Jackson doing a remake of Blue Max? I think I just wet myself at the potential of it.

If it had the same quality level of the LOTR films, it could very well be the best thing that happened to flight simming popularity.

I also agree with the scaled sim idea. That way, it appeals to hard core and newcomer alike to get their feet wet.

Still...

Personal Opinion:

Just about any sim out there has this option to make it super-easy. If you take away the sim in simulation, then why the heck would anyone want to play it though unless you're very young or just entering into the gaming genre?

Did gamers all become spoon-fed wussies all of sudden? You'll get a player who is willing to spend 5 hours completing an almost impossible FPS level but they don't have the patience to learn to fly a simulated plane in combat?

I just don't get the logic. When did gamers stop wanting to be challenged and rewarded with persistance and have everything that makes sims enjoyable thrown out? Adding some ill-chosen elements of other gaming genres is more of a band aid than well thought out solution to increasing the popularity of simming.

I guess the idea of a game without a medpack in some form or another is just too wierd these days.

Maybe it would be helpful to try to lose the old fart mentality of WW1 simming by producing good marketing campaigns. Most of the pilots were the same age as a young gamer. That alone if promoted well should get younger players interested since it involves people from their age group. It was certainly interesting enough for those involved.

I can't remember the last time I saw a decent flight sim marketing blitz. Maybe the easiest way to get more players interested is to appeal to the emotional side more than the aeronautical authenticity. That they can learn when they purchase the sim.

Get them excited about it. Study some successful game marketing and learn what works and what doesn't. Going back to the Jackson film rumour: It worked for LOTR. How many kids actually knew or cared about Tolkien's works before the film came out? Now Gandalf is a household word and kids are using the images in their sigs all over the place.

WW1 was a time full of excitement, fear, glory and death. It's all there waiting for anyone to discover.

Make it cool to be interested in it again and lose the sad geek tagline that so often ties in with simming.

Ever try to tell your friends why you like WW1 simming? It's tough isn't it? Most of us hide it as our secret obsession.

If we can't even bring ourselves to tell people about it without feeling silly then how can we expect it to be popular gaming genre again (or maybe that's just me )?

S!