[Fireskull]

Hi, guys


Do you have any thoughts or wishes for how things will develop in flight sims?

After a couple years of better performing hardware which is affordable, where will things go?





Fireskull

[fabianfred]

Even the latest hardware struggles with il2 modded during missions with many a/c and objects and on busy maps. It will be some time before Cod will be playable with huge numbers of planes and ground objects running about.
You are thinking about in ten years time maybe.
The hardware cannot keep up with the software yet. IMHO.

[Fireskull]

Even the latest hardware struggles with il2 modded during missions with many a/c and objects and on busy maps. It will be some time before Cod will be playable with huge numbers of planes and ground objects running about.
You are thinking about in ten years time maybe.
The hardware cannot keep up with the software yet. IMHO.

I wonder if there might be some big technology leap in a few years.

Anyway, I feel that people will expect more features in a flight sim and have the performance, too.


Fireskull

[SAVVY_JACK]

I have been dealing with this issue for almost 15 years. Every time I get an upgraded computer, the next patch busts me back down. I started out with a Gateway 2000 with 256mb of ram. I started playing a WWI sim but forget the name. Then went to Warbirds. When Warbirds II came out I gutted the Gateway and went with an AMD board. Then went to Aces High after I watched it through demo. I then got this Dell Dimensions XPS Generation 2 back about Sept 2003. When I couldn't play Pacific Fighters in Excellent Mode, I gave it up. Been stuck here ever since! I refuse to pay $$$$$ every time a new game comes out. My loss but just don't have the extra cash to throw away on gaming computers every six months. This computer has been fine with no problems but just lost my heatsink fan on my ATI 9800 video card over the weekend. May add another 1gb stick and a new video card but thats it.

The evolution has not changed in over 100 years of anything. When you purchase it, its out dated before you get it in the car!

[Heinkel-162]

Well I am still waiting for Cliffs of Dover to work properly as advertised.

[Serpiko]

Play IL-2 on K-nect/Wii! Direct control of the plane by running around with your arms wide open, and fire by vocal command: "Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

[Fireskull]

Play IL-2 on K-nect/Wii! Direct control of the plane by running around with your arms wide open, and fire by vocal command: "Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

:lol:

[Fireskull]

Well,


Though I have played games on STEAM and it has fun stuff to do, it often takes a long time for something to load.

There are many console type games, but none of them will have the total number of features and objects of a simulation or game designed for a personal computer with a dedicated graphics card.

I am glad to see that people are realizing the advantages of a computer where you can watch TV, listen to InterNet radio, surf the World Wide Web, and much more all in one device. There's no substitute at this time for a keyboard to type emails and responses in webpages. Also, we have device link type stuff. A good quality joystick can only be managed in advanced settings software with a computer.

The cost savings of having everything at the computer is in the thousands of dollars - InterNet TV, radio, web browsing, email, InterNet telephone, and the best video games are all available in one device now.


I noticed that many more people have laptop computers now than two years ago. Good move! All that power and portable, too!

How is all of this going to effect flight simulations?

I wonder.



Fireskull

[caldrail]

For the most part all you'll get is more eye-candy rather than any real improvement in simulation. Models will become ever more polyphilic and textures will increase in size and number to satisfy what is an apparent public need to slaver over such details.

In fact the microsoft flight-sim series barely improved for a decade for these very reasons. I would also add they took a backward step. In version 5.0 stalls and spins were reasonably well modelled. In the 5.1 patch they vanished altogether, no doubt because of neophyte PC-flyers discovering that flying as real as it got required a bit more skill than experience in arcade shoot-em-ups and reflected (in commercial minds) on the safety of the real life aeroplanes.

After all, enviromental representation has hardly moved at all for a long time. Okay, some sims are prettier than others, but the rainfall depicted in Looking Glasses Flight Unlimited has never been bettered, and that wasx in 1995.

There is considerable room for improvement in modelling enviroment, air traffic control, and subliminal realism - but it won't happen. Because the industry is encouraged by the public to concentrate on airframe modelling.

