Microsoft ACES Closing Down? [Archive]

mauriceb

01-23-2009, 09:42 AM

Joe Cygan

01-23-2009, 10:04 AM

If this is in fact true information, it is very sad as they came in just long enough to stir the pot and left. I recall one of or great flight simulator institutions have already been trampled by its wake.

Trevor Hale

01-23-2009, 10:08 AM

Guys...

I think you will find that Microsoft will just FARM out or Sub-contract to other organizations to complete the tasks mentioned.

Just my thoughts..

Trev

No Longer Active

01-23-2009, 12:14 PM

No more MS Flight Sim?

Well if i have FS2004 now and thats 5 years old that means in 5 years time i will get FSX which will be in 2014 and i will have that for 5 years which will take me to 2019 which means for me, in 2019 i might start worrying about it then!

Rock on FS9, thats what i say!

Imagine a remake of FS9?, how cool is that, FS9 is a classic in my eyes, FSX is ok but half the world cant run it!

Shame to see it go, but life moves on....and so do sims!

JBaymore

01-23-2009, 02:34 PM

Microsoft has simply layed off people on the ACES team....... likely as a result to the world economic situation's impact on the WHOLE company.....not due to any FS specific situation. They join a host of other companies. To expect that the economic situaion would NOT affect the sim biz is unrealistic.

They have NOT issued any formal statements as to the future of FSXI or Trainsim....or anything else. Likely they are looking at short term "cost effectiveness" measures right now. It does not mean that some or all of the people on that team might not get re-hired in the furute. Or a new team created. Or the whole job contracted out.

A while back Phil Taylor said that there would be no more patching or fixing work on FSX.....so that's been a "done deal" for a long time.

They have not announced the "end" of the fanchise. So let's not jump to conclusions.

FS2004 is still going strong now HOW many years after it's release? FSX STILL has yet to reach it's "hardware stride" to realize it's full potential. There is a LOT of "shelf life" left to FSX alone ...... before we should be getting "concerned" about the future of flight simming.

best,

..................john

PittsburghLever

01-23-2009, 03:09 PM

You could look at that as bad news or as great news. Just think, no more hardware upgrades needed to run the latest version of FS?. In a year or so from now, you could probably buy a cheap computer more than fast enough to run FSX with all the trimmings and have time to actually fly instead of chasing rainbows all the time. You could then concentrate on getting the best visuals possible, which for me, is at least as important as the flight model.

No offense, but there is no one forcing you to always use the latest version if you don't want to. If you decide that what the new version gives you is not enough to warrant an upgrade, then don't;) I get so sick and tired of people constantly complaining about the added hardware requirements with new versions. Well, software evolves over time, and part of that evolution is to take advantage of the hardware that is either brand new, or just on the verge of being available.

Could be very bad news though for developers of add-ons for FSX since they would likely soon run out of new things to develop. The market for existing products would probably dry out fairly soon & force them to go out of business unless they become very creative & come up with things that nobody dreams of having yet, such as 3D, 180 degrees visuals ;)

Why would they run out of things to develop? What could be bad news for developers in general is the pervasive economic situation that hits us all.

Matt Olieman

01-23-2009, 03:18 PM

I don't get the impression anyone is saying goodbye to MSFS. MSFS is a cash cow to MS. They maybe taking a financial break by closing down ACE, but I have faith MSFS will be continued for a long time.

Matt Olieman

ak49er

01-23-2009, 03:28 PM

How will this effect the Microsoft ESP program I have heard about? I believe that ESP was going to standardize virtual environments to allow multiple uses of features and cross purpose simulation.

N242AM

01-23-2009, 06:12 PM

Most are surely correct in saying we have no difinitive information other than the X number of job cuts.

However, if you were working for ACES and lost your job today, how would feel? Naturally you would need to start looking for another. Correct?

You are quickly picked up by company which pays well and you will be developing interesting software. Six months later Microsoft calls and asks if you would come back to ACES to work on FSNext. Would you?

On another point, anyone ever get dropped into a software project without any prior knowledge or experience in the project. My point is, who will be able to pick up where the previous ACES programmers left off.

