SP2 Post is Live

[JBaymore]

[quote]My initial reaction to the coming SP2 is that it brings more modelling challenges that may be more difficult for the hobbyist modeller to overcome.

[Felix/FFDS]

Your comparison to amateur radio "ham"  operators is quite apt and one I can relate to, considering that my parents each got their ham licenses in the early '30s.

THe FS franchise has been driven by the hobbyist. throughout.  MAYBE the hobbysist developer will "fade away"  but it will be a sad day when that happens.  I don't think, however, that it will happen anytime soon.  I think there's still a "fun" streak in the ACES/Microsoft team that is looking out for the "little" guy, saying, "let's add neat new stuff, but still let the amateurs have fun".

[NickN]

I think they are just raising the bar a bit. I do agree that it takes more knowledge and a new learning curve to dive into FSX and what is to come, but I do not see that as much different than going from FS98 to FS2004.

There are still people running the old titles and supporting it with freeware. I do not see that changing in the immediate future but there comes a point where a new direction needs to be addressed and since FSX is still using much of the FS2X engine, its time to draw a line and branch off for the future.

By raising the bar across the board it allows the payware partners more to work with and, with time, the freeware market will follow as it always has in the past.

The amount of time it is taking Aces to ensure backwards compatibility is cutting into the dev time for future product/features and in that I can understand the need for 'out with the old and in with the new"

It's time for that, especially if a completely new re-write of FS11 may occur. By the time FS11 hits the market hardware will take a wild swing upward in ability so spending any time in reverse gear will only net us less in the release.

[Daube]

To Mr. Taylor:

I have seen the same topic on another forum, in which you state that SP2 is the last update for FSX, because you have now to concentrate the efforts on Trains sim and FS11. I was about to ask you questions about this FS11 but I guess it may be far too soon and even more, it's out-of-topic here.

So my question would be: where and when will we be able to discuss about FS11 with you ?

PS: I will enrich my question a little bit, so that it appears a bit less off-topic
In the explanation that Mr.Taylor gave, he refers to the changes and decisions made concerinng the backward compatibility. To my eyes, it looks like ACES is planning great stuff for FS11. So, two simple questions around this fact:
- can we hope for a new physics engine, that would be able to handle any kind of "moving" (rolling, flying, floating etc...) object ?
- in the same optic, can we hope for a fusion, an all-in-one sim ? (I am of course refering to Train, Ship and FlightSim, all in the same simulator) ?

Mr.Taylor, I'm not asking for any details here. A simple Yes or No will do.

[HugoCampos]

To Mr. Taylor:

I have seen the same topic on another forum, in which you state that SP2 is the last update for FSX, because you have now to concentrate the efforts on Trains sim and FS11. I was about to ask you questions about this FS11 but I guess it may be far too soon and even more, it's out-of-topic here.

So my question would be: where and when will we be able to discuss about FS11 with you ?

PS: I will enrich my question a little bit, so that it appears a bit less off-topic
In the explanation that Mr.Taylor gave, he refers to the changes and decisions made concerinng the backward compatibility. To my eyes, it looks like ACES is planning great stuff for FS11. So, two simple questions around this fact:
- can we hope for a new physics engine, that would be able to handle any kind of "moving" (rolling, flying, floating etc...) object ?
- in the same optic, can we hope for a fusion, an all-in-one sim ? (I am of course refering to Train, Ship and FlightSim, all in the same simulator) ?

Mr.Taylor, I'm not asking for any details here. A simple Yes or No will do.

I'm not mr Phil but let me tell you, creating a Flight Simulator is already extremely complicated... don't expect an all-in-one!

[ThePilot_Ace]

I really do not understand people who want to talk about FS11. They haven't even released SP2 yet...

[Felix/FFDS]

I really do not understand people who want to talk about FS11. They haven't even released SP2 yet...

No sooner does a version come out than people want to start wondering "what's next"...  :)

For all my reservations about "backward compatibility"  etc., I'm optimistic about SP2 and whatever FS11 brings.

[JBaymore]

Given the hardware advances that they will be planning for in the FS11 version........ it will likely be so slick we can't imagine it yet!

best,

.................john

[NickN]

I would assume they are in

[Daube]

I'm not mr Phil but let me tell you, creating a Flight Simulator is already extremely complicated... don't expect an all-in-one!

Being a software programmer myself, I know just well how complex creating a sim can be. And for that same reason, I ALSO know how "simple" it would be to merge everyting into an all-in-one. Since they seem to prepare huge changes for the next developpments, I was simply asking how much stuff will change.

Don't get me wrong when I say "how simple" above, I have already studied how to make a physical model in a sim and I know the constraints that are implied. Behind my question hides my interest in the future flight models. You may ask: why being concerned with boats and other vehicules then ? Simple:
- a plane can float, like the beaver. So we need a good handling of the water contact physics, like in a boat sim.
- a plane has tires rolling on the tarmac. So we need a good handling of the ground contact and physics, like in a train/car sim.
- FSX allows going into space, so we need a physic engine that is able to handle rockets and thrust vectoring, like they did in Space simulator.

The graphical engine in FSX, as it is now, is already providing a detailled-enough world to statisfy the needs of almost any kind of vehicule simulator. A real physic engine would make everything easier for ACES, and would widen the possbilities of addons for FS, a bit like in XPlane. See, this would have a meaning even (especially) from a marketing point of view.

Now back to SP2. A question there as well: Acceleration will provide real moving carrier operations, like we had in CFS2 (plus the catapult). That's just cool, I've personnaly been waiting for that for ages ! Now, will there be a way to get those carrier features in SP2 ? I mean, Acceleration will provide the feature itself, AND the carrier, the plane and the missions, OK, but will the feature itself be included in SP2 ?

[NickN]

The ability to do it yourself will be there, as it is now. I am not sure if SP2 makes changes that allows the process of developing carrier ops to have more function(s) or ease in creating but all that is required right now is someone to design the gauges, scenery and code, similar to what Rob Barendregt and Doug Dawson did with FS9 and their carrier ops add-on

[Daube]

Thanks NickN

[Felix/FFDS]

Adding to what Daube posts...

Remember, the new Train Simulator and FS-X are sharing common elements....  I, for one, do not find it inconceivable that a land, sea, air, space simulation, (whether a massive "all-in-one"  or four separate "parts"  all sharing a common engine, design base, and "world") can ultimately be developed, given the constantly increasing capabilities if personal computers, both in computing and graphics power.

[NickN]

I may be wrong, but I think someone has already put moving full detail trains into FSX or is working on it

[Felix/FFDS]

I may be wrong, but I think someone has already put moving full detail trains into FSX or is working on it

Quite possibly, Nick, but, like the cars, they would either be animated scenery objects, OR, like drivable cars, "glorified"  airplanes.


The possibilities are looking "limitless"


On the other hand, from PHil's blog:

Phil Taylor said:  

FS11 needs to be designed a bit more before we can talk to details about back-compat so this is early thinking and means just that, it can change.

FSX SDK generated content will likely be the only content we will enable on FS11, and that may also require a use of the SDK and a re-export to be compatible. We are actively considering going that far, yes.