Is flight sim coming back?

[Crabbo]

http://www.dovetailgames.com/news/2014/ ... kes-flight

[pegger]

Old news.
From what I have heard, FSX:steam edition is currently in BETA testing. So it's just around the corner for release more than likely.

Does it mean flight simming is coming back? To be honest, flight simming (to those who appreciate it for more than just a game) never left. Those who love simming are still able to expand their sim world with various enhancements. 3rd party developers are still making products for FSX, and now P3D. Simmers can still connect with each other online through direct connect communities.

The only thing this new dovetail venture is going to do, IMO, is provide a means for new players to purchase FSX via download, and instantly connect with the other steam users online.
Can you say "GAMESPY"? I for one do not plan on being part of the circus style online environment created at steam. I'll stick to the servers I know and love now that offer sanity and professional realism.

If you really want to stay on top of where flight simming is going, follow the Prepar3d or X-Plane offerings. These two seem to be the only active players on the block at the moment. FSX has had it's time and will not develop any further than it already has.

[Fozzer]

My use of "Steam" is to purchase many very old DOS games that no longer available via the retailers.

Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, etc, are my latest purchases for the PC, via Steam, which run successfully using the old DOS commands.
The back-up copies are stored in "Steam", and always available to run.

http://store.steampowered.com/

Paul....I like Old Stuff!.... ...!

[Shadowcaster]

Ahah Fozzer that brings some happy memories Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D. Doom was the first game I ever finished, so as SWMBO as gone off to her Mum's for a couple of weeks. So I think after a week of CPU fans, SATA Cables and failed HDDs on my computer it's nostalgia time this weekend (If I can keep the computer running). Off to look in the cupboard and dig out them DVD ROM's.

As D.N. would say "Damm I'm looking good"

Oh just remembered another from that era Decent, cracking game that.

Cheers Rich

[ftldave]

FSX has had it's time ...

I don't think DTG would be investing in a Steam version of FSX if that was anywhere near true. The alternatives mentioned have their own issues. And the third-party support for FSX is going strong with new planes, new scenery, new utilities, each and every month. FSX is far from having "had it's time".

[Fozzer]

Ahah Fozzer that brings some happy memories Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D. Doom was the first game I ever finished, so as SWMBO as gone off to her Mum's for a couple of weeks. So I think after a week of CPU fans, SATA Cables and failed HDDs on my computer it's nostalgia time this weekend (If I can keep the computer running). Off to look in the cupboard and dig out them DVD ROM's.

As D.N. would say "Damm I'm looking good"

Oh just remembered another from that era Decent, cracking game that.

Cheers Rich

Hello Rich.... ...!

I've still got my original Jewel Case copies of many of those old games...'trubble is, they were designed for use the old Microsoft Win '95/'98/DOS system, so wont run on my Windows 8.1 any more....

But the PC versions on Steam are designed to work fine...using "DOS Box"....

...and available for a couple of £'s each.... ...!

...Happy Days!.... ...!

Paul....Sinclair Spectrum 48k/Commodore C64 Enthusiast... ...!

[Crabbo]

so the new release in 2015 will not be a better sim?
Having a lobby system in place was why I have been playing since 2006 and when M$ dropped the franchise people simply left.
Sure Prepar3d was great, but not for "entertainment purposes" and I could never get used to Xplane.
If they could bring more people in and have a lobby system, That would be great!
None of the "pro's" would have to use it but I say It would be great to have more people in the genre over all.

[pegger]

I don't think DTG would be investing in a Steam version of FSX if that was anywhere near true...

I did not at all mean to say it was done and over with. I like many others am still an avid FSX user, and I am in no hurry to leave it behind yet.
However...
Dovetails "investment" is nothing more than a right to distribute the game as it exists right now. They are not making anything new about it. It will continue to be FSX, the same as it is now, with perhaps a modified online connection feature over the steam network. The rights to modify the program to make it better...well that was bought by Lockheed Martin sometime ago...(Prepar3d).

The alternatives mentioned have their own issues...

Not the discussion I was trying to have...
but sure....you are right. They have issues. So does FSX, as everyone is well aware. And so does my $10,000 CAD software for that matter...