I do believe this is worse than we presently know. Interesting how in this is normally the case. Always worse than we are initally led to believe.

N242AM

01-23-2009, 06:35 PM

Phil Taylor blog:

http://www.futuregpu.org/2009/01/end-of-era-aces-studio-and-flight-sim.html

Lewis Simmons

01-23-2009, 06:44 PM

Yeah this news is spreading.

Take a look at this:

From Jon Ostrower at Flight Global:

With the economy spiraling further and further into a hole, Microsoft announced yesterday it was laying of 5000 employees. We learned today, though still officially unconfirmed by Microsoft, that the cuts include the disbanding of the ACES Studio team which is responsible for Flight Simulator. It appears as though the venerable flight simulator, which has been around since 1982, is no more.

When mega businesses like Boeing or Microsoft eliminate jobs, the impact reverberates throughout the economy. The loss of 5000 Microsoft jobs is a huge blow in its own right, but the Flight Simulator community, which is truly global, will feel the loss as well. Many developers make their living creating addons for the program. The impact is far from localized.

As many of you know, I am an avid user of Flight Sim as well, having flown one version or another since 1995. In no uncertain terms, Flight Sim cultivated my love of aviation and helped me get to where I am today. I joke with my mother that all those times she was yelling at me during High School to do my homework and stop shooting ILS approaches to Kai Tai, I was really just getting job training for the future.

Microsoft Flight Simulator was an institution both personally and for the aviation community and its loss will be strongly felt.

Kennair

01-23-2009, 10:17 PM

Well all I can say is thank goodness FSX was initially a dog to run on 2006 hardware. It's got loooong legs, and already the average hardware can run it well. Yes FS2004 is still going strong and so will FSX. I don't think we'll need to complain about a new version for a good 10 years.

As for addon's there are still strong developers who haven't even started on FSX addons! Look at the PMDG 737 and RealityXP's Jetline series. Yes these companies have launched "some" FSX versions but we're still waiting on the biggies. The longer FSX is around as the latest version, the better and more addons that will be developed.

Shame about the job losses but the world will turn back the other way eventually.

Just my 2c,

Ken.

AndyT

01-24-2009, 01:18 AM

Microsoft Confirms Aces Closure
Studio responsible for Flight Simulator shut down amidst layoffs.

by Jason Ocampo (http://pc.ign.com/email.html)

<SCRIPT>showUSloc=(checkLocale('uk')||checkLocale('au'));document.writeln(showUSloc ? 'US, ' : '');</SCRIPT>January 23, 2009 - Microsoft has confirmed the closure of Aces Game Studio, the internal development studio responsible for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Flight Simulator is one of the company's oldest product lines, stretching back more than 20 years. The closure came amidst the company's first major layoffs in its history, announced on Thursday. Approximately 5,000 Microsoft employees will be laid off; around 1,400 were cut immediately, with the remainder to but cut over the next 18 months.

In a statement, Kelda Rericha of Edelman, Microsoft's public relations firm, said that the decision was made within Microsoft's Internal Entertainment Business "to align our people against our highest priorities."

The closure of Aces marks the shuttering of another major developer within Microsoft Game Studios (http://games.ign.com/objects/656/656057.html). Since September of 2007, the company has shut down FASA Studio (Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, and Shadowrun), announced the closure of Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires), and Carbonated Games (Hexic HD, Uno). In addition, Bungie, the studio responsible for Halo, left Microsoft Games Studios and became an independent studio, though Microsoft does maintain an ownership stake in it.

Does this mean the end of the Flight Simulator franchise? According to Rericha, "We are committed to the Flight Simulator franchise which has proven to be a successful PC based game for the last 27 years. You should expect us to continue to invest in enabling great LIVE experiences on Windows, including flying games, but we have nothing specific to announce at this time." (Emphasis added)

tasmanet

01-24-2009, 04:22 AM

.

I have a long time mate who works at the highest level in
Finance in Honkers (HKG).

He made a comment recently over a few sherbets that he had
heard a rumour that M$ was shifting FS to China or India.

