Fire Storm of Opinion

I knew I was dropping a small bomb by talking about ATC in my last post. I know it's a charged subject and nobody from ACES has really addressed it at all. A side effect to my post is that I've found out just how passionate you are about single player ATC regardless of enhancements.

Maybe we should only blog about positive things instead of address all issues? Or maybe we should post on forums with only one-line rhetorical questions and teasers (I think TDragger is on to something there)?

It seems some minority of you can't handle the truth or direct answers. Or maybe it's just that some see only black and white instead of the full range of color. Why else would someone fixate on one feature and say we've done nothing new or worthy in FSX?

I can't blog about the actual future of Flight Simulator. As in the past, such information will be concealed behind a veil and based on some reactions to my last post, that is probably a good thing.

Comments

• Anonymous
  August 28, 2006
  Hey, don't stress over the reaction of a few hotheads.  The rest of us took it as you intended, as a peek into the long range future of FS.  Most of us realize that a feature must meet it's cost/benefit analysis to be added or to remain in FS.  Of course, the version in which ATC is removed is the first version I won't buy, but that's not important here.  :)
  
  Take care,
• Anonymous
  August 28, 2006
  Unfortunately, this is a side effect of having you guys being much more open with the community.  While I would say that the vast majority of people are happy with your work, there will be those for whom it will never be enough, and they will always be there to scoff and look down their noses at those who dare to suggest that there is a bright side to things. For example, I've received numerous pm's at Avsim's forums calling me a MS sympathizer, apologist, etc... simply because I choose to take a positive outlook on things. Sure, we're not getting DPs/STARs, but I believe that we are getting a huge upgrade to GA VFR simming.
  
  I don't mean to discount those who can program an FMC blindfolded, have step climb profiles figured for every flight,  and can sit there and watch a trans-Pacific flight in real time for 10+ hours, but airliner simming is not the be-all end-all of flight simming. And it does seem that the people who are voicing their displeasure the loudest are those who take their airliner simming very, very seriously.
  
  At any rate, I hope that this won't discourage you all from taking an active part in the community. As Tdragger once said, or was it you(?), it's much better to have this open dialog, rather than be the people on the ground who get a mysterious package every couple of years, and are left to open it as we hear the sound of propellers fading into the distance.
• Anonymous
  August 28, 2006
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  August 28, 2006
  Many forum participants are either 10 year-olds, or do a good job acting like 10 year-olds.
  
  Others (hopefully including me) have a balanced perspective but cherish their particular simming experience and get confused by incomplete information.  Especially when a cryptic statement by an ACES guy gets analyzed 20 different ways.
  
  Usually that's where PR/Comm people run interference, so you guys don't feel the brunt of the ugliness (or feed it).  But since PR/Comm people often deal with that by simply not engaging with the community, I guess that's why we are where we are.
  
  Anyway, my main concern is that this little experiment discourages YOU guys from taking an active part in the community.
• Anonymous
  August 28, 2006
  We will still participate, but I feel I will have to be more careful about what I say and how I say it. Considering that takes time, it probably means fewer posts and less substance. At least that is my gut feeling.
• Anonymous
  August 29, 2006
  Rhetorical question, no need to acknowledge: Why have so few "FS Team Bloggers", listed to the left, actually blogged?  Unfair, if you ask me, which you didn't ;-)
• Anonymous
  August 29, 2006
  It must be hard to have worked so hard to produce the best flight sim you can and be shot down at every turn.  I also hope you don't let a few negative comments keep you from sharing news.  I am personally enjoying the comments here on the blog.
• Anonymous
  August 29, 2006
  The problem with internet publicity these days is that you always get knocked by a bunch of impolite characters either way...not to be taken personally...or seriously for that matter.
  I for one have enjoyed reading the blogs lately just because they contained more substance and the insights into FS development they offered.
  
  As for ATC, you could also look at it this way: it has often received a lot of flak (or perhaps more appropriately, strafing the tower) in the past-and now that there was just a hint of its possible demise it would appear that a lot of people are upset-so perhaps it wasn't so bad after all! I have always enjoyed it.
  
  I really hope you will decide to continue blogging as before, although I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. But, people overreacting the way they do also show how great a job you guys are doing! There's a lot of passion about Flight Simulator out there-always a good sign even if expressed inappropriately in some cases!
  
  Very Best Regards,
  
  Martijn
  
• Anonymous
  August 30, 2006
  Well, I would think it goes with the territory. I would think, you also got a wealth of information about how many feel. You may not have gotten that feed back if you hadn't mentioned your musings.
  
  So what.. if few may have gotten a little passionate..  I thought you were happy with the feedback you got. Both..what was mentioned as well as the way it was mentioned. :) They are all information. One cannot not communicate.
  
  I am very happy that you got the message about how many feel about the single player ATC. Don't know what you guys would do with that. Thats y'lls perogative. It would be a lot worse if we wouldn't be heard at all.
  
  ;)
  
  
• Anonymous
  September 01, 2006
  Hi Paul,
  
  for one thing, this whole excercise in 'openness' will have taught you folks at least what we 'runners of public FS sites' have to endure day in and day out ! ;-)
  
  Actually, you've done us a favor of kinds.. some of the flak was now directed at you directly, instead of at 'us', bearers of news <cynical grin>.
  
  But seriously, life of publicists is NOT easy and I envy those people who can just go about their jobs uninterrupted and not hindered by public opinion and reactions. I truly think MS is on the right way with the new policy of public facing, but I KNOW it is NOT easy and I can imagine that quite a few of you would rather go back to the 'old situation'..... just develop and show it when it is ready..... and then let the FS sites handle the 'support' again.... <grin>.
  
  I now hope FSX will be available soon, so we can pick up our lives, make a living, and start selling add-ons again !
  
  Kind regards,
  Francois
• Anonymous
  September 01, 2006
  I agree that in the end, the information and passion I recieved from users was worth the difficulties associated with some users over-reacting.
  
  I for one am not going anywhere and hopefully others on the team will start blogging again, or start one up.