Are we missing the point with Flight?

[vlooi]

A very interesting comment on Avsim's review of Microsoft Flight, is that the editor noted that Microsoft stated that Flight is NOT Flight Sim 11. This comment was made by Microsoft on open media day. This tells me that Flight is targeted at another market than the traditional "flight simmers", and that FS 11 may still be a possibility? In development maybe? What are your thoughts?

[JSkorna]

No, MS can't afford to do both and it would take too much away from Flight.

[angels355]

This article at the bottom indicates that MS has not dismissed the possibility of making FSNext in the future. http://forum.avsim.net/blog/1/entry-...m-my-thoughts/

[raimondo2]

Defenetly NO ! fs next in development !
Ms is after the dlc now - and nothingelse matter.

[fxsttcb]

No, MS can't afford to do both and it would take too much away from Flight.

They can certainly afford to create any software they set their collective minds to.

Exerpt from a 2Yr old Shareholder statement available online:

Microsoft Corporation     
Segment Revenue and Operating Income     
In Millions, Unaudited     
       
Three Months Ended September 30,    2010   2009  
Revenue                                           1yr Change %
Windows & Windows Live Division    $4,785 $2,880     +66.1
Server and Tools                    3,959  3,550     +11.5
Online Services Division              527    487     +08.2
Microsoft Business Division         5,126  4,514     +13.5
Entertainment and Devices Division  1,795  1,412     +27.1
Unallocated and other                   3     77   -2566.6
Consolidated                       16,195 12,920     +25.3
  
Operating income (loss)     
Windows & Windows Live Division    $3,323 $1,483    +224.1
Server and Tools                    1,630  1,237     +31.7
Online Services Division             (560)  (477)    +17.4(Increased Losses)
Microsoft Business Division         3,388  2,827     +19.8
Entertainment and Devices Division    382    260     +46.9
Corporate-level activity           (1,047)  (848)    +23.4(Increased Losses)
Consolidated                        7,116  4,482     +58.7

I assume the big jump in Windows & Windows Live Division was due to the Windows 7 RTM.

The interesting number to me is "Corporate-level activity". Near equal to 15%, but totally seperate from the total operating budget.
MS, spend 5%($52,350,000) of your "Corporate-level activity" budget, per annum, for four years, and give us an unequaled planetary simulation.
Super detail elevation and textures, RW atmospheric conditions, ATC with a full RW repertoire, Cars, Planes, Trains, and Bicycles...I'm willing to wait!

Tell the folks upstairs it can be offset by them passing on the Surf and Turf, washed down with Moet, for lunch.

Flight's direction is unclear, but, the assignments list isn't very promising. There are some interesting items in the *.paks that do give me hope for the future though.
Even with that, I doubt a 64bit, all inclusive, SDK available, FSNext would take anything away from a game..Don

[benEggleston16]

We've known for a while (though it wasn't announced) that FLIGHT wouldn't be as serious, so we aren't really missing the point. They might change their minds about FS11 but I don't think it will be because of 200 angry simmers, (seemingly) 1000000000000 angry youtubers (but then they're angry about everything) or definitely profits.

[kevhead]

I think things could change. They could change a lot in the base game. You are still going have to pay for add in's but MS has the ball in hand. If they listen to the feed back that they get from the tell us what you think thingies who knows? Any-who I have decided to just hide and watch to see where this thing goes. See ya in the sky Lucy.

[angels355]

One thing worries me a little. This marketing scheme is very aggressive, like small scale retail. I've worked for a couple of small scale retailers who are the opposite of Walmart, Walmart provides a large number of products at the cheapest prices possible and it's all fresh. Very small speciallty retailers, not necessarily high end, but specialty retailers can be extremely aggressive in chasing down money. They charge for everything, their prices are very high, the mark up is bracing. But because of the position they are in they feel that they can and will charge for everything at high prices. Including paper cups for example. Some want a tip on top of it.

Well, the past 12 years have been really bad economically, but I see up above from Don's post that MS has been doing extremely well, and the entertainment department has also been doing extremely well. This new marketing strategy is kind of a dig your heels into the ground and charge high retail prices for everything, and be exclusive, shut everyone out. It is bracingly aggressive. I charge high prices also myself, well actually I find the true value of an item and price it accordingly, but many can barely afford 1/10th of the true market value and can get a bit angry, what they want are garage sale prices. Like a DVD movie for 50 cents US.

Continuing in a Tolstoy manner, out in the country dogs are used to herd cattle, sheep, etc. They try to avoid allowing the dogs to bite the ankles of the animals they are herding, because once they taste blood, they continue biting because... it's so yummy! Once they taste blood they don't stop.

I am thinking, once MS has tasted blood so to speak, from this new marketing strategy, I don't think they will never go back. Look at the good features, carrot on a stick temptations to buy more, and starting with only one island and two planes, there's a lot that they are able to sell us continually. Our desire and obsession to fly will provide continuous sales. Also, in an internet business there's no expensive brick and mortor like boxes, graphic art printing, plastic, dvd's, paper manuals, and personnel to make all this. Greater profit per sale, so should they sell less they are still better off. The downside is perhaps what many have experience recently with what I guess are corrupted downloads. The download has to be perfect for the game to work right, and not all downloads are perfect. But that is hardly a concern in the big picture.

Any way, once they've tasted blood, I don't think they will ever go back to the old fashioned Flight SImulator format, where they just hand over the entire world, ATC, any aircraft you want, freeware and 3rd party addons, and all in a nice box. I don't think things will ever be the same again. The Flight Simulator format and box, I think is gone forever.

As an epilog, of the aggressive retailers I referred to above, because of the very very harsh economy the past 12 years, with several recessions and what I would call a depression too, three of those four retailers are either in trouble or closed. Two large ones I know are closed, one has reported being on the verge of closing because of lack of business (they had diehard customers, but the internet may have displaced them along with the economy). The fourth, I'm not sure about, they were very aggressive retailers, but their managment didn't always make sense. I was the only one who was able to make the sale, and I made a large sale for them, in gratitude they assaulted me and fired me. Go figure! I haven't bothered to go back.

MS has very deep pockets, but it surprises me that they would adopt such aggressive methods. Other game companies have probably been doing this all along and Flight Simulator had been the exception. Probably no other game like it, and probably an end of an era.

[Nels_Anderson]

We've known for a long time now that "Flight" was targeted at a difference audience and was not FS11. Some flightsimmers have had a hard time accepting this but the knowledge has been out there for a while.

As things stand, Microsoft has no intentions of continuing the previous Microsoft Flight Simulator line with a version 11.

[ricardo_NY1]

A very interesting comment on Avsim's review of Microsoft Flight, is that the editor noted that Microsoft stated that Flight is NOT Flight Sim 11. This comment was made by Microsoft on open media day. This tells me that Flight is targeted at another market than the traditional "flight simmers", and that FS 11 may still be a possibility? In development maybe? What are your thoughts?

We're not missing the point, MS is.