The Old Days of Microsoft Evangelism
Via Scoble, I came across this post by Rick Segal. Yup, things were sure different ten years ago. I was in the DirectX team at that point. How many people remember the Judgment Day event for the release of the Games SDK (DirectX 1), where we had Bill playing the part of the protagonist in Doom, the haunted house ride where various rooms were put together by different partners - including a room designed by Gwar...
What about the Pax Romana event where we had game developers dress up in togas, served them meat on huge platters and had live lions in attendance, and the party hosted by DirectX evangelism in New Orleans for Siggraph '97? Now that was interesting...
And yes, the brainwash still exists. I remember it tasting awful, but I still have a few bottles kicking around. I wonder how ten years of aging have treated it.
Interestingly, ten years later at this year's Meltdown, I'm going to be giving a presentation. I've not given a public presentation since leaving the DirectX team in 1998, so this should be fun.
Mind you, they're a lot more organized these days. They want the presentations three weeks in advance. Back in the day, we would still be writing them up to the point we hit the stage...
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Somehow the video that I mentioned talked about last July, the video that had Bill Gates playing the protagonist in Doom, has finally seen the light of day. I thought that video had been destroyed or locked up in the... Read More
Dear Steve,
You have everything you need for CFS4.....CFS2 and were less than well received for only a few reasons. CFS1 still had a thriving community after 8 years when the zone pulled the plug...Make CFS4 a lot like CFS1. Do you guys talk to the gamers and ask why we didn't like CFS2 and 3? You can do a CFS4 that would be simple, allow for third party add-ons and you could even market several add-on packs your self.
CFS2 has boring planes and scenery (All water!) great game, graphics sound everything, but still boring
CFS1 has interesting and diverse scenery, Cool planes, It has London, Berlin and the Luftwaffe as an adversary! this why we like it in a nutshell!!!!!!
Start with a CFS1 Game-
Expand the map to include more of the Atlantic and up to Moscow (Forget the Pacific theater, the planes and scenery are boring, make that an add-on) expand south to include Italy, Sicily and a portion of North Africa.
__OR__
Have Italy and Russia be an expansion pack, along with a Naval expansion pack for the Italian and African areas. Include drivable Aircraft carriers, surface ships and U-Boats.
Make the Capitals Bombable.
Include more stock planes, Specifically the P-40 and the IL2.
Make the German aircraft Flight models more accurate.
Keep the open architecture of the game, but prohibit Flight model "Mods". Help us keep cheaters out of the sky.
More Stock Missions with more aircraft (I have authored a 300 mission expansion pack myself)
Include uncharted secret bases like the Peenemunde rocket base and make it bombable.
make the AI enemies tougher (Like Jane’s WWII Fighters)
Use CFS3 type graphics, and keep the planes easily paintable. I can transform many planes using tools as simple as MS Paint. This keeps the game interesting since there is always something new to do.
Put it back on the Zone, but eliminate the main chat area, the last few years it had degenerated badly.
That’s it, you now have a game that will sell millions of copies.
Sincerely,
Gary V. Caprio
AKA Col. R.E.Hogan
sorry for the multiple posts....I suppose I am a virtual idiot as well as a virtual pilot.....The plea for CFS4 does need repeating though..lol
Please make the game I describe, CFS1 had an enormous community when the zone cancelled sponsorship. How could an 8 year old game in todays world still have legs? It was good that's how. Not perfect, but excellent! You can easily and cost effectively modify this game and make it perfect, then introduce it to a whole new generation of virtual pilots. CD based would be best for greater available audience. OH, I'd like slightly better graphics too, like cfs 2 or 3 of IL2. I wont mention the fact that Microsoft would make a few bucks, since money is not an issue for MS anymore.
Cheers Steve,
Gary V. Caprio
AKA Col. R.E.Hogan CFS1 and 2
Gary - I deleted the duplicates. I also forwarded your comments to the guys on the team.
Dear Steve .
You would get a lot of support from all like minded virtial pilots . I am sure this would be a winner like the gentle man from above has said it only needs a few tweeks but keep the theme the same, we in the cfs games theatre would really like to see a new cfs .If any person or company are thinking of doing this then the rule should be to do some home work first ,what I mean is to ask a few questions around those who play the game . As for the multiplayer problem or lack of it, an add on where pilots will talk, recrute, finally arrange a date and time for the battle then with both parties willing, use an ip to host the game ,finally play there game .this is only a dream for me i have seen the rise and fall of the games zone in flight simulator sector and over the years i have flown with many players and met many good friends
Dear HumbleS,
You get around don't you?...LOL
Hogan