Tas

No Longer Active

01-24-2009, 06:24 AM

Is that why FSX is called fs.......X!

X = The End !

Doesnt take an enigma to work that one out!

mattford1

01-24-2009, 02:44 PM

Indeed bad news. I firmly believe that the product is completely dead. Think about it this way: they let the entire development team go. That's a huge brain drain. Then consider that even if they were to resurrect the product, it wouldn't happen until the economy improves, that will take probably 2 years. Then if you hire on programmers, you're talking one to two years to get them ramped back up onto a project that most if not all had no history with. I think best case scenario they are at least 5 years from another release.

X-Plane is the only supported viable alternative now.

AchillesP

01-24-2009, 03:03 PM

Hi,

We are talking about a company and the next move is to sell the title to another company. Nothing finished. Just started. We will see better days.;)

mauriceb

01-24-2009, 04:31 PM

No offense, but there is no one forcing you to always use the latest version if you don't want to. If you decide that what the new version gives you is not enough to warrant an upgrade, then don't;) I get so sick and tired of people constantly complaining about the added hardware requirements with new versions.

Hmm!! I wasn't aware I was complaining. I guess I didn't realize that I must have been very upset when I very willingly & happily upgraded to FSX over a year and a half ago. :?

Since it appears that my earlier message was not clear enough, let me explain that I was simply trying to put a positive spin on an otherwise sad event.

Maurice

Bob Reed

01-24-2009, 06:43 PM

There was a post the other day and I almost said I would be surprised if there was another version of FS released. I know the sales where not what MS was looking for and with the economy in the dumper, it was all the push they needed to shut it down. I think that FS will be around for a long time and maybe with no more updates, some of the folks who where writing add ons for FS9 and stopped because they wanted to switch to writing for FSX and found it was too difficult, will go back to writing for FS9.. It may be a good thing in the long run. Only time will tell.

JBaymore

01-24-2009, 08:34 PM

I think best case scenario they are at least 5 years from another release.

Which will be about the time that FSX has the hardware firepower available at a decent price that will allow us to actually achieve the promises that the packaging and the marketing made. By then, FSX will run as well as fs2004 does now (and still has plenty of life left)......... with all the bells and whistles that Microsoft and add-on developers will be able to provide to us.

Then the "flightsim dance" will begin yet again with a new software package far exceeding the hardware capacity and everyone complaining about the excessive demands it places on their hardware and the cost to upgrade the machines.

What has happened, first with fs2004 and now with FSX, is that Microsoft lengthned the "shelf life" of the "current" sim. Extend the time that the product creates cash flow while keeping the development cost the same.

Any CFO worth his or her salt would be watching the "holding power" of FS2004..... and the slow adoption of FSX and realize that the shelf life of "The X" is going to be very long. Add in the general econiomic realities, with a dose of the Vista economic debacle ....and "downsizing" is an obvious conclusion of it all. There will be plenty of time to consider the next FS development team in the next few years. No rush now.... and a big short term cost savings.

I strongly believe that when the time is right......many years from now........ there will be FSXI (or whatever it is called).

best,

..................john

No Longer Active

01-25-2009, 06:33 AM

iFSX for Mac.........

Wouldnt that be good!

i only have a pc because of FS9, it would be nice to play on the mac abit more!

I just dont get this x-plane thing though, someone explain what it actually does and why it compares to MS FS?

Prof Bill

01-25-2009, 07:48 AM

Any CFO worth his or her salt would be watching the "holding power" of FS2004..... and the slow adoption of FSX and realize that the shelf life of "The X" is going to be very long. Add in the general econiomic realities, with a dose of the Vista economic debacle ....and "downsizing" is an obvious conclusion of it all. There will be plenty of time to consider the next FS development team in the next few years. No rush now.... and a big short term cost savings.

