Comments on: MS Rumor Mill Turning Again

By: MerkwÃ¼rdige Marktbefragung von Microsoft | simflight DE

MerkwÃ¼rdige Marktbefragung von Microsoft | simflight DE — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:39:47 +0000

[...] Dumas schreibt auf simFlight.com einen interessanten Artikel, demnach einige GrÃ¶ÃŸen der Szene scheinbar dazu eingeladen wurden, an einer Marktbefragung von [...]

By: News Round-Up Week 25/09 | simFlight.COM Flight Simulation News Source

News Round-Up Week 25/09 | simFlight.COM Flight Simulation News Source — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:57:17 +0000

[...] MS Rumor Mill Turning Again [...]

By: Microsoft befragt Spielebranche zu einem Flugspiel | FSNews

Microsoft befragt Spielebranche zu einem Flugspiel | FSNews — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:50:45 +0000

[...] of the Box fasst die Situation ganz gut zusammen. Demnach wurden vor allem auÃŸerhalb der eigentlichen Flight Simulator Szene Multiplikatoren angeschrieben, ihre Ansichten Ã¼ber einen mÃ¶glichen Flugsimulator Nachfolger in [...]

By: lonepilot

lonepilot — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:38:13 +0000

that sh*t is giving me the creeps…. |
now I realize why aerosoft is investing on an alternate sim platform

By: Kent Morwath

Kent Morwath — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:12:00 +0000

“sole function of making as much money as possible”, as Madoff Chrysler, GM, Lehman Brothers and the like thought…
Anyway, “some money” is better than “no money at all”, because I don’t believe a FSXbox or a FSLive! would live much long… simpilots will dive away, and XBox fans will ignore it either “FS? No, not me! I am supposed to grag someone, not to learn how to fly an ILS approach, I left school, don’t want to study more!”
There are clever companies that keep on investing in niche products just because they shed a better light upon the company.
They could also up the price, I wouldn’t mind to spend $150-200 for a good flightsim. But I won’t spend even $30 for a stupid, limited one.

By: Ian P

Ian P — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:50:56 +0000

I know many don’t want to accept this, but MSFS is an extremely niche product. It makes money, yes, but compared to Gears of War 22 on XBox, it makes them a miniscule amount.

Microsoft are not a niche company. They’re a commercial, shareholder owned, company with a sole function of making as much money as possible. If FS as we know it doesn’t make the money their shareholders and managers think it should, then they have two options: kill it totally, or make it into something that generates more income. We won’t like the result, because we want a niche product. The Xbox kiddies probably won’t like it either, because they want Hawx or Gears of War, not a civilian flight sim.

However I don’t think XPlane is the answer either – at least not until Mr. Meyer lets go of his attitude and grip, allowing other people to get in and finish the sim off. Right now it’s his personal playground, not a viable sim.

However, do I think MS will listen to a word “the community” says? I suspect strongly that management only will if they hear what they want, which is that we’ll all rush out and buy a console for the next sim incarnation.

By: John Smythe

John Smythe — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:05:11 +0000

It’s pretty obvious by the questions that MS wants to make a “massively multiplayer online flying game”. This is absolutely ridiculous. The market appeal of FS was and continues to be the open nature of it– the ability for the individual to tailor the program to suit his needs and desires. With this set up, we’ll have to log into a “persistant world” that we cannot change to our tastes. Don’t like the low-rez textures? Tough. Don’t like the low-rez mesh? Tough.

Vatsim will be rendered obsolete in terms of a new flight simulation platform from MS, though I imagine they’ll continue a very healthy existence on FSX and FS9 when this atrocity is made public.

If this is the direction for flight simulation from MS, then I just might consider X-plane, with the hope that if many other MSFS ex-pats switch over, the sim will stabilize and allow for the same scope and depth of addons FS* currently enjoys.

I hate sounding like a bitter old coot, but this just makes me madder’n hell. I’d rather MS just leave flight simulation alone if they want to go in this direction.

By: Michel

Michel — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:45:46 +0000

…Not mentioning that with FSX , MS tried to introduce some action in the game through the missions etc with a tentative to hit a wider market but still , FS was a technical simulator where “nothing happens” and “boring” for casual action gamers…

Tom Clancy’s HAWK might be an inspiration for MS to make a straight forward arcadish version… I am just guessing here…

In any case, I think MS will get back with something…

Michel

By: Michel

Michel — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:33:54 +0000

MS knows that if it directs such a survey to the niche market of flight simmers it will certainly get a well known response that MS knows already (Make this flight sim a technical simulator not a game).

What MS wants is the global market, the arcade and “action now” typoe of market and public. Yet MSFS never made it to the minds of such gamers…

I have the feeling they will go into a Live version or a console or both. Less technical yet less pressure on MS shoulders from us, the aviation lovers / FS community

Cheers
Michel

By: Victor

Victor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:20:14 +0000

Ermmmm……..what does NDA stand for?