Got Friends Taylorcraft Released!

Twice43 said:
Due out yesterday but can't find it anywhere.
Anyone know what is happening?
T43
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They delayed it when they made the God awful decision to release on Marketplace exclusively from now on.............. Apparently it will be released mid-August if you want to buy it from the Marketplace. I am hoping they will take a big sales hit and reconsider their decision and maybe have at least one outlet as an alternative, as they have until now sold on their own website and Contrail.. If you really want to hear all about the debacle and the swift change from one position to another within 4 days read here https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/list-got-friends-development-hangar/495347/625. At the moment Gotfriends have lost my trust......... and I'm one customer they have lost, until they start listening to past loyal customers and return to some semblance of sanity...
 
Their explanation re having to manage stuff across 3 outlets being time consuming has a suggestion of credibility.
Probably somewhere in the background was some arm twisting.
I imagine Contrail is not very happy. I was surprised when I effected my 1st Contrail purchase recently that they offered to suck in my purchases from other outlets, such as Simmarket. Appeared to have a structure in place to do that & they managed to latch onto my old Orbx purchases, so, they go after it.
T43
 
Yeah, I get that the MP is easier for the developers, but it does seem like a turn toward monopolizing the addon market. Monopolies are definitely not good for the consumer. :(
If almost all developers eventually go MP-exclusive (please don't do it, Black Square), I hope Just Flight, SimMarket, Contrail, etc. can survive off of X-Plane.

At any rate, the Taylorcraft does look very nice.
 
Killbilly said:
Yeah, I get that the MP is easier for the developers, but it does seem like a turn toward monopolizing the addon market. Monopolies are definitely not good for the consumer. :(
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The Marketplace's file encryption guarantees a piracy-proof shop front which is right under the player's/simmer's nose with no internet search or additional registration necessary.
The piracy-proof encryption is the godsend for developers and no wonder.
 
Got Friends have stated in a follow-up message that concerns that their products might be pirated was not a consideration in their decision to go MP-exclusive. Remember we are a niche portion of the FS-market. Most ("casual") FS-users will have no problem with buying from the MP only. One can reasonably assume that GF have already factored in that they will lose some sales.
 
tiger1962 said:
But why should they when they don't have to? Sorry but I don't think they're telling the whole truth there.
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Only GF and MS/Asobo truly know. There's obviously some incentive for them to go this route. Whether that be less hassle only having to deal with one vendor, easier access to MS-technology and associated more growth potential (those are the reasons they've given) or merely financial gain. Your guess is as good as mine. But it's their choice. And it's your choice to vote with your wallet or not. In the end it all comes down to one simple thing: how bad do you want it? (to quote a Don Henley-song).
 
tiger1962 said:
The Marketplace's file encryption guarantees a piracy-proof shop front which is right under the player's/simmer's nose with no internet search or additional registration necessary.
The piracy-proof encryption is the godsend for developers and no wonder.
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You'd be surprised how many marketplace only items are available on pirate sites.
 
Killbilly said:
Yeah, I get that the MP is easier for the developers, but it does seem like a turn toward monopolizing the addon market. Monopolies are definitely not good for the consumer. :(
If almost all developers eventually go MP-exclusive (please don't do it, Black Square), I hope Just Flight, SimMarket, Contrail, etc. can survive off of X-Plane.

At any rate, the Taylorcraft does look very nice.
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That's my fear - MS are trying to monoplise the sale of addons. I have never been entirely keen on this streaming element from the getgo with MSFS as a relatively new adopter of it. I have bought from the store, at the start due to ignorance, then as I became more aware of their dubious practices and policies, only planes certain developers only make and sell there. I have always messaged the developer to express my disapointment that they don't have an alternative sales channel and urge them to do so. But the more I have come to know about it, the less inclined I feel to purchase anything else from there again. I think the recent show with Msscenery was just a bit of light window washing. As somebody pointed out in a thread I was reading somewhere one day, if M/S do feel they are not making money they could pull the plug on their servers at anytime. Whether anyone else would the buy 'the franchise' who knows. Whether it will become a subscription thing like so many of their other products these days who knows -but I could envisage that happening. To me it feels a little like as a consumer I am being held to ransome. It could end up with all your investment and money you have spent gone.....overnight -anytime. They are a giant corporation and doubt they would blink twice about p'ing off flight simmers, (and the gamers), if they felt they couldn't make a buck out of it. They already try to contravene and ignore consumer law in a lot of European countries by their practices in the Marketplace. (We are generally better protected than consumers in the USA ). It just all leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and makes me reluctant to purchase anything there again.
 
