Yes, probably worth a discussion, although I have no clue what the answer is
I'm not sure that users are necessarily becoming more demanding of quality, I think that users have seen that the inherent increased visuals of MSFS gives a huge pay-off, and that a lot of developers, caught out by the complete switch from the old market, have had to release stuff which would have been great in Prepar3d, but is merely mediocre in MSFS.
Pricing, as well, is something that will sort itself out. Flooding the market with cheap ports is not going to give an indication of suitable pricing in the long-term. I can only speak for myself, but since the release of MSFS, and even back to the announcement, my Prepar3d/FSX sales have plummeted. People tell me that there's still a market for Prepar3d, but really there isn't. I've taken my time working out how I want to proceed with MSFS, simply because I can -- but if my mum hadn't died a year ago, and left me a small legacy, I wouldn't have that option. I'd have probably released a few ports just to keep my head above water.
Some aspects of scenery development need to change dramatically -- I've always been one guy, working alone, at my own pace, but now we need groups working together, speeding up development just to get back to a sustainable level.
My first MSFS release is still months away, as I needed to figure out what makes a good MSFS scenery, to my eyes at least. I love reproducing what is actually there, but in reality I know that 99% of my customers won't have seen the real airfield, so the work involved is designed to meet a vision, rather than aim for a steady release of perfectly adequate scenery. This is no way to make a living, though. Luckily I can consider myself semi-retired next month, so don't need to rejoin the rat-race
I would recommend that developers look at increased quality as a major goal, but don't shoot yourself in the foot with pricing.
I've said before that for most smaller developers this isn't going to be a hugely profitable business, but most of us get a lot more than mere money out of it. I love working on local airfields/airports, and I'm constantly trying to improve and learn, so getting a 'proper' job is never an option.
I'm still not sure that people are going to accept my ideas about MSFS scenery, as I am not a big fan of the recent fully-PBR computer graphic-looking releases, so I'm sticking with my old photographic methods, albeit with a lot of work to add PBR to 'real' textures, and a huge increase in detail and resolution. Again, if people are happy with that computer look, then I'm doing far too much work, but I'm hoping that the point of difference will be accepted.
Maybe developers should be looking at embracing a major shake-up, so I'd certainly like to see a good discussion here.
