Is "Flight Sim LIVE" FS11 in the works ?

[backseater]

Is Microsoft about to start development on a new game in the Flight Simulator series?

A job posting on the Microsoft Talent Network certainly points to it happening. A new position is listed with the title, “Software Development Engineer in Test – Microsoft Games– Flight Sim LIVE Job”. The description is as follows:

Microsoft Games Studios is looking for an SDET for a new project: Flight Sim LIVE.

Software Development Engineer in Test-MGS (714449) JobApply now »
Date: Jul 27, 2010

Location: Redmond, WA, US

Job Category: Software Engineering: Test
Location: United States, WA, Redmond
Job ID: 714449 13787
Product: Games for Windows
Division: Entertainment & Devices Division

Microsoft Games Studios is looking for an SDET for a new PC Games project. We are looking for an experienced person to own our testing for Gameplay and Multiplayer features. We are looking for someone who is motivated to make a significant impact to our business and drive great customer experience for our gamers. If you have the skills and the passion, want to work on a Games for Windows LIVE product, and you're looking for challenge in a fun and fast environment you should join us!

What we offer:
The chance to OWN GAMEPLAY TESTING for our game!
Working with a highly-skilled, fun, and creative, and driven team.
A unique experience in the video game industry and Games For Windows LIVE.
Opportunities for you to be creative in solving some interesting technical challenges.
Experience helping drive and develop our test automation infrastructure from the ground up, including the opportunity to work with our SDK and tools pipeline.
Fast-paced development cycles (Scrum), small teams, rapid iteration, and strong feature ownership.
Responsibilities:
Contribute towards the overall test strategy and business direction of the team.
Own major server feature areas such as Gameplay and Multiplayer.
Work with Dev, PM, Art, and UX leads to build testability, security, and release criteria into product design.
Develop tools and automation to test gameplay features.
Ensure our vehicles have the right balance of feeling realistic for simulation enthusiasts, while feeling fun for gamers.

A great SDET candidate must have all the following competencies to be successful in this role:
At least 4 years of SDET experience is required, with experience shipping at least 1 retail product end-to-end, or shipping smaller, more frequent products, like a web or SDK experience, through many releases.
Test automation or tool development experience required.
2 years of experience with C#, or C++ required. Other interesting technologies for this team include: Games for Windows LIVE, Xbox LIVE, XLSP, networking, .NET Framework, .NET Remoting, SQL, T-SQL, IIS, XML/XSL, 3D Studio Max, Maya, LUA Script.
Eagerness to come up with great solutions on a fast-paced team that iterates quickly.
Excellent communication skills, team player spirit and ability to collaborate across teams and functional specialties. Because we have a small team, working well with other functional teams is critical.
Solid knowledge of computer science fundamentals (data structures, caching, multi-threading). B.S. or M.S. in CS or related area, or equivalent experience, required. Flight Simulators or real world flight experience is a bonus.

Nearest Major Market: Seattle
Nearest Secondary Market: Bellevue
Job Segments: .NET, C#, Database, Developer, Engineer, Engineering, Game Designer, Software Engineer, SQL, Technology, Test Engineer, Testing, User Experience, XML

This line in the competences section is an obvious giveaway too:

Flight Simulators or real world flight experience is a bonus. !


We can only Hope !!

[N2056]

Oddly when I googled that Job I.D. I got this...http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...6VqFHk6PGuc1fw

But there is nothing about Flight Simulators.

[Ragtopjohnny]

Wish I could apply!

John Thuot II
A+/Network+
Don't forget to visit our modeler's site:
http://www.dreamscape-studios.com

[ReggieF5421]

That Microsoft will create a 'Flight Simulator' for Windows Live Games has been pretty much assumed by most of the FS community for a year or more.

That it will be basically incompatible with all our addons and current learning about how to tweak FS and make it better is also pretty much expected.

I also expect we would be unable to add all the scenery and AI and other eye-candy we love so much. We might not even be able to add our favorite aircraft.

This product would not be of much interest to the relatively small community of FS fanatics like post on these forums.

It would probably be very popular with a strong segment of the on-line gaming community.

Personally I would expect it to be pretty much an arcade type flight dynamics and realism / crash detection setup.

We have two strong versions of FS - with plenty of room for further development and enhancement. We really don't need a watered down version.

Just my opinion and guesses, and quite a few friends. We could be completely wrong, or we could be right.

[jwenting]

Sounds like the oft-rumoured FS for XBox.
A pure game, not at all like traditional MSFS but aimed squarely at the gamers' market of fast action shoot 'm up games to best match the demographics of the target audience.

[mgh]

That's pretty old news. Microsoft is developing some sort of flight simulator although exactly what isn't known.

Given that Microsoft closed ACES and dispersed its staff, it seem most unlikely that it will be the FS11 ACES was working on.

[Ragtopjohnny]

I don't expect it to be anything like we have now. Microsoft ESP took over that role, of course, with a nice heft price tag along with it. FSX was and will be the last for me it looks like....

John Thuot II
A+/Network+
Don't forget to visit our modeler's site:
http://www.dreamscape-studios.com

[Rohan_Nair]

Go Aerosoft & Cascade Game Foundry! I don't care about Flight Sim Live or whatever they are developing.

[mgh]

Go Aerosoft & Cascade Game Foundry! I don't care about Flight Sim Live or whatever they are developing.

Why do you suppose Cascade is developing a new flight simulator?

[n4gix]

Why do you suppose Cascade is developing a new flight simulator?

Are they? I'm not so certain. It may well be that eventually their world base engine might see something flight related, but right now it appears that a train simulator experience will be the most likely thing to see the light of day.

As for Microsoft, they are working on what will eventually be a flight simulation program, but having learned bitter lessons with FSX, they are being very, very tight-lipped about what precisely it is they are doing!

OT but of some small humor, is that for the very first time I was able to wear the T-shirt everyone was given at the 2005 Developer's Conference that was held in Seattle...

...before giving out the T-Shirts, everyone had to sign a NDA to not wear the T-shirt in public for five years!