Active Camera now payware :-(

[Guest danowat]

EDIT: Double postDan

[Guest danowat]

Well, I dont usual like to respond to these types of post, but here goes.$15 for Active camera, OK that is

[Peter Z KCLE_EDDN 336]

Hi there,did I read that correctly in todays downloads that active camera is now payware?! Shareware actually but what's the difference, I just checked their website and registration is $15 bucks!I've never ever complained about freeware, shareware, payware but this hobby isn't fun anymore, surely not cheap anymore. I used to buy many add-ons but $15 to "view" my aircraft or $29 for an upgrade for existing customers of a weather program? How far have we come and more importantly were is this leading us to.I guess I'll better save my money and go fly IRL more frequently. I don't want to start an arguement but I'm just dissapointed at what had become to this once so great community.Cheers,Petehttp://members.aol.com/pzsoulman/myhomepage/logo.gifAthlonXP2000,AbitKX7-333(latest4in1),512MB/2700SDRAM,WinXP,DirectX8.1,Geforce3TI200(128MB)(Det.30.82),SBlive(WDM5.1.2601.0)

[Guest racartron]

It's very encouraging to see more expamples every day that justify my decision to stay with FS2002 for a long, long time. I have spent considerable time and $$ over the last 18 months getting my vast sim world environment exactly the way I want it and therefore see no reason to jump out of a perfectly good sim(to cop a phrase) just because there's a new kid in town. Hmmm, not a good analogy. A better one would be a slightly more talented brother.All my current products continue to work just fine thank you and I can now sit back and thoroughly enjoy my flying and spend my $$ on other, more useful items.Other than coughing up money for Pete's FSUIPC version 3.03 (Which I don't absolutely need, but felt he had earned) all my stuff will work fine as is. Besides, from all the screenies I've seen to date, FS2004 is only marginally better than what I already have in place.Racartronit means something, but I just can't remember what

[LAdamson 240]

>It's very encouraging to see more expamples every day that>justify my decision to stay with FS2002 for a long, long time.Hope you don't catch all those threads that are just like your's....Until they couldn't bear it, tried it, and won't go back!Seems there is a wave of them today.. :)L.Adamson

[Guest]

does AC2002 works in FS9

[John_Cillis 2,406]

To jacsantos:"....but I love computers and can certainly find my way around in programs such as delphy, pascal, basic, Qbasic, and visualC......"Come on, give me a break.... Kind of a red flag when you don't know it's spelled "Delphi". VisualC doesn't ring a bell anymore, but VisualC++ does. Pascal, Basic, Qbasic? Fine, if you're programming for DOS, which is a heck of a lot easier than juggling the programming of Windows API, low level calls to MSFS, and getting the product tested against the dozens of hardware combinations out there.I get more than a little PO'd when I see "I know programming" posts like yours. Baloney....We live in a market economy, I don't like having to pay for more and more add-ons, and I vote with my wallet. But we also live in a world where people get laid off, not because their company is losing money, but because their company didn't make the profit they forecasted to shareholders. So the execs show off, and cut jobs and people's lives. I don't blame people with TALENT like the ActiveCamera team for at least trying to make a go of it. BTW--my "simple" program, Autoland 2002, has a few hundred lines of code. Landclass Assistant has about a thousand. Better wake up to the real world--don't know of anything "50 command lines" long. And my programs are lightweights compared to Peter D's and ActiveCamera...-John

[Guest ba747heavy]

>The news on Active Camera is not suprising. Seems everyone is>jumping on the money train these days. I'm just wondering what>will be next? Will it be Squawkbox, Servinfo, etc. Oh god, if that happens I will seriously consider hanging up my rudder pedals and go find another hobby. That would be so absurd....

