Thread Merge:FS Aces Team axed-End of MSFS Series??

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Is the Flight Simulator Series as we know it, effectively dead??

Poll ended at 22 Feb 2009, 19:11

It's done, stick a fork in it
4
9%
Nah, it will be back in due time
28
62%
Don't know, I can't even run FSX right now
10
22%
Time to switch to another hobby
3
7%
 
Total votes: 45

Col7777
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Thread Merge:FS Aces Team axed-End of MSFS Series??

Post by Col7777 »

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nickblack423
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Post by nickblack423 »

Oooh, intersting article.

Looks like we'll have to make our own.

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Post by dinovandoorn »

you are already busy with it Nick, with all your nice models :-)
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Post by Firebird »

Open source?
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Post by BadPvtDan »

I can always turn this site into one dedicated to LOTRO....or porn.
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Post by MIKE JG »

Long live FS9!!
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Post by CelticWarrior »

Might be time for me to start investing some effort in FlightGear, which now does AI :?
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Post by Jumpshot724 »

(Copied from duplicate thread)

I know that way back they got rid of MS Train Sim 2 in order to focus on FSX, but now they re-started from scratch MS Train Sim 2 and they're basing it off the FSX engine....I wonder if it was MSFS's turn to get the temporary axe. If that's the case, I'd rather see MSTS 2 over FS2010 or whatever they call it....that is for now at least.

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Post by flyerkg »

Wow!

I'm not sure whether to say that this news is too bad or ask what took so long? I also have X-Plane 9. It is great for aerodynamics but was never intended for AI and interactive ATC. There maybe room for additions to this product as well as FlightGear.

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Post by flyerkg »

I finally got FSX setup to my satisfaction. I don't even have a hot system but adequate enough to enjoy the amount of AI traffic and addon scenery and still get 25-30 FPS at major airports and higher out away from busy areas.
I'm inclined to say the team won't be back for awhile.
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Post by Ford Friendly »

It's a matter of perspective.

The less optimistic view the situation in terms of "Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".

The more optimistic will take the view in Fail-Safe".
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Post by flyerkg »

Didn't Slim Pickens saddle up and ride the bomb in the end?
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Post by VulcanDriver »

Yes he did. One of Peter Sellers best films.
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Post by VulcanDriver »

This is from the Blog of the FS team leader:
24 January
The World is a Changin'...
Change happens, and is inevitable. Fighting it is tiring and usually doesn't work out for the better. Going with it and finding the silver lining, may open doors of opportunity you wouldn't have seen otherwise.

As you probably already know, I lost my job last week, along with everyone else at Aces studio. Although I could see it coming, it was still a kick in the gut, and seeing my layoff "package" saying "your job has been eliminated" starkly presented in black and white really cemented it into my psyche.

Only a few days earlier, I watched the inauguration of President Obama and beamed with pride in my country and humanity in general. His PR lines of Change and Hope really did and do resonate for me. I am hopeful for the future, and a beatiful world for my daughter to grow up in.

So now I need to find a job, and I think I have a good chance of getting my first choice for a job that is opening on Monday. I should know by the end of next week if I have it or not. I'm thanking God in advance for landing the job :)

If I don't get it, I need to broaden my search and hopefully find something I will truly love, as I did my last job.

I followed the Flight Simulator forums once they got wind of the changes at work, and I must say I am very impressed with the quality of the people on those forums. Folks were very compassionate toward the team and many people in the office were very happy to see it. All of us mourn the loss of Flight Simulator as we know it, and hopefully people will continue to develop for and enjoy FSX for years to come.
So... I read it as FSX will be the last of the line... :cry:
John

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Post by Ford Friendly »

Although I could see it coming...
Now that's quite a statement , especially coming from the team leader and certainly not the public consensus beforehand.
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Post by MIKE JG »

After reading this, can I change my vote......... :roll:

Reposted from AVSIM:

The Facts Emerge - The future of MS Flight Simulation

Posted: Sunday, February 8, 2009 - 20:01
There has been a lot of speculation, rumor and simple guesses as to what Microsoft is going to do with the Flight Simulator “enterprise”. Through a number of sources, some of whom are former ACES members, we have been able to get to the bottom of where our hobby is heading, at least as far as Microsoft is concerned. Our sources will remain anonymous, for obvious reasons. Here are the hard, cold, and very disappointing facts:

FACT: Microsoft Flight Simulator for the PC is dead. There are no plans to continue the FS series in a form that we would recognize. The wholesale dispatch of the ACES team speaks volumes to this.

FACT: ESP is dead. Boeing, Raytheon and presumably Northrop Grumman (ESP’s first adopters) received notification that the ESP franchise is done and that, in effect, they are on their own. We have seen some discussion putting hope in the emergence of ESP as the next "engine" for flight simulator. That is not going to happen.