I strongly believe that when the time is right......many years from now........ there will be FSXI (or whatever it is called).

best,

..................john

John, an analysis that I very much agree with!
Based on the above I would like your good self see a very long life for "The X" now potentally supported by the arrival of WINDOWS 7 which on current experiences is helping resolve for instance "frame rate" and many other issues!
FSX really was going nowhere fast until the base platform operating system was sorted out as a priority. A good business decision by Microsoft in using this opportunity to sort the basics out potentially giving a much needed "earlylife/midlife kicker" to the product and also a period of stability to FSX.
Microsoft will be very careful where it will "park" FSX (or any other flagship product) in the interim and much of what we read at the moment is somewhat tempered by journalistic speculation.
FSX has a long term future !

Bill.

AchillesP

01-27-2009, 08:40 AM

Hi,

We are talking about a company and the next move is to sell the title to another company. Nothing finished. Just started. We will see better days.;)

My estimations came truth.

By now, many of you have heard that Microsoft has closed Aces Studio, the publisher of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This was not a reflection of the quality of the products Aces has developed, the sales performance of the games, or the quality of the team at Aces. This difficult decision was made to align Microsoft’s resources with our strategic priorities. Microsoft Flight Simulator X will remain available at retail stores and web retailers, the Flight Sim community will continue to learn from and encourage one another, and we remain committed to the Flight Simulator franchise for the long term.
Microsoft Game Studios is investing significant resources in many exciting and new areas of gaming and entertainment, including Windows games. We believe these future investments will push innovation, community, and collaboration to unprecedented levels and will provide more synergy with our ongoing investments in Games for Windows - LIVE (http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Live/Pages/AboutLive.aspx) as well as other Windows entertainment technologies. We have nothing specific to announce at this time, but stay tuned for more information.
We are humbled and proud of the passion and support that the Flight Simulator franchise has developed over its more than twenty-five year history. This includes you, the large community of flight simmers, as well as the vibrant third-party ecosystem that has developed around the game. We will continue to produce, sell, and support the latest version of Flight Simulator as we plan for future versions of the franchise. Thank you for your understanding of our decision and for your continued support!

http://www.fsinsider.com/news/Pages/AMessageFromAces.aspx

N242AM

01-27-2009, 09:11 AM

I'm not beliveing that statement at all!

There are too many inconsistencies in what has actually happended and what is stated in a press release. It is meant to appease us, those that have purchased the software, may purchase it, or those that offer addon products.

Please, don't insult me. How is Microsoft "investing significant resources" when it just fired all (most) of the individuals knowledgeable of the software's architecture?

"We have nothing specific to announce at this time.....", really? That's a profound statement.

Each time I re-read that press release I ........

Never mind.

Matt Olieman

01-27-2009, 10:00 AM

N242AM (for lack of knowing your name and not listing where you are from),

You sound angry, angry at MS and have noticed some of your other remarks in other threads indicating you are angry. Too bad.

If what you say is true, I still have several useful versions of MSFS, so no loss to me, I keep on sim-ing.

Just too bad you think you've just had all of your sim enjoyment taken away from you.

MS will carry on with the continued adventure of building a FS. MS, just like most the rest of the business world, are stategizing their economic resources.

Perhaps you are not aware, we are in a recession, and on the edge of a depression.

Time to take action and MS did, responsibly. I can't deny them that.

Even if they do not come back to a new MSFS, someone else will, I'm confident of that.

So N242AM (who ever you are), chill out!!!

Matt Olieman

mauriceb

01-27-2009, 10:36 AM

If there is one thing history teaches us is that things never go back to the way they used to be. Whatever MS has up its sleeves, it will not likely be a re-incarnation of Flight Simulator as we know it. They may well develop an even better alternative in the future, but it will not likely work with our current flight deck hardware & software.

Luckily for us though, FSX (& likely FS9 as well) still has a long shelf life and add-on developers will still want to tap this market until something better comes along, and something better will surely come some day.

So, why not enjoy what we have now & stop worrying about the future? The future is still bright for flight simulation as there seems to be an ever increasing interest in it based on all the new players in the market (customers & suppliers). Market demand will drive supply & Microsoft hasn't grown to what it is now by ignoring market demands & economic realities.

FS? is dead ... Long live FS? :-)

Maurice

N242AM

01-27-2009, 12:21 PM

Thank you for your concern Mr. Olieman.

