A lot of people who go commercial do so because the cost (in both time and money) to stay freeware is becoming too much.Add the constant battering they get from others about (often perceived) faults in their products (which far outweighs the amount of positive feedback that does arrive) and getting some money for your effort becomes a very attractive proposition indeed.The days are gone when you could hack something together in an evening and the entire community was in awe.Todays FS user typically expects a photoreal model with every smallest detail exact in shape size and position, a virtual cockpit of the same quality with crystal clear gauges that actually work, a full 2D panel with custom autopilot, nav and com units, displays and what not, photoreal paintjobs of several realworld liveries, and a full manual to rival the one released by the manufacturer of the same aircraft. And oh, I forgot to mention flight dynamics that perform to the exacting specs of that user (who has more likely than not incorrect assumptions about how the aircraft should perform and will flame you when you don't fit your FDE to those faulty specs but to the real ones).Development has become a longterm team effort, requiring expensive software and hardware to complete (and probably travel to remote locations and deals with aircraft operators to get the details right).Where a few years ago people were content with an aircraft that looked more or less like a 3-view drawing from a magazine, today they want one that looks more realistic than one produced from the original blueprints from the manufacturer.Development cost has risen from a few man-hours to many man-month. Think about that next time you complain about a piece of freeware and then go on to complain when that author either goes commercial or stops uploading...

Greg,I highly recommend trying the 421 again. It really is outstanding. The only GA plane I fly!If the 421 is ANY indication of the Meridian's quality, I'll be buying the $29.95 version for sure.Steve

I haven't though of charging for my services becasue I don't feel what I do is enough for me to charge money for it.However, I have done other things in my life where I could have charged for money, but frankly I felt better by doing it for free most of the times.I can't read anyone's mind yet. What I'm saying is that most (ok, some if you want) payware developpers feel they need to be paid for what they do, (for whatever reason, a family to support, they want to buy a house, etc) and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying things how they are, there are two different ways of producing add-ons for FS.I'm not judging anyone though, and I'm not saying I don't buy payware myself becasue I do.My point was, sometimes it's not entirely the amount of work put in a product, but what the developpers feel about their work. No one should be judged for that..And of course there is also love for the community...if they didn't like what they were doing I'm sure they'd find another way to earn money."Think about that next time you complain about a piece of freeware and then go on to complain when that author either goes commercial or stops uploading..."I don't know if that was addressed directly to me, bnut just for the record, I am NOT complaining about anything.It might sound like it, my skills for english are limited, but I am not rating or complaining.....

Bottom line...if you can afford it, you'll buy it, if not, you won't.End of story.(Not really a response to your post, Milio_B, it's the way this Forum handles replies. I didn't want this response buried in the middle of them all.)

Now I'm confused. :-)Is the Meridian by FSD or by Flight 1?

Knowing the ages of some of the better known developers, they range from the late thirties into the fifties. Being in the fifties myself, they're is NO way I'd be spending many months of reserch, programming, and then the expected customer service for the "pure pleasure" of it. It's just FAR too much work these days, that could be spent eleswhere, if there is no profit motive to help make it all worth it & offset the cost's of operation.Sorry, but I don't identify with your post at all. Notice that the majority of super realistic aircraft these days are all payware.............requiring an immense amount of work! Easily getting into the upper hundreds or thousands of hours between the group of developers. There is also overhead cost's such as camera's, graphic programs, etc.And BTW---- I certainly can tell the difference between a one week aircraft and many months worth..L.Adamson

I agree, Larry.The amount of hours some of these developers commit to their projects demands that they release their creations as payware. What they are creating is much more than "an evening of work".These folks have made a full time commitment to creating add-ons. They still must eat, put a roof over their heads, care for their families, etc. Just because they've made the conscious decision to do this work full time shouldn't mean they can't live a normal life.And as business owner, like Larry, I can attest to the overhead costs of taking an endeavor to full time status. Quite often there is facility rent, some level of payroll for support personel, taxes, etc. To devote ones full time to any endeavor brings with it costs that are often not experienced when the endeavor was simply a hobby. If these costs aren't met, then the talent will have no choice but to go elsewhere. Simple fact of life.The price of the Meridian, with all the extras that it offers, seems a bargain to me.

Larry,You are correct, the age may also have something to do with it. Pushing 50-ties I certainly have more dow than a typical college grad. and have resources to appreciate fine things in life ...Michael J.

