Will EA ever revive Jane's?

[roguerower]

Didn't want to take the DCS A-10 thread off on a tangent, but do you think EA will ever start up their Jane's simulator branch or is it dead for good? Fighters Anthology, 688i, Longbow, those were all really good games. The mechanics may have been a little streamlined to and they probably felt a little "arcadish" at times, but the campaigns were solid. The supporting video made them immersive, the missions had a purpose to them, and some of it (688i for instance) required you stop and think tactics if the realism was turned up.

So...is Jane's dead or just slumbering?

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Wells Janes is still around, but no idea if their licensing still extends to EA. I assume it expired.

Not that I'd like to see EA doing any semi-simulator games now days...

 

[vshah]

great memories of janes f-15

although i hear falcon 4.0 with community upgrades is pretty good.

 

[a123456]

I *loved* 688i, Sub Command, and even Dangerous Waters. But I don't see combat sims as something EA will get into again, ever. The market just isn't there even if they market it like crazy, and EA's game plan doesn't include making niche games.

I don't have their exact sales figures but I doubt it would cover the budget so those types of games are pretty much dead.

 

[Schadenfroh]

I read Jane's Intelligence quite often, not sure if they licensed their name in the video game business or sold it to EA. Surely it has expired by now if they licensed it.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Janes publications are still around, they just licensed the name to EA. Don't believe it was more than just that.

 

[roguerower]

I *loved* 688i, Sub Command, and even Dangerous Waters. But I don't see combat sims as something EA will get into again, ever. The market just isn't there even if they market it like crazy, and EA's game plan doesn't include making niche games.

I don't have their exact sales figures but I doubt it would cover the budget so those types of games are pretty much dead.

But is the market just not there or is it that no one has come out with a game to satisfy most flight-sim fanatics, therefore the producers haven't seen the numbers, therefore it would seem that the genre is dead? Or is the market truly not there?

I think it's the former rather than the later.

Question: With Windows 7's compatibility modes, could I play those older games (Longbow, ATF, etc.) without them freaking out? I remember trying to play ATF on a faster computer and I couldn't touch the controller without the plane doing a loop.

 

[a123456]

I think the market is just not there. With good combat sims, you have to think, plan tactics, spend a bunch of minutes calculating a firing solution (or the equivalent), read the manual, and lots of other time-consuming things. It's awesome if you're a game player that enjoys that.

These days, with most gamers having massive ADD, it's get on, play a deathmatch, lol at your frags and then respawn and do it again. It's a lot more simple and it caters to the largest audience. If you're a publisher, you make more money that way.

 

[TheStu]

great memories of janes f-15

although i hear falcon 4.0 with community upgrades is pretty good.

Never played F15, but I had both Longbow and Longbow 2, and played the crap out of those.

My friend and I like to joke that at the end of the massive Falcon 4.0 manual (hard bound, 3 ring binder, I think it was 1.5-2" thick) was a form certifying you to operate an F16 for the Air Force.

 

[ayabe]

This might sound boring but I really want to fly a B-1 or B-2 in a sim.

As for the OP, I think Jane's is pretty much dead. Even if EA still had the rights, they aren't capable of making that kind of game anymore. They're just too corporate and there isn't enough money in the sim game.

 

[CVSiN]

Didn't want to take the DCS A-10 thread off on a tangent, but do you think EA will ever start up their Jane's simulator branch or is it dead for good? Fighters Anthology, 688i, Longbow, those were all really good games. The mechanics may have been a little streamlined to and they probably felt a little "arcadish" at times, but the campaigns were solid. The supporting video made them immersive, the missions had a purpose to them, and some of it (688i for instance) required you stop and think tactics if the realism was turned up.

So...is Jane's dead or just slumbering?

Alot of the Jane's team including Matt Wagner all went to the company that is making the DCS games.
so with all the talent moved on id vote nope..

 

[BassBomb]

not a chance

 

[BladeVenom]

Alot of the Jane's team including Matt Wagner all went to the company that is making the DCS games.
so with all the talent moved on id vote nope..

So they'd have to buy out and destroy another developer to make a flight sim. Otherwise I doubt they could make a decent one on their own.

 

[CVSiN]

So they'd have to buy out and destroy another developer to make a flight sim. Otherwise I doubt they could make a decent one on their own.

On top of that the Jane's sims were kinda sim-LITE compared to what they are making now at The Fighter Collection
Lockon, Blackshark and now A-10 are much more hardcore than any of the Janes sims ever were.

 

[roguerower]

On top of that the Jane's sims were kinda sim-LITE compared to what they are making now at The Fighter Collection
Lockon, Blackshark and now A-10 are much more hardcore than any of the Janes sims ever were.

