Be careful what you wish for: a cautionary note

[Cruachan 705]

Hi,

There has been much discussion on the forums surrounding those jaw-dropping videos and images which are forming an integral part of the clever advance publicity campaign promoting ASOBO Studio’s Microsoft Flight Simulator.

As part of these discussions, we are reading again and again of user intentions to abandon financial support for the current 3rd Party Community of Developers by ceasing to purchase their products. Seriously?! Surely it must be obvious what the likely consequences would be? Are we really so hell bent on the destruction of our hobby by suppressing all that talent and enthusiasm? Time for a reality check.

Despite what we have been told there are absolutely no guarantees we can trust MS to encourage ongoing 3rd Party Support and Development by producing an SDK for the new simulator. Indeed, can we trust MS to do anything when their modus operandi is, as always, driven by commercial considerations? 

If we are serious about ceasing support for the existing 3rd Party flight simming industry as we wait for this ‘wonderful’ new all-bells-and-whistles sim sometime in 2020, then we may come to rue the day as we also witness the collapse of our hobby along with all the riches and diversity of choice 3rd Party bring to the table. Come on, is it wise to be committing all our eggs to one basket? Being short-sighted is one thing, but compounding that with irrationality of thought is, quite simply, stupid in the extreme.

Regards,

Mike

[ErichB 3,642]

At the end of the day, it's a buyer's decision to invest or not.  It's not a personal vendetta against developers.

In the current environment, it is already expensive to maintain the current sim with all available add-ons on the market.  But why would you keep doing that when (i) you could probably get by with what you have for a number of months before re-evaluating the status of MFS and (ii) knowing that  the life-cycle of your current investment is probably likely to be worthless or require an additional fee to renew for a new platform in a few months time.

Quality products will always sell, regardless (PMDG NGu).  More peripheral use products are a much harder sell in the current environment.  We all want developers to thrive but we all have limited resources which, at the current stage for many,  is probably better appropriated elsewhere.

 

Edited November 13, 2019 by ErichB

[MarkDH 234]

30 minutes ago, Cruachan said:

irrationality of thought

It's a market, everything else follows. Or that's how it seems to me.

Edited November 13, 2019 by MarkDH

[ErichB 3,642]

I am pretty sure all developers will have their time in the sun again and everyone will be happy - because that's what we all want and need to make the hobby work.   

Hopefully SDK news comes soon which will give some assurance to developers about the future.  No idea why this does not get  more coverage by Microsoft given that it is the basis which creates (or breaks) any kind of future for a new sim

Edited November 13, 2019 by ErichB

[hs118 707]

33 minutes ago, ErichB said:

..... given that it is the basis which creates (or breaks) any kind of future for a new sim

Agreed

[Rimshot 1,135]

1 hour ago, Cruachan said:

Despite what we have been told there are absolutely no guarantees we can trust MS to encourage ongoing 3rd Party Support and Development by producing an SDK for the new simulator. Indeed, can we trust MS to do anything when their modus operandi is, as always, driven by commercial considerations? 

To be honest I find this remark shortsighted.

[BillW 210]

I don't have the trust in Microsoft that some of you do. I believe the new product will be bug ridden and we're going to go through an extended period of user based fixes. Im wary of a company that forces updates and literally takes control of your PC and screwing things  They make too many assumptions and refuse to listen to users. I'll wait a long time before I jump on the bandwagon.

Bill W

 

[marc1184 42]

Developers shouldn't expect us to buy a product just because they make it.  Make a compelling product and I'll buy it no matter if there is another simulator on the horizon or not. 

[lownslo 592]

8 minutes ago, BillW said:

I don't have the trust in Microsoft that some of you do.

You're not alone there, Bill!  I've not wasted much of my (simming) time to investigate MS's new endeavor, nor will I for the foreseeable future.  When they release something, and others have paid their money to beta test, and I get around to prying myself away from my current sim (Prepar3d), then and only then will I look at it.  And maybe MS will stick around that long?

Greg

[F737MAX 5,586]

1 hour ago, Cruachan said:

Time for a reality check.

Indeed.
How many 3PDs are going to continue to create content for P3D and XP once they realise that the vast majority of customers are MSFS users and buying only for the new sim?

It works both ways, as FS9, FSX, XP10 and AFS2 users can attest.

As @marc1184pointed out, make a compelling product (e.g. the new 737NGXu) and people will buy them. But to scare or call out people for not spending their finite resources on sims that have questionable futures just to keep 3PDs in the game is unfair.

Developers should realise that cash is King.
Falling sales and want to stay in business? More discounts or permanently reduce prices for your customers.
Then after MSFS releases, realise that their end-of-life product no longer merits the €25+ for a scenery or €90+ for an aircraft. A few of them have started to cotton on to this, these are the guys that will do well.

[Drumcode 1,893]

29 minutes ago, BillW said:

I don't have the trust in Microsoft that some of you do. I believe the new product will be bug ridden and we're going to go through an extended period of user based fixes.

Huh? How did you come up with this? I don't remember Microsoft opening up for an official beta testing with any of their previous titles, let alone alpha testing. Have some faith, they're obviously changing their approach to something they've never done before, so dramatic and negative...

Also, a lot of developers are already provisioning for what's coming next year in some capacity by holding off on projects which were scheduled to be worked on next year while continuing to work on what's already in the pipeline. It'll be up to them to determine how they're going to price their products for P3D, some of them will have to make some drastic decisions on cutting down their profit to sell the product. 

[Amon1973 1,421]

9 minutes ago, Drumcode said:

Huh? How did you come up with this? I don't remember Microsoft opening up for an official beta testing with any of their previous titles, let alone alpha testing. Have some faith, they're obviously changing their approach to something they've never done before, so dramatic and negative...

Also, a lot of developers are already provisioning for what's coming next year in some capacity by holding off on projects which were scheduled to be worked on next year while continuing to work on what's already in the pipeline. It'll be up to them to determine how they're going to price their products for P3D, some of them will have to make some drastic decisions on cutting down their profit to sell the product. 

I agree to what your saying, if the devs look at the bigger picture, yes they might have to take a financial hit over the next 2/3 years but if Asoro/MS get this right the flight sim market could grow in a substantial manner, thus obviously massively boosting their profits in the longer term as the flight sim user base grows.  

[flyinpilot212121 724]

I’m still purchasing for p3d, in fact 3 purchases in November. I’m enjoying the now and will cross the msfs2020 bridge when or if I’m ready and wanting to, but for now I’m enjoying my current sim of choice.

Edited November 13, 2019 by flyinpilot212121

[Bobsk8 12,682]

I can't wait until the day when many people invest a ton of money in MS2020 and DLC for it, MS decides that it isn't generating enough income like they did with Flight, and shut it down. And if you don't think MS would ever do something like that, you are living in a dream world. 

[Sartanius 399]

1 hour ago, BillW said:

I don't have the trust in Microsoft that some of you do. I believe the new product will be bug ridden and we're going to go through an extended period of user based fixes.

With all due respect, Bill... name me a single, high-end software product of this magnitude and complexity released by any company ever that was bug-free.  I'll wait...