[Guest ba747heavy]

>>And spare a thought for Virtual Airlines, a lot of people>would be quite astonished to know how much British Airways>Virtual pays out in sever costs and development time to run>for its members each year.>>...and don't think that isn't greatly appreciated>Stephen - because it is!Ditto that Paul! The BAV folks are top knotch :D

[Tabs 2,790]

My god, this thread is even worse than all the bull**** FSUIPC ones. What Serge and Guillaume did with AC is freaking outstanding considering the fact that FS itself doesn't even include features like these nor any description of how to do such things in the SDK. Serge told me himself that they spent two months straight just figuring out and debugging the memory mapping to get this to work in 2004. "50 lines of code" - that's most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, you've obviously never programmed anything before - even the simplest windows DLL's have thousands of lines it them. This is not the QBASIC you did in HS. These guys hacked clickable VC's into FS2002 for cryin out loud - that's talent! Being able to pan like you do in a first person game adds so much to the sim, and now with 2004's clickable VC's, there's no reason to use the 2D panel anymore. You can set up all the view presets in AC and then smoothly move between them.As for the comment someone made about FS being "for the wealthy" - I've spent less than $500 on FS and addons (and I own a ton of them) since FS2002 came out and now going into FS2004. The most expensive thing I've bought was the PMDG 737NG for $40. You now have to be wealthy to spend a few hundred dollars over the course of two or three years? I'm a "poor" college student and have no trouble paying for an FS addon or two every few months.This is just a matter of people wanting everything for nothing. That's the only explanation I can see for the insane level of thriftiness exposed in some of these comments. It's not a matter of "sharing" if a developer deems that his/her work was substaintial enough to warrent compensation. You have NO RIGHT to demand that someone do any kind of free work for you. That is up to the developer and the developer alone. As was posted in one of the FSUPIC threads - what other hobbies do people have where they expect to get everything free. What, just because the products used in the FS hobby exist as computer code and not a basketball or a musicial instrument for example they're not worth any money? I swear that 90% of this forum has no idea what goes into coding software - do you think the developers are just talking to the computer and it spits the program out 10 seconds later??Disgusted,Ryan

[Steve Cannell 4]

This Active Camera thing going payware is a perfect example why this pastime is doomed. ;(I think we in the community can make a differance if we choose our FS purchases wisely. A year ago I decided to hold back, not that I couldn't spend more, and more, but I don't need to have every addon that comes along. We can and should hold developers to a higher standerd, but we don't. I'm sure I'll never see the day when my boycots have any effect, but I felt I needed to do something. I even stopped buying from the makers of my favorite addon aircraft package . Now thats discipline. :I've learned that often with these addons I'm sure glad I didn't purchase.-)I like being able to move about the VC but I will do without. For now anyway I will forget about all the addons I do have that don't work, and rejoice in this amazing FS2004. Now there's a piece of software werth every penny.SteveP.S. Guess what, I have a new favorite aircraft ? THE LEAR :-)

[1mikel151 71]

"All this negativity is why this pastime is doomed"I am disgusted as well, Ryan....but not at having to pay for addons to make my simming experience that much more realistic, but all the negative comments towards a product that one day is better than sliced bread and the next is the worse thing on the face of the earth.Yeah, it is a shame that it costs now, BUT you have an alternative, stay with FS2002, FS2000, or FS98 (any further back and you really don't have room to complain! LOL) and enjoy yourself. If you choose not to go forward (and I am sure that is subjective to the doubters, so be it) then purchase it and enjoy like I plan to do.I can't believe how cheap some can be and I don't think it is being cheap, more just wanting to whine about something it seems. I have other things I do for entertainment and they ALL cost more than a few addons for FS.I look forward to new payware releases (as well as freeware) and there are some I will never buy, my choice, and some I wish to but haven't yet, still my choice, I don't complain about it.And this crap about being a community and helping each other out becoming non existant, c'mon, how many times have you posted here or another FS site and gotten a response to your question, I have gotten so much from these forums, I have emailed files to others, given advice, uploaded files to share. I have made quite a few contacts thru this hobby/ passion and been a part of quite a few freeware files, guess maybe I should stop as this seems to be what everyone wants and expects. The heart of this "community" is the attention we give to each other, not the product, at least in my mind.There is so much to enjoy on so many different levels in this hobby, just seems some like to complain when they can't participate for whatever reason.Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.com

