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Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.
Comments and Criticisms
- Thread starter JohnC
- Start date
Many of those who do that have gone elsewhere. I do most of my learning at a site especially for FS developers and the camaraderie between payware and freeware developers is most appreciated - rather like the old days of CFC and Netwings. I think would-be freeware developers find the high expectations here rather daunting.
Francois
FS Veteran
I think that to the vast majority of readers here John's appeal is pretty obvious.
A small minority is either new or forgot and needs to be reminded once in awhile.
And to a very tiny group of people the above will be lost no matter what..... so be it. I've learned to live with this reality for many years now and take my enjoyment and very meager income out of the first line :salute:
A small minority is either new or forgot and needs to be reminded once in awhile.
And to a very tiny group of people the above will be lost no matter what..... so be it. I've learned to live with this reality for many years now and take my enjoyment and very meager income out of the first line :salute:
Very good post John.
Being a FS developer myself and having worked closly with John on numerous projects I can only agree.
I "work" for one of the major publishers in this busisness, but nevertheless it is still not my prime job. I work 40 hours on my real job and only do FS developement in my sparetime as part of my hobby. The time used though, often counts 40-60 hours, so family has often to suffer.
Over the years where I have worked as developer, I keep more and more distance to community forums, cause often discusssions gets more and more rough and being developer of a sepcific product, which You try to defend or argue about, most often put You on the loosing side because the customer is deemed to always be right - or is he/she ?
Prices on addons has hardly increased during the last couple of years, but as we constantly move the boundaries for whats possible in FSX, customer expectations also get higher and higher. Often 3-5 guys will work for 9 month on an addon thats is sold for 40$ and which won´t be sold in thousands.
A number of developers has recently announced their retirement because they simply had enough.
Honestly I also ask myself sometimes if it´s really worth the hard work when people doesn´t understand that we often has to make compromises.
What I have found though, is that often it is the same people showing up in the various forums obviously searching for a fight, so it´s like everywhere in life - it´s the 5% who spoils it for the rest of us - so better not let them win - simply ignore them.
When You have told more than 10 times what a certain project is about and people don´t want to understand then they cannot be helped.
FinnJ
Being a FS developer myself and having worked closly with John on numerous projects I can only agree.
I "work" for one of the major publishers in this busisness, but nevertheless it is still not my prime job. I work 40 hours on my real job and only do FS developement in my sparetime as part of my hobby. The time used though, often counts 40-60 hours, so family has often to suffer.
Over the years where I have worked as developer, I keep more and more distance to community forums, cause often discusssions gets more and more rough and being developer of a sepcific product, which You try to defend or argue about, most often put You on the loosing side because the customer is deemed to always be right - or is he/she ?
Prices on addons has hardly increased during the last couple of years, but as we constantly move the boundaries for whats possible in FSX, customer expectations also get higher and higher. Often 3-5 guys will work for 9 month on an addon thats is sold for 40$ and which won´t be sold in thousands.
A number of developers has recently announced their retirement because they simply had enough.
Honestly I also ask myself sometimes if it´s really worth the hard work when people doesn´t understand that we often has to make compromises.
What I have found though, is that often it is the same people showing up in the various forums obviously searching for a fight, so it´s like everywhere in life - it´s the 5% who spoils it for the rest of us - so better not let them win - simply ignore them.
When You have told more than 10 times what a certain project is about and people don´t want to understand then they cannot be helped.
FinnJ
Remember when.... we did this for fun? Someone would come up with model, post it, we'd download it as is. If we didn't like something about it we changed it or added to it, we learned about panels, sounds, air files, cfg files, ect. shared what we learned... very few complaints. Society has changed, all those time-saving gadgets and social networking that keep us "connected" with false friends and make us feel important are ruining us. I feel all these "things" we think we need have caused the loss of creative thought in many. The lazy, uncreative among us choose to hide behind an wall of anonymity spewing ignorance hoping someone is foolish enough to bite back. Along with that is the expectation that if one is unhappy (about anything planes, life...) it's up to someone else to fix it.
Any creative person doing something they love, wants to share with others, and criticism is, quite naturally, taken personally. Years ago an excellent freeware developer stopped sharing his creations due to unwarranted criticism, fortunately he's back. Perhaps he's taken Mr Piglets' position of... if you don't like it, fix it or don't use it. Criticism must be taken as either constructive or ignorant, you can't do anything with the later so don't try. Lowering yourself to ignorance's level only propagates ignorance. As a semi-creative person I want people to pleased with what I do... to not take things personally and realize the only person I have to please is myself took a long time, too long, but that's how it is sometimes.
Threads like this, and too many here, add to hate, there's enough of that in the world.
"If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen"... but remember, only you control your thermostat, keep it cool.
Peppy
Any creative person doing something they love, wants to share with others, and criticism is, quite naturally, taken personally. Years ago an excellent freeware developer stopped sharing his creations due to unwarranted criticism, fortunately he's back. Perhaps he's taken Mr Piglets' position of... if you don't like it, fix it or don't use it. Criticism must be taken as either constructive or ignorant, you can't do anything with the later so don't try. Lowering yourself to ignorance's level only propagates ignorance. As a semi-creative person I want people to pleased with what I do... to not take things personally and realize the only person I have to please is myself took a long time, too long, but that's how it is sometimes.
Threads like this, and too many here, add to hate, there's enough of that in the world.
"If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen"... but remember, only you control your thermostat, keep it cool.
Peppy