by TOMB

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!

Click to continue

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.

Go to Part II