On par with making flight models that are as accurate as possible and actually listening to their customers from time to time
It's a recipe that fits my tastes right down to the boots. For me it's the right mix of realistic feeling flight over eye candy and too much 'gaminess' without getting bogged down in too much detail like engine management or taking half an hour to start the plane.
Most of the arguments on the boards stem from people whose tastes lean to one side or the other of where the game is currently at. I may not agree with everything HTC does, but I have to give them credit for having a plan, sticking to it, but being willing to listen to ideas if they mesh with what they're doing.
I have trouble thinking of any other game company that does that, but I haven't been a forum monkey on too many games either.
Wiley.