Will this be the end of VATSIM?

[WilliamS 12]

After watching the new Discovery Series episode on Multiplayer last night, one question popped into my head:

Will this be the end of hopes of bringing VATSIM to MSFS2020?

It seems to me that the developers over at Microsoft have put an awful lot of effort into their multiplayer system, although with no hints of any kind of ATC implementation. I would have thought that given the influence that online ATC services such as VATSIM and IVAO have had on flight simulators over the past 20 years, they surely would have addressed it somehow. Perhaps they do not feel the need to have it at all in the new flight sim.

Thoughts?

[jlund 380]

Maybe it's in the IFR Discovery series #8?

[ludekbrno 302]

1 hour ago, WilliamS said:

After watching the new Discovery Series episode on Multiplayer last night, one question popped into my head:

Will this be the end of hopes of bringing VATSIM to MSFS2020?

It seems to me that the developers over at Microsoft have put an awful lot of effort into their multiplayer system, although with no hints of any kind of ATC implementation. I would have thought that given the influence that online ATC services such as VATSIM and IVAO have had on flight simulators over the past 20 years, they surely would have addressed it somehow. Perhaps they do not feel the need to have it at all in the new flight sim.

Thoughts?

ATC must be implemented, because there is a IFR flying mode. As IFR flying without ATC is not possible, so wait for IFR discovery episode 😉

Edited March 30, 2020 by ludekbrno

[Claviateur 789]

Not sure, I think VATSIM could remain as it is a completely different league I suppose.

I personally prefer everything to be within the ecosystem of a software. Although the multiplayer options demonstrated in the latest video are great and is more than enough for my own needs, it might have an ATC system that could be less demanding technically and more accessible in comparison to the VATSIM experience. Just guessing...

Edited March 30, 2020 by Claviateur

[Chock 17,769]

I don't think this will have much of a bearing on whether VATSIM continues or not. That is after all, largely dependent on the desire for it to continue existing among its users. It's not as if P3D and FSX will cease to exist on the day MSFS 2020 is released, and in any case, there is nothing stopping VATSIM from evolving into something which could embrace the new sim anyway.

 

[Cayenne 14]

NO! Vatsim is NOT for gamers.....

[Beru 41]

I think Vatsim, IVAO... will still have the space for those who wants "human"and more professional interactions talking with real ATC. But definitely I can see less users using these services as the majority will prefer to use what it comes with sim, without installing and signing up other third parties products. So, yeah, you will probably can use those products, but you will also probably see less users connected. 

For me the whole point of being online is to play/see other users, and this coming out of the box in this new sim is just outstanding!

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

Here is the deal. 

Human ATC injects far more than just procedural directives and coordination, it injects the same misses and mistakes that occur real world (although possibly a bit more often).

The question is not if MSFS will be the end of VATSIM/IVAO, it won't.  The real question is what POSCON will mean to the online flight sim community.  Many years ago an effort was made to combine VATSIM and IVAO, but the effort failed (yeah, I know why and that doesn't need to be dragged back up again as we're looking to the future).  I'm keenly aware of what POSCON brings to the table and I'm amazed and impressed by the software even in it's present Beta state.  All this newly written code using modern technology (instead of trying to patch old code) makes many things possible and improves the experience for controller and pilot alike.

What I believe will happen is that many VATSIM/IVAO controllers and pilots will migrate to POSCON, finally giving us a combined network with loads of controllers and traffic - which is exactly what we've needed for a very, very long time.

Moreover, I'm hoping to release a fully interactive virtual classroom training program with all the video and graphics to help experienced pilots teach those who want to learn to fly in a realism based environment, which opens up this amazing simulation to many more people and adds even more pilots to the fray.

There will always be a huge difference between AI and human ATC, and I can go the rest of my life without using even the best AI based ATC.

 

Best wishes everyone!

[LHookins 3,102]

2 hours ago, DaveCT2003 said:

Moreover, I'm hoping to release a fully interactive virtual classroom training program with all the video and graphics to help experienced pilots teach those who want to learn to fly in a realism based environment, which opens up this amazing simulation to many more people and adds even more pilots to the fray.