[Guest]

Not only that you feel guilty (well I do) if I have to reask.In the last 4 months I've upgraded the cpu, ram, motherboard, video card hard drive - not all at once either.I've already decided not to buy anything that is machine binding, as it's just too much of a hassle when it comes to upgrades, or if I decide to install on the laptop if I'm away from home etc.Now the ardent supporters will say - well you don't have to buy it, and that's true, but I want to buy it, I've bought payware in the past and was looking at buying the two latest dreamfleets, but with the new wrapper system, I don't even know if it's worth the download to find out whether it's using it or not.I will also not be buying any new software in the future that requires it, I guess I will eventually, but then again, I might start just ripping bits and pieces out of my computer and keep re-requesting my information - imagine if half the people who bought the software did that. Change the video card - reinstall - email, damn the old card was better, reinstall - email etc.It's beyond a joke, I'm going to be damn selective now on purchases instead of my usual impulse buying.For every 10 legit users, there maybe 2 or 3 who aren't.I compare this also with napster - I've bought 37 CD's because of napster, downloaded a song I liked, and then thought what's another of theirs like, and found I liked them and bought the cd.Napster closed down and with all the extra threats of the newer systems I don't bother - haven't downloaded any songs this year, and bought 1 CD.Who gets hurt in the end? The "casual" pirater (who will still get it anyway, just a couple of months later) or the legitimate user? Who has to go through all the hassles.The other issue of whether someone goes payware or not is another issue, it's their choice, and you vote with your feet. In most things if enough people are grieved, someone will write something similar, but that's an option you choose.Some of the best things in my FS2k2 are payware and I've been happy with most of my purchases, some not, but hey that's the risk. Will I be upgrading? Well 2 weeks ago I would of said yes - but now I'm not so sure, and here are my reasons why.1. All my payware is not machine binding.2. I can still use the current freeware versions of things I don't believe do enough to pay for.3. My machine runs it very nicely now - and 2k4 will as well, but won't run anything else.4. Scenery files all work in my 2k25. AFCAD, AI flights etc I've already got them all set up with 2k2.This isn't a flame message, it's just me venting, something I don't do very often.

[Guest simpilot]

I have been simming for about 7 years and for all intents and purposes call this my hobby although I probably spend about 65% of my "hobby" time if not more perusing the forums hither and yon. I have probably spent about $500-$600 US on add-ons for this hobby and for the most part don't have issues with any of them. I have always been pretty particular as to what I purchase and if you ask my girlfriend she will tell you that I am a cheapskate to a fault :-). I have never downloaded AC for 2002 and will definately not for 2004 not because of the $15 price tag but because I never had a use for it as I enjoy this hobby for the occassional VFR over my home area but mostly like to fly "real-world" airline schedules in real-time. When I first started out in flight simming it was very much 90-95% freeware and the other 5% seemed to be shareware but as it has evolved and quite frankly as JohnCi has noted above, the economy absolutely sucks wind and developers are looking for a way to dovetail their skill sets into their hobbies and make a buck or two which is not prohibited in this society last I checked. If AC is something that would be a must have I would perhaps buy it. But I do see the point of others that something free for a while all of a sudden is gonna cost you $15. This coupled with the fact that upgrades as well as other simple utilities are going to cost it seems that I may have to project doubling my expenditures for FS2004 for my must haves (not including future hardware upgrades). $54 for the base system and then $$$ to really enjoy it. I think that FS is the only "game" that you truly end up spending far more than the base unit. Kind of makes you chuckle don't it?Cheers!Richard

[Guest]

$15 US = about $30NZLet's see that's 30 litres of petrol.or 4 bigmac meals.$30 for something that lets me look around the plane?I never tried it when it was free - certainly wouldn't for $30Remember - your opinion is you need to defend it, yet no-one is allowed to disagree with your view?