hence emphasis on least. There's a direct comparison - both flight sims, P-51, detail. The difference being we can now fire the guns. But at the very least (again emphasis) I can create a quick mission where all I do is take off, fly, enjoy the aircraft, land. Sounds like FSX, no?


Speculation and pretty much irrelevant. I could speculate that seeing a P-51 might draw others into the DCS world - and if they don't like modern aircraft, then they can choose not to buy it and wait for the next Flying Legends. But then we'd have more people visiting the DCS site and learning about ED. It's all good.


So you know what fast jet ED are producing? Cos it sounds like you know how ED are operating and what impacts them and their projects. Something like developing tandem aircraft might impact on your world but who's to say it does in theirs. Like I said they've already stated that simultaneous development is not going to impact their modern theatre. Now I can choose to believe them, who are the actual people doing to work or believe you.

Just take it for what it is. If you don't like props don't buy it. I for one am grateful they're willing to look beyond modern aircraft only. Who knows what they'll develop in the future.

Just a thought on this.

Couldn't DCS put out a call to all modders. Help us build the environment for this P-51 to fly in?

Say DCS laid out a basic northern europe map, then allowed the community to build items to populate it: houses, WW2-era vehicles, bridges, hangers etc.

Create an on-line register or wiki page where everyone could see who was building what and post pics of progress.

DCS could release tools on the conditon they were allowed to market the thing and make a profit and lay down firm ground rules for how many pixels each item should contain.

They could also ask whether anyone would be willing to make some AI opponents for the P-51.

It would create a great sense of ownership of the game and I'm sure many would help for free just to see the thing get done right.

Sell the whole thing as one package - hey presto, the most modern and perhaps best WW2 sim ever made.

Might be the only way and quickest way forward for a genre in which there is very little money to be made.

There would be instant vitriolic indignation and howls of derision, from certain quarters, citing ED attempts to profit off somebody else's hard labour. Still, ED could do with improving the current terrain creation tools.

Nate

for some reason Eagle Dynamics seems to have a terrible reputation with modders - SimMod comes to mind as an example, although I never learned why they gained that reputation.

I think if it was properly explained to the community that the market is just too small to justify the investment and also that a new map would be developed more quickly it might fly.

Tell the community: "This is your chance to make sure this sim is done right. Help us make the best WW2 sim ever."

Look at the ARMA crowd. It works there and that's a much bigger market.

Yes, but minus a whole raft of features which contribute quite significantly to the enjoyment of this "sandbox" type of flying. You seem not to have read that part of my post completely. My concern isn't so much with existing DCS customers, those among that group who like the idea of a Mustang to go sightseeing and racing with will buy, those who don't will pass - no problem. However, ED intends to offer it as a stand-alone product as well and unless it is *very* aggressively priced I can see how many first-time buyers will set their expectations too high.



Well, I realise that while one woman takes 9 months to make a baby you can't expect to get one in a month with 9 women on the job So if somebody in ED's development pipeline is sitting idle (say the flight model or scenery department) because they've already done their thing on the modern-era module then getting them to work on a different project will take nothing away from the former. The P-51 is probably a case in point, the people with the skills required to make a saleable product out of the tech demo were likely available and so it got done. However, if the Flying Legends environment gets expanded in future ALL departments are going to have to contribute on top of any commitments from the modern-era modules and I find it a bit implausible that this should have no effect at all. And strictly speaking, ED has only said it would not "preclude" development of further present-day modules - whether they have been delayed is anybody's guess since no target date for release was ever made public (well, apart from the 9-month cycle...).



I do like props, but my tastes are a bit exotic (I admire the Mustang design, but it has lost its novelty). If they wanted to hook me it'd have to be this:

http://www.military-aircraft.org.uk/other-fighter-planes/de-havilland-hornet.jpg

Big, heavy, but nevertheless nimble, long-ranged and unspeakably beautiful - the nearest approach to a 1940s prop-driven Su-27/33 counterpart

An SDK would go a loooong way.

You didn't read my part about any new potential prop flyers comign into DCS.

Besides, as I said it's all speculation and irrelevant. I gave my own speculation as to how a new flyer might react and it's just as irrelevant as yours.


You'd have a valid point if you knew how ED operated and where they are at the moment. But you're just making wild guesses and negative claims without any data or even knowledge of how they're working.
Like I said, I choose to believe ED who have already stated that this is independent of the modern theatre.
Implausible to you, well that's your world but in mine they're fully capable of doing it and I look forward to both aircraft, moreso the fast jet.


If they made that I probably won't buy it as the plane doesn't hold much interest to me but that's my choice - and that's such a good choice to have.

EDIT: just looked up the Hornet on Wiki. If they did that I'd be interested in it for the carrier ops.

It's not a prop plane per se that I am concerned about, its putting a WWII equipped aircraft into a modern environment. It lacks the sensors, weapons and electronics to survive or integrate and fight effectively.

Personally, I would have loved to see a 50's - 60's high fidelity 'big war' sim.

THIS! Me too. I'll buy.