But he has a point, complexity scares people off, WT is even simpler to fly and they have scores of people flying, any noob can jump in a plane and score some kills.
Yep. I read an article once where they talked about the "feeling of realism" in games. Regardless of how realistic it actually is, as long as people perceive it as being realistic, they're happy.
My opinion is also that different people have different thresholds for the amount of realism that feels right to them. For myself, I'd love for the air to act more like a fluid, with updrafts, turbulence, etc etc. I'd also love for the damage model to be more detailed. However, engine management doesn't do a thing for me. Just a personal preference. If the game had both, I'd likely tolerate learning the engine management because of the other.
I can kind of see the mindset of unreliable aircraft being fun for some, particularly in scenarios. However I also realize it doesn't have broad appeal for most.
Wiley.