Help
  |
Q&A: Microsoft Flight boss on "rebooting franchise" ... arghh
What this is all about ? It is not so much a rebooting of a franchise but the killing of another, the 20+ year old FS flight sim franchise and the replacing of it by a fast-food style arcade game.
http://seattletimes....ht_boss_on.html
From day 1 everybody knew what Microsoft planned to do - but reading this is further confirmation that Microsoft could not bear to have an independent community making a living out of FSX.
There was/is no reason why ACES could not continue with FS11 as FLIGHT was being developed if it were not for the fact that they wanted themselves all the money that they could get. Keeping FS11 alive would in the medium have hindered that plan.
So here we have FLIGHT! - a reboot of FS ...
Reboot means to restart, reset, erase - just that this time also to dumb down.
When a developer says:
... flying the whole world isn't as interesting when there's nothing really interesting to see or do. I do get that for some segment of the audience that was one of the values - I can fly anywhere, into any airport, 25,000-odd airports was crazy ...
it just shows that he is not a flight simmer, that he ignores everything that FS stands for, in fact I could even go so far as to say that Microsoft searched for someone that had no interest in Flight Sims at all.
Someone that would be sure to create something that while superficially looking like a flight sim, would be in reality a kind of Super Mario arcade game ... and preferably to be played in a game console where this thing called FLIGHT! will surely end up in in no time.
What this is all about ? It is not so much a rebooting of a franchise but the killing of another, the 20+ year old FS flight sim franchise and the replacing of it by a fast-food style arcade game.
http://seattletimes....ht_boss_on.html
Quote
Executive Producer Joshua Howard hopes the game will draw more than 20 million players eventually.
" Planes can be flown simply by moving a mouse around, though enthusiasts can also use more realistic and complex controls.
It's also a new business direction for Microsoft's PC game business, which is using "Flight" to experiment with free online games monetized through microtransactions. About 80 percent of U.S. gamers now play such titles, mostly through Facebook, where players spend an average of $29 per month, according to Parks Associates research.
To start, the game will let people fly around Hawaii - the Big Island - in planes including a Boeing Stearman similar to one displayed at the Museum of Flight. For $20 players can get seven additional islands, new missions and an additional plane."
http://seattletimes....ht_boss_on.html
Q: It seems like the tradeoff you made - building richer, smaller locales to explore in the game - is the loss of the full, open world that could be explored in "Flight Simulator"?A: The bet we've made is that to the non-hardcore simmer, flying the whole world isn't as interesting when there's nothing really interesting to see or do. I do get that for some segment of the audience that was one of the values - I can fly anywhere, into any airport, 25,000-odd airports was crazy.
But I think as you try to broaden and you want to bring in not the next million or two but the next 20 million or 30 million people, you say I will err on the side of more interesting area that's dense than the same amount of content spread all over the globe. There's a lot to do in Hawaii, and Hawaii is gorgeous.
" Planes can be flown simply by moving a mouse around, though enthusiasts can also use more realistic and complex controls.
It's also a new business direction for Microsoft's PC game business, which is using "Flight" to experiment with free online games monetized through microtransactions. About 80 percent of U.S. gamers now play such titles, mostly through Facebook, where players spend an average of $29 per month, according to Parks Associates research.
To start, the game will let people fly around Hawaii - the Big Island - in planes including a Boeing Stearman similar to one displayed at the Museum of Flight. For $20 players can get seven additional islands, new missions and an additional plane."
http://seattletimes....ht_boss_on.html
Q: It seems like the tradeoff you made - building richer, smaller locales to explore in the game - is the loss of the full, open world that could be explored in "Flight Simulator"?A: The bet we've made is that to the non-hardcore simmer, flying the whole world isn't as interesting when there's nothing really interesting to see or do. I do get that for some segment of the audience that was one of the values - I can fly anywhere, into any airport, 25,000-odd airports was crazy.
But I think as you try to broaden and you want to bring in not the next million or two but the next 20 million or 30 million people, you say I will err on the side of more interesting area that's dense than the same amount of content spread all over the globe. There's a lot to do in Hawaii, and Hawaii is gorgeous.
From day 1 everybody knew what Microsoft planned to do - but reading this is further confirmation that Microsoft could not bear to have an independent community making a living out of FSX.
There was/is no reason why ACES could not continue with FS11 as FLIGHT was being developed if it were not for the fact that they wanted themselves all the money that they could get. Keeping FS11 alive would in the medium have hindered that plan.
So here we have FLIGHT! - a reboot of FS ...
Reboot means to restart, reset, erase - just that this time also to dumb down.
When a developer says:
... flying the whole world isn't as interesting when there's nothing really interesting to see or do. I do get that for some segment of the audience that was one of the values - I can fly anywhere, into any airport, 25,000-odd airports was crazy ...
it just shows that he is not a flight simmer, that he ignores everything that FS stands for, in fact I could even go so far as to say that Microsoft searched for someone that had no interest in Flight Sims at all.
Someone that would be sure to create something that while superficially looking like a flight sim, would be in reality a kind of Super Mario arcade game ... and preferably to be played in a game console where this thing called FLIGHT! will surely end up in in no time.
Share This Entry:
4 Comments On This Entry
Page 1 of 1
Recent Entries
-
-
-
-
Q&A: Microsoft Flight boss on "rebooting franchise" ... arghh
on Feb 11 2012 12:10 PM
-
X-52Pro A-10C Tutorial (part 1)
on Jan 21 2012 11:52 AM
My Blog Links
Recent Comments
2 user(s) viewing
2 Guests
0 member(s)
0 anonymous member(s)
0 member(s)
0 anonymous member(s)
The North American P-51 Mustang is a historical fighter plane with strong performance characteristics, maneuverability and sharp looks. Stripped of guns and some weight, this version represents a restored Mustang that might be found at airshows today. The Mustang’s superb agility makes it a great option to choose to complete hoops courses and master many other skilled challenges and missions found in the game.
The North American P-51 Mustang flyable from the outside will be available via Games for Windows—LIVE for 640 Microsoft Points.
$8 US for a Wii quality plane I can only fly in third person with a flight model designed for control with a mouse?
In contrast, for about $30, quick-to-act bargain shoppers can find the SuperBug FA-18 for FSX (and Prepar3D?), unstripped of guns and flyable from a (dare I say it) DCS-quality cockpit over any place on Earth.
Rich