Op-Ed: Are FS Developers Playing Fair?

By Devon Leslie (23 January 2007)

I wish to share with you a brief encounter I had with a leading FS developer recently after raising my concern about their position in the market and the relative power they could wield as a result.  The subject arose in a discussion about a proposed release they had been promoting for quite some time.  Since the original announcement had been made, much water has passed under the bridge for this developer and the market itself; notably with the debut of FSX in late 2006.  While the purpose of this editorial isn’t to delve into the various concerns surrounding the release of FSX or the huge technology jump that it is forcing on the market, it’s relevant to note that FSX has stirred up some secondary issues with respect to FS developers and how they can potentially use their influence to control the market for their own interests.

To speak with any rationality on the subject, we must first examine the FS industry as a whole and observe the paradigm shift that is occurring both in the technology spectrum and in the unwritten field of ethics that, until recently, was very much focused on expanding the flight simulation community and providing a diverse, unrestricted experience for an avid flight simmer.  The community was born from (and is still strengthened by) the freeware market and the opportunity for amateur developers to flex their creative muscles and share a multitude of aircraft, scenery and miscellaneous add-ons with the rest of us.  For many of these developers, (myself included) the reward from such hard work is the satisfaction of seeing others enjoying our creations and enriching the flight simulation experience.  I also believe we are the starting block of the ‘market’ as we offer free software and services to new simmers who typically begin their flightsim experience experimenting with freeware packages before graduating onto something bigger and better.

 That ‘bigger and better’ is, of course, the payware industry which now dominates our desktop with reputable distributors such as Flight 1 and Just Flight; these and other companies have revolutionized the way in which we gain access to hundreds of products from many developers around the world.  I place much credit with such distributors as the catalyst through which the payware market really started to grab hold around the introduction of FS2002.  Increased SDK support from Microsoft and exponential growth of the community itself offered new opportunities for developers that wished to take their talent to the next level and introduce expansions to the MSFS platform at modest prices.  Most important, pioneering work from gents like Pete Dowson set a new industry in motion by making FS accessible to programmers and developers of all levels of ability.  It is because of this diversity that the flightsim community is what it is today – and it is to the pioneers of our community that all developers must pay homage for providing the environment and the opportunity to grow a business focused on the hobby that we all know and love.

Unfortunately, the almighty ‘dollar’ (I’m sure non-colonials will pardon the expression) is beginning to have an adverse impact on our community in a way which I fear could diminish the diversity and the character it has stood on for the last decade.  As with all things, in any environment where competition is a driving force, certain superstars emerge after the market has gone through a few iterations.  These superstars I speak of are the ‘big guys’; those developers that have make a huge dent on the market with large-scale, high quality and in some cases: high priced product.  I’m sure a few names have popped into your head and no doubt, a few ads may have crossed your screen in the last few hours to debut their wares.  I take my hat off to these companies – they are where they are because they have brought something to the market that is special.  In return, the market has granted them a reputation and precedence over many of the other rival developers due to one or two of their success stories.  And therein lies the problem.

Bear in mind that I discussed diversity as a key component of our community.  Take some thought as to why that is a good thing and how that diverse, level playing field provided the same opportunities to the fore mentioned big guys as it did to many other developers.  Just as in sports, you have a much better chance of witnessing greatness if every person who takes an interest is provided with the opportunity to explore their own talent and take it as far as it can go.  The minute you restrict that playing field, you place more power in the hands of those who already have already achieved greatness and reduce the opportunity (and the likelihood) that you will witness new, up-and-coming talent that can boost the competition and maintain the diversity in our market.

So how does this play back to my original concern?  I have noticed recently that developers, particularly those who have already sat on a pedestal or two, have begun to announce ‘new’ products earlier and earlier – particularly full-featured aircraft that have not yet come to fruition on the current platform (FS2004).  While I’m not necessarily alleging that there is a deliberate agenda behind this, my concern is that these so-called announcements can reduce the credibility of the market as a whole and push out the new talent.  How?  Because I fear that there are many developers out there waiting for an opportunity of their own; up-and-comers that want to enter the market with the same chances of success that their predecessors have enjoyed. 

