A Cunning Plan for MSFS development

[krigl]

Okay guys, I don't usually have time to post outside the screenshot forums, sorry, and I expect that and the length of this post is going to be why not many are going to reply to this

[Brett_Henderson]

What you're saying is logical an sensible..  

You're just making more out of this than it warrants (as are all the moaning threads).

This big technology gap that everyone keeps pointing to, doesn't exist. The dollar gap exists.. as in.. this is definately the most expensive upgrade simmers have had to make.. and I can relate. But it's by no means this horrible oversight and utter neglect of loyal customers by Microsoft that one would believe reading some of these threads.

This is a $70 piece of software that we'll all be enjoyng for probably the better part of three years. If you've got a reasonably up to date computer (I'll use mine for example:  Athlon64 3700, eVga7800GT256, 1GB CorsairXMS3200)(And BTW.. those components AND a new m-board to mount them on, can be bought at Newegg, right now for LESS than $600US) You can get a WHOLE new experience.. and MANY more new ones to come with upgrades and software releases(Vista DX10)..

Seems to me that no plan or release date is gonna be perfect or please everyone..  This one seems pretty good though.. for most people right now.. and offers the most for growing into, as your budget and willingness allow.

I can't imagine much more of an upgrade than buying a new M-board, CPU, RAM and V-card... and I just listed an example of how it can be done for under $600 to make a computer run FSX reasonably well. And a lot of people will need even less of an upgrade than that. Then... if it's worth it to you.. you can upgrade accordingly and when it fits your budget.. Even if you stick with just the upgrade I've listed.. you WILL get a whole new simming experience...for many years..

In the mean time.. if you're willing and able to spend lotsa a money.. you can take this new experience even further, right now.. today.. no waiting..

There's now way to make everyone happy, but I honestly believe that this whole FSX thing is the right technology, at the right time.

[Brett_Henderson]

And you know what's really neat ?

If you did have more money than sense and did go out and blow $3000 to be able to see the full potential in FSX... You won't be hitting a wall.. A year from now(or less) you'll be able to see FSX push the bar even higher..

[krigl]

I know where you're coming from Brett, but my key gripe is: with other 'long shelf-life, next-gen games' you can upgrade to the required level in a year and then spend 2 more years running it at full quality and enjoying all the mods without it being spoiled by hardware inadequacies.

We'd be enjoying it more if it were better tuned and closer to today's technological capabilites.

With FS9, FSX too I guess, you buy the game and for 3 years you gradually upgrade (unless you're loaded with disposable cash and/or are single and carefree) until it runs perfectly - and then MS releases a new-and-improved version which you, of course (being human) immediately want, and once again plunge into a world of stutters, lags, slider-balancing and tweaks for 3 years instead of enjoying what you've got already.

For many people there is no significant period where they can enjoy the sim at maximum quality, because they are already being tantalised by something new, which is full of bugs and doesn't run at max on the best machines partially because it's badly optimised. But they want it for the new features and possiblities, because other people have got it, because they have a cool rig in their sig etc...

That's what I'm not happy with - they should look to shorter term technology and release datadisks etc like other developers, and they would have a better product, more money and more satisfied customers...

They would have done well to release a fat datadisk in early 2005, and plough the money into making a well-optimised, more detailed FSX for earlier this year, with better mesh, cockpits etc and aimed at DX9c with improved light bloom and other fancy graphics (I love how FSX looks nowhere near as good as other current games - for example, reflective water is reflective water, whether it's in the limited area of an FPS shooter or the limited area visible from your plane flying low and slow - and it is a limited area, because it's blurred to hell within a short distance from the plane) and missions, as well as the things the serious simmer wants...and then release an FSX datadisk late 2007 with significantly more of the same, and FS11 with DX10 on board in 2008.

Why they don't do this is beyond my humble powers.

Krigl

[krigl]

About the 'easy upgrade', Brett.

For me to upgrade to FSX my game plan is
1. Butter up my wife.
2. Get a better graphics card (MSI NX7900GTO T2D512E is what I'm planning - is it okay?)
3. Get a new 500w Enermax power pack because my Chieftec 400w doesn't cut it.
These are my Xmas presents
4. Wait till my wife calms down
8 months later, in August, for my birthday, providing I get tons of bonuses and am a good husband:
5. Upgrade from an Athlon 3200+ to a dual or quad core monster.
6. Buy a cooling thingy for my processer so it doesn't melt.
7. Buy a new motherboard because my current one doesn't support multi-core.
8. Buy 2gb of new and better RAM because the motherboard will not support crappy DDR 400 or whatever I've got.

As I live in the Czech Republic, (and many simmers also live in less wealthy parts of the world), these upgrades are going to cost me about 2 monthly salaries. That's one sixth of the total amount of money the average Czech makes in a whole year. I can only afford it because I get massive bonuses from my great boss.
And many people have systems like thie one I'm aiming for now and are complaining about stuttering etc.

