Will Dovetail Games' new sim in 2015 be FS11?

So, as I'm sure most everybody here knows, Dovetail Games has recently been very active with the Flight Simulator series. They've been licensed to put FSX on Steam and slightly update it (which they did last month), and have acquired the license to produce new consumer software based on Microsoft's flight simulation tech. Lockheed Martin secured the rights to Flight Simulator's business/educational license, and the result was Prepar3D, an amazingly advanced simulator restricted to professional use and unavailable for the vast majority of flight sim enthusiasts. This means that the best option right now is FSX Steam Edition, which- while definitely new and improved- is still a nearly nine-year old simulator, and is showing its age.

Do you think Dovetail should try to go the whole way in licensing Microsoft's flight tech and obtain the rights to the Flight Simulator brand, not just the engine? Flight Simulator deserves to be resurrected and continued, even though at present Dovetail's deal with Microsoft doesn't allow them to use more than the underlying tech in their software.

 

Here's something interesting: Dovetail had posted a new opening on their site for a licensing manager, something new and promising. The job description references "some of the biggest brands in the world of rail, aviation and fishing", and I can't think of a bigger aviation sim brand than MSFS.

It also mentions "Acquisition of required licenses within the world of rail, aviation and fishing, enabling our development teams to exploit those rights in software Exploration and development of partnership opportunities designed to raise awareness for Dovetail Games and its products", and then the really interesting part:

Managing "ongoing and new licensing agreements and relationships". At the time of the posting, the deal with Microsoft for their 2015 simulator already counted as an ongoing licensing agreement, so what's this new agreement/relationship? Could Dovetail be in negotiations with Microsoft to obtain the rights to the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise entirely? Would you like to see this happen?

 

Personally, I really, really hope it does. Private, casual home gamers and aviation hobbyists deserve a new flight simulator as good and technically advanced as Prepar3D, and if it's the next Flight Simulator game, so much the better. Any thoughts?

I hope so.But i would like to see the series evole into something even more realistic like what Digital Combat Simulator is doing with military planes.I would love to press alot of buttons from Cold Start to shutting the engines down with a DC-10 or something else.The only planes i know that can do that are the single engine prop planes like the default Cessna 172.

Here's something interesting: Dovetail had posted a new opening on their site for a licensing manager, something new and promising. The job description references "some of the biggest brands in the world of rail, aviation and fishing", and I can't think of a bigger aviation sim brand than MSFS.

It also mentions "Acquisition of required licenses within the world of rail, aviation and fishing, enabling our development teams to exploit those rights in software Exploration and development of partnership opportunities designed to raise awareness for Dovetail Games and its products", and then the really interesting part:

Managing "ongoing and new licensing agreements and relationships". At the time of the posting, the deal with Microsoft for their 2015 simulator already counted as an ongoing licensing agreement, so what's this new agreement/relationship? Could Dovetail be in negotiations with Microsoft to obtain the rights to the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise entirely? Would you like to see this happen?

 

I suspect that has more to do with acquiring the rights to use brands like Boeing, Cessna and Airbus in their flight sim, and the equivalents in the other sim areas mentioned. Probably covers other things such as Jeppesen data use too.

I suspect that has more to do with acquiring the rights to use brands like Boeing, Cessna and Airbus in their flight sim, and the equivalents in the other sim areas mentioned. Probably covers other things such as Jeppesen data use too.

 

 

Fair point. However, I can still hope :)

Also, just thought I'd get this out here: Here's a link to a petition I launched to get Microsoft to license the entire Flight Simulator brand for further development.

Awww, YET another petition... (Please get your facts right before posting!!)

A few errors that need correcting..

"Lockheed Martin secured the rights to the commercial license of the FSX engine, producing Prepar3D, a simulator that has currently far surpassed FSX in capability but is only available by subscription for professional or academic use. "

RUBBISH --- it is NOT only available by subscription! The Developer's licence is a monthly licence. ALL the others are once-off purchases!

 

"Dovetail has secured the license from Microsoft to publish new consumer titles based on the FSX engine, provided they use their own IP for marketing."

Their new release will be based on Microsoft's flight (small s) technology.. Could be anything from MS.. Combat Flight Sim engine to Flight! engine, & anything in between!

 

Basically, Microsoft has licensed their 8 year old gaming sim engine to Dovetail to redistribute, & licensed their pro/commercial engine called ESP to Lockheed Martin.

It's a pure business decision by Microsoft to get rid of old redundant software, thus saving them on inventory & world wide distribution!! ( and nags & bleats from the simmers) That is all!!

 

So, the legacy sims/games have moved on, didtributed & modded by new vendors.

BTW, anyone that does not want to play games can purchase P3D! As long as they feel they are learning, & not being entertained by game playing.

Awww, YET another petition... (Please get your facts right before posting!!)

