Interest in CFS3 waning?

ndicki

ndicki

Charter Member 2016
There are far fewer posts here than there used to be a year or two ago. The obvious conclusion is that interest in CFS3 is waning, and to some extent that would be right. A number of the hard-liners from the old days have indeed moved to other skies.

But they never made up the main public on this forum. The public here was a much wider group of enthusiasts with a wide range of interests and abilities.

So what's happened?

Two possibilities; either they've lost interest - possible - or there are too many forums.

If there are too many forums, the people involved in each forum post there and not here. That is valid for ongoing project work, such as ETO or the Solomons. Similarly, with MAW, the project was discussed on the project forum, but the off-project work and socialising was largely done here.

The risk when there are too many independent forums is that people lose contact. This group talks only to the people in this group, that only to the people in that. Meanwhile, the wider public who are largely unaware of what is being done in the background, drop in to the umbrella forum - here - and find it dead.

It is true that the various project leaders do keep the rest of us up to date with what is being done, and of course we appreciate that as we should. But many of the other project members, I get the distinct impression, limit their forum participation to the specific forum for their project. And we no longer see them much here.

And that means that many of the people for whose benefit they are creating the project, are losing contact with the world of CFS3, because they come to a forum which is no longer desperately exciting.

Now I hope you'll prove me wrong.
 
Or CFS3 is not widely distributed any more + lack of support from MS. Or a combination of that + most people are into flash instead of substance, hence the arcade style jet sims that seem to be abundant now.

I noticed at my local Fry's store about a year ago that CFS3 had vanished from the shelves (was still around $30 then). Oddly enough it reappeared about two months ago and has maintained about 10 copies on the shelf since (now about $20).
 
Waning will eventually come, whether it is now or sometime in the future. Personally I hope it is not know, as although most of the small amount of time I have spare to fly is done on-line with the Boys of 60 on IL2, I still enjoy CFS3 when I get the chance.

Someone here used to have as their moniker "browse often, post seldom" which sums up my input here at SOH right now. I check on the CFS3 and FSX forums here normally once a day, but don't post that often.

To those who helped develop CFS3 to where it is today, and to those that will develop it in the future I say thankyou. It would have been more than nice if O1 was allowed to help take MAW a bit further, and therefore keeps its flame alive longer, but ETO and Solomons aren't bad substitutes.

cheers gents
Murray
 
Don't forget the impact of the forum crashes and MS pulling the plug on the game server. People may have thought that it was all over for the sim and put it away for good. Someone who only, and infrequently, visited Netwings for example would not know what had happened.

Of course we know better, but not everyone has the patience to wait for things to reappear.
 
Nigel,

Most people don't like negativity in forums and simply go away when it exists. Sometimes even close families need breathing room, as they say familiarity breeds comtempt. I think the new Solomons/PTO Korea forum will be a breath of fresh air and I can guarantee everyone that there will be nothing negative ever on that forum.

Interest in CFS3 is not waning it is growing and the new PTO forum will be a very hot forum. When players see what the team has in store for them it will blow them away. Beyond PTO there will be new theatres being developed with new and exciting things happening in weapons development and a new PBY and Sunderland from Ted for ETO and PTO..

I was gone for several months and so was Bob but it was not a lack of interest that was keeping us away. We can't live in the past. MAW as a development vehicle is dead so we must look elsewhere for opportunities to create and build interest and enthusiasm.

Sometimes people need a little space and a change of venue to recharge their batteries.

I have a different perspective for the future of CFS 3 and it is bright, very bright indeed. Prior to the next updates for ETO and PTO we will be doing some marketing to increase interest. Current Downloads of ETO are very large (right Kasey) and will continue to grow.

Best Regards

Steve
 
Sorry for the folllow up reply but I forgot to add that people have different interests based on their background. There are a lot of US player/fans who have a strong interest in the Pacific and in Korea. We have not done justice to their interests. The Pacific theatre will also allow us to generate new interest for British, Aussie, and New Zealand members.

Europe does not hold the same level of interest for everyone and also a change of pace is always a good thing.

One forum cannot do justice to these broad interests.

Steve
 
Maybe the reduced level of forum use has something to do with the release of the ETO add on plus it's updates and the additional missions and other add ons that have subsequently been made available to SOH members........personally, I spend much more time now flying missions and campaigns in that glorious ETO theater than posting or reading threads here at the forums.........or tweaking and re-tweaking the scenery and texture budgets in the quest for graphical perfection........

Or.....maybe it's that time of the year when more folks are outside enjoying the warm sun and long daylight hours and less time riveted to the chair in front of the computer........
 
The interest IMHO is not waning at all. The reason I have not been posting that much is dew to the server meltdown. Because of the meltdown I spent less time on line at SOH and more time flying the missions in ETO, MAW, PTO, OFF and DPC_KS. I still have not flown all the missions in these sims.
I am still amazed at the fine sims that the members of this form have put to gather and look forward to the new things that are in the works for PTO,ETO and KS. For me it is hard to say witch is my fravert sim, When I think one sim is better then the others I will fly another and change my thinking,
Thy are all very good flight sims one just as good as the other.
Thank you to the members of SOH that have made CFS3 what it is today
THE BEST!
flyer01:medals:
 
With ETO not only the project leader gave updates here but members also let people know what was going on and put up screenies of new developments.I'm sure the same will be done with PTO team members as we go along.


Talon
 
I should've added that I don't believe interest is RAPIDLY falling off, but CFS3 generally has fewer uploads here when compared to the other sims.
When there are dry spells here and not much is being uploaded or new addon-ons are not being discussed, there seems to be fewer posts. The "regulars" know to stick around and wait (and maybe not post), there's some cool stuff on the way.
 
