41–50 of 234 posts
Spent countless hours flying around with FS as a kid. A friend and I would also connect up our computers over dialup and fly around together. Did anyone participate with any virtual airlines on AOL way back in the day?
I used to be into the simulation side quite intensely, and I own FSX, P3D, X-Plane and hardware peripherals. However, the underlying engines on these platforms are suffering due to age.
If Microsoft re-enters this market correctly (modern engine, focus on SIMULATION, 3rd-party support, global scenery, etc) this is HUGE for this "niche" market.
Actually I'm finding myself giving up on video games for the exact same reasons I gave up on television 20 years ago, I'm tired of everyone trying to sell me more shit during the increasingly rare free moments I have.
MS flight sim for Mac was the first game I paid for as a kid out of my own pocket. I also bought a yoke to really “simulate” the experience. With modern graphics and an updated engine I hope this version really flies! And with VR being in reach it will no longer be necessary to have crazy screen setup.
I only have a Vive to compare with, but, having tried a bit of Elite Dangerous on that, I'd say VR still has a way to go - it was hard to read all the text, and a flight simulator will have a lot more dials and the like. It needs more resolution and sharpness first.
In the 80s, I used to play the subLOGIC Flight Simulator II on my father's Apple //e. Later, I wondered whether this was a predecessor to Microsoft's Flight Simulator. Apparently it sort of was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_Simulator_II_(subLOGIC)
Why did Microsoft let the Flight Simulator franchise go to the back burner for so long? I know these vast corporations have to focus but it is still a mystery to me why they let it go. Does anyone have any idea what the thinking was? What has fundamentally changed for them to want to get back to it?
It's a niche product that requires a specialized and no-longer-common controller. Market growth was in other places and Microsoft chased that. Now the market is gigantic with plenty of room for rebooting beloved-albeit-neglected franchises.
Why did Microsoft let the Flight Simulator franchise go to the back burner for so long? I know these vast corporations have to focus but it is still a mystery to me why they let it go. Does anyone have any idea what the thinking was? What has fundamentally changed for them to want to get back to it?
I'd forgotten that they even let it slip like they did. Last one I used was Flight Simulator X, but I haven't touched it in years. Now if only Microsoft would bring back their excellent and largely forgotten Space Simulator: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Space_Simulator
Kerbal Space Program has mostly replaced it in my mind, though. It's really an incredibly deep game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meigs_Field
Looking at the previews for the new FS, I wonder if it will require an Internet connection. It seems like way too much content to download/pre-install. Will it download content as you travel?
I just want a pretty flight sim with a handful of planes that lets me fly everywhere in the world without dollar signs appearing in the menus. Actually I'm finding myself giving up on video games for the exact same reasons I gave up on television 20 years ago, I'm tired of everyone trying to sell me more shit during the increasingly rare free moments I have.