Gaming Microsoft Flight Megathread

[Zachstar]

Sadly there seems to be a slew of new rumors coming from angry developers either breaking or abandoning their NDAs or other agreements with microsoft to reveal quite a few troubling thoughts on where flight is going.

In my opinion this has got to stop. Microsoft games studio has to be the LAST part of Microsoft not to have serious and open discussions with it's customers. Even the mama jama of them all Windows 8 has a blog updated left and right. The site is ok but it is updated like some 90s game. As a result there are rumors flying.

 

[PeriapsisPrograde]

I can't wait for Flight to begin working on flight. All I have seen is eye-candy. :2cents:

 

[Grover]

should be good to hear about some realistic physics engine progress and some hardcore code optimising for those that dont run games on systems more powerful than all of NASAs offices and craft combined

 

[Hielor]

Sadly there seems to be a slew of new rumors coming from angry developers either breaking or abandoning their NDAs or other agreements with microsoft to reveal quite a few troubling thoughts on where flight is going.

In my opinion this has got to stop. Microsoft games studio has to be the LAST part of Microsoft not to have serious and open discussions with it's customers. Even the mama jama of them all Windows 8 has a blog updated left and right. The site is ok but it is updated like some 90s game. As a result there are rumors flying.

Any specifics?

 

[Zachstar]

My post was a general complaint about Microsoft Games not communicating properly as opposed to the rest of the company. Leading to mass and destructive rumors.

I don't want to try to validate any bad rumors but it seems there has been some kind of event between Microsoft Games and various developers with the former virtually dismissing the latter from their development process. Leading to a general alarm over Non-Microsoft addons being allowed at all.

Because of these rumors more and more are considering the Lockheed Martin Prepar3D http://www.prepar3d.com/ which is basically the old FSX Team having being hired by LM as well as the purchase of the code used in the commercial training version of FSX. The downside is that they cant market for entertainment so that leads to costs of 499 per license or 9.99 a month. Tho it does have a megaton of fixes and features not known in FSX.

Because they (The Flight Team) don't have a real blog or a forum or anything for flight. These rumors run rampant. Your company really ought to give its games division a kick in the rear to be more like the OS division.

 

[Hielor]

Microsoft Flight Accepting Beta Applications

I'll just leave this here...

http://www.microsoft.com/games/flight/#news-beta_program_accepting_applications

Looks like you need a Windows Live ID and gamertag in order to sign up, but that's expected. I'd encourage anyone who's enthusiastic about flight simming to apply.

Keep in mind also that it looks like there will be a fairly strict NDA around this beta, so if you're not able to follow that kind of thing, probably shouldn't apply

Occasionally required disclaimer: Yes, I work for Microsoft. No, I'm not on the Flight team.

 

[Napalm42]

Thanks for the heads up, I just sent in my application.

 

[Scruce]

Interesting simulator, I hope it goes where FSX did not. I have also sent my application.

 

[astrosammy]

NDA = Non-disclosure agreement? I'm sure I can follow that. Application sent.

In other flight sim news, I tried the Take On Helicopters demo today, it's great!

 

[Napalm42]

I would've probably bought it, but Helicopters are not my favorites in the flight sim world. I like them to be mixed with a healthy dose of airplanes.

 

[JEL]

In other flight sim news, I tried the Take On Helicopters demo today, it's great!

Didn't know about that one From the youtube videos it seems cool.

 

[bujin]

Downloading the TOH demo now. I was considering buying the game a couple of days ago, but thought it was best to try the demo first. That's the second 3Gb hit on my monthly download allowance in a few days, after downloading the XPlane 10 demo too!

Ok, plan B.

Tried to download it twice. Wasted 5Gb of download allowance after both attempts failed.

So I'm taking the chance and have ordered it anyway!

 

[agentgonzo]

Microsoft Flight

... Will be free.
Pay for addons.

http://www.itproportal.com/2012/01/05/microsoft-offer-flight-free-spring/#ixzz1iaqvE26S

---------- Post added at 17:13 ---------- Previous post was at 17:11 ----------

You can sign up for the beta programme here: http://www.microsoft.com/games/flight/

 

[Pipcard]

So instead of calling it "Orbiter Space Flight Simulator", should we just call it "Orbiter Space Flight"?

 

[Cras]

Well this is certainly an unexpected development.

