:( Some developers are considering dropping their prices significantly if everyone would BUY their products instead of pirating :( . I personally appreciate what the developers have given the flight sim community. I like to buy as much as I can :( , but I don't have the best computer and I don't want to waste money on things I can't run! I think these developers should offer TRIAL versions more often... It may require some work, but if it means people will start buying... I'd say it would be worth it!What do you think?

You're darn right I pirate FSX stuff. Only I call it "liberating" it. Software wants to be free. These fat-cat FSX developers with their mansions and private 707s. Makes my blood boil just thinking about it. So yeah, I download the stuff to try it out before I fork over my hard-earned cash. Sometimes it takes me months to decide if I want it. A lot of it is garbage anyway, that gets old after two or three years, so off my computer it goes, and I haven't wasted any money.

'Yaaar... piratin! Shiver me timbers Jim lad. Tis nought but proper we gives our trade a noble name such as piratin', lest we be called fer what we really is matey.'Which would be thieves.So nope. Unlike it being quite cool to sail the Spanish Main, live under one of the earliest forms of democracy, where in fact black people were usually treated as equals by their white shipmates, and plunder swag from Spanish conquistadors who were largely a bunch of thieves themselves, thus probably richly deserving of their fate in a lot of cases, I actually don't use stolen software. I do have a long pair of over the knee boots though (yes really, they are very cool, I got then here: www.scaboots.com). Which means I might occasionally be dressed a bit like a pirate, if that counts.Al

:( Some developers are considering dropping their prices significantly if everyone would BUY their products instead of pirating B) . I personally appreciate what the developers have given the flight sim community. I like to buy as much as I can :( , but I don't have the best computer and I don't want to waste money on things I can't run! I think these developers should offer TRIAL versions more often... It may require some work, but if it means people will start buying... I'd say it would be worth it!What do you think?

Well, to be honest you're not going to have much of a discussion with that subject line. Of course anyone who bothers to reply will say NO and condemn piracy - here's your first one :( As this will shortly turn into another general discussion about piracy, I'll just cut the story short.Trial versions and money-back guarantees are a good thing and will promote sales, but they will not cure piracy. Only radical measures like periodic real-time on-line checks of the software are good, and over-the-air gaming where the user does not physically install the software are better.

Jet 1, while I understand the reasoning behind those suggestions, they are simply not the way to go. First, most will not want to have to 'check in' online for a game that they legally bought, it's a hassle and introduces a lot of other questions about the company monitoring your computer...just look at the recent backlash from PC game companies putting in similar measures to try to protect their software. The sad part is, only the honest buyers of the software are really affected, as they pirated versions simply turn all that stuff off and not have to be bothered by it.Second, many people, including myself, like the idea of buying an actual phyical object, ie CD. What happens if auth. severs are down, or company closes? I don't think any of these are truly the answer. Sad truth is, pirating will always be around, so the company needs to make a tight community of followers, give excellent support, and listen to the people, and I'm sure they will sell a lot of their product.

i think you should re-phrase your thread's title. It's gonna give people the wrong impression.What you bring up in your actual thread is very valid and interesting.I agree that trial versions or returns are a good policy...after all, you are paying for a product, and like most products, there are refunds if the customer don't like it. This is why i only buy from Flight1, because they have such a good return policy. If something is offered there, i can just buy it and test it out. If it's cool and run wells on my system, then i keep it. If not, then get your money back....no questions asked. The positive for the developer is that most people will just keep the product anyways....i know i have cuz i'm too lazy or busy to return it...lolCaptain Sim used to offer Trial versions of their planes as well. I remember trying their C-130 before buying (the wings and other parts were missing, but it gives you a good idea of the over-all product)...i don't think they offer this anymore?I agree that some products are too expensive and not reviewed enough for me to fork over the cash. There are some really nice hidden gems out there, but nobody knows about them because they are priced high and lack reviews. If they offered trials, then i think they'll get more sales.As far as piracy...i don't think it's gonna stop anything. If people want to pirate, they will pirate. Most anti-copy protection schemes actually hurt the consumer more than the pirate imo. Trust me, i spent thousands of $$$ per employee i hire on legal software....and the vendors/software are sometimes a pain in the a$$ to register...-feng

You can still download demos from Captain Sim. You can even fly the C130 with trim and differential engine power.

