fsx-se FSX: SE. A Dead End?

[Silver_Dragon 411]

In the last Facebook news here: https://www.facebook.com/fsxinsider/posts/1546163298969253:0

Dovetail talk over your team only can convert FSX to give the multi-player compatibility with Steam, but the problem coming by that paragraph:
 

Our aim with FSX: Steam Edition is to provide a stable standalone simulator which utilises the advantages of the Steam platform. Microsoft remains the developer of FSX and is solely responsible for implementing any new features or content to the core simulator. Meanwhile, Dovetail Games is acting as a publisher for Microsoft and is only licenced to modify the simulator in order to make it Steam compatible. This necessitated updating some of the existing features in the game such as the introduction of Steam multiplayer support to replace the now defunct GameSpy services. Although we have optimised FSX: Steam Edition for use on Steam, in accordance with our licencing agreement with Microsoft we are not at liberty to make significant functionality changes to the simulator.

 

With ACES Studios and MS Flight Simulation team dissolved and closed. How can dovetail fixed stability problems or crash bugs if they can´t make changes into the core simulator files? Has FSX: SE only a placebo to a dead end franchise or MS has "rebuild" some type of team to help dovetail to counter the FSX problems? what happens if some fsx addons will be no compatible this FSX: SE meanwhile no core changes has maked?

[ryanbatc 12,807]

I think a lot of people expect DT to remake flightsim - no one knows. What you posted is no suprise to me. DT can make only slight changes to some things. It's not like we're gonna get FS11 from their fixes.

 

FWIW I'm still using FSX Accel

[Pete Dowson 558]

How can dovetail fixed stability problems or crash bugs if they can´t make changes into the core simulator files?

 

 

I think you are interpreting what they say in a way I would not. Read the words themselves more carefully. To quote relevant bits:

 

"Microsoft remains the developer of FSX and is solely responsible for implementing any new features or content to the core simulator. "

 

Get that? New features or content! Not the same as performance tweaks or fixes. Later:

 

"... we are not at liberty to make significant functionality changes to the simulator."

 

Functionality does not include bug fixes or performance improvements. They have effectively already partially transformed the "core simulator" by recompiling it all with a much better optimising compiler suited to today's hardware. Compared to the compilers available in 2006 the 2013 version is far better at producing good code for the current processor architectures. On top of that they've improved the memory management to some extent, as detailed in their list of changes -- and even added to those in the January update (to build 62608).

 

Yes, it's a "dead end" in that it will not develop in terms of new features, better ATC, and so on, but it is surely a very welcome development nonetheless. I am still not liking P3D so much as FSX, and FSX-SE is better as far as I'm concerned. P3D will develop further, and when it is better, for me, I'll switch.

 

Pete

[BMagann 11]

It is my hope that Dovetail is working on something new, and that it will not disappoint the community. I think they are using FSX:SE as a way to develop a flight simulating community based on Steam that they can then draw on for the new sim.

 

As Pete said, at a minimum they have breathed new life into FSX. At best they will offer a modern new sim based on 2015 code. Either way it is a win for us. We will just have to wait and see how big a win it is until they release their new product.

[jcomm 5,890]

My wildest Dream right now is that they pick MS FLIGHT where it was left, merge it with the full World coverage of FSX SE, ... 

[Lewis B 14]

I suggest you re-read the original licensing terms its all in there. They have license to release Steam FSX (And fix some bugs which is NOT core functionality btw thats different) and have license to then carry on the franchise using Flight sim technology.

 

As it stands right now we have FSX SP2.5 or SP3 given the amount of tiny things they have already done that add up to a nice update as well as the steam integration. The door they have open to develop the MSFS franchise further is wide open and only time will tell, but they have a cracking start already with FSX Steam edition (we and other 3PD's as already noted elsewhere have already noticed new blood coming into the hobby, only today by lunch I had received multiple steam chat comments and Facebook messages from new comers.)