 

[Moach]

from what i gather, their so called "freemium" business model is basically a demo with more relaxed restrictions....

i wonder how user-end addons will be supported -- for me that's the make-or-break point, no addons, no buy :nono:

tho i suspect they wouldn't dare be THAT thick as to limit or somehow charge for user-made content... well i hope not....

the community addonbase has always been te strongest suit of the FS series... and it;s the very thing that's kept me hooked and coming back all these years - if by any means they put the brakes on that, well... XP-10 is looking pretty awesome


well, if the free edition is off-limits to user addons, by any chance, then that's fine really....

but my worst-case-scenario would be if they see themselves in a position to treat players seeking realism and extensibility as potential "student pilots looking for a training aid" - then charge ridiculous amount for a version containing the features they'd have removed from the cheaper, arcade-only mainstream game :facepalm:



i really don't go for their general tone... they really could afford being a little more open and stop trying to act as if everything they do is uncontestable gold....
M$ has earned a reputation for being greedy and doing business in frown-worthy ways... regardless of how much truth there is to that notion, it's still how i perceive them 'til proven otherwise :dry:


i'd be very pleased to read on exactly WHAT they're plotting in there.... all this teaser mistery haze really gets on my nerves and makes me feel like i'm about to get ripped off :shifty:

you know, i wish they'd spill the beans already - i might be just paranoid, but i can't shake the feeling that sooner or later somebody will come out with that one bit of news that strikes legacy FS fans as a bucket of cold water.....

anyways, if the does smile down at MS Flight and all comes to play as we expect it should - then, my oh my - this will be the best FS series title yet :hmm:


that's an example of excessive marketing rowing against the boat for ya.... if you strip down that whole "oooh, wait and see..." attitude, it looks like a really promising FS comeback.... i mean, if they'd simply quit trying to sell it so hard - they'd probably have a guaranteed buy from me by now (i know it's free, i mean "sell" in a "convince" sense)



i stand by my game development motto -- ditch all advertisers, replace with developers!

 

[mojoey]

For me, personally, I lost all hope when the ACES team was shut down. They were the driving force behind some of my favorite games like Flight Simulator, and MSTS...now, this seems like a ploy for profit, not community involvement

 

[Hielor]

From what I've read, the free version will be the full game in terms of functionality, but only have the Big Island as far as terrain/airports go and one or two aircraft. It'll be closer to the demo version of FSX.

The difference being that instead of then going out and buying the full version, you just buy whatever additional content you want. Assuming that they eventually provide the whole word--Don't ever want to fly in Asia? Don't buy it. Don't ever want to fly heavies? Don't buy them.

My biggest concern is that you won't be able to get anywhere near the same full experience for the $50 or whatever that a full game would cost--if you can't get the entire world and a good selection of aircraft of all types for $50, then this is going to get huge amounts of flak from everyone, and it's going to tank.

Secondary to that--assuming all addons have to go through the store, what about free addons? Will it even be possible to make an addon for free and put it in the store for nothing?

 

[N_Molson]

My biggest concern is that you won't be able to get anywhere near the same full experience for the $50 or whatever that a full game would cost--if you can't get the entire world and a good selection of aircraft of all types for $50, then this is going to get huge amounts of flak from everyone, and it's going to tank.

Exactly. It seems to be a marketing thing to make even more profit. Now the base game engine will be free (probably awfully hardcoded), but you'll have to pay let's say 50$ for each continent detailed coverage, 50$ for each fully-detailed additional aircraft, and so on... Money money money...

 

[Moach]

From what I've read, the free version will be the full game in terms of functionality, but only have the Big Island as far as terrain/airports go and one or two aircraft. It'll be closer to the demo version of FSX.

The difference being that instead of then going out and buying the full version, you just buy whatever additional content you want. Assuming that they eventually provide the whole word--Don't ever want to fly in Asia? Don't buy it. Don't ever want to fly heavies? Don't buy them.

My biggest concern is that you won't be able to get anywhere near the same full experience for the $50 or whatever that a full game would cost--if you can't get the entire world and a good selection of aircraft of all types for $50, then this is going to get huge amounts of flak from everyone, and it's going to tank.

Secondary to that--assuming all addons have to go through the store, what about free addons? Will it even be possible to make an addon for free and put it in the store for nothing?

that's exactly what the voices in my head keep saying.... this whole "pay for content" scheme feels very much greedy and prone to end up being a way to have us shelling out heavy bucks for what once was an integral part of the experience....


if they go that way - i'm not following.... M$ be warned - WE'RE ON TO YOU! - FSX fans expect endless extensibility and a very much complete world out of the box...


it's ok to charge extra for OMG-class content (not default autogen) -- but if any mokey business of the likes they're implying proves true.... then by heaves - the thing will be DEAD to me...

and not zombie dead - i mean DEAD dead! :suicide: