This response from TOMB appeared on our forum after a debate regarding flight models erupted over some comments on the Desert Fighters interview. It is exceptionally lucid and enlightening. It is reprinted here for those who missed it.

Doug submits the prognosis that the recent WWII sims did not sell big numbers because the developers paid too much attention to the 'hardcore' sector of the market, and asserts that many people were put off by the difficulty of these sims. I have to say I find these conclusions mystifying.

I have never, in my 16 years or so of personal computing, met a single person who has intimated that (s)he would buy a flight simulation if only they weren't so difficult! There seems to be a generally held belief that the potential customer base for flight simulators is made up of the 'hardcore' minority and the mass market, a belief held by the editors of this (outstanding) site, among others. The figures 20/80% are often bandied about. What evidence is there to support this?

A couple of mates and I used to get together most nights a week to play computer games, mostly combat flight sims. On one occasion a young pal of ours, about twenty, called in. He had a go but wasn't much good, and didn't particularly want to put in the practice necessary to improve.

"There you are," I hear you say, triumphantly. But hold on. This was "Knights of the Sky" on the Amiga! A more cartoonish flight model you couldn't imagine! It wouldn't even be termed a sim these days. He just wasn't that interested.

At the same time there was a football game on the go (that's Association Football, or "Soccer", to you Norte Americanos:-)). This kid became really good at it. "Sensible Soccer" it was, and it was harder to play than "KotS" but he was willing to play it endlessly until he mastered it.

Guess what? He LIKES football. I became good at it too. Yes, I like football. My two flight simming buddies had a few goes but were never really up to much and lost interest. You guessed it!

European Air War

I am not in the business, and I am not a market researcher, but it is my contention that this fundamental belief that the majority of the (potential) market for combat flight sims consists of casual gamers who can't be bothered with the complexities, is a myth.

Computer gamers, like anyone else, are attracted to concepts which interest them. And like everyone else, if they are sufficiently interested in a concept, they will invest their time and money. If not, you haven't a prayer of selling them something no matter how "accessible" you make it.

If you manufactured cameras, and you established that the majority of potential camera purchasers would not make use of most of the user programmable features on your latest SLR, you would not gain sales by reducing the functionality, making it easier to use, and charging the same price! You would simply lose your enthusiast sales to a competitor. The 'holiday snapper' probably won't want a SLR anyway.

I would suggest that, far from being too difficult, the reason for the relative lack of sales success of the sims mentioned was that most of them failed, in one respect or another, to meet the expectations of significant numbers of hardcore fans.

For example, the only one I and my mate have purchased is European Air War, and I bought it at discount after I learned that a second patch is due. Whilst EAW has its glaring flaws (guys, no-one ever got scrambled to intercept a V1 - you patrolled at a decent altitude over the Channel or you could forget it!) it appeared, on balance, to offer a sufficiently realistic and immersive experience overall to be worth our time. The others didn't.

Doug suggests that only one of these made any real money. I'm guessing, but was that Combat Flight Simulator? If so, it's interesting that it was the one that addressed some of the pure flight model aspects that Doug argued that the mass market isn't interested in. I suspect that its success has a lot more to do with the existing "Flight Simulator" community than ease of use for the casual gamer. And who could be more hardcore than a fan of a flight sim without combat? (tongue firmly in cheek.)

Consider these recent developments in the industry.

1) Rowan Software, its reputation at a low ebb after years of using virtually the same 'arcade' flight model, turns to all new 'difficult' models to re-establish its credibility in the market.

2) After "Sabre Ace" bombs, the developers (I forget who) swear they will never again make the mistake of producing a flight sim without a proper flight model.

3) Immediately after the release of SDOE, work has to start on new, realistic flight models to pacify irate customers (separate ones for each a/c for pity's sake!)

4) If you're still not convinced, what about Dynamix itself? What was the first thing Dynamix had to do in support of "Red Baron II"? Yep, produce an all new 'realistic' flight model. And let me tell you, it still ain't realistic enough!

EM Chart for P38

Dynamix built its reputation on flight models. I never played AOP, but RB and AOE were outstanding given the technology of the time. Moreover, RBGunn, in his other post, is absolutely right - it's all in the details. I remember carelessly whacking open the throttle at low airspeed in the P51 in AOE. The torque rolled me to the left into a spin which took about 8,000 feet to recover from. I remember thinking what a marvellous moment that was!

Of course, different people want a different challenge, but that's where scaleable difficulty comes in. You ignore the fanatics at your commercial peril.

Curtiss P40 from Desert Fighters

I really want to be impressed by "Desert Fighters." I have ALWAYS wanted a sim based on the North African campaign. But it will have to come up to snuff in all respects. It will have to compete for my attention with MiG Alley, Flight Combat: Thunder Over Europe, B-17 II, Silent Hunter II, Panzer Elite, Jagged Alliance II, Delta Force II, Rainbow 6 II etc.

I caution all sim developers out there, The 20% hardcore element IS your market. The other 80% is playing Quake, blasting deer, or designing dresses for Barbie.