Purchase Advice Requested

B

Bookman1960

SOH-CM-2023
Gentlemen,

I'm about to take the plunge and purchase/subscribe to Prepar3D but I'm confused or unclear as to the different options:

Should I purchase the product outright for the 'Academic License' at $59.95

or take the subscription route? If the latter what is the difference between:

$9.95/Month (Professional)
and
$19.95/Month (Professional Plus)

Any advice/help would be appreciated.

Bookman
 
SpaceWeevil said:
All laid out nice and clear on the Lockheed Martin site - just pick the one that suits your needs / wallet / conscience... http://www.prepar3d.com/product-overview/prepar3d-license-comparison/
Click to expand...


Yes, thank you I was already viewing that but I'm unclear as to the difference between them from a user perspective.

Maybe I should rephrase my question to: "As a casual user is the monthly a good idea or just buy the product out right?"

The information seems unclear to me as to whether there is any additional resources in the developer products versus the general academic products -- in terms of what I might miss by not subscribing.

Bookman
 
There are basically two versions of P3D, in terms of content:
- the normal version, which includes the Academic, Professional and Developer licences,
- the "military" version, named Professional Plus, which contains also some kind of alternative TacPack (not made by VRS) in it, to simulate weapons and combat.

For us normal people, the Academic license is the way to go.
For those who intend to generate money with their simulator (with professional activities, like giving lessons/trainings that customers have to pay for), the professionnal licence is required.
The developer licence is nice if you just want to try the sim for a few weeks.

From my side, I went for the Academic licence. The monthly subscription would have been too expensive for me.
And just for your information, the discussions about "which licence should we choose / which license is legit for me" are quite sensible on the various forums (not only here) and usually we try to avoid them. As you could recognize already, the definition of these licences is a bit confusing, and the way to interpret them is always a source of trouble, that's why it's better to avoid talking about them as much as possible ;)
 
Thank you for clarifying things.

Not sure why the topic is sensitive but I think I have enough information now to make a decision.

Thank you again.
 
This is my personal preference.

Since P3D is a work in progress and constantly changing, I avoid buyers remorse by "renting" the $9.95 version. I've been doing this since the first release.
If you are a developer, you may want to look at the $19.95 version.

I'm a developer, and am quite satisfied with the subscription I use. Updates are free, I always have the most current revision.

This requires a certain strategy, because you will be installing updates and new versions every few months. I don't mind this and have developed a fairly efficient system for storing settings and other bits that I want to transfer to the new build.

It also is a good way to clear out any confusing bits that may find their way into your sim when various addons are introduced.

Works good for me, but not necessarily for everyone.

IMO
 
gman5250 said:
This is my personal preference.

Since P3D is a work in progress and constantly changing, I avoid buyers remorse by "renting" the $9.95 version. I've been doing this since the first release.
If you are a developer, you may want to look at the $19.95 version.

I'm a developer, and am quite satisfied with the subscription I use. Updates are free, I always have the most current revision.

This requires a certain strategy, because you will be installing updates and new versions every few months. I don't mind this and have developed a fairly efficient system for storing settings and other bits that I want to transfer to the new build.

It also is a good way to clear out any confusing bits that may find their way into your sim when various addons are introduced.

Works good for me, but not necessarily for everyone.

IMO
Click to expand...


Hmmm!

I am used to the idea of subscription services and the benefits of updates (via a number of other digital products/services) so I may opt for that now. I'll think about it and pull the trigger tonight.

Thank you both, gentlemen for your insights.

Bookman
 
Just to make it clear: with the professional or academic licence, you also get the updates for free.
But you have to buy a new licence for a new version of the simulator.

For example, if you bought P3D v3.0 when it became available, you got the 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 (current version) updates and all the hotfixes for free.
But you will have to pay to get a new licence for P3D v4.0 when it will become available (hopefully soon :p ).
 
Bookman1960 said:
Yes, thank you I was already viewing that but I'm unclear as to the difference between them from a user perspective.

Maybe I should rephrase my question to: "As a casual user is the monthly a good idea or just buy the product out right?"

The information seems unclear to me as to whether there is any additional resources in the developer products versus the general academic products -- in terms of what I might miss by not subscribing.

Bookman
Click to expand...

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be glib. The issue is only a minefield because LM absolutely don't sell P3D as an entertainment product, yet that's how many many people see and use it. Anyway, best of both worlds may be to go with the monthlly Dev' licence for now - firstly to see if you like it, and secondly to avoid having to pay twice if V4.0 comes out in the next few months. There's no functional or content difference between the standard monthly developer and academic versions, and it's easy to cancel the subscription if you change your mind :)
 
SpaceWeevil said:
Sorry, I wasn't trying to be glib. The issue is only a minefield because LM absolutely don't sell P3D as an entertainment product, yet that's how many many people see and use it. Anyway, best of both worlds may be to go with the monthlly Dev' licence for now - firstly to see if you like it, and secondly to avoid having to pay twice if V4.0 comes out in the next few months. There's no functional or content difference between the standard monthly developer and academic versions, and it's easy to cancel the subscription if you change your mind :)
Click to expand...

Thank you again.

I didn't take your comment as being glib (though in today's crazy web world one could easily do so...sigh -- guess I'm showing my age). I do appreciate the input and yes, I'm aware of the issue about game vs simulation issue associated with the LM product now. As a real-world pilot in training (now lapsed due to medical issues), I look upon the product as a replacement for an activity in which I can no longer fully participate.

Thank you again.

Bookman
 
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