Your feelings on Microsoft FLIGHT?

***fxsttcb*** · 01-05-2012, 07:20 PM

...The lack of sales...

What lack of sales? MS had to complete another FSX production run not quite 2 years ago, to meet retail demand, and the shelves are already drying up again.
From what I have gathered from folks involved with ACES, their demise was more related to internal personality and team congruity issues rather than FSX's faults.

We hardcore simmers may not be the target audience, but, we are the ones that made flying on a computer what it is. Ignoring your core audience is not good business.
Dedicated payware and freeware developers have driven FS advances, and by locking them out, the variety of enhancements being offered will be minimal at best.
It took 2 years to create what little they have to offer so far. How long will it take the new target audience to get sick of waiting for the next tidbit. Attention span?

Once the new audience finds out that there are tons of freeware and payware available for the old sims, they'll abandon Flight, pick up a used or NOS copy of FS9 or FSX, and never look back. 15 new files in the library here today. Ain't no days MS can accomplish that.

I can hear it now. Gee, my buddy has FSX and he has his own personalized hanger. Got it free too. Go ask in their scenery forum for that customised local airport.
There was nothing stopping MS from becoming a sought after developer for enhancements to their own franchise. Now they want it all to themselves.
Good Luck with that...

...Don

**jomni** · 01-05-2012, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by fxsttcb

Once the new audience finds out that there are tons of freeware and payware available for the old sims, they'll abandon Flight, pick up a used or NOS copy of FS9 or FSX, and never look back. 15 new files in the library here today. Ain't no days MS can accomplish that.

That's also a plus for MS. Flight is the marketing tool for them to sell more FSX.

**Leo112** · 01-05-2012, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Nels_Anderson

Ah ha, someone with a bit of a memory. Anyone who has been around for a while will recall that these same sort of negative comments came along with every new release of Flight Simulator, whether justified or not. FSX was a big problem when it first came out, no one could run it, etc. but now most people have embraced it. The same sort of complaints happened on previous releases. On one previous release (somewhere around FSFW95) Avsim even started a boycott movement which was really a pretty silly thing to do, but they did it. Flight hasn't even been released yet and people are condemning it as a failure. It will be interesting to see what people are saying a year from now.

It was interesting to see FS9 last so long when many predicted it's doom after FSX was released. I can all but bet just like so many stuck with FS9 (myself included), even more will stick with the legacy version of Flight Simulator (FSX and FS9). With FSX the days are gone ditching the old for the new when the new is inferior in any kind of way. In this case 'inferior' isn't a strong enough word... It's impossible for an effort like this to topple sims that cover the whole world with limitless possibilities in how to enjoy them. Heck, Flight doesn't even support third party add-ons. Anyone with half a brain could guess where that's going to end up especially considering we have very good options now...

**ricardo_NY1** · 01-05-2012, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Leo112

It was interesting to see FS9 last so long when many predicted it's doom after FSX was released. I can all but bet just like so many stuck with FS9 (myself included), even more will stick with the legacy version of Flight Simulator (FSX and FS9). With FSX the days are gone ditching the old for the new when the new is inferior in any kind of way. In this case 'inferior' isn't a strong enough word... It's impossible for an effort like this to topple sims that cover the whole world with limitless possibilities in how to enjoy them. Heck, Flight doesn't even support third party add-ons. Anyone with half a brain could guess where that's going to end up especially considering we have very good options now...

I've stuck it out with FS9 since the day it was released because I want a Flight Simulator that can run 200% my machine. I waited five years after FS9 was released to put together a dedicated FS9 machine and I run it maxed out no matter what I throw at it. I'll keep using it until I can get FSX to run that way, and if that never happens, so be it. FSX is not that much better than FS9, and certainly not in vanilla form over a souped up FS9. The future of Flight Simulator is with the developers who develop for either FS9 or FSX.

**kingnorris** · 01-05-2012, 08:55 PM

I thought FS9 was my last.....then I got a PC to run FSX, and now I say FSX will be my last. BUT-----this time it'll stick, lol....

Flight doesn't appeal to me at all, and their marketing idea just really made it official for me.

Finito...

**SeanC** · 01-05-2012, 09:02 PM

one thing is certain for me now...i have been holding off on purchasing plenty more add-on sceneries for FS9 (not that i don't have a machine that can't handle FSX) waiting for flight to be released...with this new information about flight i will not be converting but I will now unleash the credit cards on more sceneries etc for FS9....i also hope that with the way feedback has been from loyal FS users about their thoughts on flight that developers will re-consider dual releases for both fsx and fs9 for those that have recently been releasing FSX only. i can't be the only one now sticking with FS9...

**ricardo_NY1** · 01-05-2012, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by SeanC

one thing is certain for me now...i have been holding off on purchasing plenty more add-on sceneries for FS9 (not that i don't have a machine that can't handle FSX) waiting for flight to be released...with this new information about flight i will not be converting but I will now unleash the credit cards on more sceneries etc for FS9....i also hope that with the way feedback has been from loyal FS users about their thoughts on flight that developers will re-consider dual releases for both fsx and fs9 for those that have recently been releasing FSX only. i can't be the only one now sticking with FS9...

Don't bring out those credit cards to quickly. Wait to see what happens with Prepar3D down the road. It could be the FSX we need. OrbX is on it.

**SeanC** · 01-05-2012, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by ricardo_NY1

Don't bring out those credit cards to quickly. Wait to see what happens with Prepar3D down the road. It could be the FSX we need. OrbX is on it.

well looking into seems worth doing the subscription at first and from there if it really does run better than FSX i may just bite the bullet and pay for the full program...seems promising!

just purchased subscription for prepar3d and am downloading as i type...

**jomni** · 01-05-2012, 10:50 PM

They can't grant license to private users. So how do we get hold of this. And are FSX add-ons compatible?

**Traveler** · 01-05-2012, 11:18 PM

I for one, don't mind paying extra for planes and scenery - we do that with FS anyway. Problem is, there is no way that Microsoft can do it all by themselves. Locking out 3rd party developers is absolutely fatal to this product IMO. I'll be sticking with FSX for awhile. A very LONG while, I expect.