For example, if you are a developer, you might identify that a particular aircraft or idea has not been explored on the current platform and decide to start a project of your own.

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Indulge me for a few minutes…Think of something right now – something you’d like to see for FS2004 but doesn’t currently exist.  It could be a favourite aircraft, a scenery package or a fancy utility you’ve imagined; anything you want.  Got something in mind? 

Great – now let's start your project.  It might be a labour of love, but if you are putting your heart and soul into it, you want to be sure that you can bring it to market and perhaps launch a new business in the community.  Now taking into consideration the amount of hard work and time it takes to develop a product of high quality, you want to find a niche product.  A product that is unique enough to win some attention and earn you a special place in the community and on the bestsellers list.  Why not?  You’ve worked hard – you deserve some reward.  After all, those who have come and gone have done so – it’s your turn.  Except for one problem…read on...

You are now about six months into your project for FS2004 and low and behold, one of the big fish makes an announcement which pierces your soul like an arrow through the heart:  they are developing their own version of your idea for FS2004!  With a heavy heart, you abandon all hope.  You’ve seen their previous products.  With such a big name entering the market developing your idea, it’s unlikely that your project would meet with any but very limited success…and so, you walk away and leave the big fish to grab yet another place on the podium.

Months go buy and screenshots begin to emerge of the new project which has now been commandeered.  Indeed, it looks like everything it was meant to be.  It would have been pointless for you to have continued.  Months later, and the announcement has obviously driven much interest; it seems that the community was crying out for this product after all although the big fish doesn’t seem to offer any suggestions as to when it will be released.  Knowing what you had planned, your project would have finished by now although perhaps not to the spec that the big fish is working to; at least, you would have had something to offer at a modest price.  After all, you were just after a foothold; a starting point in the marketplace from which you might build your business.

Finally, years later, FSX arrives on shelves and all the big fish scramble to examine the requirements and review their existing projects.  Many projects are re-evaluated and suddenly the unthinkable happens.  The very project that you had dreamed of, the project the big fish took away and has delayed for years is now launching exclusively on FSX!  Of course, we all know why!  It’s bigger, better and more in-depth than anything you would have made…but until now, you thought it pointless as nothing would rival a project such as yours/theirs on FS2004…and now it’s not even appearing on FS2004!  The one opportunity you might have had destroyed by a myth, a misjudgement, a lie perhaps; the one opportunity to bring your project to FS2004 when no one else would –and based on recent press- no one ever will.  You watch your niche position in FS2004 fly past, unfulfilled and empty and with it: your missed opportunity to realise a dream and make a beginning in the flight simulation business.  Indeed, we as a community have all suffered as we have missed an opportunity to benefit from your vision and your hard work.  Most tragically, we will never have the opportunity to see what new, exciting products you might have brought to market had your been given a chance to launch your business. 

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What I have just described is fiction in that I cannot say with any certainty which developers (if any) have been put out by the process I have just described.  As an IT Business Professional, I am projecting the potential harm that the big fish are creating due to recent marketing choices.  Announcing products that never see fruition is dishonest, careless and manipulative –even if it’s not intended as such.  It is unfair practice and it will invariable push out the little guy and I believe that we, as consumers, need to send a clear message to developers that we will not tolerate myths.  Failure to fulfill your promises to a market comes down to bad planning, irresponsible marketing or a combination of the two.  If you know of a developer who is engaging in this practice – or even better, perhaps you are one of the new developers that have already abandoned a recent project because of the scenario I have just described, come forward!  Tell your story.  Send a concise and professional message using any forum available to you.  Let us work together to protect the integrity and level playing field of the flight simulation community that all of us have been given the privilege to learn, grow, develop and even profit from.  Let us strive to preserve what we hold dear to our hearts: our diverse community.