And the third-party support for FSX is going strong with new planes, new scenery, new utilities, each and every month. FSX is far from having "had it's time".

I know 3rd party support is still there. I pointed that out too. And a new digital release from DTG is going to help them...for a while anyhow.

I think my point was to the OP, do not expect something shiny and new. Expect FSX exactly as it exists today, full of bugs and as stubborn as always. Only new thing to expect is maybe a new multiplayer network.

[pegger]

so the new release in 2015 will not be a better sim?
Having a lobby system in place was why I have been playing since 2006 and when M$ dropped the franchise people simply left.
Sure Prepar3d was great, but not for "entertainment purposes" and I could never get used to Xplane.
If they could bring more people in and have a lobby system, That would be great!
None of the "pro's" would have to use it but I say It would be great to have more people in the genre over all.

It will NOT be a new game. It will be exactly the same as what we have now from our disk installs.

The lobby system is likely to be tailored to fit the Steam style of connectivity. Network connectivity is built right into the game regardless. Just a matter of putting a different colour lipstick on the pig.

The people who "simply left" are EXACTLY the crowd that DTG wants to sell the game to. They are the instant gratification types. The types who bought FSX because it showed a F-18 on the cover. Then all they did was disrupt sessions via the built in lobby system until it went away...and thankfully so did they. They will pay $50, download the game, pay more for online play, get bored, buy more add-on content, pay more for online play, get bored, quit. Dovetail accomplished exactly the goal they set out to do. Take a program made by some other entity, re-sell it, and make a little more from the swarms with purchased content.

Make no mistake...the money to be made is not from dovetail re-vamping the game. They only bought the distribution rights because they think they can milk a little more money out of it, and Microsoft is more than happy to take a few bucks for something they no longer have interest in.

[Crabbo]

Sorry to hear you had a bad time in multiplayer lobby Pegger,
I actually had a great time, meeting people all over the world, flying good hops together, even starting a virtual airline with a few hundred members with a prop club on the side, It was loads of fun.
I learned so much from a few hundred people about realistic flight, hence why I still load up FSX today, just now I can't chat to friends and fly together. sure there were hordes of ratbags, but generally you could find some like minded people to enjoy the flights with.
2 or so years ago, you could find a server with like minded people and enjoy some hops together,
Seems now it's just getting harder to find groups to fly with online cos every one else is set in there ways and there are no new members joining.
I remember when I first started, and how I learned to fly, I'd like to share that with new members is all.

[jcj78]

Make no mistake...the money to be made is not from dovetail re-vamping the game. They only bought the distribution rights because they think they can milk a little more money out of it, and Microsoft is more than happy to take a few bucks for something they no longer have interest in.

Probably. I see they teamed up with Flight1.

[mustangaroo]

Ah so grasshopper. People with money....pwms for short expect that their investments with make MORE money at some point. From my itty bitty point of view they will have to somehow need to market this to the play station market which quite frankly want nothing to do with a game that doesn't have an adrenaline rush every other second. That being said they should find a way to graphically enhance the existing scenery and frame rate hits for older systems. If there is a market for us po folks it will be efficient, effective and cost less than a carton of cigarettes. Just two cents worth from the peanut gallery.

[Crabbo]

Well said mustangaroo
In the OP.. there's this....
"a global licensing deal with Microsoft, granting them the rights to develop and publish all-new flight products based on Microsoft’s genre-defining flight technology. The company is currently investigating new concepts in this area and is expecting to bring a release to market in 2015."

and this....
"In addition to this licensing agreement, Dovetail Games is pleased to announce that it has also acquired the rights to distribute the multi-award winning Microsoft Flight Simulator X"

This is why I had my hopes up .. the distributing of FSX could just be a bonus for people who need to ( regularly ) re-install the oldie but goodie, and if it's "old news" why is the flight simming (not just FSX) community not getting interested and exited to se a Great genre (hopefully) expanded?

[B52bob]

I believe that they are further developing Flight as a new release. Further development of fsx was and is covered by P3D.

[garymbuska]

With out saying to much I can tell you that Dovetail Games is testing FSX. I can not go into details at the present time but all I can say is keep your ears open.