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Another good company closing its doors.

There is absolutely NOTHING hackers and pirates can´t break appart and hack it, nothing, not even FSX (trust me, where i live you can find deluxe version for as low as 2 bucks)So i use a well based fact:
90% of people who get their files thru illegal sharing servers NEVER had the intention to buy it in the 1st place, actually, if it´s not there, they don´t even bother, so you can consider them as a factual NO SALE.
of that 10% left, 5% do it as a kind of "try before you buy" and those who do buy it, do it for the customer support and/or support their developer. and the rest, well, those are the ones that lure these sites and firmly believe the internet is a "free world" and we are all capitalist pigs.So..why spend 1000´s of dollars in anti piracy software that wont stop some MFer to hack your product, but at the same time rises the final price, and/or produce customer unsatisfaction in any degree?Blaming piracy for the demise of your biz is not a good call, facing the fact that we´re no longer in 2004/2005 and that to stay current you have to create a very detailed model, plus some degree of complexity and/or functionality and price it accordinly to what you´re going to get, is the wise move.There is a lot of talent there (the LZ), i suggest they get it all in one place and update/upgrade an existing offering into a full native FSX model...100% sure THAT will improve things.Just IMHO
Best regards
Prowler
 
I would like to see more try before you buy. I would be willing to pay more for a product that offers me more of what I want.

The VRS F-18 is a good example. I reinstalled FS9 to try it and found it to be well worth the money. If they come out with a FSX model, I will be in the front of the line to purchase the new model.

On the try before you buy, I suggest a timed flight of around 15-20 minutes. That is enough time to tell if you like the model enough to buy it. It will help to peek the excitement and desire to fully own the product without having to buy and later find out it isn't what you thought it was.

As for pirates, I have no facts of figures on real loses. My gut tells me that Prowler is correct. I think the majority of people who pirate flight simulation software would never buy it anyway.

Flight simulation is like the rest of the world. You have to keep up with the changes and always be giving more. If you don't, you will be passed by others who do so. We all know companies who once were big names in this industry fall behind because they didn't stay abreast with the changing demands of the customers.

That being said, I want to thank all the developers, both commercial and freeware for all the hours of pleasure you have given me in this hobby.
 
people who pirate flight simulation software would never buy it anyway.
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i have to disagree...this is not the place...especially in public...about a closure of two piracy websites and a forum during last three month...i can tell you that many pirates read here and on others forums to catch latest release buy them and passing products.......and i could tell you at least ten names of pirates buying(many are now blocked to buying or do not have anymore accounts.)...and i know many more things me and some others from different companies were discovered......if you was reading for weeks on their forum to discovered who they are and how they act...you could see many people buying before...that after discovered the easy way didn't buy anymore..i have catched at least ten customer(now ex customer) not buying anymore for pirates. there are some developers here and especially outside here that know this story....we have a big exchangemet of email last three months..
 
jmig said:
The VRS F-18 is a good example. I reinstalled FS9 to try it and found it to be well worth the money. If they come out with a FSX model, I will be in the front of the line to purchase the new model.
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You know, I'm glad you brought this back up. It is an awesome model, an incredible piece of work. I was just very disapointed that I could not do with it what I really like to do...formation flying. If they do turn it in to an FSX model, I really hope they are able to fix the FSrecorder and multiplayer issues. You'll see me in the same line.
 
I already know that Bill has every right to ignore me for never getting back in touch with him regarding the Epic, (I am really sorry about that - I won't offer excuses) but I've seen more than enough people perfectly happy with the package to wonder what makes anyone react like that to a model. Given the very limited amount of true FSX freeware available, I'd love to know what they were comparing it to!

Unfortunately people will always want more, for no or minimum outlay. Yet it's interesting that for all these vocal and repeated complaints (often from the same people), some of the best selling products for FS are the lowest quality ones - things like the Abacus box sets. I can only think that this is because they are aimed at, and reach, an entirely different section of the customer base. One that is more interested in being able to fly an aircraft than it being absolutely accurate to the original.

I know that market still exists - as I said before, I'd buy an FSX Huey B compiled for FSX as soon as finances allowed me to - but how financially viable it is I don't know. There are a lot of people out there who will complain that a model "should be freeware" and they will always shout louder than those who are happily flying a model around.

Edit: Something that shoots down your argument, Icarus. Most people using P2P packages could never ever in their lives afford to buy the amount of software they have downloaded. That has been proven in courts of law every time a case has got that far. You have the names of "tens" of people who have bought software and uploaded it to these sites - what about the thousands that I keep reading about who are downloading it?

