Best days of flight simming behind us?

[republic]

I'm sure many of you read that Microsoft canned the Flight Simulator staff.  Course, I was never really a fan, I prefer X-Plane for a civilian flight simulator.  But I can't help but be saddened when I think of the lack of new flight simulators on the horizon.

Supposedly 1c is producing Storm of War: Battle of Britain, and I'm sure Third Wire will surely release another sim.  Gotta admit, the Third Wire guys have heart, just need some help.  But, you remember when the hot game for the PC was a flight simulator?  Now it seems no one can make anything but a first person shooter.  Sure they are fun occasionally.  I'm always saddened when I see the lists of the 'best games of the year' and generally 80-90% are shooters.

I look in my software collection at all the great flight sims I have had over the years, and the titles thin out as each year passes.  IL2:1946, basically just a expansion/service pack was my last purchase, before that was LOMAC.

The one silver lining, is piracy.  Piracy is beginning to drive most of the 'blockbuster' shooter titles to console only.  Maybe, just maybe, that could actually benefit the flight sim.  I'd wager that on average flight simulation enthusiasts are less likely to pirate than first person shooter fans.

Am I off my rocker?  Does anyone know of a good flight sim coming out or maybe a less popular title I've somehow missed?

[Chalenge]

Flight Simulator will return it just would not have made money with hardware still not having caught up with FSX (fewer and fewer people upgrade each iteration). What PC users need is a real flight simulator instead of flight emulators but who knows how long it will take for hardware to be able to do that! X-Plane is an alternative for what reason? The entire world is not modeled and terrain is not as realistic while flight dynamics are perhaps a little closer then FS to reality but for the money you get more bang/buck with FS which you can still buy! It will probably be ten years or more before addon companies run out of ideas for FSX and maybe not even then. I think MS by that time will have reopened ACES.

[DREDIOCK]

What PC users need is a real flight simulator instead of flight emulators but who knows how long it will take for hardware to be able to do that!

I think the real question is how long will it take for the hardware for a true simulator to become affordable.
I think the hardware is already there. But it costs an arm and 3 or 4 legs plus a couple first borns.
When the hardware cost drops to being in the hundreds instead of the thousands. I think you will see sims making a huge comeback

[Getback]

I think the real question is how long will it take for the hardware for a true simulator to become affordable.
I think the hardware is already there. But it costs an arm and 3 or 4 legs plus a couple first borns.
When the hardware cost drops to being in the hundreds instead of the thousands. I think you will see sims making a huge comeback

Ditto

[Chalenge]

Well I would not want the flight simulators that are out there because the offerings dont allow more then a single aircraft for a particular configuration of hardware. So what we all would like to see is faster and cheaper hardware so the programs can include even more features. The flight simulator (for combat) that I would like to see may be a long time in coming.

[Serenity]

Well I would not want the flight simulators that are out there because the offerings dont allow more then a single aircraft for a particular configuration of hardware. So what we all would like to see is faster and cheaper hardware so the programs can include even more features. The flight simulator (for combat) that I would like to see may be a long time in coming.

I just talk my buddies into sneaking me into the Navy P-3 simulator... The combat engine is pretty decent there.

[Chalenge]

The P3 makes a very poor P51... hows that head injury? 

[Serenity]

The P3 makes a very poor P51... hows that head injury? 

lol. The guy nearly pissed himself when I barrel-rolled it. Unfortunately the motion part of the sim is busted, so we couldn't play with that, but every time we go down he makes me do socked-in IFR flying until I make a perfect landing. I cannot do anything else until I make a perfect landing with a blacked-out screen. I must say, I would LOVE the radio-altimeter on my little Light-Sport!

[Russian]

You've got to be kidding me. Things are looking great for flight simmers.

Up on the horizon there is WW1 sim to be released soon in next two-three months.

Rise of Flight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQN0hvcUpz4

Then we have A-10 sim to be released, hopefully, later this year.




Oleg's Bob might be out later this year with Korean sim followed up.



Then there is Jet Thunder and Fighter Ops.

