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Might wanna be sitting down for this one...

Microsoft Flight Simulator is dead, long live its successor.

There's a thriving addon market that is making big business in the simulated flight world. So what is now really stopping a breakaway team to create a new aviation simulator? All the addon makers would gladly support a new venture with it's own SDK.

It would have to be created from the ground up, just to make sure no proprietary MS bloat-code was used. But keep your eyes open... New aviation simulation software won't take long in appearing and WE will be the judges. As long as any new development does what FSX and FS9 did OR that the new SDK at least makes it EASY for software developers to re-compile their products, the WE win

Microsoft does not own ANY of the thousands of former third party developers and it is THEY who Microsoft had to thank for the success of FS, not the other way around. So the Big M has meigsed up. All the addon developers own their own code and can use it for any new simulation that decides to make it easy for them.

So who's first? Flight Unlimited, you still there? Get to work on an SDK...
 
Perhaps I'm in denial, but I believe that the death of Flight Simulator is greatly exaggerated. Take a look at this item from just a few months ago.



If Microsoft has suspended this project, it has done so only temporarily. This is the future--with Microsoft taking the lead in the creation of new "metaverses." They can steal a march on Google (already charging in this direction) but in order to do this, there is a bit of awkwardness concerning the internal organization of the company. After all, ACES Studio could not "take over" Microsoft--the tail cannot wag the dog--but, from a strategic point of view, that is what has to happen, to some extent. The demise of ACES Studio is just a strategic redeployment on the way to a much greater goal.

In the future, "simulation" will no longer be a part of Microsoft, it will be ALL of Microsoft.
 
My condolences to those that have lost their jobs.

Now in regards to the alleged demise of Flight Sim I suggest ya'll sit back & take a deep breath!

If there is money to be made in FS IMO MS will continue to pursue it. That's what corporations do even with slim margin products. So long as everyone is getting paid & the ledger still in the black its a winner. In the unlikely event that MS doesnt forge on (this is just a guess but I think this was a reorganizational move) someone else will.
As has been previously stated, FSX has a lot of life in it. In fact IMO it is still in its infancy. We have many years of enjoyment ahead of us with FSX.

Now ya'll quit wringing your hands & rending your clothes & instead pick up your joystick. Or better yet, hit a payware dev's website & buy that addon you have been considering. Go back to enjoying this wonderful sim the good people at Aces have made for us.
 
As a user of an old sim no longer supported by MS, but still loved by many, could I suggest reports of FSX's death are somewhat exaggerated. This probably means the released code is now frozen, so developers can continue to explore all the sim is capable of without looking over their shoulders for an upcoming FS11, 12, XX. It has taken about six years to explore most of what MS Combat Flight Simulator 3 is capable of, so you've got plenty of scope.

It's not just what MS (and especially Aces) put in the shrinkwrap, it's what the community make of these open-platform products that counts in the long run.

but if there's anything for developing you need to download from MS, you might like to get it now....
 
hairyspin said:
As a user of an old sim no longer supported by MS, but still loved by many, could I suggest reports of FSX's death are somewhat exaggerated. This probably means the released code is now frozen, so developers can continue to explore all the sim is capable of without looking over their shoulders for an upcoming FS11, 12, XX. It has taken about six years to explore most of what MS Combat Flight Simulator 3 is capable of, so you've got plenty of scope.

It's not just what MS (and especially Aces) put in the shrinkwrap, it's what the community make of these open-platform products that counts in the long run.
Click to expand...

Yes, FSX, or FS9 for that matter, isn't dead.

But there are 100 people out there with no job to go back to next Monday. There is a 25+ year 'project' thrown in the toilet.
Ms decided to turn their back on hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic FS customer overnight.
FS11 and MST2 are not seeing the light of day anytime soon if at all.

Sure, add-on development and FS usage will continue for years.... but that's not the point today. Or tomorrow.

Throwing the wrong project out of the window, and losing a bunch of very skilled and talented people, IS !
 