I have a fixed budget for entertainment every month - it's £100, not that anyone cares. These days, that buys me one non-FS game and usually two FS addons. Again, not that anyone cares, this month it went on Empire: Total War, the Aerosoft Catalina and JustFlight's TrafficX. I have no interest in buying your Dragon Rapide (not knocking it, that's just a statement of fact) so if I downloaded it, have you really lost a sale? What about if I downloaded 3DStudioMAX? Have Autodesk really lost a sale? I could never in a month of paydays afford over £4000 for a software package (yes, I could probably get it cheaper, I'm using it as an example so don't complain that I got the price wrong!) and would never have bought it anyway. The fact that I won't download them illegally just means that I won't have a copy of the Dragon Rapide or MAX, not that I would have bought them if someone else hadn't done so and uploaded them to a warez site.

How can you possibly claim to be able to quantify how many sales you have lost through illegal distribution of your software? That question isn't aimed at Icarus in particular, but any developer. If you sell, plucking figures out of the air, 250 copies of an aeroplane, ten of those sales result in uploads to warez sites and 1000 people download it from them (probably far more) then would you have sold 1250 copies (probably far more) had it not been illegally uploaded? Do you really believe that you would? I find it massively unlikely.
 
How can you possibly claim to be able to quantify how many sales you have lost through illegal distribution of your software? That question isn't aimed at Icarus in particular, but any developer. If you sell, plucking figures out of the air, 250 copies of an aeroplane, ten of those sales result in uploads to warez sites and 1000 people download it from them (probably far more) then would you have sold 1250 copies (probably far more) had it not been illegally uploaded? Do you really believe that you would? I find it massively unlikely.
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...TOUCHÉ!!... Exactly what i said, sadly, i don´t have the hard facts anymore (got all wiped out on a HD crash) but it´s an actual study, that´s what i´m saying...claiming piracy shot you down is not correct!..if there are 10000 illegal downloads does not means you´ll have 10000 sales!Piracy is a cancer we have to learn to live with, you can´t stop it, believe me i tried, for every single MFer pirate i´ve managed to stop, 3 comes to take his place!..I for one, won´t stop developing for this cause, there is still a market, and a lot of honest people around..cheers to them!

Prowler
 
Ian, as a friend, I respectfully disagree to a point. I absolutely believe that pirating affects sales. I have seen numerous times where when an addon newly released that the sales are cut nearly in half the moment they become available on said sites. The problem is that it is SO EASY for people not to be honest. That's just the reality.

I for one have had my videos used to advertise pirated copies of software on illigitimate sites. It is all VERY frustrating to know that my videos are being used by pirates to help them spread the disease.
 
The problem is that it is SO EASY for people not to be honest
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infact.

i have seen the difference on sales...before acting or not. i remain on my opinion that is valid for me...and frankly seeing the way conversation has taken...i am ending it here.
 
CodyValkyrie said:
Ian, as a friend, I respectfully disagree to a point. I absolutely believe that pirating affects sales. I have seen numerous times where when an addon newly released that the sales are cut nearly in half the moment they become available on said sites. The problem is that it is SO EASY for people not to be honest. That's just the reality.

I for one have had my videos used to advertise pirated copies of software on illigitimate sites. It is all VERY frustrating to know that my videos are being used by pirates to help them spread the disease.
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Actually, Cody, I agree with you and I will never disagree that illegal downloads cost developers a lot of sales - more than likely the majority of sales they would otherwise have made in a niche market such as this. What I do disagree with is the ability to quantify exactly how many - which is the point I was trying to illustrate.

The ease with which it can be done is, unfortunately, one of two really big problems, neither of which are likely to be easily resolved. The reason for that is the second, which is that the great unwashed masses see nothing wrong with what they are doing.

I don't really think I need to repeat myself ad nauseum on this site, most people interested have read it all before anyway, but until people start seeing the effect this problem has on their own friends and families, rather than seeing big business complaining that they "only" made multi million profits per quarter and should have been making more, they won't change their minds. If you want to reduce (you'll never eliminate) illegal downloads and file sharing, you have to actually show people why it's wrong. It's already illegal, but too many people don't care and there are too many border and other issues thrown up for the laws that exist to be effectively applied.
 
olaf1924 said:
Ian would you give a review for Just Flights Traffic x.
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Sorry Olaf, I missed your post before.

I've only just started playing with it, so I'm not 100% up to speed yet, but my first thoughts are that it has problems, but I get vastly better FPS with it than I did using FS9 freeware AI and I much prefer the liveries in it to those of MyTrafficX (I have 5.1b so cannot compare it to versions newer than that).

It's far from perfect, but the best package I've tried so far.

Sorry that's a bit short, but as I said, I'm still poking and prodding and this thread probably isn't the right place for a product review! ;)
 
Measuring the quantitive sales lost is not indeed an easy task. I see it akin to how sales are improved by my videos, or in Nick's case, his pictures. We know it helps sales, but we don't know how much. There are a ton of variables at play.
 