[Fireskull]

Wow, Caldrail


Well...

Who will stand for quality?

With millions of gamers enjoying an ego trip as they play games that a monkey could learn ( I play them, too, but only in moderation ), I see your point. It sure is a boast to pride to be able to control a few easy features and go destroy a whole city!! :lol: ... maybe even on the very first try!! :lol:

Yes: A flight simulation is another thing.

Perhaps we can agree that there will be quite a wide variety of flight simulations ( or flight games ) in terms of quality in a few years, wouldn't you say? I don't give any hope for FS meeting our expectations and experience. It is going to be very tough, especially for Western simulations, to develop good flight models and convincing damage models. One issue is the cost of labor in Western countries. Being an American myself, I see our country becoming more superficial and less interested in meaningful issues.

Fortunately, people in our community want good flight models and damage models.

Oleg Maddox has said from time to time that a true flight simulation is a very narrow niche in the gaming industry. Of course, we know that his expectations for a sim are very high. I feel that it is likely the core of his recent distance from 1C.


Fireskull

[Serpiko]

What you all say makes a lot of sense; yet IMO the future of FS isn't totally dark.

First of all, marketing reasons relegate "realistic" sims to a niche, true, but other marketing reasons suggest that they will somehow survive. As long as there are customers asking for a specific product, few as they might be, someone will be selling it (ask sexy shop owners! :mrgreen: )

Then, if developers are currently focused on eye-candy stuff, that can be ok, IF flight models, even not evolving, keep up to current standards without backwards steps. I mean, I haven't tried SOW:BOB yet but, should I find it's nothing more than a IL-2 in brand new clothes, I wouldn't be disappointed. Should it be something LESS than that, I WOULD be disappointed! :evil: (of course, SOW is too "young" to allow for a real comparison with IL-2).

Last (but not least), rather than playing 100 mediocre flight sims, or 10 good flight sims, I prefer to play just one GREAT flight sim (as long as there's no "perfect" flight sim), and stick with it.
I'm having great fun with IL-2 since 10 years and I'm not done yet. If it takes a decade to have a game that can actually be on the same level or better, That's ok for me.

[Fireskull]

I feel that we will continue seeing a diversifying of the IL-2 modding communities with the trend of more modding websites being born.





Fireskull

[Serpiko]

By the way... did you notice how hard has it become to find a proper PC joystick in stores shelves?

[Fireskull]

By the way... did you notice how hard has it become to find a proper PC joystick in stores shelves?

Well, okay, Serpiko, let's squeeze that into the topic.


Yes, I have noticed that is is harder to find them on shelves. The day might come when it is rare to see flight simulation equipment on a store shelf.

With several complex flight simulations for computers on the scene and several in development, demand for the equipment - joysticks in particular - will increasee.

I feel that part of the reason for flight sim equipment decreasing on the store shelves is the increasing popularity of console games. Flight simulation users tend to be connected with the InterNet by computer but many console fans have their gaming system as the focus of attention for fun.

Is the pattern at the local store any indication of the future of flight simulations? I am convinced that interest in flight simulations will continue to grow but focused more on online purchases of sims and equipment for them. This is good for modding in a sense that overall growth continues and great for online flight sim combat because more people have computers and more are aquiring a flight sim through online with their computer around the world.

Because it does take some degree of knowledge and maturity to handle computer issues in relation to flight simulations of increasing complexity, we should see a more mature fan base on average than back in the days of many DVD sales from stores where anybody may see something they like and pick it from the shelf.

Joysticks should increase in sales but through online purchase. With it comes a more sophisticated flight sim fan and that is good for the overall quality of all general issues that are involved.

Because of these things, we should see more interest in better quality joysticks. Better sticks enable a beginning player to improve quicker in the long term ( in comparison with many poor quality off the shelf sticks ), so we should see that factor into growth in flight simulation interest, as well.



Fireskull

[Serpiko]

I agree, in particular about different console/PC approach.