Hello all you flight simmers everywhere: as you probably all know by now MS Flight has been shut down and we are, for the first time since 1982, without a "current" MS FS! This of course makes me sad and I bet all of you as well, so in light of this I think positive creativity is needed. So let's just presume that some day Microsoft will try and get back into the game (damn it Jim it's a sim not a game!) and develop FS11, this post is about what I would feel would be a good concept for a flight sim that would be good and also appeal to many other gamers.

- Using up to date and current technology to create and render the game world and weather conditions
One of the biggest issues with MS FS is the fact the game engine is for every account shoddy and outdated. It is incredibly bad at lighting using methods from the 90, it is very unoptimised for scaling and rendering many objects on screen. I recommend you check up on screenshots from the simulator "cliffs of dover" or the game "birds of prey": I have both games and due to their game engines using modern methods and technology they can render and scale some of the most amazing environments you can imagine at a wonderful framerate.
You see dx10 and 11 aren't that much about having better volumetric lighting or dynamic shadows or 10000 on screen objects but about being infinitely more efficient rendering it. Microsoft needs to jump on up-to-date development tools and methods already, in fact I'm surprised they haven't yet.

- It's a wonderful world...
Tying into my rant about microsoft and current gen gfx-technology is my view that the crown jewel in any MS FS has always been the world itself (and also a big factor to why Flight failed). That is why I feel that we need a new and improved game engine for MS FS so that we can have a wonderfully detailed and improved world and weather: it's a big reason why many of us fly FS! More geographical detail and modern textures, more objects rendered compared to FSX, better scaling and very distant clouds, better lighting... heck I'd barely need any planes or airports if we could have this!

- Extensive tutorials and hand holding
One of the issues that Flight tried to tackle was the fact that not many new people were joining the MS FS ride. Now of course trying to please everyone is not such a good bet and now Flight is shut down. I don't feel MS FS should ever be casualised or dumbed down, I don't even think it needs to be! Flight sim flying is actually quite easy: move the throttle for speed and once air flows over the wing use the stick to maneuver.
No what we really need are very well crafted tutorials for using the flight sim itself, that's the learning curve that needs to be straightened out significantly! How do we handle ATC? How do we use a VOR? How and why do I need to switch from NAV to GPS? How do I fly in icy conditions? How do I use the autopilot for navigation and ILS? Where are all the buttons in this plane?
We really need to help anyone that wants to join in with this by an extensive tutorial "campaigns". One for prop planes, one for jet liners, one for navigation, one for plane management... etc. you get the idea.

- Campaign mania...
Another huge hurdle for non flight-simmers experience is the fact that the advantage of MSFS of a free world is also what's driving many people away from it. Your average flight simmer is quite imaginative and can craft an experience out of the sim for him- or herself. However I think many people would enjoy to have campaigns. Have several bush flying campaigns in different parts of the world with challenging missions. Have coast guard campaigns. Have some DEA campaign stalking and chasing smugglers. Have a jet liner campaign where you can try and reach one of the big airlines. There's loads of campaigns that you can come up with (and sell as DLC *wink *wink microsoft)

Beyond this there's loads of ideas that I don't think are essential. For instance always online seems to a beloved fad. Fine, but then have an open constant multiplayer world you can join in on. Have a marketplace both for payware and freeware aircraft and liveries and scenery and whatnot.