FOO FIGHTER said:
I should've added that I don't believe interest is RAPIDLY falling off, but CFS3 generally has fewer uploads here when compared to the other sims.
Click to expand...

This point has been made before, but the fact is that CFS3 ploughs its own furrow as far as building new models is concerned. FS9 is not too dissimilar to FS8 and CFS2 is not too different from FS8, but CFS3 is different.


Plus there's the sheer amount of work to produce a decent CFS3 model. Compared to FS8 or 9 add in:-
  • LODs (levels of detail) for varying resolutions of your model at a distance. Multiple aircraft in the visible sky are routine for us, not a cool extra: even the most hardcore gaming rig would stutter if the resolution could not be turned down. Each of these LODs also have to be mapped for the skin to show.
  • Damage model to build and code in the .XDP, with a corresponding .MOS file to show the damage on the model.
  • Weapons, pylons and loadouts to organise with lots more effects than a non-combat FS model.
And not forgetting the terse and sometimes defective SDK documentation (you can do this, but we're not going to tell you how; here's a couple of crappy models, go figure it out yourself).

Taking all these into consideration, I can only feel respect and admiration for the really productive modellers like Nacht.
 
I realize that and meant no disrespect to anyone who makes aircraft. I'm very thankfull those folks are still here making models for us to enjoy. The mod'ers have made CFS3 what it is today. But dry spells are dry spells no matter the cause. It just may be fewer uploads = no new topics to discuss and fewer posts as a result.
 
Never Gone!

I will certainly be the first one to say,if there is ANYTHING I can do to
keep this site,or any other thats in SOF's interest burning bright,let
me know. Still in the early stages of knowing how to build great CFS3
missions,and if I knew anything about building planes,I'd be putting mine out there for everyone to enjoy.

Been playing simulations for awhile now,just didnt really get into serious flight simulation untill AHII where it was then I really started putting in the hours and spending time with squadees,(some who I still talk to now).

It would be sad indeed to see our great CFS sites lost to time
because of,"Lack-of-Interest". But then again,maybe its more like
the caterpillar,it doesnt dissappear,it just takes on a "New-Form".:jump:
 
I fall into the catergory of "browse often, post seldom". I think this site is one of the better flight sim sites out there and the people who contribute and help to keep CFS3 alive are doing a fantastic job and I thank them very much. (ditto for CFS2)

I donate to various sites to help them keep going ( very happy to do this -- must keep this hobby alive!) and have bought many add ons for all the CSF series and MS2004.
However I have been spending most of my time flying BoB2 Wings of Victory and have little time left over for anything else.

I did try the MAW and the ETO for cfs3 but I don't fly them much at all now. The issue for me with these add-ons is the flight modelling. The standard FMs are bad-- they really kill the immersion. I would be happy to pay for these add ons if they also contained better FMs-- maybe cut a deal with AV History and package their FMs with ETO/MAW etc. I really don't want to have to get into the sim programs and tweak various folders etc to make all the changes to get the FM correct.

I don't want to get into comparsions between sims but one of the reasons why BoB2 has all my attention is that the FM/dogfighting etc is the best that is out there and when I fly cfs3 - the poor FM just kills the enjoyment for me after BoB2.

However that is just my opinion-- I will continue to support this site and others with donations etc and will continue to buy payware etc-- as I want this hobby to continue-- afterall look at what happened at Microsoft and the ACEs team. The hobby's future is now in the hands of sites like this and those wonderful people who produce all the fantastic add-ons for this genre.

thank you all
cheers
chuck
 
Hi Chuck,

The FM in the ETO are mostly AvHistory stuff. the stock CFS3planes still have stock FM but that will change for the next update, but the 170 odd extra planes all have modified FM's as they are standalones of AvHistory, GroundCrew and Reg's hangers planes all of which have updated FM files. its the same for MAW.

regards Rob.
 
Chuckcrc, the FMs in MAW are all AvHistory 4.00 standard - that is the highest degree of fidelity yet reached in CFS. In ETO, they are either 4.00 or 2.XX (there was no 3.00) which means that they are very, very close. The stock flight models are not used in either add-on, except as Rob states above in ETO. Just thought you'd like to know...
 
honestly, I've lost interest in the sim.
I still make models and make them for CFS3 but am waiting for another WW2 sim to come along.
don't think MS will ever do another one.
 
Well then Jon, how about releasing some of that huge stockpile of models? Otherwise they'll be for nothing, and that would be a waste. If they're not quite perfect, they're certainly close enough.
 
Well .....

I am making my models to be used in several sims now. I will always be loyal to CFS3 first and foremost, but IL2 has been opened up to folks and adding airplanes, objects, maps, and such is just beginning to emerge. The FM's are also being improved.

That being said I have decided to make a committment to finish the projects I have started on NJG facilities and operations, a few planes, and then I rest for a bit.

There is strong interest in the sim despite its annoying limitations. It is just very different now. Enough people have been alienated for a number of reasons, clashes have occurred, but that is just normal social interaction and progress.

Enough on this, John is waiting to paint the Ju388 and Mongoose is waiting to develop the Himmelbett and and NJG night operations.

To all fathers out there celebrate what you have done and what you will do!

Pauke Pauke!
 
I hear you! I've got the open version of IL-2, but it is a bit disappointing, so far at least. SF, as I've already said, is good for what it was designed for, and IMHO, CFS3 is best for what it was designed for. I needed a rest, too, in fact. And to stop the feeling of being overloaded with commitments.
 
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