RJW, your point is also well taken, of course. However, I consider a move - at some point - as inevitable.
Of course, that's just my opinion.
My opinion is that it isn't inevitable at all, though I wish that it was.
Existing financial resources and the potential return on investment (ROI) are two huge factors that can stop any company from moving to a next generation platform, no matter how much they wish they could. If they don't have or can't get the cash, it doesn't happen. If the ROI is too low to cover their expenses, including time, it doesn't happen.
Do I wish that someday they can move to a new platform? Sure, absolutely I do. Do I think it's inevitable? My opinion is that not only is it not inevitable, it's also unlikely...but at least it is still possible. New engines aren't cheap and the time to learn them and then reprogram the "world" becomes a lot of expensive man-hours that all have to somehow be paid for by the end product sales. WWI flight sims are simply not a hot seller right now and haven't been for quite a few years. The 90s are gone, though hopefully someday the WWI flight sim "mania" that existed back then will someday make a return. Until that day happens though, a diminishing market simply isn't the logical place to invest heavily. That's why WWI sim makers have either gone out of business or branched out into other areas (WWII) in order to remain financially viable. It just can't be done in the WWI theater on it's own anymore.
That's the sad truth of our times. The technology exists to make a state of the art x64, DX12 WWI sim that would melt our minds. (Pardon the poetic license) It's just that that isn't what the market place is calling for these days. MMOs, MOBAs, FPS and anything console is where most of the demand is at.
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