Francois said:
But there are 100 people out there with no job to go back to next Monday
Click to expand...

And they have my full sympathy, but there's precisely zip I can do about that - business is also about making hard-nosed decisions, so MS's decision doesn't surprise; they are there to make money first, software products second. Nasty, but true of any successful company.

The present economic turmoil will produce more casualties before it's over and non-essential industries like simulations will suffer more than the essential ones. That - sorry! - is the point today and I hope we can all keep our jobs until better times return. But I'm not confident...
 
My personnel thought - we, FS, got the ax, in part, because we, FS, do/did not not support Vista os. "You, fs community, don't play my, MS, way I'm taking my toys and going home!" :caked:

David :kilroy:
 
A lot of remorse and speculation in this thread, so I'll throw in my views too.

As I've said elsewhere, my sympathies go the aces members who lost their jobs, but FS is not dead for the moment. FS9 is still being enjoyed by many thousands, as is FSX and the latter welcomes new users daily who’ve upgraded their PC’s and are able to enjoy all that FSX has to offer. However, it will be sad if Microsoft don’t continue with the development of FS in the future when the economy stabilises. I'd hate for it to follow the demise of their combat series.

To the ACES team. Wherever you end up, best of luck with your future endeavours, drop by when the dust settles and let us know how you're getting on.

:ernae::ernae::ernae:
 
To quote a post I've made at SimHQ:

"Okay, Microsoft, you've said "A". Now say "B".


Either outsource development to a competent team or assemble a new one including some of the old dogs from ACES.

I'm not sad about seeing ACES go. The FS series desperately needs a fresh start. If it takes a whole new team to achieve this, so be it!"


I'm sure you guys know the "Tomb Raider" series, right?

While the first three parts of the series were excellent games, everything went downhill from part four on. After the awful sixth part published in 2003, the publisher canned the development team and everything went quiet until 2006 when the series made a furious comeback with "Tomb Raider: Legend", developed . And from that point on, the quality of the new games has been excellent.

I'm pretty sure MSFS will rise from the ashes someday and set a new benchmark in terms of civil flightsims.
The new technologies avaible for game engines, like SpeedTree, will make for a way better, more effective experience.
 
Bjoern said:
I'm sure you guys know the "Tomb Raider" series, right?

While the first three parts of the series were excellent games, everything went downhill from part four on. After the awful sixth part published in 2003, the publisher canned the development team and everything went quiet until 2006 when the series made a furious comeback with "Tomb Raider: Legend", developed . And from that point on, the quality of the new games has been excellent.
Click to expand...

After release of excellent Tomb Raider: Underworld (I think it's the best TR I've played), Eidos fired over thirty people from Crystal Dynamics in return, because it sold 'only' 1,5mln worldwide...

I'm afraid we won't see FSnext, or TS2...
 
You know, if I was Austin over at X-Plane, I would be taking a huge loan out right now and hiring every developer I can think of, and members of the ACES team. There is such a huge opportunity to expand it is unbelievable. If the addon market doesn't follow, build addons in house and sell them until the market catches up.
 
LOL ! I would think Austin needs to change a thing or two in his operations before he could even think about that.
 
empeck said:
After release of excellent Tomb Raider: Underworld (I think it's the best TR I've played), Eidos fired over thirty people from Crystal Dynamics in return, because it sold 'only' 1,5mln worldwide...

I'm afraid we won't see FSnext, or TS2...
Click to expand...

I think we will. Not before 2012/2013 though.
 
Francois said:
LOL ! I would think Austin needs to change a thing or two in his operations before he could even think about that.
Click to expand...



You said it..I demoed the game last night,and could not even get into the air ..All i did for my 10 minutes was to stumble around......Plus it artifacted all over the place..Seems it does not like the 8.12 ATI drivers at all....Hmmmm

I asked for help on their forums,and the reception was IMO far from friendly...

So my new Christmas unopened present is going back to best buy..They can have it....LOL


Sorry to rant and hijack .....
 
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