Jet 1, while I understand the reasoning behind those suggestions, they are simply not the way to go. First, most will not want to have to 'check in' online for a game that they legally bought, it's a hassle and introduces a lot of other questions about the company monitoring your computer...just look at the recent backlash from PC game companies putting in similar measures to try to protect their software. The sad part is, only the honest buyers of the software are really affected, as they pirated versions simply turn all that stuff off and not have to be bothered by it.Second, many people, including myself, like the idea of buying an actual phyical object, ie CD. What happens if auth. severs are down, or company closes? I don't think any of these are truly the answer. Sad truth is, pirating will always be around, so the company needs to make a tight community of followers, give excellent support, and listen to the people, and I'm sure they will sell a lot of their product.

HiYour arguments are valid, but unfortunately getting old. While I understand that all people don't want their computer "monitored" or want to have a physical product, well, too bad. It's the only way that can even theoretically work. All methods of copy protection tried so far have failed.People will adjust. It is likely that people will feel resistance to change and some discomfort if the industry went into a "streaming experience" like this, but eventually, they would still play. Have you seen any other REALLY innovative attempts to weed piracy in the entertainment industry than say Spotify or XBox Live, which are very popular?Piracy affects the gaming industry a lot more than say music or movie industry, as all income is based on how many copies are sold. There are no shows or considerable amounts of merchandise to sell, especially in flightsimming. This is why I'm sure the industry will eventually find other means to protect their income than physical or download distribution.What comes to server or connection outages, we've built a society that is so much dependant on internet availability, that eventually, and not long from now it will be as dependable as electricity. When you buy a TV today, do you complain you might not be able to use it if there is a power outage? :(

HiYour arguments are valid, but unfortunately getting old. While I understand that all people don't want their computer "monitored" or want to have a physical product, well, too bad. It's the only way that can even theoretically work. All methods of copy protection tried so far have failed.People will adjust. It is likely that people will feel resistance to change and some discomfort if the industry went into a "streaming experience" like this, but eventually, they would still play. Have you seen any other REALLY innovative attempts to weed piracy in the entertainment industry than say Spotify or XBox Live, which are very popular?Piracy affects the gaming industry a lot more than say music or movie industry, as all income is based on how many copies are sold. There are no shows or considerable amounts of merchandise to sell, especially in flightsimming. This is why I'm sure the industry will eventually find other means to protect their income than physical or download distribution.What comes to server or connection outages, we've built a society that is so much dependant on internet availability, that eventually, and not long from now it will be as dependable as electricity. When you buy a TV today, do you complain you might not be able to use it if there is a power outage? :(

One could argue every form of Copyright protection WILL fail. If you can write in CRP, you can write it out. I would bet every form of software (EVERY) can be fixed so as to bypass protection. And some of this protection software is down right malware. Anyone ever had problems with "Starforce"? DCS Black Shark uses this method. It ruined my current disk drive and I can no longer use it as intended; no copying my rightfully owned software! In short, this move towards online activation may be a safe and even more reliable alternative.Edit to stay on topic and not hijack: Trial versions of every software produced, to me, is unreasonable. I really appreciate Flight1's methods of buying and being able to return them very convenient.

I equate On Line = Continuous Money Charging. Not with piracy. I just came back from Europe and one of my little cousins paid €25 to MS so he can kill nazy zombies with his body (each at their own homes) in their X360 machines. Nuts! But, when you are 15 and money grows on parent trees. He will grow out of it.FS is a personal experience for everyone in it. We buy it and go to that wonderful world of our own. In my experience the great majority of people don't have it. And they never will. You can't convince people to like something they don't. Like the old song says: And you can change that.IMHO,MABIf ain't broken, don't fix it.

I equate On Line = Continuous Money Charging. Not with piracy. I just came back from Europe and one of my little cousins paid €25 to MS so he can kill nazy zombies with his body (each at their own homes) in their X360 machines. Nuts! But, when you are 15 and money grows on parent trees. He will grow out of it.FS is a personal experience for everyone in it. We buy it and go to that wonderful world of our own. In my experience the great majority of people don't have it. And they never will. You can't convince people to like something they don't. Like the old song says: And you can change that.IMHO,MABIf ain't broken, don't fix it.

I equate occupying an apartment while paying money all the while = continuous money charging = rent = Good Thing. Nobody is forced to play games online, and if addon developers end up choosing that model, nobody will be forced to use their products.Where am I going wrong?