So This is One Reason I Don't Often Go Payware

[SkippyBing]

Freeware also has the advantage that if they don't think something is ready to release they don't have to. Payware on the other hand can't spend forever testing and tweaking, at some point they'll have to release it or go out of business.

[PushinPolys]

Yes I totally agree but you still have to be reasonably "time scaled" to achieve anything. I know of several designers of freeware that had a 98% product done but was put on the shelve because of rapid developments from one Sim version to another and also as you point out they do not have to release. How many decent payware or freeware scenery is out there for FSX? I have the opinion that good quality freeware for FSX is slowing down to a halt because of the amount of work involved - or the modeller goes payware evetually.

[SkippyBing]

Yes I totally agree but you still have to be reasonably "time scaled" to achieve anything

Well you did until the end of last week!

[DaveB]

But one thing you must remember is that most (not all) free ware projects use what in effect was pay ware gauges, effects and also FDE's that where originally developed for a pay ware product.

I'm glad that was qualified with (not all) or things could have got messy It could also be said that certain 'freeware' items end up on payware releases too, often without the original authors permission ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[PushinPolys]

Well you did until the end of last week!

What I do last week?

[SkippyBing]

I just meant with the closing of ACES there's less of a time constraint as the sim isn't going to change any time soon.

[PushinPolys]

I do not think the closing of ACES will be permanent - more like the good old days of "cut backs" under certain PM's here in England in the late 60's and 70's. It is more a case of Lay Off the "skilled but not quite in demand" staff rather than kick em out and lock the door. To be honest the development, service packs, SDK and direction of FSX did leave a big "where the **ck are we going with this" on most minds and then to publicly announce last year that what you have is what you get and we ain't gonna sort out any more reported bugs and after all that combine what in effect was 2 different products into one (Gold) and also finally realise that it is not going to make Vista any more popular regarding the fact of the DX10 Preview mode to entice people into committing themselves to not only a new version of the Sim game but also forcing them almost to upgrade the operating system and purchase new hardware to boot.
Me I'm glad that we have something we can work with now and not have to be blackmailed into purchasing the O/S and required hardware to run it. Never has a game ever dictated what you should have and what it should run on and have developers (free and pay) having to guess the next move.
Bring back FS5 and DOS
OFFTOPIC
OK now where is me Vodka!

[Nigel H-J]

Bit of a broad statement I think. It suggests that freeware get it correct where as pay ware does not.

Again this is down to the way I try to put in comprisons, the freeware that I speak of but was not advertised is that of (cough)!! Dave, Rick and a few others that frequent onto this Forum ( very rarely do I venture further afield), so basically I always use these guys aircraft builds and flyability as a benchmark for other aircraft. Yes it is wrong to use this method as every model is individually built but then again, I suppose I am just a very hard guy to please. :roll:

Regards
Nigel.

[PushinPolys]

But the names you mention would be hard to beat - free or pay ;-) and I have had the fortune to meet most and hope I do so again and work on projects together someday. Hard to please be not a bad thing for most - in fact it is an asset.

[DanKH]

... Never has a game ever dictated what you should have and what it should run on and have developers (free and pay) having to guess the next move...

Actually it is a very well known fact that there will always come a game (and mark I said GAME, not program) that pushes a machine to its limits and perhaps further. Next in round will be the hardware producers trying to catch up with the very demanding games.... more or less always behind.

And why games and not programs? Because for each program (not gamish) that is handed over the table, there goes probably 1000 games! (that is not factual numbers only a qualified guess)

So saying that "never has a game dictated what you should have ...." is actually very wrong.

Btw. where do you think MS gains most earnings? in their Games studio, or in some of the departments that develops new versions of Visual Studio, Office etc? ...

Even the OS has to look and feel like a game nowadays ..... so yes it has actually ALWAYS been a game that dictated what you should have :-)

Just to set things a bit in perspective.