IanP said:
I already know that Bill has every right to ignore me for never getting back in touch with him regarding the Epic
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Ian.. I dont think I ever got your email. I am sorry man. I try to write every single person back. When the Epic was launched (or any other bird launches) I am blitzed with a whirlwind of emails, and I am the only one here ansering them. They arrive in waves, from Canada/USA to early AM which is Europe/Germany/England/France, and some from Japan. Some emails do not make it, and some of mine that I email out do not arrive either.

Please resend your questions on the Epic. If I do not ansere, email me again. (I also always check the spam box just incase).



Bill
 
IanP said:
Sorry Olaf, I missed your post before.

I've only just started playing with it, so I'm not 100% up to speed yet, but my first thoughts are that it has problems, but I get vastly better FPS with it than I did using FS9 freeware AI and I much prefer the liveries in it to those of MyTrafficX (I have 5.1b so cannot compare it to versions newer than that).

It's far from perfect, but the best package I've tried so far.

Sorry that's a bit short, but as I said, I'm still poking and prodding and this thread probably isn't the right place for a product review! ;)
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I think you should try 5.2a ...... for what I've seen and read it blows ANY AI package out of the water on numerous points. I think the differences between the 3 or 4 on the market are more like 'preference' than in real quality, with MyTraffic of course having the longest track record and being the basis for some of the others even ;-)

And yes, I yes, Silver Cloud Publishing is the PR company for MyTraffic these days and I have blue eyes ..... :jump:

The problem nowadays is that there are hardly in-depth comparison reviews around anymore (or reviewers for that matter), making it really hard to quantify, qualify and choose.

Of course we have review copies available for really serious reviewers (WITH time on their hands... *grinning*).
 
As for piracy and its effects....... I think there are three camps in the FS world nowadays.

1.
Those like Icarus' who claim it is a huge hit on their sales and who are (trying to) fighting them every inch of the way, sometimes with success, more often without.

2.
Those who claim that it is a problem, but not really for sales; the 'they-wouldn't-buy-anyway' camp. So fogeddaboutit.

3.
And those (like me) who acknowledge the problem, and who will shoot at any pirate, pirate site and dishonest customers that are stupid enough to show up in our crosshairs, but who believe that concentrating on the HONEST people by delivering quality and support is more productive than wasting time on carrying water to the sea.

Take your pick.... and move on.....
 
Those like Icarus' who claim it is a huge hit on their sales and who are (trying to) fighting them every inch of the way, sometimes with success, more often without.
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never claim is an huge hit on sales...where i wrote it???....and about success fswc closed...another one too...so do not seems " more often not" i do not work on aircraft only..i manage servers since 1996 and have knowleadge of hundred programs linux operative system etc...aircraft i build for fun......i know this world. For sure i don't pass all my life thiniking to pirates...pirates and hackers are two different things.

for find links about products its easy just use google and right words...(that are not the title of you products...that's is just too easy)
 
These are comments of "customers" by the A2A P47 torrent download:

"I have a tiny question, how to install it, and then play it."

"anybody playing this? Any problems?"

"this game doesn't work for me"

"could sombody put in whole FSX? with all addons for it? anybody having such thing?"

"and what is it this acceleration?"

"hmm, if this doesn't work and you have to tweak that fsx, download stuff and keep it updated, excuse me! why the hell someone has put it inhere? I'm sorry to say that but "the torrents" turned into one big garbage."

This shows what stands behind the huge numbers of torrent hits. There were some positive comments - the ratio seems to be 1/10 - but most of these guys download everything because it's there, becasue they can. They are (garbage) collectors. The anty-piracy system may save them frustration, they won't go mad on the street and kill passer-bys.

regards
ROB
 
"casually" after my post here there is a stupid trying to making something( really a poor guy)on our server.i have seen his three different ip , etc etc....seems he want have some problem nextly. i will never understand why some people like to do those things...i have more interesting talking with mosquitos than with those guys. Seems there is a new trend..create problems to flightsim websites. For sure in their poor brains...having some success with some encourages them to continue.
 
icarus said:
never claim is an huge hit on sales...where i wrote it???....and about success fswc closed...another one too...so do not seems " more often not" i do not work on aircraft only..i manage servers since 1996 and have knowleadge of hundred programs linux operative system etc...aircraft i build for fun......i know this world. For sure i don't pass all my life thiniking to pirates...pirates and hackers are two different things.

for find links about products its easy just use google and right words...(that are not the title of you products...that's is just too easy)
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Icarus ....... the thieves might have been 'inconvenienced' for a few weeks but don't kid yourself, they're ALL operational once more and doing their thing.
Pirate sites are like the Hydra, cut one head off and another replaces it.
:173go1:
 
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