Not many will mourn its passing, but when the XBox.com PC Marketplace closes next Thursday, users of Microsoft’s Flight sim will no longer be able to purchase new cockpitless aircraft to fly, or the add-on packs to fly them over Hawaii or Alaska.
On their Facebook page, the Flight “community team” stated “Although you will no longer be able to purchase any MS Flight content after August 22nd, you can continue to enjoy previously purchased content by downloading it through the Games for Windows LIVE client software even if it was purchased through Steam.”
We doubt many people will actually notice – although we do wonder if they’ll actually patch it to remove the ads now – but with recent attempts to crack open the “walled garden” showing signs of achieving some of their goals, it’s still a pity that Microsoft messed this whole project up quite so badly.
Details on the closure of the PC Marketplace can be found here.
0 Responses
Good riddance to bad rubbish
I agree. big Whoop. Others will disagree, but the whole FLIGHT fiasco was a kick in the teeth by MS of their loyal and trusting clientele. I presume market research was done prior to its launch. If so they should be fired for poor work or was their research ignored by those who thought they knew better? I feel for anyone who actually sprung hard earned cash on this product.
I think this is one of the big problems Flight had – the “market research” was done in a non-FS market. However, the FS market is small and shrinking compared to other gaming markets, so is it surprising that when a market research company reported “people don’t want a study sim, they want a casual, free to play, game that they can choose to expand into a much richer experience”, management listened?
Management then ignored the bit about “choose to expand” and stuck to the “casual” part, but that’s part of why I find this silly FS11 “petition” so funny… Microsoft aren’t interested in us. They were only interested when it made them a lot of money for very little outlay. Now they’re losing market share in every part of their business, they’re not listening to companies using Office (proof: Office 365) or anyone who uses Windows (proof: Windows 8 UI) so why would they want to hang on to and develop in a market which basically only generates after market income for other companies?
Oh what a shame, what a piece of…
Moderator edit: Watch your language.
So… Is this a good example of what happens to software that never saw a CD/DVD encarnation?
I never bought Flight but it is a (darker) chapter of FS history. With the closure of this market does this mean that no one else, ever, will be able to download and install this sim? As in contrast to still being able to buy FSX, FS2004 and even FS2002 off shelves and try them out?
I Remember all the “HYPE” about it when it 1st came out andfor like what – the 3 or 4 months it was out .
There sure was a lotta “Grand Illusions” and Fantasies about what some thought this , whatever ya wanna call it, was going to be, even After, what WE all found out it was, there was still a lotta “HYPE” and Grand Illusions as to what it would become, and how great it was.
Ummm , Compared to – What ????
Compared to – eating a cold bowl of what should of been Warm oatmeal ?
maybe an over-cooked “badly burn’t” T-Bone Steak !
or maybe a Tainted Salad with E-Coli in it ~ !
It was Super Neat and really Super Cool – IF – you were about 10 or 12 years old, and just got your hands on the 1st flying Game !!!
Ohhhh Well,, so much for all that “HYPE” !
Bizarrely, I don’t remember any “hype”. I remember a lot of people crying that it wasn’t FS11 and a lot of people (including myself) having to change their mind when they actually looked what Flight could and did do, rather than what the appalling marketing implied it could. However, the type of drivel you’ve just posted is exactly what MS marketing achieved with their failure.
People don’t bother looking. They don’t bother going back and saying “is that actually true?” – they just repeat the same fallacies and rumours.
One of the first comments on the Facebook post was “you didn’t even bother adding radio navigation” – something that was included on release, but that most people never saw because of completely lacking documentation and a desire to “simplify” the interface. The interface design and lack of documentation are Microsoft’s failing. The not looking is the people whining’s failing. It’s not as if there aren’t a lot of posts out there showing exactly how to use VORs and NDBs in Flight – it’s just that people see them and choose to complain about it not being FS11, instead of correcting their false assumptions.
Yes, it did make a very good introduction to the world of flight simming. It was FREE, it looked good and it provided a lead in to other, more detailed sims, in the same way that Flight Unlimited used to. But it wasn’t FS11, so any post that didn’t say it was complete rubbish and “just an X-Box kids game” was pounced on by people still crying over spilt milk from four years earlier.
“There’s none so blind as those who choose not to even bother looking”.
I still regret the demise of MS Flight, because it really showed a lot of potential. But indeed, the MS Marketeers completely messed it up. A real shame.
Hi,
Yes i agree, many crying people was because watch it as an fs11 and not as a new simulator. In my opinion, if it had more (not so costy) sceneries/areas and more nice aircrafts WITH cockpits, it was a very nice simulator for introduction to more serious/complete ones or as a secundary one for fun flights. The big problem was costy addons without cockpit, infinite times for new releases of addons, and the era that we leave “The Age of Trolls” that is always cool to cry and follow trolls without saying nothing positive. After some time it becames fast a very boring simulator, not a chalenge or the pleasure of exploration. I have many civil flight sims installed, fsx, fs2004, xplane, FU3, PS1.3, AeroflyFS, Fly II, …, and about MS Flight i liked it, i not had the illusion that it could was the fs11, I already have too many simulators and realy expected something different and it was, saddly for the reasons mentioned above, it becames boring after some time.
Moderator edit: If you cannot post here without swearing, you are not welcome.
It never was intended to be a true Flight Simulator, but a game, which is how 50% of Flight Simmers look at it. If you were to paly it on your X-box, never having seen a Flight Simulator before, then your experience would have been different.
I congratulate the Moderator of this forum: we are disrupted enaugh with Microsoft blunder (greed, I would say) without having to put-up with foul language. Resentment wont resucitate Flight! Me, I just “discovered” Golden Wings for FS 2004 …