For real : Alphasim c-17 is out

[ryanbatc]

Ok. Pet peeve of mine. If you're going to take screenshots of your product PLEASE make sure you have AA turned on. Those jaggies make me less interested in the product.

Other than that the exterior model looks decent. Except the engine nacelles which look poorly modeled because you can actually see the vertices (ie the engines aren't smoothly modeled or round)

And then you have the fact that there is no VC at the moment. If they promise it will come within a year, I might go for it. But if its going to turn into one of those "it should be here in a few months......"

No thanks....the DA Fokker was to have a VC and I don't see one yet.

And finally 60 bucks. I can buy the F1 Mustang (already have it) for 55 bucks USD and it comes with a VC and incredible G1000 simulation. Or the PMDG J41 for even less....

30$ would be better for this thing unless they can absolutely deliver on the VC within the short time specified.

AND EDIT: How is this off topic? I'm right on the topic, "Alphasim c-17 is out"

[Kiwikat]

AND EDIT: How is this off topic? I'm right on the topic, "Alphasim c-17 is out"

I believe he was talking about all of the alphasim and/or ex-alphasim developers commenting on my post. (and perhaps my post and the post that I responded to)

Lets drag er back on topic now.

[gajit]

Any producer who would launch a product this way would get moaned at. I fail to see why anyone is surprised at the reaction.

[kilo delta]

AND EDIT: How is this off topic? I'm right on the topic, "Alphasim c-17 is out"

Because it turned into YAABT* soon after the OP posted the thread. Has anyone bought this yet? Is it a good model? How are the flight dynamics? Does it come with decent sounds?
Granted, the price is steep considering it doesn't have a vc yet...but that's up to the developer to set and it's our choice to pay up for it...or not. The original fsx'd CS 727 seemed to sell well enough without a vc.



*Yet Another Alphasim Bashing Thread


:ernae:

[piperarcherpilot]

Please don't construe that I'm bashing AS. They are free to charge whatever price they feel is warranted. I, as a consumer, am allowed to voice my opinion (such as I would if it were any other product manufacturer) and choose whether to buy or not to buy.

If, as you predict, add-on aircraft reach $150 or more per add-on then I cannot see much of a future for that particular aspect of the hobby. IMO that is just too much to justify spending on a casual pastime. Others may feel differently with regard to their disposable income but I fear they are a small minority.

I agree with this completely! I completely understand the complexity and expectations of today's addons has skyrocketed. Just so its clear, I'm not 'bashing' AlphaSim either; I dont know why anyone would do that. They're free to do business as they like. They're not the power company; we're not forced to buy their product at the price they set.

However, I find it very unsettling<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cadv-ws%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_file list.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026"/> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext="edit"> <o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> to see the ever increasing price of FSX addons, and hope it will subside as the economic (fingers crossed) conditions begin to improve. We wouldnt be having this conversation if the price wasnt unsettling to others, too.

There is a threshold that the average 'flightsim hobbiest' is willing to pay for an addon (with a few individuals being the exception, as always) and I think we may be approaching that threshold. And thats a very bad thing for this hobby - at least payware.

So the real concern should be - what, if anything, can developers do differently to adapt to this bloating time commitment, retain quality, and keep costs reasonable for the consumer? Not an easy one...

[ColoKent]

...in business. Apparently AS needed the money.

Kent

[UKMIL]

i find it hard to grasp that you pay as much for 1 addon, in this case, not completed, as we would pay for the entire FSX program.

[centuryseries]

And then you have the fact that there is no VC at the moment. If they promise it will come within a year, I might go for it. But if its going to turn into one of those "it should be here in a few months......"

No thanks....the DA Fokker was to have a VC and I don't see one yet.

We have no reason to doubt that the VC will arrive soon. My understanding is that it's not too far from being finished.

It begs the question as to why any developer would work on the VC for that long only to give up? Exactly they wouldn't. Imagine the stick they'd get then - no dev would want to go through it!

Personally I think the modelling is first rate. If the engine nacelles were more rounded and smooth (which to be honest you don't notice unless you zoom right in) it would affect FPS on such a large type, minimising the number of polys used and using modelling techniques that show off detail yet reduce draw calls is the name of the game.

[centuryseries]

i find it hard to grasp that you pay as much for 1 addon, in this case, not completed, as we would pay for the entire FSX program.

Oh here we go again - how many times will this arguement reappear!

FSX sells tens of thousands (at least).

FS addon aircraft - you're lucky if you sell a thousand over a few years.

There's simply no comparison.

[Kiwikat]

Oh here we go again - how many times will this arguement reappear!

FSX sells tens of thousands (at least).

FS addon aircraft - you're lucky if you sell a thousand over a few years.

There's simply no comparison.

Besides that, there are plenty addons that merit such high price tags. The PMDG MD-11 is one that immediately comes to mind.

[pierre]

A model without a VC is a no go for me these days. Sad as I work on the real bird.

And they got the NATO Heavy Airlift Wing scheme wrong. SAC01 and SAC02 are currently at the Wing here at Pápa AB in Hungary and pictures are easily available.

Hi Jens, the Nato SAC isn't release yet, so i can correct it for the 1.1 release, the pictures you are speaking weren't available when i do that scheme, it was like a semi-fictionnal one....

[djscoo]

Oh here we go again - how many times will this arguement reappear!

FSX sells tens of thousands (at least).

FS addon aircraft - you're lucky if you sell a thousand over a few years.

There's simply no comparison.