Yep, understood, I acknowledged that in my OP but all I hear about Blackshark & A-10 is how realistic it is and nothing is said about the campaigns. Maybe I'm a little simple-minded but I'm also objective driven and just starting up a game to go fly around doesn't seem appealing to me which is why FSX kinda got a little dry after a while (the little missions were the only interesting thing for me).

I'm not asking for anything amazing, but a simple cut-scene driven campaign like the Balkans Campaign in Janes ATF would be amazing. I'd throw down cash on a new joystick/throttle/rudder combo in a second if I knew that the campaign in A-10C was at least decent.

Maybe I'm a little bias because I know how to fly. I've been at 3,000 feet in a Cessna in control of the stick doing stalls and racetrack manuevers and I'm not looking for a virtual version of that. If I'm playing a military game, I'd like for it to have meaning. I mean, there's got to be enough scenarios out there for them to be able to pull a couple. Clancy and Dale Brown have a couple of easy ones... NATO v. USSR (Red Storm Rising) Japan v. US (Executive Orders) China v. Russia (The Bear and The Dragon).

 

[CVSiN]

Both do have a campaign as well as an incredible mission creator that you have full control over everything.

as well as very dedicated community creating missions etc.

and dont forget the multiplayer componant.
which allows you to fly missions with an entire squadron if you wish.

I think youd like them specially since you are a pilot.

 

[roguerower]

Hmmm...now I gotta figure out what to play them on. My HTPC hooked up to the plasma would be fun, just gotta rig up something to sit on. And I have NO idea where my joystick currently is.

 

[CVSiN]

Well warning... both Blackshark and now A10C are VERY hardware demanding.
my E8400 8gig of ram and 8800GTS 512 just arent cutting it at all on either of these. both need to be severly cut down in view options to get any kind of good framerate.

so whatever is your most powerful box.

 

[roguerower]

Shit...my 8400 (sig) is my most powerful box. Looks like I'm gonna be holding off for a while.

 

[jtvang125]

Damn I use to remember the shelves stocked with flight sims. There were so many that I had a hard time deciding which one to get. Everything from modern US and European planes to WWII. This was back during the 3dfx Voodoo days. All these flight sims was why I bought a PC with a accelerated GPU back then.

Sadly this market has taken a nose dive and doesn't look like it's going recover any time soon. Yes, there are still airplane games coming out but almost all of them are just arcade-y, infinite missiles and fuel, little tactic needed ones.

 

[jtvang125]

Shit...my 8400 (sig) is my most powerful box. Looks like I'm gonna be holding off for a while.

Haven't tried Blackshark but I do have Lock-on but unfortunately it doesn't work with eye-finity, well atleast I couldn't get it to work. Would definitely look sweet on 3 24" in landscape mode.

 

[paperfist]

I think the market is just not there. With good combat sims, you have to think, plan tactics, spend a bunch of minutes calculating a firing solution (or the equivalent), read the manual, and lots of other time-consuming things. It's awesome if you're a game player that enjoys that.

These days, with most gamers having massive ADD, it's get on, play a deathmatch, lol at your frags and then respawn and do it again. It's a lot more simple and it caters to the largest audience. If you're a publisher, you make more money that way.

What you are saying is basically civilization as we know it is doomed.

 

[htwingnut]

Jane's sims were excellent. I loved Longbow 2, F-15, F/A-18. I ran a website called "Jane's Hangar" I loved it so much. Maybe if DCS continues what they're doing Jane's will license their name and resouces to them. Isn't Matt Wagner with DCS who used to be instrumental in the EA Jane's stuff?

BTW I think Jane's Longbow 2, F-15, and F/A-18 were more detailed than LockOn. F/A-18 had excellent MFD reproduction. Only issue with it were the static missions. Nothing can compare to Falcon 4 or Enemy Engaged dynamic campaign engines. Very robust.

I would LOVE to see Jane's come back though. With DCS I think they're proving that you can do more with less and there's an actual return on the investment. Maybe not for the big dogs like EA or BlizzAct, but for a smaller dev like DCS.

 

[CVSiN]

Jane's sims were excellent. I loved Longbow 2, F-15, F/A-18. I ran a website called "Jane's Hangar" I loved it so much. Maybe if DCS continues what they're doing Jane's will license their name and resouces to them. Isn't Matt Wagner with DCS who used to be instrumental in the EA Jane's stuff?

BTW I think Jane's Longbow 2, F-15, and F/A-18 were more detailed than LockOn. F/A-18 had excellent MFD reproduction. Only issue with it were the static missions. Nothing can compare to Falcon 4 or Enemy Engaged dynamic campaign engines. Very robust.

I would LOVE to see Jane's come back though. With DCS I think they're proving that you can do more with less and there's an actual return on the investment. Maybe not for the big dogs like EA or BlizzAct, but for a smaller dev like DCS.

Yup same Matt Wagner and he took some of the team with him to DCS.

 

[htwingnut]

I'm so pumped about DCS A-10. Any news on actual release date?