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Poll: Still developing for or supporting FS9?

Now that Flight Simulator X has been released will you develop for -

  • Flight Simulator X only

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Flight Simulator X and Flight Simulator 9

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Flight Simulator X and Flight Simulator 9 with FS 9 being for a limited time.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Flight Simulator 9 only

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
R

robby88

Messages
58
Country
australia
Still developing for or supporting FS9?

This question is inspired by a thread at Sim-Outhouse as to whether some of the guys will continue to use FS9. The initial positive responses to FSX at SOH have changed somewhat, since the weekend, to a surprising number of the regulars saying they will stay with FS9 for now. http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=28764 We have similar situations elsewhere such as AVSIM.

So this raises the question will many developers continue develop and offer support for FS9 products?

As a 3D modeler, myself, FS X offers so many more possibilities than FS 9. I have one FS9 project to complete but intend to focus mainly on FS X with the occasional possible CFS3 version and perhaps FS9 version. With the new features in FS X, producing for FS9 seems a possible backward step.
 
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Unfortunately there is a general idea by users (not just FS users, also "standard" software users) that backward compatibility is free. I guess it is this ignorance that make people stick to FS9 and ask for it to be supported in new versions.
I do not see why I (as the developer) or the users of FSX should pay the price of these selfish people.

It might be different for payware authors as they can be forced by the masses of ignorent people, so I am just happy I do freeware.
 
FSX is the future for the next two years I don't plan to look back. People just need to piss and moan for a bit thinking of all they have spent on FS9 but soon they will spend just as much for FSX and so the cycle begins again.
 
Hi,

I had started to develop payware scenery for FS 9, but now I'm going FS X only. I hope to release my first scenery sometime in Q1 2007.

Best regards,
Robin.
 
I also go for FsX only (although I have to finish a few Fs2004 projects first unfortunately at the moment). Even if most users have not switched yet, I think a developer should already learn about the new features and techniques, so that he can take good advantage of them.
 
Same thing as Arno here. I am also working on a project that is aimed at Fs9, but after that it's all about FSX.

Daniel
 
I've been working on a project since June. Originally it was going to be an FS9 release, but since there's still so much to be done it makes more sense to release for FSX. Might as well develop with an eye toward the future.
________
Side Effects Of Paxil
 
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robby88 said:
This question is inspired by a thread at Sim-Outhouse as to whether some of the guys will continue to use FS9. The initial positive responses to FSX at SOH have changed somewhat, since the weekend, to a surprising number of the regulars saying they will stay with FS9 for now. http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=28764 We have similar situations elsewhere such as AVSIM.

So this raises the question will many developers continue develop and offer support for FS9 products?

As a 3D modeler, myself, FS X offers so many more possibilities than FS 9. I have one FS9 project to complete but intend to focus mainly on FS X with the occasional possible CFS3 version and perhaps FS9 version. With the new features in FS X, producing for FS9 seems a possible backward step.
Click to expand...

It appears that our market will continue to support purchase of FS9 aircraft, and Eaglesoft has decided to support and develop products for FS9 for at least 12 months.

Best,

Owen
 
It's hard to specify a hard and fast rule, here's what's happening

- plan to port FS9 projects to FSX, yes
- next major project is for FSX only
- plan at some point to develop for FSX only, yes
- plan to continue to support FS9 projects, yes
- may develop some projects for both FS9 and FSX

Jon
 
Since I don't own FSX at the moment, I'm just designing for FS9. My plan is to finish FRA for the FS I started this project on.

In the future there will be a release for FSX, but not at the same time, the FS9 version comes out.
 
I'm doing the same. For now its only going to be FS9 LCY, but I might do a few updates to make it for FSX in the future. Certain FSX design features would be fun to exploit. I've heard of bump mapping, but among others it should definately be worth designing, as most of the FS community will get FSX sooner or later.
 
I am currently developing for FS9, but will purchase FSX (when I can find it locally) and develop for that also. Currently making a generic gauge XML editor, although I heard that there may be GUI version from MS. Will update my PolyView landclass visual catalog as soon as I get FSX, and perhaps expand it for seasons as well

Jim
 
Actually 'producing' new FS9 products.... hardly, I'd say. Just does not make commercial sense.

Continuous support of FS9 products we've already published.... most definitely YES ! And we're even working on some FS9 upgrades still. Would be foolhardy to alienate all those customers who are NOT for whatever reason using FSX yet ! :)
 
I'm definitely making my preparations for FSX until the gmax sdk is released (what the hell is taking so freaking long!!). I will continue to fly FS9 but development for FS9 is over.
 
