Friday 2010-07-23 Dev. update and Discussions

[kendo65]

My, my, everyone's feisty this week. Seems to be 3 different arguments going on at once

Entertaining though

Originally Posted by nearmiss

It is like so many things when people have too much money. Money isn't ever the most important ingredient... it's committment.

Think about all the very excellent development systems, like Foxpro,dbase,etc. that were bought out by companies with the big bucks.

Foxpro is the only one left, but MSFT hasn't done anything with it compared to when it was in the hands of the original developers. Foxpro was hot, and the developers were always doing new things. I just read where MSFT will not support it past 2015. Kinda sounds like the death bells to me.

Same with the MSFT combat flight series. They had a winner in CFS2 that was the benchmark sim. I remember when Sim-outhouse and netwings had enormous numbers of users for CFS2 and the IL2 had a squeaky little corner on the site (no users).

CFS2 was the big dog until MSFT hired the ferrets from Red Baron to update the sim. What a debaucle. They tried to rework the sim and screwed the pooch. If they had just improved what they had it would have still been a contender as a favorite. The very best mission builder tools of any WW2 combat sims, the CFS2 and Jane's ww2 FIGHTERS.

Even today the CFS2 has the best mission builder.

I am hoping BOB SOW could very well take us into a new era of mission builders. Two very most important tools for Offline users are the mission builder and high standards of AI performance.

Enlightening insights, nearmiss. Didn't know about Red Baron involvement. I didn't get too deeply involved in mission building in CFS2 but it seems they had "triggers" right? That in itself would be a powerful mission builder tool for any sim.

[TicTac]

How is this game going to be distributed?

Originally Posted by SaQSoN

Resources - yes. Talent? What talent? Their usual attitude to talent is: buy a small talented developer and dissolve/destroy it, so they don't mess around with their "crazy" ideas.

Point taken.

Originally Posted by Feuerfalke

What resources at Microsoft? You mean Microsoft Games? Flight Simulator-developers? They're driving taxis around in L.A., now. Microsoft closed the complete FS-studio, in case you didn't hear it.

That's how much trust Microsoft had in their own team to compete with the current market.

My feeble attempt at mild sarcasm. I'm aware that M$ has shut down their flight sim team but it remains that they have a core of talent and resources in the main -- misused though it seems to be.

[Avimimus]

The basic fact is that successful flight sims cannot be developed by teams experiencing interference from high level corporate management.

For example there is the EA debacle where 75% of flightsim studios were wiped out during the dot com bust - not because they weren't profitable, but because EA had lost money in other areas and felt they need to keep only them most profitable genres (or so I've heard).

Another example is B-17 II which almost got canceled (and was saved by showing off the graphics) or MSFS which gradually lagged more and more behind other developers despite (or perhaps because of) having large budgets and a major supporter.

The reason why Oleg (and the rest of the Triumvirate ED & 777/Neoqb) is able to produce the quality he does is because he is an engineer as much as a manager and a pilot as much as he is a businessman.

He is clearly aiming at both profound art and profitability. This is why he is profitable. But upper level managers typically found in big companies can't typically see this (or anything other than the lowest common denominator and the fastest buck).

[louisv]

...
"The reason why Oleg (and the rest of the Triumvirate ED & 777/Neoqb) is able to produce the quality he does is because he is an engineer as much as a manager and a pilot as much as he is a businessman.

He is clearly aiming at both profound art and profitability. This is why he is profitable. But upper level managers typically found in big companies can't typically see this (or anything other than the lowest common denominator and the fastest buck)."

+1

[proton45]

Originally Posted by philip.ed

Two words chum; fan-boys It's best to be honest and compliment than suck-up and compliment

...and in the end it doesn't really matter, after everything is said and done they will still make the game that they want to make.

[nearmiss]

In the TOP STICKY threads that directly relate to SOW, IL2 and TD updates "ON TOPIC discussions" are all that will be allowed. The threads will be vigorously moderated. We want to continue to provide the developers with viable, constructive comments and responses in the Sticky threads.

The NON-STICKY threads will now allow constructive and sensible discussions that relate to AIR COMBAT, AIR COMBAT SIMULATION AND FLIGHT SIMULATION, not just IL2, SOW or TD.

Discussions about MODS or links to MODS is still prohibited content on the forums.

All the rules and regulations of the forums still apply.

[zapatista]

Zapanista --- CAN"T YOU READ! NO MODS DISCUSSIONS ON THIS FORUMS.

THE POSTING IS DIRECTLY ABOVE THIS ONE.

Guys this thread has been a major nuisance... all day.

I've erased content, deleted posts and banned users.

This thread is locked.

Next week on updates if we have a repeat of this week the thread will be locked immediately.

THat's a shame, because I think many of you enjoy the discussion and feedback from Oleg and Luthier.

The mods and admins have clear directives on this forums - NO MODS DISCUSSIONS OR DIRECT REFERRAL LINKS TO MODS.