 

thanks,

Lewis

[Sam 68]

FSX: SE wont be the holy grail

[jcomm 5,890]

Not FSX SE, but what the seed will bring...

[simmerhead 885]

I'm just glad I now can install two versions of FSX on the same computer. No more "dual boot" setup, or extra developer computer. Good deal for $5.00!

 

As people have allready said. If FSX:SE manages to attract new blood, very good for all of us, if it manages to scare people away, then we always have Prepar3D. And maybe soon, Outerra will turn into something. Looks like there has been some great progress lately.

[Wizard-Bob 9]

As to Flight with full world coverage, we are there already.  Go to the MS Flight Forum, and read about the Flight Toolkit ^_^

[JimmiG 244]

FSX SE is just a re-release of the same old 2006 simulator. It's nice to have it on a more modern, digital distribution platform, but other than that there's no real advantage.

 

I think any "bug fixes" or "optimizations" are just placebo - of course it's going to be smoother and more stable. You're performing a clean installation of the sim, without the bloat of an old installation with tons of add-ons, left-overs of uninstalled and upgraded add-ons etc.

[Glynn 405]

 

 

FSX SE is just a re-release of the same old 2006 simulator. It's nice to have it on a more modern, digital distribution platform, but other than that there's no real advantage.

 

So you don't feel that being recompiled with a more efficient compiler that generates code optimised for todays CPU's is an advantage ?

[kingm56 1,023]

So you don't feel that being recompiled with a more efficient compiler that generates code optimised for todays CPU's is an advantage ?

 

Recompiling the source code will have a minimal, if any, impact on game performance.  What it will do, is make the game more stable for users employing modern operating systems (e.g. Windows 8).  To that end, it will have minimal impact; however, it will not, as you suggest, optimize the code  to take advantage of modern CPUs.  If only you could gain significant performance by simply recompiling the code! BTW, recompiling the code is a somewhat mundane task, unless you’re altering the source code to take advantage of the newer library.  However, DG has stated they haven’t altered any source code; so, we can assume this hasn’t happened. 

 

Matt

[Pete Dowson 558]

FSX SE is just a re-release of the same old 2006 simulator. It's nice to have it on a more modern, digital distribution platform, but other than that there's no real advantage.

 

I think any "bug fixes" or "optimizations" are just placebo - of course it's going to be smoother and more stable. You're performing a clean installation of the sim, without the bloat of an old installation with tons of add-ons, left-overs of uninstalled and upgraded add-ons etc.

 

Not true. I am using all my add-ons (except ASN at present, waiting for it), and all my sceneries, textures, aircraft and AI. I have deliberately loaded it up to the same level as my FSX installation -- easily done by using the same CFG files (I have full paths in each). FSX-SE is performing far better than FSX-MS.

 

In an underloaded situation, where you get 60+ fps in any case, there will be little difference at all, if any. The limitations are then elsewhere, not in the FS code. It's only when you truly place it under heavy load you see the real difference. and it is quite dramatic.

 

Pete

Recompiling the source code will have a minimal, if any, impact on game performance.  What it will do, is make the game more stable for users employing modern operating systems (e.g. Windows 8).  To that end, it will have minimal impact; however, it will not, as you suggest, optimize the code  to take advantage of modern CPUs.

 

That is simply not true. Every updated version of Microsoft's C/C++ compiler has improved optimisaytions. I've been developing programs is C for many years and I find it very noticeable. The compiler can alter code around to make better use of pipelining and CPU caching, better optimisations by assigning registers differently and so on. The code in FSX-SE is noticeably very different in many places from that in FSX-Acc. 

 

However, DG has stated they haven’t altered any source code; so, we can assume this hasn’t happened.

 

 

That certainly isn't true either! You have obviously not even bothered to read the list of changes they've made, openly published on their Forums.

 

Pete

[fogboundturtle 2,708]

It was a dead end 5 years ago and it still is. Badly optimized compare to P3D or X-plane 10. The only reason simmers are holding on to it is because of the addon investment they have in it. Otherwise, they would have switch a long time ago.