace 4]

putting both FSX and whatever new sim comes out on a digital storefront like Steam which is accessed by 75 million active users is a very good thing for the future of the hobby.

add to that, that XP10 is also to be released on Steam shortly.

[malibu43 2]

They can control the distribution of payware. So yes, it can very well affect all of us.

 

Lets take Gary from UK2000 as an example. Amazing developer but I doubt very much that he is rolling in cash from FS sales. What if restrictions are put into place regarding how/where he sells his products & a distribution fee is put in place?

 

I hope it's not true, but as i said this could not work out well for the addon company's out there. 

 

Ah.  I see your point.

 

I still would guess that they just sell FSX as-is and focus changes on Flight/future title.  But I could be wrong.

[styckx 1,871]

Dovetail games is an awful company. Their train simulator is the furthest thing from an actual simulator. It's a train driving game. Not being harsh, being honest. I beta tested for them (my NDA is expired) for years before leaving

 

And watch out for their EULA.. They are brutal. For example

 

Section 9 of Train Simulator 2014 EULA.. Some key areas.. The UGC area is much larger than this.

 

9.  USER-GENERATED CONTENT 

Please read this section carefully before creating or making available any user generated 

content for the Software: 

 

( B)  We have an irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, payment free right to take any actions 

we  consider  appropriate  (including  without  limitation  to  copy,  reproduce,  market, 

advertise, modify, adapt, merge, translate, reverseengineer, decompile, disassemble 

or  create  derivative  works  based  on  the  whole  or  any  part  of  the  UGC),  and  all 

consents (if any) required under intellectual property, data protection and privacy laws 

worldwide,  for  that  use,  in  respect  of  any  UGC  which  includes  portions  of  our 

Intellectual Property as defined above; 

 

©  You must include the following message in a prominent manner with any UGC which 

you  make  available  to  other  users  (this  could  be  in the  manual  or  'readme'  file  you 

provide with the UGC): 

"IMPORTANT NOTICE. This is user generated content  designed for use with Dovetail Games train 

simulation products, including RailWorks 5: Train Simulator 2014. 

Dovetail Games does not approve or endorse this user generated content and does not accept any 

liability or responsibility regarding it. 

This user generated content has not been screened or tested by Dovetail Games. Accordingly, it 

may  adversely  affect  your  use  of  Dovetail  Games’s  products.   If  you  install  this  user  generated 

content and it infringes the rules regarding user-generated content, Dovetail Games may choose to 

discontinue any support for that product which theymay otherwise have provided. 

The  RailWorks  EULA  sets  out  in  detail  how  user generated content may be used, which you can 

review  further  here:  www.railsimulator.com/terms.   In  particular,  this  user  generated  content 

includes  work  which  remains  the  intellectual  property  of  Dovetail  Games  and  which  may  not  be 

rented,  leased,  sub-licensed,  modified,  adapted,  copied,  reproduced  or  redistributed  without  the 

permission of Dovetail Games." 

 

The  UGC  must  be  designed  and  used  for  personal  entertainment  and  not  for  any 

business purpose or for any commercial purpose suchas, but not limited to, employee 

training, route planning or infrastructure design; 

 

 

[Boomer 1,619]

Hmm, I 'd say we are okay now to push the panic button.

[pilottj 198]

I will withhold judgment until we really see what happens.  I find that worrying about the negative what-ifs doesn't serve a purpose.  

 

If Dovetail is really a bunch of old EA execs, so be it.  While I didn't like what EA did to MAXIS's Sims and SimCity franchise, I felt they dumbed it down.  However, it is done.  I still have my original Sims 1 disks that I can always install if I want to enjoy the original humor and intent of the game.

 

Don't worry what will happen to FSX.  A2A, PMDG, Orbx....etc will all continue to make their excellent addons.

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

I'm sure you are all aware that a lot of the DLC for TS released on Steam is outsourced to third party developers, and that DTG do not lock the sim down and there are independent third parties like Just Trains, Iron Horse House and Armstrong Powerhouse who are all making and distributing content completely independent of DTG and Steam.