And until then, there is plenty of fun and learning with Black Shark. Hard copies should go on sale around march. 
 

Don't forget all of modding going on with IL246.

[indy007]

Flight Simulator will return it just would not have made money with hardware still not having caught up with FSX (fewer and fewer people upgrade each iteration). What PC users need is a real flight simulator instead of flight emulators but who knows how long it will take for hardware to be able to do that! X-Plane is an alternative for what reason? The entire world is not modeled and terrain is not as realistic while flight dynamics are perhaps a little closer then FS to reality but for the money you get more bang/buck with FS which you can still buy! It will probably be ten years or more before addon companies run out of ideas for FSX and maybe not even then. I think MS by that time will have reopened ACES.

MS has totally shut down their flight simulator group. It's over.

[Cobra516]

Wow, that WW1 sim looks like it will be a lot of fun!   I'm getting it. 

Where's some information about the A-10 sim?  That should be awesome.  I had a blast flying A-10 Cuba! when it came out, it was a great sim for its time. 

Blackshark looks like a great sim as well,  the last helicopter sims I flew were Longbow and Longbow 2 back in '96 - flew the heck out of them.

[Chalenge]

MS has totally shut down their flight simulator group. It's over.

If that is the case they should be answering some of the buy out offers that were made for the technology.

[Toof]

I'm still bummed that Janes A-10 Sim got the axe. Believe it was slated after F/A-18....Too bad Janes doesn't do sims anymore

[indy007]

If that is the case they should be answering some of the buy out offers that were made for the technology.

Redmond, Washington-based ACES Studio, the Microsoft-owned internal group behind the venerable Microsoft Flight Simulator series, has been heavily affected by Microsoft's ongoing job cuts.

Development sources have told Gamasutra that a large portion of the dev house's staff has been let go - with multiple reports indicating that the entire Flight Simulator team has been axed.

The Microsoft-owned Flight Simulator is possibly the game industry's longest-running continuous franchise.

The first Microsoft-branded version was released in 1982, and ongoing development stretches back over more than a quarter-century and twelve main versions.

The most recent version, Flight Simulator X, was released in 2006 and said to have been a success, with an expansion in 2007. A Microsoft representative had confirmed at that time that further editions of the game were in development.

Corroborating the reports, Twitter messages from collaborators of the Flight Simulator workers are claiming that the layoffs occurred earlier today, following Microsoft's announcement that it would immediately cut around 1,400 jobs.

The Flight Sim series is well-known not just for its official releases, but for its unusually dedicated fan base, which has produced copious amounts of user mods and resources for players.

Also in development at ACES Studio was Microsoft Train Simulator 2, the followup to Kuju's original 2001 game. The sequel was previously speculated to be releasing this year. Furthermore, ACES Studio was responsible for Microsoft ESP, a wide-ranging "visual simulation platform" based on Flight Simulator X technology.

The future of the three software lines in or out of house is unclear, particularly given how extensive the ACES Studio layoffs are said to be, but Gamasutra has contacted Microsoft for comment on the report.

[UPDATE: Microsoft has confirmed the closure of ACES Studio, with a spokesperson commenting to IGN that the decision was made within Microsoft's Internal Entertainment Business "to align our people against our highest priorities."

In addition, the company noted: "You should expect us to continue to invest in enabling great LIVE experiences on Windows, including flying games, but we have nothing specific to announce at this time."

Elsewhere, former ACES developer Phil Taylor, who moved away from the company before these layoffs, has been further detailing the shutdown in a blog post.

According to his reports, the studio has indeed been largely closed, with six employees retained to fulfill contractual duties -- though he comments on the hope that Flight Simulator may continue to exist as a franchise in some other form.

[Chalenge]

Nothing new then and saying it is 'totally closed' looks to be an exageration. Like I said I believe ACES will be reopened later but concerning the LIVE stuff will primarily be CFS. I hope MS does retain the FS line if for no other reason then their distribution system. It may seem nice for someone outside to pick it up but I dont know about that.