FSX-SE DoveTail Games Buys Licensing Deal with Microsoft

[WotanUK 289]

I am not sure why all the negative comments.  This can only be good news.  I see 3 scenarios:

 

Dovetails does nothing to FSX, it just creates basic (and probably bad shovelware) DLC.

In this case, it's still positive, it brings FSX to a wider audience, those people will start looking for better DLC, if Dovetail lock it down, so be it, those same people may start looking at other simulators.

 

Dovetails improves on the sim.

Depends on what they change obviously, but any improvement is good.  At this point, we could look at the 3rd party market and see if it's worth migrating.  New people still come into the hobby, still good.

 

Dovetails Ties up 3rd party developers for ALL FSX.

Bad at first, but perhaps then we will move over to X-Plane and force changes to make it better.  

 

I would love to say P3D but given the the (well thumbed) licensing argument, the fact it's little more than FSX SP3 and that certain 3rd party add-ons are likely to have restrictive and expensive licensing i don't think it will be viable.

[Boomer 1,619]

I am not sure why all the negative comments.

 

Simple:  known past behavior of the company in question, sir.

[mjrhealth 820]

I refuse to use steam, if this is waht is all comes down to, than what I have will remain till i go to P3d.

[WotanUK 289]

 

 

Simple:  known past behavior of the company in question, sir.

 

I get it, honestly i do.  But the alternative is a slow death in some Microsoft finance spreadsheet, this way, it either gets improvement or a merciful death and we can all move on to another option, there are at least three.

[gizmosellsbunnys 106]

FSX base world could change in the next 5 to 10 years and anything to move it along is good long term.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

This is terrible. Absolutely terrible.

 

 

First, take a look at DTG's strategy with Train Simulator's DLC. It's horrible. And the game itself is an advertisement for every DLC they sell. 

 

Second, while I like and enjoy Steam, it simply won't work with Flight Simulator. Especially if they're just copy-pasting the game onto Steam without fixing any of its horrendous bugs. However, since they are, they should AT LEAST give us the option to activate our CD keys for Flight Simulator X on Steam, like many other games do. I'm not buying the same thing twice, especially if they're not fixing anything.

 

Third, what will happen to FSX's original activation servers? Are we screwed if we don't purchase this version? 

 

Fourth, what about our addons? I'm 99& sure that DTG will spam DLC on this game like Train Simulator. What about our current addons? How are they going to work? No way in hell am I buying everything again.

 

Fifth, their support is not very good at all.

Edited July 9, 2014 by linux731

[styckx 1,871]

DTG strategy w/ freeware was

 

1. Is the freeware really good and people seem interested?

2. If yes throw cash at the developer, make them take down the freeware

3. Repackage it as DLC, cut the developer 10%, pocket the rest

 

DTG Strategy with 3PD

 

1. Is it really good and people are clamoring for it?

2. If yes, cut them a deal to sell it on Steam in a much more dumbed down version as part of a route.. ie: 1 livery instead of 8 and some of the advanced scripting removed. 

[spacedyemeerkat 421]

Besides FSX, I also spend a lot of time playing Railworks.

Recently Dovetail announced that they are planning to update Railworks with the Unreal Engine 4.

 

It won't be an update - an upgrade, if you will -, it will be a new product and one that existing DLC is highly unlikely to be compatible with.

[shamrockflyer 647]

Considering their tactics on OTT price tags for TS DLC content, I am a bit worried about the future of MSFS. As simmers we are already out of pocket most of the time due to spending so much on addons (but its worth it) but if Dovetail take the same approach as they have done with TS, FSX isn't going to be the glory field it once was. P3D looks mighty fine right now, and if Dovetail messes FSX up with outrages prices for the smallest of fixes or updates, I can see FSX falling into the arcade sim Microsoft Flight is!

[Guest Wolfgrade]

Them using Unreal Engine for a simulator is laughable. Unreal Engine is a FPS Development kit..Not for a real world simulator heavily leaning on real world physics, gravity, thrust to weight ratios etc.   

Congratulations, you have just informed us how little you know about Unreal 4

[HughesMDflyer4 470]

This is terrible. Absolutely terrible.

 

 

First, take a look at DTG's strategy with Train Simulator's DLC. It's horrible. And the game itself is an advertisement for every DLC they sell. 

 

Second, while I like and enjoy Steam, it simply won't work with Flight Simulator. Especially if they're just copy-pasting the game onto Steam without fixing any of its horrendous bugs. However, since they are, they should AT LEAST give us the option to activate our CD keys for Flight Simulator X on Steam, like many other games do. I'm not buying the same thing twice, especially if they're not fixing anything.

 

Third, what will happen to FSX's original activation servers? Are we screwed if we don't purchase this version? 

 

Fourth, what about our addons? I'm 99& sure that DTG will spam DLC on this game like Train Simulator. What about our current addons? How are they going to work? No way in hell am I buying everything again.

 

Fifth, their support is not very good at all.

 

There's really no downside to FSX being developed further. It's not going to be developed by anyone else anyway. You won't be forced to use whatever new version is released. The benefit from all of this is more people becoming aware of our community.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

There's really no downside to FSX being developed further.

Of course there isn't, but the way they're going to do it is not going to work.

[styckx 1,871]

Of course there isn't, but the way they're going to do it is not going to work.

 

Oh it will work just not the way anyone here wants it to work.  They are a ruthless and their target demo isn't on these forums. Their target demo uses Steam and has access to moms credit card.  It'll be like MS Flight just dumber and open to 3PD... MS  didn't want any 3PD producing content for MS Flight.. DTG will do everything possible to vacuum up all the talent in the Flight Simming world to distribute their wares under the DTG umbrella. 

 

For all the 3PD DTG did buy up. There are many who just closed shop and walked away because of their business tactics. 

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

Unless the activation servers for FSX are killed (basically forcing you to purchase the Steam version), I see no problem with another dumbed-down flight simulator in existence. Of course it will be a tragic resolution for the FSX or Flight engine (and the franchise as a whole), but we've got Prepar3D, X-Plane, aeroflyFS, Outerra...

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

Unless the activation servers for FSX are killed (basically forcing you to purchase the Steam version)

Well if they do that, they should at least give us the ability to activate our CD key so you don't have to buy it twice.