And the funny thing is, my graphics card, which I'm buying now because my current one is faulty and won't let me play Oblivion, won't be DX10 compatible.

[Hagar]

I've always thought the biggest mistake with the MSFS series has been lack of continuity. If I understand it correctly the development team is completely disbanded on completion of each version & a new one is brought in for the next one. It's fine to have a few fresh faces with fresh ideas but it seems to me that changing the whole team is like reinventing the wheel.

*This is probably caused by them taking so much flak for their efforts whether justified or not.

PS. This is the impression I've always had. If I'm wrong I'll be happy to be corrected.

[krigl]

I've always thought the biggest mistake with the MSFS series has been lack of continuity. If I understand it correctly the development team is completely disbanded on completion of each version & a new one is brought in for the next one. It's fine to have a few fresh faces with fresh ideas but it seems to me that changing the whole team is like reinventing the wheel.

*This is probably caused by them taking so much flak for their efforts whether justified or not.

PS. This is the impression I've always had. If I'm wrong I'll be happy to be corrected.

That could be a reason for some of the troubles.... I suspect the coding in FS is less than logical, having developed convolutedly from the seed of FS95 or before and after finally learning roughly how the game is put together, they set about producing a new, improved sim by tinkering, compounding existing problems, creating new bugs and holes... as well as improving and adding to the sim.

A bit like an old Vietnam-era Skyraider, modified so many times that no-one is sure what's in it any more - it can fly faster than before and use new weapons but if something goes wrong it's often hard to find what to fix.

Okay, it was a weak metaphor.

[Brett_Henderson]

Yeah.. marketing is a curious thing. Whether it be cars, or TVs or computers or computer software. The whole point to marketing is to get you to part with more of your money than you need to; more often than you should

[Brett_Henderson]

but you are a real life pilot, Brett, right? Anyone who can afford to fly even occasionally probably has a different view of money and spending priorities to a humble English teacher in central Europe  

Ummmm yeah.. Trust me.. I have to put a whole different thought process into real flying. I planned for it years in advance and it's an expenditure in my life.. much akin to what raisng a child is to others (I'm childless).. It's on a whole different plane (no pun intended) than passing time on a computer...  One weekend flying trip can equal a computer ready to run FSXIII (and then some)...

[Brett_Henderson]

Okay, it was a weak metaphor.  

That was a GREAT mataphor (I'm still laughing) (and that's priceless)

[krigl]

[quote]

Can you imagine the poop Microsoft would have thrown at them if.. after three long years.. FSX wasn't something spectacularly better (and it is) ?

[krigl]

That was a GREAT mataphor (I'm still laughing) (and that's priceless)

I'm glad you liked it!!

Thanks to you (and Hagar) for participating in my thread, I was worried that nobody would bother due to the length. I have to go home now though, will look in tomorrow if time.

Best regards

Krigl

[Joe_D]

I've always thought the biggest mistake with the MSFS series has been lack of continuity. If I understand it correctly the development team is completely disbanded on completion of each version & a new one is brought in for the next one. It's fine to have a few fresh faces with fresh ideas but it seems to me that changing the whole team is like reinventing the wheel.

*This is probably caused by them taking so much flak for their efforts whether justified or not.

PS. This is the impression I've always had. If I'm wrong I'll be happy to be corrected.

Good point.

I've said on other posts that it seems that ACES appears overworked/overwhelmed at times.

[vololiberista]

In my opinion M(qualcosa)s  have overworked the graphics in FSX. in otherwords other areas of the sim were neglected. Long before the projected release of Vista and DX10 they knew that both would not be released for a considerable time.
I agree with all of those ho have said that FSX was released too early.  The overwhelming majority do not have the readies to rush out and buy the sim as soon as it is released.  We all have to spend money on gradual upgrades.
It really would have been much better for M(qualcosa)s to have withheld release until Vista was ready. Vista went pearshaped right at the beginning of this year. They just seem to want to make money in the sort term rather than lots of money in the long term.
And there are other issues surrounding Vista. That of third party access to its code. If this issue isn't resolved we won't see it in Europe AT ALL!!!!
Buonanotte
Vololiberista

[Bubblehead]

Haven't you seen the writing on the wall? This flight simulation software is big business. Bill Gates could care less about our petty woes regarding his FSX. In the first place there is not much competition against MS in the flight simulation area. I believe that MS intended all along to design FSX so demanding so that it will force its customers to buy their new generation OS and other hardware if they want to enjoy the game. I wouldn't get it past MS that they have business interests with other peripherals associated with PCs such as videos, audios, etc. The bottom line is that sooner or later we'll land up upgrading our PCs and buying the new Vista and DX among other things if we want to run FSX. My opinion only.

Bubblehead