First, what does knowing someone's name and location have to do with the current flight simulator situation? Does a name and location reflect in the way you or anyone else would respond?

Secondly, maybe I read the forum description incorrectly, "Pilot's Lounge - Let Your Hair Down"? I believe I did that! I wrote what I felt regarding the closure of ACES. Did I do something wrong?

I do understand your concern as a provider of flight simulation news and information. The closure of ACES has added to the uncertainty of the future of, at least, a Microsoft PC based Flight Simulator. And yes, I do realize that FS9 and FSX still work and will in the future.

In the past few days I have read many reports in a forgotten number of forum posts and blogs. Possibly you have information that other do not, but from what I have read, the future is NOT as positive as you portray or as written in the latest Microsoft press release.

Obviously, I am not as optomistic as you for a future "PC" based flight simulator other than the current MSFS and X-Plane.

Finally, if you feel I am in some way harming your site, them please delete (censor) my ability to post here.

N242AM

Jackpilot

01-27-2009, 02:44 PM

Just a few thoughts for cockpit builders:

How really different is the situation for us, before the announcement and after?

What was MS bringing to our cockpits, or doing for us, besides correcting a few bugs just after a release and pumping out a new version every few years.?

Today's cockpits with all their bells and whistles exist, not because of MS, but because of people like Pete, Enrico and all the newcomers(Software and Hardware) who had a vision and the genius to make happen. And these people are still around, as are all our favorite hardware manufacturers.

My opinion is that, contrary to previous versions, we have reached a very high plateau with FS9 and even more with FSX (most obvious bugs have been corrected ), and we have more on the plate than most of us can digest if we want to fully implement the capabilities of these two software, with the help of all the good people that made this hobby being what it is. I do not think that a lot of us have reached the point where they have a perfectly working Sim and no more challenges within the capabilities of both versions
And even then....it would be ideal to be able to spend 100% time TO FLY the darn thing...

Because FLYING it is what it was all about. For me at least, and a few others I know.

And I agree with Matt, Maurice, John and others that predicting the future on the basis of present facts is like flying IFR without a ticket..

I am not against innovation and new technologies, I just think that it can be good to have less pressure from the Rat Race and will fully enjoy the opportunity to be able to catch up with what I have on my workbench and in my dreams.

JBaymore

01-27-2009, 08:36 PM

Possibly you have information that other do not, but from what I have read, the future is NOT as positive as you portray or as written in the latest Microsoft press release.

N242AM,

It depends a lot on whether you tend to see a glass as half full or half empty.

Personally, I've found that my version of fs2004 is serving me quite nicely both before and after the ACES layoffs. I have not noticed any sudden performance changes nor stutters nor missing data. So .......... ;)

The future is what you make of it. I've lots of work still to do on the pit. It just gets better and better to use. There are tons of addons to the sim software I still want to try. The fs2004 stuff (freeware and payware) just keeps coming.

And for me........ eventually there is still the FSX nut to crack. Bringing that up to its full potential (no one has SEEN that yet) will then "up" the whole thing sometime in the future for me (and many others). There are YEARS of fun still ahead.

I stand by my earlier posting in this thread on this whole subject. MS weill be back with a new flight sim. There's money to be made. That is what Microsoft does best.

And as to using people's names and knowing a bit about them......... it kinda' is a nice touch of common courtesy. Makes the place friendlier.

best,

.....................john

tasmanet

01-28-2009, 12:06 AM

Hi all

N242AM why don't you put your first name and at least State/County/Area and Country ???

Matt why do we allow people on this forum who don't do the above. ???
I know they can fib anyway but there must be a simple way around this.

Maybe someone should point out in all of the FS forum's that FSX will
remain on sale.

Maybe M$ could release a Ultimate Final Version with all the updates
and add ons on one set of disks ???

Steve

fweinrebe

01-28-2009, 03:11 AM

FSX and FS2004 is mature enough for the time being. So the (temporary) closure of ACES MSFS is not a real problem.