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Lawman said:
Only GF and MS/Asobo truly know. There's obviously some incentive for them to go this route. Whether that be less hassle only having to deal with one vendor, easier access to MS-technology and associated more growth potential (those are the reasons they've given) or merely financial gain. Your guess is as good as mine. But it's their choice. And it's your choice to vote with your wallet or not. In the end it all comes down to one simple thing: how bad do you want it? (to quote a Don Henley-song).
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TBH can live without the Taylorcraft, I might have given it a go, but not know. Apart from the AS33ME which is the best MSFS sailplane, although the Wilga tug is now absolutely ridiculously inaccurate in it's behaviour as a towplane as to make it laughable, (but then they are pandering to a gamer minority with it's latest incarnation, instead of a move towards better accuracy), can't say I have really been blown away by any of their other products or the ones they make for M/S 'in game'.
 
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tiger1962 said:
But why should they when they don't have to? Sorry but I don't think they're telling the whole truth there.
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Yeah, how you can pivot from one position to another within 4 days as they did, within a week or so of an intended release? Releasing statements that the Taylorcraft would be available on their site, Contrail and the Marketplace on such and such a date, then less than 96 hours later say oh it will be mid August and we are only selling on the Marketplace from now on beffudles me. I smelt a strong smell of something I haven't smelt since I stopped working on my sister's dairy farm, reading their statements. How people can defend that action and take anything they say seriously also befuddles me. I seriously think a lot of people these days can't see through the lines they are spun and have lost the ability to think critically. But as somebody pointed out it's their business decision and they will fall or profit by it.. I doubt my ramblings will be of any relevance to them. But in my lifetime when I have seen a small business move to become entirely dependent on one sole large corporate outlet for all their sales and produce, and start ignoring their previously loyal customers and their concerns, although things look rosy at the start it usually doesn't end well for them.....
 
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Or, it could just be that that four guys who are the entire company (one of whom is recovering from cancer treatments) looked at all of the work ahead of them to package and support the release across three platforms, vs moving to just the "official" platform which offers some promotional advantages for them, and just said "fu** it, let's just go Marketplace-only and cut our release and maintenance workload by 2/3."

As I understand it from friends in the biz, Marketplace is an enormous percentage of sales of modern add-ons. And MS obviously gives big promotional banner placement perks to devs who release Marketplace-first or Marketplace-only, so that very likely will more than compensate for the vocal small percentage who will refuse to buy their planes there.

Personally, I'd much prefer they'd stayed on Contrail. But I can understand their situation and the decision process.
 
DennyA said:
Or, it could just be that that four guys who are the entire company (one of whom is recovering from cancer treatments) looked at all of the work ahead of them to package and support the release across three platforms, vs moving to just the "official" platform which offers some promotional advantages for them, and just said "fu** it, let's just go Marketplace-only and cut our release and maintenance workload by 2/3."

As I understand it from friends in the biz, Marketplace is an enormous percentage of sales of modern add-ons. And MS obviously gives big promotional banner placement perks to devs who release Marketplace-first or Marketplace-only, so that very likely will more than compensate for the vocal small percentage who will refuse to buy their planes there.

Personally, I'd much prefer they'd stayed on Contrail. But I can understand their situation and the decision process.
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You may well be correct. But to pivot totally from one position to an entirely different one within 96 hours, arouses suspicion and at best shows a lack of foresight in business planning. It also shows a certain arrogance and disregard, whether intended or not, towards your customer base. Whatever the reasons I do not think it is in the interest of customers, which is if you have read their statements, how they have tried to spin it........ , to go to exclusively to Marketplace sales. That vocal small percentage -you have obviously taken a poll or done some research into that? -or maybe its just like me, an opinion, might be a little larger than you think - who knows. Time will tell. Put pissing of the people that helped to get you where you are, is never a good idea......
 
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