 

Just for your information, IHH sold its catalogue to DTG several months ago.

[xplanery 250]

Interesting, at least it seems like the purchaser has plenty of experience from simulation stuff.

 

Anyway I think FS of some kind getting linked to Steam can be only good for this hobby and a great way to attract new people to this stuff. 

[EngineRoom 205]

But which hobby?

 

Lite weight shallow flight simming that appeals to the masses?

 

Or (far less likely) the high-realism hardcore flight simming that we here are?

 

Because the former is of no account and of no use to us whatsoever.

 

And guess which option I think it likely to be.

 

This thinking is very flawed. The hobby is flight simulation - whether you are flying a Cessna under the Golden Gate Bridge or programming an FMC in a 777.

 

Nobody here started out as a "high realism hardcore flight simmer". The kind of elitism that disregards anything less than hardcore flight simming as worthless is counterproductive and short sighted. I think we should all have realised by now that there aren't enough of us to support the development of hardcore flight simulation products and make them commercially viable.

 

If you want a hardcore sim then you already have FS9 and FSX with an enormous amount of content available. P3D2 is in active development and being supported by many third party developers. X-Plane is looking and flying better than ever. In fact, even if DTG basically continue with the MS Flight approach, we're not any worse off than we are now.

 

If you are a newcomer to flight simming then there is pretty much nothing contemporary to get started with. The bar for entry into flight simulation is ridiculously high right now and nobody is doing anything to encourage fresh blood to come into the hobby - something we badly need if we are to secure the long term future of home flight simulation. I would suggest an entry level sim with easy access that is put on a storefront used by 75 million people is a far better thing for the future of the hobby.

[styckx 1,871]

Just for your information, IHH sold its catalogue to DTG several months ago.

 

Hehehe. Good old Paul.. He made me laugh.. He was like the Gordon Ramsay of third party developers. Excellent modeler also

[EngineRoom 205]

Just for your information, IHH sold its catalogue to DTG several months ago.

 

Indeed. The point is there have been developers who have produced and distributed TS content independent of DTG and Steam (freeware stuff too). Something to bear in mind before everybody starts panicking about DTG locking down the new sim and only allowing their own content to be distributed.

[HiFlyer 9,359]

I will withhold judgment until we really see what happens.  I find that worrying about the negative what-ifs doesn't serve a purpose.  

 

 

Nope, lets panic. (Screams and runs in circles)

 

OMG!!! I think I see the masses looking this way!!!!  :mellow:

 

I hope Tom and the mods have laid in a huge stockpile of headache pills and antacids for the duration..

[DocBird 79]

Complaining that DTG release lots of overpriced buggy DLC is quite ironic given the huge amount of FSX DLC (aka addons) that fits that exact same description.

 

I'm sure you are all aware that a lot of the DLC for TS released on Steam is outsourced to third party developers, and that DTG do not lock the sim down and there are independent third parties like Just Trains, Iron Horse House and Armstrong Powerhouse who are all making and distributing content completely independent of DTG and Steam.

 

Finally, given the extremely introspective nature of flight simulation, how we have raised the bar for entry into the hobby so high in recent years (something which P3D has made even worse), putting both FSX and whatever new sim comes out on a digital storefront like Steam which is accessed by 75 million active users is a very good thing for the future of the hobby.

 

Exactly my thoughts!

 

The "serious simmers" can go with FSX or P3D but we need new simmers: the "Kids" that like to hop on the computer or tablet and fly around for some time, shoot some buddy's down and have some fun; no preflight checks, no fuel calculations, etc.

They will grow and in a couple of years they will become serious simmers and demand new content!

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

Hehehe. Good old Paul.. He made me laugh.. He was like the Gordon Ramsay of third party developers. Excellent modeler also

 

Excellent modeller, perhaps... dreadful sound implementer and recipient of appalling legal counsel, most definitely.