Hey guys, im looking forward to the new MS flight sim as much as most people but im seeing pics on MS's website and videos and im wondering what is so special about it cos it seems to me that it is just a new graphic engine for it.

could i not keep FSX and buy add ons such as active sky 2012 and all the hawaii packages and the stearman package and make it just as good, if not better than this new sim?

what i want to hear and im sure its the same as others is that they have new ai that has failures in bad weather or on landings, maybe police helicopters and air ambulances flying around cities whilst you see blue flashing lights on the road below, coastguard aircraft patrolling, military aircraft intercepting if you dont change freq and state intentions as you enter america from france or something radical like that

damage, rather than it stopping and saying 'splash' or 'aircraft over stressed' show it break up or cause problems, how can i be as good as the hudson river pilot if i just get told splash all the time? Bird strike on landing or takeoff or to ai?

to me a 'new' game should have 'new' features but all i see in the screenshots is a new fade of orange in the sunset!? is this all i should expect? am i gunna pay a fair amount for a full game in which its not at all worth it?

id like to hear other peoples views and suggestions about the game, to see if its just myself thinking this or if im going a bit overboard?

but my main question, is it going to be worth it? 

(sorry for the rant)

Stang

Yeah I can see the issue

But if you get FSX for example, make all the settings minimal and play and then maximise it all you get two completely different games it feels, with cars and boats and better weather and scenery and I'm sure in this age Microsoft could make a game that at its lowest level is a basic flight sim but when maximised it shows a realistic and fantastic reality world to fly in.

Even the little things could add a big difference such as waves, in fsx you take off with wind calm in a sea plane and you land on water with not a problem, you change the wind and weather to stormy and gusty and yet the water is still a millpound to land on.

I get the point that there is a limit to what they can make so that people can actually use it with budgets but if your making 'new' you would want so much more for your money than different colours and shadows.

Stang

Okay you say free but this is what Microsoft say (I'm sure you've already seen it)

After downloading Microsoft Flight for free, players can jump into hours of exciting gameplay on the Big Island of Hawaii.

In addition, players who sign in to their Games for Windows – LIVE account automatically receive additional free content, including the legendary Boeing Stearman plane, supplementary missions, and access to Achievements and an Online Pilot Profile. Those looking to deepen their experience can purchase and download additional content that adds new aircraft, regions and customization options. The frequently released new content for Microsoft Flight includes daily aerocache challenges and updates that make every flight unique and fun.

Now to me it says Hawaii is free, the rest of the world you gotta pay for each region, each mission and aircraft. I'm feeling it'll be like apps, you pay a couple of quid for this and that and before you know it you've racked up fifty quid, plus they state:

The ICON A5 will be the first aircraft available to players for free in Microsoft flight.

Does this mean they won't let us have many others without paying or signing up to different windows accounts?

This is what I meant by will it be worth it

Stang

Unfortunately, the only guys 'in the know' are the developers. The only information that the beta testers have received is the same info that the general public can access.

Just wait for the final release - it will be free to evaluate and you pay for the addons you want. It can't get much fairer than that. The specifics of the final release information are yet to be discovered... So don't be too judgemental so early on. A beta is just a beta, and is not always representative of the final game quality... In short, nobody will know what is so great/ so bad until release day!

I think theres going to be a whole lotta sim flyers out there very disappointed, except the newer sim pilots who haven't been around much the last 8 to 10 years, they might think its just utterly super cool and the neatest thing since mom's homemade apple pie, but to us Vintage seasoned Sim Pilots, who've been around the last 8 to 10 years,  and are very familiar with all the add on's and which ones truly enhance the flight sim, and which ones are basically all HYPE and junk, I suspect that this new MS Flight will fall into that HYPE category and NOT be all that impressive - compared to what ?? I believe that MS has to HYPE up their product to justify its reasoning and being ,even tho its really NOT going to end up that great as a version of FS2004 or FSX  with additional add on's (aircraft & scenery)- but the HYPE will Lure a few into their spider web, and for those who don't know any better - they'll think they've found the IT sim experience of a life time !

pirate21213 wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 12:10am:

If you find the truth amusing, heres another: The Earth is round 

alrot wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 11:58am:


My thoughts exactly!! This is what I don't get also.

Microsoft have lost it in my eyes. Totally agree with the graphics remark, flight will give us nothing more but quite possibly take away things

I am agog that a closed beta isn't testing the real McCoy. It seems to be more of a fishing trip for feedback.

But Hawaii is just the free 'starter pack'.

The things you buy on top of that make it the game. You spend as much or as little extra. FSX and Acceleration was about £40 or so... MS Flight is free to try, and then you purchase the addons.


Hawaii isn't the entirity of the game! So long as it isn't costing a fortune to get the addons, it's still generally beneficial. The extra details about the addon community, final game quality, etc are still to be determined. There just isn't enough information, and too much speculation.

So I wonder, how many young kids have credit cards or Paypal accounts? How many parents have 1 to 5 dollars left over to dole out for every new release? This thing should have been on a disc nearly in its entirety and then addons sold afterwards. I have a job so I can afford to be nickel and dimed a bit. Many thousands of people can not expand on the freebie but might be able to swallow a one time fee.

Yes it seems fsx & fs9 will be around for a while.

Though Steve & Paul add-ons are going to be bought from the windows live marketplace so you may not need a credit card to buy add-ons, because Microsoft has its own currency.

You can go into a shop & buy Microsoft points for $50 & you get 3000 points.

Then you go online & activate them with your windows live account.

But it doesn't seem as simple as going into a shop & buying it on a DVD.

Steve M wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 4:13pm:

I understood that the cost of addons hasn't been decided yet. From what I've seen the average payware aircraft for FSX costs far more than $5.

Steve M wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 5:51pm:

Yeah, it is still money, but it is more like a 'gift card' type of affair. Instead of going to HMV, you buy Microsoft Points for someone.

I just had a look, and the going rate in the UK is £7.70 for 800 points. It is about 800-1600 points to purchase a full game, with 1600 being the going rate of the newest releases, naturally. For the same $50, we can get 4200 points in the UK compared to their 3000.

Payware addons for games can vary from 80-160 points (up to about £1.50), but that depends on the size of the addon. Addon packs are usually right around the 500-600 points range.


But as I say, I don't know how much these addons will be. That's just the going rate for most addons right now.



To be honest, Paul, I don't know of a single person right now who doesn't have and internet connection. Even my grandparents are going online. It is a case of selling the game to the majority... So unfortunately it will be FS9/FSX for those without.

It may hurt the consumer's pocket to varying degrees, however, you also have to keep one main point in mind:  Microsoft's  purpose is not to produce a game or a sim.  Microsoft is a corporation that produces software, including games and sims, *to make money*.  It's "the bottom line".