 

A few errors that need correcting..

 

"Lockheed Martin secured the rights to the commercial license of the FSX engine, producing Prepar3D, a simulator that has currently far surpassed FSX in capability but is only available by subscription for professional or academic use. "

 

RUBBISH --- it is NOT only available by subscription! The Developer's licence is a monthly licence. ALL the others are once-off purchases!

 

 

 

"Dovetail has secured the license from Microsoft to publish new consumer titles based on the FSX engine, provided they use their own IP for marketing."

 

Their new release will be based on Microsoft's flight (small s) technology.. Could be anything from MS.. Combat Flight Sim engine to Flight! engine, & anything in between!

 

 

 

Basically, Microsoft has licensed their 8 year old gaming sim engine to Dovetail to redistribute, & licensed their pro/commercial engine called ESP to Lockheed Martin.

 

It's a pure business decision by Microsoft to get rid of old redundant software, thus saving them on inventory & world wide distribution!! ( and nags & bleats from the simmers) That is all!!

 

 

 

So, the legacy sims/games have moved on, didtributed & modded by new vendors.

 

BTW, anyone that does not want to play games can purchase P3D! As long as they feel they are learning, & not being entertained by game playing.

 

 

Ah, I see. You're right, thanks for pointing out the errors. The fact remains, though, that P3D is an extremely expensive software with too many usage restrictions for the average user.

Tim Gatland (Chief Technology Officer of DoveTail Games) said in an interview with AVSIM on 12 January 2015. Note that interview is after the release of FSX-SE.:

 

"We have assembled the core team who will be designing and creating our new flight simulator."

 

http://forum.avsim.net/page/index.html/_/pri-news/avsim-interview-with-tim-gatland-cto-doveta-r2755

No problem at all. You say that P3D is extremely expensive.. &50.00? Mmmmm, maybe not for the guys that want the best(?) updated sim so far, the guys that spend on add-ons that sometimes cost as much as the sim, & the guys that have controllers.

 

Too many usage restrictions for the average user? Huh?

If you want the latest, just buy the thing... Let's face it.. the guys that spend $50.00 on a sim are serious simmers (learning everytime they fly, well, in my humble opinion, thats what I do. I want something emmersing & realistic.

 

For gaming, there's FSX/FSX Steam, where, as you know, the entertainment factor is high!.

 

Anyhow, enough justification for now. Good luck with your petition. I just thought that, if it is serious, the facts should be correct.

 

Cheers,

Robin

No problem at all. You say that P3D is extremely expensive.. &50.00? Mmmmm, maybe not for the guys that want the best(?) updated sim so far, the guys that spend on add-ons that sometimes cost as much as the sim, & the guys that have controllers.

 

Too many usage restrictions for the average user? Huh?

If you want the latest, just buy the thing... Let's face it.. the guys that spend $50.00 on a sim are serious simmers (learning everytime they fly, well, in my humble opinion, thats what I do. I want something emmersing & realistic.

 

For gaming, there's FSX/FSX Steam, where, as you know, the entertainment factor is high!.

 

Anyhow, enough justification for now. Good luck with your petition. I just thought that, if it is serious, the facts should be correct.

 

Cheers,

Robin

 

 

 

I should probably explain a little more. My concern is less for the entertainment vs. professional issues and more over the loss of the Flight Simulator series. I don't want that series to die- That's my primary focus.

Hi Mathew,

I don't think things will die at all. Yes, the franchise, as we know it, 'died'about 6-7 years ago when Microsost closed down their ACES Gaming Studio.

 

The franchise has been been kept alive all these years by the freeware & payware vendors that develop for the sim engines. So, our hobby is really built up with the add-ons that we have installed.

So, the Microsoft Series, as we know it, is dead & buried in it's present form.

However, the phoenix has arisen, with Lockheed Martin doing the pro stuff, & DoveTail doing the entertainment side.

 

I think that DoveTail should have done what LM did, by changing some of the default aircraft & possibly giving a few new ones. This would have differeniated themselves from FSX, & really appealed to the market.

 

Also, as we know, DoveTail is catering to the newbies out there, where FSX:SE would/could be their first introduction to a flying game. Maybe the payware guys can release different versions of planes? BRONZE - Simplified planes for the newbies, SILVER - for the masses, & GOLD for the 'pro's'. I'm sure that a lot of newbies will find FSX:SE maybe a bit too complicated for them, & simplified planes could grab & hold their interest.

It could be a new marketing opportunity out there..

 

It will be interesting to see what DT comes up with, when they release their sim, based on MS's flight(small s) technology. It could be any of the MS's engines, From Combat Flight Sim, to even Flight!'s engine. LM has the Pro license, with rumours of a 64bit release, DT re-releasing FSX, ..... What is left?

 

We wait for the next episode.......

 

Cheers

Robin