For real : Alphasim c-17 is out

**Lenny** · October 1st, 2009, 00:57

see frontpage Alphasim

Edit: Ok, was an little bit to overwhelming : this version (V1.0) does not include the VC yet, but will be added in the 1.1 update shortly.

**Smudge** · October 1st, 2009, 01:20

OOOO, nearly $60.00 USD and no VC yet... urggghhh, to rich for my tastes... I think I'll wait and see what 1.1 looks like first.. even though I've been waiting for this for a while. :ernae:

Congrats A.S. for releasing her though..

It looks GOOD, and I'm sure it'd go down GREAT with FSPassengersX! lol

**bushpilot** · October 1st, 2009, 01:27

"Demand for this awesome model was so strong that we decided we should not make our customers wait any longer, so we are releasing the finished exterior model package right now..."

"... So 1-2 months should be enough to see the release of version 1.1"

LOL. My own "demand" was actually to buy the whole package finished with VC and with all the bells and whistles. 1-2 months is a bit too long time to spend just staring the exterior model.

**Smudge** · October 1st, 2009, 01:28

Aye, not sure if a 2D is shipped at this stage either...nothign about that on the front page...

**Quixoticish** · October 1st, 2009, 01:34

Call me a cynic but I'll wait until they release a version with a VC before parting with £36.50. I hope for that price it also has a fair amount of systems modelling.

**Smudge** · October 1st, 2009, 01:41

Me too... give me an FMC and an order of fries please..

hehe...

**calypsos** · October 1st, 2009, 02:32

You have got to be 'having a laugh' Alphasim, how about Boeing releasing the 787 Dreamliner to the launch customer..without seats! Or Ford releasing a new car model with wheels!!

This sounds like 'cashflow meltdown' to me and I hope will not see the end of one of my favourite add-on developers of the past 10 years!

**jeansy** · October 1st, 2009, 02:33

good old alphasim, theyre top notch when they think of the customer

i guess this move could have them being nominated for the darwin awards

**Kavehpd** · October 1st, 2009, 02:48

[LINESTRIKE]More than three times the price of A2A Piper Cub, €25 more than Albatros[/LINESTRIKE]...for a half arsed aircraft. EDIT: misread AUD for EURO.

I've been waiting for this bird since ages ago. But now with this BS, they can keep to themselves for as long as they desire, thank you very much.

Back to hibernation mode...

***noddy*** · October 1st, 2009, 03:15

Guess AS can't win either way, release it now or wait even longer and get pressure 'cos it's not ready!

***Ferry_vO*** · October 1st, 2009, 03:30

Originally Posted by Kavehpd

More than three times the price of A2A Piper Cub, €25 more than Albatros

?? It's twice the price of the A2A Cub for me, and only three Euro's more if I get the Accu-sim for the Cub too, and less than two Euro's more than the Albatros (assuming you mean the L-39, not the HU-16), thanks to the VAT we Europeans have to pay..
The exterior model is the best rendition of a C-17 I have seen so far, but I'll wait until the VC is added before I make a decision. If they can deliver what they've promised it should be a relative bargain compared to other airliners with a high degree of functionality. Compare the price to a PMDG or a full pack of Captain Sim models!

IMHO no need for rude comments on this one gents! AS get to decide their own business strategy, and we all get to decide what to do with our own money. There's no need to buy anything if you do not want to!
There are a few freeware models around that may or may not work in FsX, and I believe UKMil is working on a VC for their freeware model..?

**Kavehpd** · October 1st, 2009, 04:05

Originally Posted by Ferry_vO

?? It's twice the price of the A2A Cub for me, and only three Euro's more if I get the Accu-sim for the Cub too, and less than two Euro's more than the Albatros (assuming you mean the L-39, not the HU-16), thanks to the VAT we Europeans have to pay..
The exterior model is the best rendition of a C-17 I have seen so far, but I'll wait until the VC is added before I make a decision. If they can deliver what they've promised it should be a relative bargain compared to other airliners with a high degree of functionality. Compare the price to a PMDG or a full pack of Captain Sim models!

IMHO no need for rude comments on this one gents! AS get to decide their own business strategy, and we all get to decide what to do with our own money. There's no need to buy anything if you do not want to!
There are a few freeware models around that may or may not work in FsX, and I believe UKMil is working on a VC for their freeware model..?

Aaah, I misread the AUD price tag, next to Euro (66.5). Sorry about that.

Still, I personally would not pay until I see the final product. C-17 has been on my list for a very very long time. This release does not change anything.

**Pepere** · October 1st, 2009, 05:50

Is this a true FSX so I could stick a 747 VC in it? I won't buy it at that price without seeing complete package anyway. Should be 1/2 that without VC and pay more when VC is available - do we get a refund if you don't finish the VC NO! Or it takes another two years to complete NO! You need a marking consultant big time.

My $0.02 for what it's worth.

