Microsoft ESP

Q.	What is Microsoft ESP?
A.	Microsoft® ESP™ is a visual simulation platform that brings immersive games-based technology to training and learning, decision support, and research and development modeling for government and commercial organizations.
Q.	What does Microsoft ESP stand for?
A.	The full platform name is Microsoft ESP. It is not an acronym.
Q.	What is the benefit of a simulation platform to customers, partners, and developers?
A.	Historically, bringing visual simulation solutions to market has been both lengthy and costly. The availability of a simulation platform for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems enables new solutions to be built faster and more cost-effectively. It provides developers with an engine, tools, and base world content so they can focus on building great simulation solutions. Customers will receive powerful, dynamic realistic simulation solutions that we expect will be more affordable, faster to market, and highly immersive. Partners will now be able to deliver great immersive simulation solutions to their customers at very reasonable prices and, often, with short lead times.
Q.	Who are the target customer and partner audiences for Microsoft ESP?
A.	For Microsoft ESP 1.0, we have received strong interest from military and civil aviation organizations and their partners who recognize Microsoft ESP's potential to improve readiness levels and increase operational excellence at a reasonable cost. Future versions of Microsoft ESP will offer expanded capabilities that will address new markets and scenarios.
Q.	What are Microsoft ESP's core capabilities?
A.	Core capabilities for Microsoft ESP include training and learning, decision support, and R&D modeling applications. For example, Microsoft ESP 1.0 can be used for: Aviation crew training, which includes: Cockpit familiarization, checklists, and cockpit flows Capability-based training including aerial refueling and basic sorties "After Action Review" (replay and evaluation of trainee performance during a simulation) Decision support, such as to enable a pilot to pre-fly a new route and become familiar with new terrain, approach patterns, and weather patterns. R&D modeling, such as to enable a designer to model and deck designs or to evaluate new runway configurations or lighting schemes.
Q.	How can Microsoft take an entertainment product and make it a mission-critical platform?
A.	Microsoft ESP is the engine, tools, and base world content that powers Microsoft's Flight Simulator. Making these powerful components available for solutions beyond entertainment is very consistent with the move toward using serious games as training tools. Offering developers the opportunity to add their own missions, content, scenarios, and hardware devices is consistent with how Microsoft has encouraged thousands of partners to develop on Flight Simulator as an entertainment platform. In fact, there are over 200,000 add-ons available for Flight Simulator today, many of which we expect will work fine with Microsoft ESP.
Q.	Why does Microsoft ESP only support aviation-related capabilities?
A.	Microsoft ESP supports training and learning, decision support, and research and development capabilities. Microsoft ESP 1.0 is leading with aviation capabilities based on customer and partner feedback and the reality that the first version of the Microsoft ESP platform has been optimized for aviation capabilities.
Q.	What additional features does Microsoft ESP offer?
A.	It is a Windows-based platform that offers multi-player and Internet support, including Voice over IP (VoIP) to allow up to 30 people to interact using a peer-to-peer connection. Microsoft ESP supports seasonal imagery with five seasons including hard winter; continuous time of day; automatic scenery fill-in; a configurable weather system; and AI-controlled dynamic objects (cars, boats, and aircraft). R&D modeling allows people to create prototypes, visualize project plans, and determine the effect of changes on performance and outcomes.
Q.	How does Microsoft ESP fit in with aviation training programs that already exist today?
A.	Microsoft expects ESP-based solutions to augment, not replace, existing training from ab initio, CBT (computer-based training), FBSs (fixed-base simulators) and FFSs (full flight simulators). Additionally, Microsoft ESP will bring powerful on-the-job training capabilities, including enabling pilots to pre-fly new routes or approaches, improve their confidence in all areas of flight, and practice difficult maneuvers (such as mid-air fueling) or flying in bad weather.
Q.	Can I get a retail-packaged product of Microsoft ESP? If not, when will one be available?
A.	Currently a retail version of Microsoft ESP is not available. Based on feedback from customers and partners, our initial efforts are focused on the enterprise, and we are distributing Microsoft ESP via Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs only. We will consider making retail versions as demand becomes apparent.
Q.	Is Microsoft ESP available globally?
A.	Microsoft ESP will be available through the standard Microsoft channels for Volume Licensing. Additional details can be found on the Microsoft Worldwide Licensing site: http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/index/worldwide.mspx. While Microsoft ESP 1.0 will be English-only but we will research other languages for future potential localized Microsoft ESP releases.