An Alternate Strategy?

[kendo65]

We all know that there are continuing difficulties with the graphics engine reworking. It seems that the devs themselves were not expecting such a delay in completing and releasing it.

BlackSix said a few weeks back that the plan was for only the graphics rewrite to be released in the next beta. Once this had been tested and proved stable, then further patches would introduce the improvements from other areas of development - FM, AI, etc, etc.

So, currently there is a complete block on any element of the sim being updated until the graphics rewrite is judged to be ready. But, presumably there has been progress made in some of those other areas (FM, sound engine, etc) in the 6 months since the previous beta. Given the unforseen difficulties in completing the new graphics would it be possible to hatch a 'Plan B' and release some of this other work in a new patch while work continues on the graphics rewrite?

This could have many advantages, not least being to smooth out some of the bad feeling and impatience amongst a lot of the fans.

I assume that some elements planned for later patches would be dependent on the fps increase provided by the new engine (eg tree collision, more crew animations), but FM and AI improvements and I'm sure many others would not.

So, given the current 'crisis' created by the delay, would a new plan be possible or advisable? It may be the case that any reworking would cause more problems than it fixes? I don't know. Just thought I'd throw this idea out there.