Hi
As a new member of this forum I firstly wanted to say what an attractive and useful site this is. Many thanks to all involved.

I have one aircraft that I commenced a while back and wish I had it all finished and released before FSX arrived. Life didn't work out that way! I will complete the exercise and upload it for FS9, then make it available for FSX as soon after that as possible, and then leave that aircraft behind. From that point on my developments will be for FSX only.

Cheers
Mike
 
What seemed to be an easy decision a month ago has turned out to be more complicated. I've based my business plan on how I saw the transition from FS8 to FS9. I had assumed that within 6 months we'd see a majority uptake of FSX, but now I think that there will still be a place for FS9 releases. I might stick with dual releases for the time being.
I've been full-time in scenery design for 10 months now, and didn't really have time to prepare for the current slump in sales while people decide which way they are going to go. Still, I do think that there's a big future in addons for FSX, if only we can survive the transition:)
 
As a freeware developer, I have developed for FS9 for three years and also released FS8 versions. Some of the greatest email accolades were from FS8 users who hadn't/couldn't make the move to FS9.

With the near "leap of faith" jump of FSX capabilities and processor requirements, many users must continue with FS9 until some future computer purchase makes FSX viable for them.

I suspect many will move more slowly to FSX than in any previous version upgrade due to the strong demand for top-end computer power to get the most out of FSX (i.e. more than what they currently have in their FS9 investment).

If you are doing commercial aircraft development, I do not understand why you do not develop for FS9 and either 1) release for FS9 and port to FSX, or 2) develop for FS9 and release, then add the FSX-only features and do an FSX release. The small time invested certainly would be more than offset by the FS9 larger crowd at least for 12-18 months. These folks by then will be wanting whatever few payware products that are still being released for FS9.
 
Hi,

As a dev starting out, it doesn't make sense for me to develop for FS9 and then port to FS X. Even established developers are taking months to re-write code to make it work well in FSX. I think this is the deciding factor: time.

I'm developing both a scenery and an aircraft (that will require extensive custom coding) and as such can't see the benefit in developing for FS9. By the time either of these are ready for release, FSX will be most peoples main sim.

Whilst most people now aren't moving over, when Vista hits the stores and they get a new PC for that, then FS X will follow very closely behind, I'm sure.

Best regards,
Robin.
 
I'll mostly be modeling for FS X. FS X offers much more for the 3D modeler than FS9 did. I started out modeling for CFS3 which, among other things, allowed modeling at a finer vertex resolution than supported by the FS9 makemdl. I was disapointed when I converted one of my CFS3 projects over to FS9 as I essentially had to re-model the virtual cockpit to a lower resolution for FS9... quite a time consuming task. Compiling a project for FS9 takes 15-20 minutes compared to usually less than a minute for CFS3.

Now with the FS X export process a modeling resolution of .001 is supported, one can export large models if one wants to, and the compilation process is only a couple of minutes at most, usually less. Add to that the multiplicity of material options, skinned animations etc offered by FSX. The ability to model at a vertex resolution of .001 allows for smoother, sharper more realistic cockpits in FS X that the FS9 exporter could not accomodate without optimising in undesirable ways.

Sure there is a learning curve in all this, but this happens with any complex software especially in the 3d graphics world, and of course there remains a wish list of features that designers would like to see better implemented. But overall I find FS X more satisfying to model for than any other open architecture sim out there.

If a designer wished to support both FS9 and FSX and take full advantage of all that FSX offers, especially with cockpit resolution, the designer would have to produce two versions of the virtual cockpit, one for FS9 and one for FSX. This adds much extra time to the creation process.

From what I've read sales of the Deluxe version of FS X have already exceeded forecasts, so the user base is growing. The situation is certainly not as pessimistic as some would have us believe. :)
 
Both, Why forget a classic for a new plastic car

I will still be developing for fs9 and plans **soon** to support fsx.

While at the moment fsx is a little slow to take of with all the pc upgrades been planned and other issues as to why the community has'nt *jumped*..

Flight sim 2004 still has a very large collection out there and i myself will still be using it just as much until fsx starts to catch up and give me more "do-able" stuff inside of flight sim.

Depending on how the future spands for fs9 will set the path for if we develop for it or if one day it does'nt get the include ".h" command.

But until that day we will try our best to give both versions the same result from our projects. Unless for un-controllable reasons. All software / projects shall be complied into the same file.

Brad M
bradmATecps.com.au
 
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