David

**gera** · October 1st, 2009, 06:12

No VC!!!!...No Buy-e!!!!!!!!!...no way-e....................like some general said sometime ago "Nuts"!!!!

gajit · October 1st, 2009, 06:15

Originally Posted by noddy

Guess AS can't win either way, release it now or wait even longer and get pressure 'cos it's not ready!

I try to resist bashing AS - but they definately wont win doing it this way.

**JIMJAM** · October 1st, 2009, 06:17

:toilet:

In 1-2 months there might not be a economy.
Someone has big ol hanging hairy bal** to stoop to this old CS ploy.
Freakin hillarious.
Ive spent tons of money with the old Alphasim so I do not consider it bashing.

**forgeknight** · October 1st, 2009, 06:41

Wow, I think for $60 bucks I want a bit more then a shiny outside and opening doors. To many developers have pushed the bar higher to settle for lower at this point. And I was under the impression this was a flight sim community, how many of us spend our time flying from the outside? An aircraft with out a VC is just not acceptable for payware, sorry AS but this kind of activity makes a person ask questions....

dhl1986 · October 1st, 2009, 06:45

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

**Lateral-G** · October 1st, 2009, 06:56

Originally Posted by JIMJAM

:toilet:
Ive spent tons of money with the old Alphasim so I do not consider it bashing.

I have too. I used to be a big fan of AS but within the past year and a half nothing they have really trips my trigger and their pricing is pushing me further away.

I want a good C-17 in FSX but I prefer to buy a complete package without having to wait for incremental releases. Same reason I'm not getting the CS 727. Until the package includes a VC I won't buy anything. Plus at the price they are asking I also want correctly modeled systems (like A2A, Aerosoft, Lotus or IRIS does). It seems some of these other design houses can release a good visual model along with systems modeling for a better price.........

I'm not bashing AS and Phil is going to do what Phil wants to do....always has and always will. But I will make damn sure for $60 it's worth it before I buy from AS...

-G-

**piperarcherpilot** · October 1st, 2009, 07:10

Yikes.

They state on their website that development costs were unusually high and they unfortunately had to pass this on to the customer. I do understand this, its just got to be disappointing to be AS staff and read this thread. And it worries me to see pricing increasing like this across the board. A year from now, will the average add-on cost $100? The model itself does look pretty nice, thats for sure! And I bet the jet overall is going to be a very nice add-on when its all finished...however (and unfortunately), I too am not going to be buying it. I've been following the project since it was announced and think the C-17 is an amazing aircraft thats sorely needed in the FSX world, but I just cannot justify an unfinished aircraft for that price tag. Maybe not even when it is finished - they're going to really have to sell this one to me. Hmm...

***Txmmy83*** · October 1st, 2009, 07:12

final version would be a must purchase product but at the moment it is not!

I wait for the finished version!

BR
Tom
Long term Alphasim Customer

**UKMIL** · October 1st, 2009, 08:15

well the UKMIL one HAS a VC and is out now too, although only to CLUB MEMBERS for BETA testing. it will be freely available very soon tho:ernae:

**BS-CAT** · October 1st, 2009, 08:35

Originally Posted by UKMIL

well the UKMIL one HAS a VC and is out now too, although only to CLUB MEMBERS for BETA testing. it will be freely available very soon tho:ernae:

I'm waiting for the free version...

**polygoon** · October 1st, 2009, 08:36

A year from now, will the average add-on cost $100?

I think you opened up a very interesting question here.

I remember buying CD's from the VIP Group with dozens of aircraft on them for FS 98. The wheels were octagons and the landing gear popped in or out and had no wells, the flaps were not yet animated, neither were the control surfaces, and the canopies were still opaque and no doors were there to open.
At that time no one even knew what a vc is.
I remember a comment on the Hercules that was included in that package, that it took over 100 hours to put that thing together.

If we fast forward to today - 100 hours is just enough to model, animate and texture the landing gear!

Customer demand is driving the developers to try harder and harder, there are guys out there now who visit airports to get into cockpits of airplanes armed with a ruler to measure every button in the cockpit.
The time that is necessary to put an aircraft together for FS these days is absolutely insane and it will only get worse.
Buying the Hercules package from a well known developer today will already set you back about $150.00, never mind $100.00 a year from now.

Any FS add-on today has to be an absolute work of art before people even want to look at it. Every screw has to be painted, and in the vc even modeled, man I tell you, this is getting absolutely nuts.

Back in the days of FS 98 it took one guy over 100 hours (2 work weeks) to churn out a state-of the art FS model, now it takes a team of six to eight guys half a year, that's an increase in terms of man-hours of 140 to 1

But, as you are all aware, the price of add-ons has not risen 140 times. That gives you an idea who has to swallow that difference in work versus income. It is certainly not the customer.
Even if the price goes up five times (lets say from $20 in FS98 days to $100 today), the developers work 28 times harder for every buck than they did in the good old FS98 days (if my math is right...:redf: ).

Now, that's for a model that costs $100.
But as you will have noticed, the C-17 does not cost $100.

I let you figure out, how much less the developers get per buck in this case...

So, my point is - even if you don't feel like buying the C-17 right now, at least be easy on the guys at Alpha.