In the end if you think about it, MSFS is the strong foundation on which everything else was build. That foundation is standing strong and will be standing strong until the time is right to design a new foundation.

But now is the time of the add-on developers. And they should listen to their clients. The 3rd party add-on developers should now look at developing even better products for MSFS. They should also invest in development of aircraft systems with offsets that is accessible through FSPUIC. That is something that can be improved and Microsoft is not needed for this improvement. At least for the time being.

Of course there is X-Plane and FlightGear to consider.

That's my 1c worth. (I had to cut a bit so I can't offer 2c. Saving a bit until better economic days ;) )

N242AM

01-28-2009, 08:30 AM

Please read this second article by Phil Taylor.

http://www.futuregpu.org/2009/01/end-of-era-part-ii-links-and.html

Take note of his comment about several FS11 team members approaching Microsoft about buying it for development. Microsoft refused. Also note the comment about the code becomming stagnent the longer it sits undeveloped.

We are not talking about replacing the checkout people at the local food store. Any new flight simulator untaking will require serveral years and who knows how much money. Who wants to work for free for several years and not know if their product will be purchased?

If a new sim is developed, will you dump all that you have now for the new one?

What we have available now for MSFS is in part due to the predictable and mostly compatible chain of updates to MSFS. That drove the add-on developers. Some provided updates at no cost (thank you) while others charged to update their product to the current MSFS version (completely understandable).

That process has now stopped. Would you still be as content if all you had was MSFS 95 or 98?

Label me a pessimist if you like for I do not see the future as rosy as some.

super80

01-28-2009, 09:44 AM

I am frankly not all that concerned about this, although I feel sorry for anyone who loses their job. I was there back in 2001 and it sucks..

As far as FS, it's not going to affect us as cockpit builders all that much. For those of us that have been inside real level-D commercial simulators, most will attest that the quality of the graphics are not all that special. In fact, FS9 with scenery add-ons looks better than most commercial sim graphics.

So why are some of you so negative about this situation? It's not like we are being forced to burn down our projects. Look how far this hobby has come in just 5 years. It's remarkable really. There are some home pits out here that look exactly like the real thing, and with functioning systems logic to boot. A real step forward I must say. Let's focus for a bit on the progress we've made, as opposed to this small step back.

mauriceb

01-28-2009, 11:45 AM

Would you still be as content if all you had was MSFS 95 or 98?

No, or course not. We all prefer light bulbs to candles to light up our lives, but that's because we know light bulbs exist. I'm sure Neanderthals would have been thrilled to have candles and would have never wished for light bulbs.

FS9 & FSX are in a different league altogether than FS95 or 98. There are tons of ways to further improve the latest FS versions, with or without Microsoft. Progress can be made in almost all areas without MS developers. MS provided the turkey and developers provided all the trimmings.

Just imagine...FSX with worldwide photo-realistic scenery (already possible), 270 degrees visuals (possible but will be much better with faster PC hardware), full motion software interface for FS* (if not already possible, can be developed by non MS developers), better flight models than default aircrafts (already available).

Basically, MS developers are not absolutely needed for any of the above. What is needed however are enough people who can afford & want the upgrades to make it worthwhile for developers & suppliers.

Ultimately, the limit will not be set by Microsoft or X-plane, or ???. The limit will be set by how much money you have to spend for a flight simulator, and if money is no object, then a nice full motion CAE simulator is already available for a mere few millions ;)

Maurice

Paul Thomas

01-28-2009, 01:42 PM

Bad news from Microsoft, but I'm sure this won't be the end for us flightsimmers. I'm convinced something good is going to happen either way. The simmarket with it's dedicated simmers is far to big just to stop.
Regard Paul

project 727

01-28-2009, 02:55 PM

A Warm Hello to All on behalf of the PROJECT 727 TEAM,

For now, at least, it is quite clear to all of us that we must all hold on tight to and preserve our favorite version of FS to be able to enjoy our great hobby.

That being said can anyone tell us, or me at least, which is the best way to preserve our FS CD's or DVDs ? Is there any special precautions to take so that the disk itself will not decay any time soon?