Glad to see people looking to the future rather than just trying to shoehorn the past into a new sim.  The possibilities are incredible.

Yer a good man, Dave.

Hook

Edited March 30, 2020 by LHookins

[rob0203 686]

Better would be one network, where everybody is flying happy with each other! Instead of IVAO and Vatsim lets make IVAtsim but the reality is allways different of course. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by rob0203

[GlideBy 324]

I hope that we don't need all the different systems like Vatsim, IVAO, or the others.  With this new sim, the world gets smaller, and we will see more people flying outside their bounds.  So US flyers will fly in Europe, and vice versa. and etc.  So I hope we have the tools to create one built in system, just one we we are not fragmented.  This will have the most possible users (hopefully).  And more people will know about it.  And with the right tools, we can deal with the sincere new users, verses the trolls.

I also don't want to have to go back to downloading, troubleshooting, and trying to get a bunch of addons working.  

3 hours ago, DaveCT2003 said:

Moreover, I'm hoping to release a fully interactive virtual classroom training program with all the video and graphics to help experienced pilots teach those who want to learn to fly in a realism based environment, which opens up this amazing simulation to many more people and adds even more pilots to the fray.

This sounds interesting, so I hope you make good progress.  How would this be interactive?  If your altitude dropped, would it tell you in voice?  Can it say if your landing was off center, or smooth or not?

Edited March 30, 2020 by GlideBy

[n4gix 4,947]

19 hours ago, Rob_Ainscough said:

Agree, lets hope MS/Asobo come back from COVID-19 safe and sound and thinking straight and make good on their word they are "working WITH thousands of developers" rather than just dictating what's going to happen ...

We will simply find new ways to accomplish our goals! Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!

10 hours ago, WilliamS said:

Perhaps they do not feel the need to have it at all in the new flight sim.

Perhaps they simply haven't told all of us yet...

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

19 hours ago, GlideBy said:

This sounds interesting, so I hope you make good progress.  How would this be interactive?  If your altitude dropped, would it tell you in voice?  Can it say if your landing was off center, or smooth or not?

Huh?  I'm afraid you managed to loose me there. 

The Classroom is fully interactive, allowing you to speak with the instructor and others in the class, use a whiteboard to draw over video and graphics, etc.  This is all pretty standard today and such virtual classrooms have been created by quite a few developers. In fact, most schools across the planet are using them right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual classroom is part of a larger Aerosoft Flight Sim Community, and after the classroom portion those learning are taken up in Shared Cockpit / Connected Flight Deck to apply and continue building on the knowledge they gained in the classroom, live on the network, including flying events.  I've done this very thing in a private group for over 10 years and the time frame for learning is reduced by a factor of at least 10 (compared to learning on one's own).  The classes are only open to active members of the flight sim community, though there is no cost whatsoever to join.

The classes are only the beginning.  Community members are invited to closed meetings with developers and special guest speakers from around the flight sim world, special discounts on products, group flights and events. 

This is something I've wanted to do for a very long time, especially remembering how things were when I started in this hobby 40 years ago.  It's my way of giving back.  I'm also very proud to have the community sponsored by Aerosoft, and I'm eternally grateful to Aerosoft for supporting this for the benefit of flight simmers.

Depending on the current health worldwide concerns, we're roughly 60 to 90 days from launch.

You can find a list of current course HERE, and we're always looking for experienced people who want to share their knowledge with others both teaching in the classroom and flying with others in the same aircraft.  If anyone is interested in joining the team just send me a PM here and I'll provide you with my contact information.

My very best wishes to everyone.

 

Edited March 31, 2020 by DaveCT2003

[GlideBy 324]

4 hours ago, DaveCT2003 said:

Huh?  I'm afraid you managed to loose me there.

Sorry, misunderstood what you meant by video and graphics, I understand now.  🙂

I have to say, what you are planning to do sounds amazing.  I hope a lot of people read your post.