Yeah this is somewhat true too, but also TK's games are in somewhat of a limbo...
They are not hard core enough for the hard core(Falcon, LockOn) and not flashy and arcady enough for the arcade(AceCombat, HawX etc.).
So in the end it simply does not turn enough heads from either camp.
Me for example I was a hard core WW2-style online combat nutcase, that surely does not fit anywhere in TK concept but quite honestly back at the time I was just looking a game that would be able to display me going mach 1+ at like 50m from the ground with more than 30fps and that was what I found in the first SF release but it only lasted for some limited time(not much mods back then or any idea of what will it become).
Oh and I found out about SF on SimHQ I'm pretty sure about that...
But anyway I think TK should focus on one aspect of the game as it's major selling point, since making it flashy like HawX would require too much money and considering the focus of his game to still-love-the-guns-cause-missiles-still-miss I think best way would be to go somewhere(not everywhere as that also costs a lot) in realism realm.
For example why not focusing on high fidelity flight models? Streakeagle showed even back in the day just how VERY realistic they can be, why not working on that?
On hard flight models in the game are already quite well made but HC people still say they are arcadish mostly because they have never read that they are very realistic 'cause quite honestly how would our average Joe know if it's realistic or not? I can tell you if drive simulator of a 15-years old Opel Astra is well made but I have 0 idea about how anything other than paper planes flew
So basically looking at Il-2 and lockon you need two things:
- insert some fancy features(engine flameout, advanced spins and stalls, recent addition of WEP damage by TK was exactly in that direction, engine off/on, maybe more oil, temperature,rpm features but nothing too complicated, like I said just for the show not to kill the game too much)
- number two is optional but also good, get a real former(or present) pilot to say something like ("I had the chills, it feels like the real thing!") because those games do that to further emphesize just how great of a job they did even if they did not lol
And in the end stop being shy about having something more advanced in your game WTF is up with that? We don't want to chase away casual players(whatever that means, I play 15-30mins a day if I'm lucky lol)?
To sum it up(anybody still reading this? ) he should maybe try to focus on one thing he might be able to do that will enable him to enter the "forbbiden zone" of either camp(arcade or HC).
So you don't have the $$$ for flashy graphics, campaigns with lot's of animations and movie style story-telling?
No $$$ for complicated switchology everybody will hate after their 18th crash?
Then go with the BOOOM - "Strike Fighters 2 - most advanced F-4 Phantom flight simulator ever(probably already is so but you can't read that anywhere)". flashy sign, some pilot quote like I said maybe etc....
This way he only collects "Innocent wanderers" which is not bad, but if you want to expand, you have to make a step in one direction, standing in place...never changed anything.