Would hate to purchase a new computer 2-3 years from now and not be able to install FS9 on it due to a corrupted file on the disk when all that time the disk was in its case on my shelf.

I do not know much about CD or DVD technology. Perhaps the answer is simple and and full of common sense. Its just that we love this hobby so much that we just want to make sure we are not missing out on something we should know about disk preservation.

Any knowledge shared on this topic would be appreciated
Thanks to all
Joe Maldonado
PROJECT 727
www.xsn.net/project727 (http://www.xsn.net/project727)

Trevor Hale

01-28-2009, 03:12 PM

mauriceb

01-28-2009, 03:20 PM

I agree with you.. My Fs9 Disk that stays in the drive is getting pretty battered up.. Perhaps I should grab another copy before it's too late LOL.

You still do that :shock:. Haven't you heard about replacing fs9.exe with a file that does not require CD #4 in the drive? Before I switched to FSX, I hadn't needed a disk in the drive for a long time and everything worked :)

Maurice

Trevor Hale

01-28-2009, 03:22 PM

mauriceb

01-28-2009, 03:32 PM

I knew about it, but then I hear that if you ever want to patch the software or anything like that, your euchred..

So I just run with the damn disk in the drive, and I swear it looks like I threw it down the 401 in Rush hour..

There is a version of the patch that worked with SP1. I had that version running with tons of add-ons & never any problems. And you can always go back to the original FS9.exe by just replacing the file if something does not work.
http://www.flightadventures.com/Forum/htdocs/dcforum/DCForumID1/897.html

Maurice

Trevor Hale

01-28-2009, 03:57 PM

Awesome.. thanks.. perhaps I can try that then..

Trev

AchillesP

01-29-2009, 07:13 AM

Hi trevor,

I have a patch that makes fs9 to work without cd. I will upload it this evening.;)

I agree with you.. My Fs9 Disk that stays in the drive is getting pretty battered up.. Perhaps I should grab another copy before it's too late LOL.

Edit: Upsssssss. I replied before I read the rest.

Trevor Hale

01-29-2009, 09:21 AM

LOL. No worries.. I will see what I can get working or not, and will drop a note back here if I have any issues on the weekend. Thanks,

Trev

andarlite

01-29-2009, 10:12 AM

There is a version of the patch that worked with SP1. I had that version running with tons of add-ons & never any problems. And you can always go back to the original FS9.exe by just replacing the file if something does not work.
http://www.flightadventures.com/Forum/htdocs/dcforum/DCForumID1/897.html

Maurice

Thanks Maurice for pointing this out and providing the link. I downloaded it and it works great.

Regards,
Henry

AchillesP

01-29-2009, 03:33 PM

I have a patch that makes fs9 to work without cd. I will upload it this evening.;)

Uploaded at fs9 misc files.

Efe Cem Elci

01-29-2009, 04:57 PM

Just to clarify for sake of clarification. This is for people who already have the software installed, to be able to load it without needing to have the CD in the drive. I use this as well so I don't have to keep switching CDs.

I'm sure everyone knows this but I just wanted to make sure we had it down 'on paper' for non-members who might happen by this thread. No piracy what-so-ever :)

Photon

01-31-2009, 09:41 PM

There has been discussion and concern about FS9 and its future - well I understood that MS had ceased production of FS9 just prior to the release of FSX some 2 years ago. So, if one is to remain a FS9 user, then the issue of preserving the original disks should have been addressed by those users already.

As for FSX users, it would appear from the latest news release from MS, that FSX is not dead. The internal department known as ACES Studios however is being shut down. The way that MS will be developing Flight Simulator and other games products is being re-organised: "Games for Windows - Live".

MS has stated that it "will continue to produce, sell, and support the latest version of Flight Simulator as we plan for future versions of the franchise."

So, Flight Simulator has not come to an end, just MS playing musical chairs with its staff and internal departments in light of cut-backs.

The sky is not (yet) falling.

Peter.

Reference: http://www.fsinsider.com/news/Pages/...eFromAces.aspx (http://www.fsinsider.com/news/Pages/AMessageFromAces.aspx)