FACT: Some developers in our hobby approached Microsoft to purchase the MSFX code. Microsoft rebuffed that offer in total. We presume that this is because having the FSX code out there would “diffuse” their future intent and model for a flight simulator “replacement”.

What is Microsoft’s future intent as regards flight simulation? Simple really… Create a flight simulation system for Windows Live, and sell applications for it much like Apple does for their IPhone / Ipod family. Third party developers will have to submit their applications, as do Apple developers, for approval by MS and they in turn would earn a percentage from the sales of those applications. Vendors that we have talked to are extremely upset about this. It also brings back memories of the infamous Papa Tango attempts to hijack freeware.

Imagine for a moment a “live” simulator that has as its core a “Flight Unlimited” like virtual world. You can fly around a very small part of the world in the default system, but to add to your simulation world, you have to purchase the additional scenery from MS. You want more than a 172, a Baron, or a 737? Simple, purchase it via the Live system.

Imagine for a moment the availability of liveries that would be made available. Without approval by the airlines, you can imagine the lack of variety in the “live” modeled aircraft. Under the present arrangement, freeware is seen as free advertising for the United’s, American’s, Lufthansa’s and others of the world. Insert the dollar into the equation, and it is reasonable to expect that our current arrangement with carriers would evaporate. Would MS consider providing freeware via its live system? Don’t hold your breath – too many liability concerns, copyright infringement risks, product support and management issues to take on for free.

What about VATSIM, IVAO and the plethora of other peripheral attractions that we now benefit from? Imagine paying to connect to VATSIM for an hour or two of supervised flight. Spend some time thinking about the ramifications of this, and it only gets scarier.

We have a simple new reality to face up to; Microsoft has changed their business model as regards the flight simulation genre and we are seeing the first steps of that new model taking hold. We can assume that a “live” version will entail online subscription costs per month or year, and additional add-on’s will cost us.
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Post by Firebird »

Yeah, I read that as well. I wonder if there will ever be an impetus for me to change from FS9.
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Post by CelticWarrior »

Like I said; the answer is freeware flight simulation such as FlightGear, etc, preferably on a freeware OS and remove M$ from the equation completely. I only use Windows for FS - if M$FS dies then I will move from Windows completely.
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Post by MIKE JG »

EDIT: Originally posted in another forum by user: msm8378



"AVSIM recently posted an article quoting sources from ACES and others that MS has no further plans to continue the MSFS series, at least not for PC. The article goes on to claim that MS seems to be heading in the direction of fully embracing a proprietary payware simulation via their "Live" system...

I have been a very active simmer since the birth of the home PC. I have owned a copy of every version of MSFS since v1. Thus, I do not see this as a major setback to the hobby. MSFS has matured for the better with every version thru FS2004. FSX seems to be taking hold slowly, but like VISTA it was released to quickly and with many unresolved problems.

Throughout the years I have been amazed to see the number of people who have entered the MSFS community and by way of their own individual talents have created some amazing add-ons for all of us to freely utilize. Payware and the wholesale commercialization of MSFS add-ons did not really become a huge deal until FS2002 and has exploded since then.

This brings me to make an important point, at least in my humble opinion, that in most cases freeware is tremendously better that payware in almost all categories. The people who add software, scenery, aircraft, and utilities to MSFS for free do so out of a pure sense of enjoyment of the hobby and a willingness to share their creations with others. In many cases payware is strictly "dollar driven" and often performs/appears less than advertised.

In closing, I do not see MS decision to stop development as the death of the hobby. Rather, a chance for all of us in the FS community to come together and continue to enhance and improve what MS has provided us to date. I truly feel that much of MS decision on this issue was business driven due to the current economic crisis and these decisions have funny ways of changing with time and patience. So lets all hang in here together, enjoy the ride, and see just how far we as a community can push what we have been fortunate enough to receive thus far in MSFS."
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Post by MIKE JG »

Well look at it from a payware developers standpoint: Some of these companies/individuals have spent years developing their one product to work with the MSFS series. Let's take the VRS guys and their SuperHornet. The methods and code that they have developed for this model are nothing short of revolutionary for the MSFS series. After 3 years of development, they just now got the FS9 version released. A week after they finally see their hard work come to the market, MS pulls the plug on the entire series.

Now I ask you, if you were a developer, who had quit your job to go into payware development full time, wouldn't you be a little upset right now? I know I would and I do feel for companies like PMDG and VRS who have set the bar so high with their products.

The series will linger for many years. I think we will not see any new payware developers emerge from this point on. This idea of going to an application based system like the IPhone will certainly change this hobby. Whether that will be for the good or for the bad is yet to be seen.
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