Can Anything Surpass MSFS?

[Sky_Pilot071 580]

The question could be can any other flight simulator compete with MSFS?

My answer is NO for 3 reasons:

1) MSFS is backed by an organization dedicated to it and that would be Microsoft.
   Nothing to say here except funding and corporate dedication are important.

2) 3rd party support
   Obviously, many want to join the MSFS train so we as MSFS's users will reap the benefits of this expansive software and hardware support.  WT as an example.

3) MSFS just does everything right.
   Meaning that the support team is awesome and has a plan to fix and enhance the flight sim experience.

Finally there is money in this sim for everyone with a low cost of introduction.  IOW why not support MSFS?

 

sp

[Adamski_NZ 952]

This is a wind up/troll, right?

1) The funding doesn't appear to go as far as upgrading their lousy servers.

2) Many 3rd party developers are hamstrung by Asobo's refusal to make variables accessible - or by moving the goalposts every minor update, so the devs have to start all over again.

3) Support team awesome. Are you kidding??? There are fairly major issues that were flagged months (if not years) ago that have fallen on deaf ears - and still haven't been addressed.

[Bdub22 1,611]

21 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

This is a wind up/troll, right?

1) The funding doesn't appear to go as far as upgrading their lousy servers.

2) Many 3rd party developers are hamstrung by Asobo's refusal to make variables accessible - or by moving the goalposts every minor update, so the devs have to start all over again.

3) Support team awesome. Are you kidding??? There are fairly major issues that were flagged months (if not years) ago that have fallen on deaf ears - and still haven't been addressed.

While I agree the original posters question and intentions do seem a little...questionable, all three of your replies are equally negative. I don't think most of the developers are all that mad being "hamstrung" by Asobo, considering the lining their pockets have received with the reintroduction of Flight Sim from MS and how much easier it is to monetize products with this platform. The support...meh. Yeah, it's not great, heck - it's not even all that good, but it's not terrible. If you consider that creating a flight sim platform has to entail several, huge and complex systems, from avionics programming, flight dynamics, modeling of the physical world, to weather, ATC, and so, so much more -- It's easy to see why they can't get to and respond to everything. And now, with the AAU1 update, one of the best, most high fidelity business jets ever,  is offered as a default option. So, I'd ask you to think where this community was 3 years ago and ask yourself...is it really all that bad?

Edited February 3, 2023 by Bdub22

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

28 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

MSFS is backed by an organization dedicated to it and that would be Microsoft.

Some of us remember how MS dumped FSX (and MS Flight)... and how LM came to the rescue..

I still have P3D installed... just in case 🙂

[Sky_Pilot071 580]

It's supposed to be a positive post.  lol

Just enabled HDR and on a flight from KSEZ to KORS - WOW!

sp

Edited February 3, 2023 by Sky_Pilot071

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

5 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

It's supposed to be a positive post.  lol

sp

Sorry... 🙂

[David Mills 4,769]

30 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

Many 3rd party developers are hamstrung by Asobo's refusal to make variables accessible - or by moving the goalposts every minor update, so the devs have to start all over again.

You need to read the just-released MSFS Development Update for February 2nd. There is a lot of new, highly-detailed information on enhanced SDK capabilities for 3rd party developers.

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

11 minutes ago, Bert Pieke said:

Some of us remember how MS dumped FSX (and MS Flight)... and how LM came to the rescue..

I still have P3D installed... just in case 🙂

With the recent cutbacks MS did not cut Asobo staff just banned them from employing new staff.

They did apparently cut back severely in the WMR area which may explain why HP have dropped the reverb G2 (they will still support existing units until 2026)  and VR in general like a hot potato.

[Sky_Pilot071 580]

Nothing prevents MSFS from maintaining its prominence as the preferred flight sim going forward.  Am I wrong?

sp

[David Mills 4,769]

I don't think the tech companies are actually laying off productive workers. They're just trimming the deadwood that accumulated during the pandemic -- "workers" who literally take naps during the day and spend most of their time in the cafeteria and company gym.

[GoranM 3,764]

56 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

MSFS is backed by an organization dedicated to it and that would be Microsoft.
   Nothing to say here except funding and corporate dedication are important.

The minute MSFS starts losing money, don't be surprised if Microsoft puts shareholders before flight simmers.  MSFS is making chump change compared to other Microsoft titles, and they wouldn't hesitate to dump MSFS purely because of a bad mood.  They've done it before.

56 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

3rd party support
   Obviously, many want to join the MSFS train so we as MSFS's users will reap the benefits of this expansive software and hardware support.  WT as an example.

I would have liked to see a lot more by now.  But maybe they're still coming in.  WT have done incredible work, but it's nothing other 3rd party devs haven't been doing before.  Reality XP.  ActiveSky.  etc...  

56 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

MSFS just does everything right.

I wouldn't say "everything".  I frequent the MSFS forums, quite a bit, and the bug list is still quite long.  

 

56 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

Meaning that the support team is awesome and has a plan to fix and enhance the flight sim experience.

I would hope this would be standard across the board.

56 minutes ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

Finally there is money in this sim for everyone with a low cost of introduction.  IOW why not support MSFS?

Do you mean developers or customers?  If you mean developers, then creating an add on, which can take several years, would require some kind of cashflow to keep the developers going for those several years.  We're talking tens of thousands of dollars, at least.  Per developer.  Unless they do what I did when I first started, and live on noodles and water.

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by GoranM

[mwilk 1,106]

2 minutes ago, David Mills said:

I don't think the tech companies are actually laying off productive workers. They're just trimming the deadwood that accumulated during the pandemic -- "workers" who literally take naps during the day and spend most of their time in the cafeteria and company gym.

They're getting rid of their executive staffs?😁

[Bdub22 1,611]

4 minutes ago, David Mills said:

"workers" who literally take naps during the day and spend most of their time in the cafeteria and company gym.

You worked at a large tech company between now and the pandemic and saw people taking naps and hanging out in the cafeteria?

[Sky_Pilot071 580]

Back on topic - Jorge seems to be a good MS professional with good intentions.  Microsoft appreciates this kind of worker.  Leads me to believe that MSFS has a long fruitful future.

sp

[tpete61 227]

1 hour ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

The question could be can any other flight simulator compete with MSFS?

My answer is NO for 3 reasons:

1) MSFS is backed by an organization dedicated to it and that would be Microsoft.
   Nothing to say here except funding and corporate dedication are important.

2) 3rd party support
   Obviously, many want to join the MSFS train so we as MSFS's users will reap the benefits of this expansive software and hardware support.  WT as an example.

3) MSFS just does everything right.
   Meaning that the support team is awesome and has a plan to fix and enhance the flight sim experience.

Finally there is money in this sim for everyone with a low cost of introduction.  IOW why not support MSFS?

 

sp

A pretty baseless question.

No one knows what the future will hold.

Microsoft bailed on flight simulator before nothing anywhere says they will or won’t do it again.