Flight Sim and Train Sims are the only games I know of where charging more for the add-ons than you did for the game is considered acceptable. I was looking at Railworks!, a train simulator, and every add-on was released by the original developer, and each cost ~$50. If you look at other popular games, (Arma II, Team Fortress, Half-life/Counter-Strike) you'd see a very active add-on/modding community where nearly everything is distributed for free.

[centuryseries]

Flight Sim and Train Sims are the only games I know of where charging more for the add-ons than you did for the game is considered acceptable. I was looking at Railworks!, a train simulator, and every add-on was released by the original developer, and each cost ~$50. If you look at other popular games, (Arma II, Team Fortress, Half-life/Counter-Strike) you'd see a very active add-on/modding community where nearly everything is distributed for free.

Thats what makes flight sim unique.

Most of the mods I've seen for FPS games whether they're maps or objects have generally been worse than the original developers creations in some way, whereas with flight sim most of the addons we buy are better/more complicated than the original producers creations.

Take airfields as a good example. People that produce airfields for FS immediately improve on the originals, whereas a game like Half Life 2 or Crysis have building detail/Landscape mastered right out of the box.

[forgeknight]

This thread will go the same way the warbird p51 thread did. Consumers vs. Producers. Here is my thought as a consumer, if you put something out that I dont like, I wont buy it. And I have the right to say why and then express my reasons.
If you as a Producer have your feelings hurt, then you can A. Ignore my opinion B. correct the issue in the future C. Quit. But there are other producers out there who will step in to fill the void you leave, so pout about the amount of time you work, and how hard it is if you wish, but best start looking around, your not the only ones who work hard hours for little pay and it takes a bit of work if you wish to convince me, the consumer, that your product is worth my hard earned cash over your competitions.

[Ian Warren]

Not an issue , everyone has been hounding Alpha for a release , no hesitation here !
BOEINGS C17 Globemaster III <!--sizec--><!--/sizec--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Well a long plus years release and its still not finished





<!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Jeepers .. a test flight requires test colours <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->











At $81NZ , quite steep for this model so far , so it will be interesting to see what the VC has to offer ! , the update of course will be free

www.<!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_8249662-->nzff.org

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[JIMJAM]

Looks great!
Tell you what. I will send 1/2 of my credit card number for the plane as it is. Then I will "update" the remaining numbers when the cockpit is completed.

[N2056]

Looks great!
Tell you what. I will send 1/2 of my credit card number for the plane as it is. Then I will "update" the remaining numbers when the cockpit is completed.

Classic!

[gajit]

LOL

[ryanbatc]

Because it turned into YAABT* soon after the OP posted the thread. Has anyone bought this yet? Is it a good model? How are the flight dynamics? Does it come with decent sounds?

We don't know, it's too costly at the current pricepoint without a VC.

oops edit: apparently ian bought it

[Slug Flyer]

Too costly with a VC.

[Jetmechanic]

I will be passing on this one. $60 for an external model is a complete joke.

True that. $60 dollars is to much for me. I will be waiting for area51sim C-17. I know there C-5 is looking awesome.

[Bjoern]

Most of the mods I've seen for FPS games whether they're maps or objects have generally been worse than the original developers creations in some way, whereas with flight sim most of the addons we buy are better/more complicated than the original producers creations.

I hope you're kidding.

The quality range of mods for FSX is just as wide as the one for every other shooter/game out there. And in terms of complexity, mods like Forgotten Hope for Battlefield 1942 and that LotR total conversion for Rome:Total War are at least on par with stuff like PMDG's MD-11.

The reason we've got payware is mainly that we've got a target audience willing to pay for it in the first place. Aviation enthusiasts may be 10-100 years old, but the highest percentage is at least well into their 30s with a job and a credit card, while the modding community for other games has its focus mostly on my age group. An age group that's mostly busy studying and thus having no money to spend on virtual stuff (or they're not willing to).

A (weak) second reason for selling payware may be getting the money back in for reading materials and trips to museums for research. I still wonder though why this has to be justified with monetary compensation if making FSX add-ons is widely considered a labor of love and passion - just like every other hobby out there.

Anyways, I better stop now.

[Major_Spittle]

This thread will go the same way the warbird p51 thread did. Consumers vs. Producers. Here is my thought as a consumer, if you put something out that I dont like, I wont buy it. And I have the right to say why and then express my reasons.
If you as a Producer have your feelings hurt, then you can A. Ignore my opinion B. correct the issue in the future C. Quit. But there are other producers out there who will step in to fill the void you leave, so pout about the amount of time you work, and how hard it is if you wish, but best start looking around, your not the only ones who work hard hours for little pay and it takes a bit of work if you wish to convince me, the consumer, that your product is worth my hard earned cash over your competitions.

This is spot on and while I wish developers could get rich for their hard work these $60 add-ons for a $50 game are killing me. So many great products out there I would like to get but can't, thus developers lose out on getting my $$$ altogether. My "cheap" hobby now is more expensive than me getting back into RC flight if I get more than 3-4 of these $60 add-ons a year.

It sometimes seem like those who don't pirate the work are just the wipping posts for these companies. I find it hard to believe that if prices were lowered from $60 to $15 that companies wouldn't sell 4 times as many birds.

[Panther_99FS]

Remember folks...
The easiest & least controversial option is to wait until the V/C version is released & then make your assessment

[Pepere]

I find it hard to believe that if prices were lowered from $60 to $15 that companies wouldn't sell 4 times as many birds.

You get my vote. Many addons i pass on for that reason too.

David