It was both interesting and depressing that Asobo didn’t want to address the lack of AI traffic in their recent q&a, preferring instead to talk about AI liveries.
Makes me think they have no solutions.
1 Like
It’s going to be a long, bleak winter, and I do not expect much significant progress for some time.
Covid-19 appears to be closing down France again (like it is the rest of the world) adding an even greater challenge to a gaming Company, now venturing out of a fantasy World, and for the 1st time, trying to reproduce a highly technical real world environment, with complex systems, like Aircraft.
Just because you now call a talented game developer, “Director of Aviation Instrument Development” does not instantly bestow on them the knowledge and experience to design real world aircraft instrument systems.
It was difficult enough for Lockheed,( a major Aerospace[ce Company) to take ESP and turn it into what P3D is now.
Other game Companies have tried to take FSX and evolve it, failing to make it a simulator, but instead just making a “flying game”.
Asobo have done a magnificent job with the Graphics … as well they should with their Gaming background, but real world simulation of complex machines, that are expected to perform in a closely similar way to their real world counterpart, is a far bigger NEW challenge.
If MSFS is to be anything but a “fun game” and evolve into anything approaching a simulation of real world aviation, its going to be a long and probably painful process, and not something that will magically happen overnight.
It is clear from reading this forum, that many do not have the patience to wait for this to happen. – and that is really something that does not bother me at all.
I am far more concerned about Microsoft & Asobo having the patience to evolve MSFS and not just literally take the money and run…
By “take the money and run” I do not mean cheat anyone, but rather look at development cost, and return on future investment, and determine, now is the most profitable time to stop.
As a Game, with it’s stunning graphics, there will always be a new generation of Gaming Customers, and continual income … so unfortunately, my obvious fear is that once again, the new MSFS will go the way of MS Flight, and never be a Simulator, but just a “Fun game”.
Nobody more than me wishes this will not be the case…
1 Like
@N6722C, valid points all.
One supposes that Microsoft have presumed that third party development will fill the vacuum as it did in the past. But even that didn’t save FSX.
Others tried and failed and, as admitted by Asobo, there is a lot of FSX in FS2020.
Like you, I hope for a real simulator but also like you, I have my doubts.
No doubt though that the gamers will be happy, so at least there is that.
FS2020 is a really good and enjoyable game; it really is but…just not a realistic flight simulator.
We live in hope I guess.
To me, what all of this boils down to is that while it is relatively straightforward and routine to split resources between game engine development and game content development, what’s hard to do is develop an engine live when it’s full of players and the content relies entirely upon it.
To those of us who are fans and followers of flight sims, but also share a much broader experience and more general enthusiasm for video games, this is starting to become all too familiar as the process takes on more and more of the hallmarks associated with a MMO in its early stages of development, complete with the frequent and requisite ‘post update’ comments declaring that a significant and vital feature has been ‘nerfed’, along with a discussion of how this could be avoided.
What I find most baffling of all though is that ASOBO don’t seem to realise that everything about the server tech, core game mechanics and development process of MSFS is closer to Dual Universe than it is to X-Plane or FSX. Perhaps their neighbours over at Novaquark can help them along with this; as a backer of both I often have difficulty in telling which forum I’m reading.
2 Likes
Surely they have their own development servers to work on without causing disruption to live players!
I tread on dangerous waters when I say this… so will be careful not to push this point too far, but I believe it is fair comment.
Before MSFS, I had never heard of ASOBO.
Even now, I know very little about Asobo, and I really don’t need to to be a MSFS “consumer”.
But even some casual research about Asobo, the company, their History, and particularly the make up of those developing MSFS, is “interesting”.
Viewing their website, and the numerous videos that are about Asobo, depicts a vibrant, young, fun loving, Computer Game Developers, that has had significant success.
Watching the Q&A videos (one of the few Public insights into Asobo) I also find very “Interesting”
Looking at the “Credits” in MSFS is also “Interesting”
I am not going to draw any personal opinions in this public forum, but only suggest that if you do any research yourself, you might form a better opinion about what & why MSFS is where it is today.
In addition, reading some of the posts made by “assorted” “Tech Alpha Insiders” is very telling, and probably explains why so many “issues” made it through to release.
If Asobo re-introduces another Beta Program, I hope they have learnt something from the previous beta Program, and “populate it” and “run it” “Differently / Better”
Bottom line – Am I surprised that MSFS is what it is today - NO – but what does surprise me is the way it go there.
A final though: MSFS evolved and was based on “FSX”.
How did FSX “code” become (Convert to ) “MSFS” code ? Another revealing reason why MSFS may be what it is today ??
2 Likes
The framerates have been increased. Do you think that was magic?
I’ve never had a problem with frame rates, though I know others have.
I would believe the ai was responsible were it not for the fact that both ai traffic and frame rates have been fine on my machine when ai are present.
Not that the ai turn up very often.
The idea that AI kills frame rates is a bit of a misleading myth or an excuse for poor AI implementation in FS2020. JustFlight and Classicjetsimulations have proved that its perfectly possible to have very busy airports full of AI aircraft with minimal impact on frame rates.
1 Like
I agree. Traffic Global is amazing
1 Like
Yet you’re not playing Xplane because this is already vastly superior, no?
Get real.
Many people, including myself, use both.
I use Xplane for VR and for my Toliss 319 study aircraft, FS2020 for VFR and casual flights.
One day, if FS2020 ever develops, maybe I will use it for all my simulated flying requirements.
KSLC has no planes at the gates when you start from there, and no ground traffic. Strange, this is a major Delta hub.
See then you should know Xplane is where is it after, what, 4 years of development? And I’m being benign and not including Xplane 10 which was pretty much a similar experience.
Flight simulators take years. You’re welcome.
You are most welcome too.
I think you’ve misunderstood what I’m trying to say. I’m not suggesting that their server infrastructure is being disrupted, I’m saying that the way ASOBO are developing the sim seems to be more in line with the way MMOs are developed, than it is with how flight sim development has been traditionally handled.
The disruption I’m talking about is the disruption to the unity and expectations of the player base, expressed by this and many other threads like it, i.e. a sense and subsequent feeling of resentment that something you were familiar with and content about suddenly gets changed for no apparent reason (‘nerfed’) - This is something that goes with the territory for MMO developers, it’s just confusing to me that the ‘territory’ seems to have spilt over into the flight sim genre 
1 Like
The sim only needs to reproduce a limited number of planes within a certain radius of your aircraft, not every plane in the sky. This is how every other AI system works and why those systems dont overload simulators and drag the frame rate down. If Asobo have not adopted the same solution to the problem then they have made a colossal mistake and should look at it again. Its blatantly obvious that the sim should not be trying to track and replicate every flight in the entire world at any one time.
1 Like
Indeed… not “Fill the skies” with more planes !!"
I did hear this on final into MYNN the other day. A Bahamasair was told to hold while the plane in front of me landed, and I was told to follow the plane in front of me. I agree, though, that ATC has not improved much since FSX and does need some work. Traffic will probably need a third-party fix, as has always been the case with sims. I don’t want to hear “Generic” forever!