>Your sensitivity level is either very low ... I agree with you on that and I take it as a compliment sir (read it very carefully).Fermin - fsadventures.net][/b

Hey peoples, in my opinion, users should be left to decide for themselves whether it is worth the money or not. Not being rich to any degree, the two pieces of payware I have were given to me in a competition and as a gift only, so I must say I have no experience in purchasing payware and then thinking of if it is worth it or not.But what I do know is, Flight Simulator 2002 is the most expensive game (sorry, I don't know what else to call it - call it a "simulator"? I only have two simulators - so pleeease don't bash me! :-( ) I have ever asked my Dad to buy. There are definitely people out there who would say something about Flight Simulator that was said above about this Meridian payware package - "No matter how good this game Flight Simulator is, it is not going to be worth the money." I trust that no one who takes part in this forum would agree to this. Why? Because it is a "game" that would last for the whole two years. What other game have you bought that would last you two years?? For me, none. Not even one year, let alone two. So to be mathematical, divide the price for which you have purchased the simulator by the number of days you would be using it. Do the same with, and compare this number (cost per day) with any of your other games. I am sure that most of you will find that Flight Simulator is of much better value than even your five-dollar puzzle games.So, do the mathematics and ask yourself the same thing with the Meridian package. Decide it for yourself only, and don't listen to others that may affect your judgement. Only you yourself know if it is worth it or not.(Sorry, I'm a maths nerd... :()http://www.geocities.co.jp/HiTeens-Panda/5...sig20021226.gif

Well said Kitty. Return on investment is the word here.I also wonder why many of those same people would gladly spend that same amount of money in a few hours getting stone drunk in pubs, only to be arrested for drunken driving and having to pay even more in fines :-lol

I hate to say it, but I haven't bought the SF260 either. I'd really love to "fly" it a couple of times just to see what all the fuss is about. :-) Maybe one day. Good luck to you, Dave!_____________________________Jeff S. KDTW

>>PS; I'm very glad this thread has maintained a very cordial tone. I've grown very tired of slug fests. I'll .... "third" that. ;-)_____________________________Jeff S. KDTW

>>What other game have you bought that would last you two years?? >>For me, none. Not even one year, let alone two.Well for me its also FS2002. But there is actually another: CounterStrike. These are the only two games that I will play for that long. And of course Counterstrike is a hell of a lot cheaper than FS.As for the F1 Meridian, or any other payware product for that matter, I base my decision on whether or not I want the thing, not how expensive it is. I pre-ordered the CS 727 because in my list of favorite aircraft, the 727 is second. (757 727 MD83 Dash8 A320 737). If someone comes out with a comprehensive 757 package and charges $50 for it, I will definitely buy it. Not immediately, but I will over a period of time save money to get it. That's how I operate.Basically, I think that these commercial guys can charge whatever they want for a product. If they are charging too much, they will soon realise it because sales will be really poor. Ariane realised that with their liveries and brought the price down to 5 bucks. So, I think the bottom line is how badly you want the airplane. I fly mostly the commercial jets in FS using real world schedules etc. The meridian is not on my favorite list. If I purchased it, I'll fly around with it for about a week.....two weeks maximum. Then it will gather dust. So, I will not be getting the Meridian for that reason.Having said that, the price set by commercial developers reflect the amount of work that they think they should be compensated for and I dont think its right to question that price. They are the ones that spend the countless hours doing this. I think that the return you get for that price is the most important thing. The number of systems plus the length of time that you actually use the product. Of course, whether or not you can afford it is also important. If you can't afford it immediately then you just cant. That's no reason for the price to be lower.As for the F1 Meridian, the systems look top-notch and I'm sure that the people that love this bird will get a lot of hours of enjoyment from it, making the price quite reasonable in my opinion. Since its not my "cup of tea" then I wont buy it.....but not because of the price.Lagaz

For me, it comes down to time. It seems that I spend less and less time flying FS, and it's getting harder and harder to justify payware purchases. Affording them isn't a problem, wanting them isn't a problem since there are many fine offerings, but I just don't use the programs enough to spend the cash on them. I personally don't see a problem with the price for this package (any version of it). Everyone has to decide for themselves what thier time is worth. For the Meridian, the authors have arrived at a number. Some will pay it, and some won't. What I really hope is that this doesn't lead to "file sharing" (a nice way to put piracy) between people that think that $34.95 is too much.Tim13