After FSX?

I've been thinking a lot about how old FSX is becoming and how dated the graphics and simulator are becoming in light of new technologies.

 

 

Thinking about building a new sim and wondering what would you say would be needed in a new sim to attract new users to flight simulation? Like people who haven't used a flight simulator before?

Planes.

 

Lots of them.

 

And airports.

 

In all seriousness, just an updated, totally stable version of FSX. And with better AI and AI ATC.

I'd say tools to easily import FSX content into this new sim.

That would allow you to focus on building a good platform without having to build an enourmous amount of content from scratch.

FSX is the result of years of development, trying to match that with something completely new would be a very risky undertaking.

Personally, I believe if a person is not interested in aviation no sim out there or to be created makes any difference at all....Again, I have all three of the popular sims....FSX, Steam , and Prepar3d....with lots of add ons for FSX and P3D.....Steam is fine but I find myself using the FSXandP3D all the time... so with respect unless you can compete with a major company like MS, Lockheed Martin, or Dovetail Games.....good luck is all I can say...Happy landings...I just had a couple myself today....one in Tucson,,,, the other is Rio De Janerio....al v

I'd check out what Kerbal Space Program is doing to keep people interested, while it purports to be a space simulator (and with add-ons it can be) but they have had to cater a lot to the entertainment side to keep sales and interest going. A typical example: while the physics are pretty good they have left out things like re-entry heat since it's "too complicated" for the average user (i.e. spoils the fun)...fortunately an add-on can fix that. But they have had to put a lot of effort into career mode to give the game some structure as a lot of people just don't know what to do in a sand-box style game.

 

Starting from scratch would be great, 64 bit from the start, DX12 and so on. You'd just need a large team and deep pockets and few years. I'd love to help with the design (my programming days however are over) if someone would really do this.

 

One thing I would do besides a career type mode is make sure it could also be a combat flight simulator too that's probably the easiest way to get up the number of interested users, no reason an accurate flight simulator can't also be an accurate combat simulator too especially if your target computer would be what today is considered a high-end computer (but will be middle-tier by the time you come to market).

The question I have more is about FSX and dreaming about what a theoretical FS 11/12 could have that would bring new people in. Not so much about upgrades for users who already have FSX, but specifically what would a theoretical new sim, based on FSX technology, need to draw in new novice users who have never used Flight Sim before.

 

I'm kind of thinking way better visuals and simulated learning more along the lines of the FSX Mission system or even Microsoft Flight's training style scenarios. I know for me as a pilot if I were to go back in time to when I started using FS 2.0 (&1.0) it took a lot to learn to fly and I kept stalling and crashing. It was a very rudimentary sim way back then.

 

Interested to hear others' thoughts :D

Don't know if civil aviation by itself is compelling enough for people today. I'd hazard a guess that the user base comprised of plane affictionados has been pretty much constant in numbers, if not declining. But give them the means to blow stuff up, shoot something down, or generally hurt other (albeit virtual) beings, and users will flock by the millions. In other words: GTA VI.

I can't argue with most of your concept. Especially the kill-em features. But still, better scenery with good or better frame rates is always a goal or the rest of us.

 

I didn't personally like P3D much. But I do think using more of the computer than just the CPU is surely the wave of the future. (Providing there is a future in simming with out killing or stealing things.)