Archive for February, 2009

 

I just sent this letter to Phil Spencer in Redmond.

To: Phil Spencer
VP of MS Games Studio
Redmond, WA

An open letter regarding the incomprehensible decision to kill Flight Simulator development.

Dear mr. Spencer,

I have reason to believe that you are, at least partially, responsible for the killing of Flight Simulator, through laying off the entire ‘ACES studio’ at Microsoft.
I would like to make you aware of my view on that incomprehensible decision. I think I can safely say this is the view of tens and very likely hundreds of thousands of dedicated Flight Simulator fans and users all over the world.

YOUR customers, as well as mine.

My guess is, knowing some of what happened internally at MS in the past years, that someone in the management or finance department noted that the ‘Flight Simulator game’ was not raking in anywhere near as much money as Windows, Microsoft Office, Exchange or any of the XBox games.
Of course it was not, and it never did.
‘We’ all know that.
The Flight Simulator market was and is a niche market compared to MS’ other products, and certainly compared to the rest of the world’s gaming industry.

But you see, THERE is the problem.
Flight Simulator is NOT a game, even though it can be used as such and even if Microsoft’s marketing folks tried to sell is as such.
However, I am pretty sure that many people within Microsoft never acknowledged that. Or even understand.

Flight Simulator is exactly what the title implies: a simulation.
Maybe you’ve never used it? Then let me explain you the basics of it.
FS(X) is not only of aircraft or the flying with them, not only of the instruments and controls. No, MS Flight Simulator is the ONLY simulation in the world that you can use on a PC and that simulates the World of Aviation in the broadest sense. It has all the world’s airfields and airports included, in various levels of sophistication and realism, it has a wealth of various aircraft from the venerable Piper Cub to the latest Boeing 777. But it also has all weather effects with clouds, rain, snow and storms, and it has the world’s landscapes modeled. Not just some little areas around one of the airports as regular ‘games’ would have, but the entire globe ! It has sounds, Air Traffic Control that tells you where to go, Artificial Intelligence aircraft that fly around you, even road traffic and all sorts of boats underneath your plane. It has all the seasons, light and dark, the sun and the moon, bad weather and good.

In short Flight Simulator offers you everything you may find in real aviation with the only exception being the risk of actually killing yourself!

What is even more important however is that Flight Simulator has brought flying to many hundreds of thousands of people who would love to go flying, but can’t, for whatever reason. Word has it that you have sold a million copies of the latest version even !
It has been the first window – pun intended – into the world of flying for so many kids, many of whom are now pilots.
It is the only program that has sparked not a few fan sites but actually thousands of Internet communities that not only provide news and help to its participants, but that also fulfill a social role in today’s fast-paced world, where so many people get isolated.
It drives thousands of sophisticated model cockpits all over the world, many of them being used for real-world training in various forms

I dare say that Microsoft Flight Simulator has been the best medicine for many people, taking them away into the virtual skies, forgetting their pains, heartaches, worries and misery and making them ‘pilot’ for a few happy hours at a time.

And although FS will live on, and third party add-on developers and publishers will continue to build new parts for it, it is THAT what Microsoft has taken away from them and from all of us. That ‘history’, that part of our lives that has always been there and should always have remained there.

So I, in the name of tens, and more likely hundreds of thousands of dedicated Flight Simulator users around the globe, I hereby kindly ask you to think about the implications of stopping a unique program and ‘movement’, of taking away an ‘icon’ of the Gaming Industry, Microsoft and of all flightsimmers world wide. And of throwing away ESP with it.

I wonder, how many PASSIONATE customers you have for MS Office? Or Windows Vista?
I guarantee you that the Flight Simulator customers are passionate. About aviation in general and about your product in particular. For almost THIRTY YEARS already. THERE is the difference with anything else you have ever produced!

So therefor PLEASE RECONSIDER this most unfortunate decision, knowing that MS Flight Simulator is NOT your run of the mill Microsoft product and knowing how much you have hurt such a huge number of your customers.

Thank you kindly for your time

Best but sad regards,

François A. ‘Navman’ Dumas
(among many other things) Managing Editor

The simFlight Network
www.simflight.com

 

We’re all supposed to have it, a private life away from work and other things we do to keep us busy. And we do, although often not by choice.
Nina and I have had some ‘distractions’ lately as you may have read on my Blog. We started wit a 6 day holiday (that was good), then my PC’s broke down the last days of January and didn’t get things back running until a week later (that was very disruptive), next we got a mean flu (that was bad!), and then both Nina and I ran into some health problems and were having to visit nasty doctors at even nastier hospitals (that was awful).

Just when we thought we could pick up our (working) lives again, enters my 89 year old father. Not only did he loose his wife (and my mother) last August, he is also in continuous pains and can hardly walk anymore. Off to the hospital again….. turns out he now needs not one but TWO new hips ! And new teeth, and an eye operation, and some other ‘corrections’.

So I’ve been tied up as taxi driver, social worker, shopping gopher and a few other things over the past weeks and with thevarious operations in sight for the next few months (AND our yearly skiing holiday, lets not forget that) things are ‘hectic’ acround here to say the least. And we had to disappoint more than a few people lately by not achieving things I committed to.

Lets hope I am able to get more work hours in the 24 a day over the next few months than I havemanaged these past 2 months.

Now, on to something more positive.
We have found (yet again) a new developer for our Lizzie. He is in close contact with the original company that made us the 3D model. It is Chuck Jodry, and you can find him on the Sim Outhouse Forums. Chuck agreed to get the Lizzie flying, including the proper VC gauges and what not.

AND…. we’re now also going to try and make an FS9 model of it after finishing the (dedicated) FSX model !!

The LHA (Helicopter Landing Ship) is nearing completion and has been tested in Beta1 and 2. AJ is now working on making an AAV (marines amphibious attack vehicle) and we’ll keep you posted.

Simon Smeiman’s T-50 Bobcat is nearing completion as well. He has done some remarkable things with this one, including for instance trim tabs that are visibly moving ! Stay tuned for more!

And, ah yes, Tongass Fjords X. It is happily humming on my machine, in pre-beta. We’re still adding stuff (Bill and Holger are), and even I am tinkering with it myself, helping Bill fill the harbors at Sitka. If you see any sunken yachts in the final version, you can blame ME !

More new blood ! David Rosenfeld has joined FSAddon Publishing and is working on the Israeli airport of Ben Gurion. We’re excited to have David on board, it broadens our pool of designers and we hope David can contribute in making Misty Fjords X after we’ve done Tongass.

Last but not least FSCargo X. We’re awaiting a second Alpha from Maurizio, who is also very busy with other things. Aren’t we all? We’ll keep you posted there. Also check our forums !