Can we just hold off with the "Microsoft are really large / VSTEP are really small" argument, please?
The whole of Microsoft wasn't involved with developing the Flight Simulator series; it was just a small development company - ACES Studio - that was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft (before it closed). Also, the "They've been doing it for 28 years and we've only been doing it for 6" is a bit silly, to be honest, as VSTEP don't exist in isolation (as the developers of Flight Simulator pretty much did at the outset), and can build on and enhance the techniques being discovered by the multitude of other gaming studios.
No, the fundamental difference between the ship simulator series and the flight simulator series was that the fly-guys were aiming for as much realism as possible, limited ONLY by the technology available at the time. You'll recall that the tagline for FSX was "As real as it gets".
With SSE, it has already been stated on these forums that VSTEP made the concious choice NOT to model certain aspects in order to maintain a differential between it's "professional" product, and the game. Perhaps "As real as we're going to give you"! The limiting factor isn't the technology.
In my opinion, I feel this might have been a marketing error by VSTEP. There are a number of reasons, but put simply:
1) It wouldn't hurt the professional product sales at all. I've seen the multi-screen bridge views and full-sized controls etc etc of a real simulator, and a PC doesn't even come close! You really wouldn't want a professional tanker driver to be trained in any other environment.
2) There are a huge number of amateur sailors studying day skipper / coastal skipper* / yachtmaster, and a properly configured simulator with navaids, tidal effects, and AI would be a fantastic training aid, especially if it were accompanied by an almanack and paper chart. (You could even charge for these as an optional extra!) - Perhaps even a tie-in with the RYA to use their fictitious training materials? I can see every single one of these students buying a copy!
(*Yes, I know the name's changed!)
Am I disappointed in SSE? I have to say "yes", I'm afraid. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I do sense there was something of a "oh, that's good enough! It's only a game" attitude prevalent during its development. SSE was something to earn a few euros to help pay for the development of the "grown up" version. Maybe I'm being unfair, but I do feel an opportunity has been missed.