There's bound to be some give-and-take in the consumer/producer relationship. In the specific case of software (or other digital media), the producer will desire to protect their intellectual property and this often involves some kind of DRM scheme. Platforms like Steam or itunes offer excellent examples of "DRM done right" in that they tend to just work. Occasionally glitches occur and there may be some downtime for the consumer, but that's the price we pay in the modern digital era.

The problem is that with Steam and other services like them, you are just renting the software. If they go out of business you have no access to something you paid for. I still like to re-install some really old games on my new systems (Panzer General, Jagged Alliance 2) and how will we do that with the way games and patches are distributed today.

Unfortunately I would have to wait a few years before buying Flight...The reason is when Fsx (or just prior to it)came on stream I invested in a top end highly expensive PC...I reckoned this PC would run X like a dream!I was wrong,so wrong that a couple of years down the line I am still happily using Fs9...So I reckon the next Pc I buy when the time comes will be capable of running X (hopefully)and the one after that if I am still alive will run Flight..I suppose by then Microsoft will have brought out several Flight Sims,and ohhhhhhhhhh forget it,its a vicious circle..

The problem is that with Steam and other services like them, you are just renting the software. If they go out of business you have no access to something you paid for. I still like to re-install some really old games on my new systems (Panzer General, Jagged Alliance 2) and how will we do that with the way games and patches are distributed today.

Multi-billion dollar industries don't just disappear overnight, so the rental analogy is quite flawed. I have games on Steam that I purchased over 5 years ago and have re-installed numerous times over the years, as well as games that were originally published back in the mid-90's and are still accessible via Steam. *If* Steam ever goes under, then you have a valid concern. Until then it seems like a waste of time.

*If* Steam ever goes under, then you have a valid concern. Until then it seems like a waste of time.

Yes, but by then it will be too late.Edit: Look up Enron and Nortel and Atari Games.

Multi-billion dollar industries don't just disappear overnight, so the rental analogy is quite flawed. I have games on Steam that I purchased over 5 years ago and have re-installed numerous times over the years, as well as games that were originally published back in the mid-90's and are still accessible via Steam. *If* Steam ever goes under, then you have a valid concern. Until then it seems like a waste of time.

Valve has said that if Steam goes under, they will release a patch to unlock the games. While that may be fine for Valve's own games, I'm not sure if the third parties would go along with it.

We aren't talking about essential game files. We are talking about add-ons. No matter what, add-ons are going to be huge if they are going to have HD textures, high poly models, etc. You can't easily or efficiently pack 1GB into a little few KB file.

Hughes, the same system could easily be applied to add-ons, maybe I should have said essential program files. If all add-ons were sold through MS Marketplace and each add-on would check in with the server each launch (in place of current checks that are based on the users system) it would work. But I wouldn't buy them for the reasons I stated in my previous post. My point is there is no need to download the entire add-on each time, rather a few kb of data is exchanged with a central server and the end user.

If the addon package was not installed on your hard disk, then you would still have to stream it from an online site as you fly, and that would be an impossible task with today's broadband if you want anything better than a slideshow.

If the addon package was not installed on your hard disk, then you would still have to stream it from an online site as you fly. Do you seriously believe that this is possible with current broadband systems? Unlocking software doesn't just make it magically appear on your PC. You still need to load it into RAM, and that would be an impossible task with today's broadband if you want anything better than a slideshow.

:(  I like magic ......

Multi-billion dollar industries don't just disappear overnight, so the rental analogy is quite flawed.

Just look at the list from 2005-2009. Several multi- billion dollar companies went under in that time period alone.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_business_failures#2005.E2.80.932009

I'm coming into this thread sort of late, but since the OP asked for opinions, here's mine: I will not buy it the day it's released. All I want is a sim that looks as good as FSX or better, but with twice, or three times the performance. I want to fly into KJFK with 25FPS, instead of the modest 120-12 I sometimes get now with the heavy addons. I want to know for sure that this is what I'm to get. So, first I'll read reviews and ask for feedback of the guys that bought it. Plus, I remember that the retail price of FSX on lauinch day was 130 Euros. I'm not going to pay so much money for a sim. Instead, I'll wait a few months and see the price drop at least 50%, like has always been the case with MSFS.

I'm coming into this thread sort of late, but since the OP asked for opinions, here's mine: I will not buy it the day it's released. All I want is a sim that looks as good as FSX or better, but with twice, or three times the performance. I want to fly into KJFK with 25FPS, instead of the modest 120-12 I sometimes get now with the heavy addons. I want to know for sure that this is what I'm to get. So, first I'll read reviews and ask for feedback of the guys that bought it. Plus, I remember that the retail price of FSX on lauinch day was 130 Euros. I'm not going to pay so much money for a sim. Instead, I'll wait a few months and see the price drop at least 50%, like has always been the case with MSFS.

you have compressed the time scale .. MSFS prices dont drop in the first year.  You will be waiting for at least a year.

Just look at the list from 2005-2009. Several multi- billion dollar companies went under in that time period alone.http://en.wikipedia....05.E2.80.932009

Not a one of those companies was a dominant industry player. Steam practically *is* PC gaming. Valve's not going under any time soon.

you have compressed the time scale .. MSFS prices dont drop in the first year.  You will be waiting for at least a year.

A years nothing, there will be even better hardware on the market by then and hopefully some quality add-on's.It's a win win situation, a great sim for a cheaper price...thats the way I would go.Bryan.

Not a one of those companies was a dominant industry player. Steam practically *is* PC gaming. Valve's not going under any time soon.

The bigger they are the harder they fall, having said that I hope that does not happen to Valve I have to much invested in their games.Bryan.

Not a one of those companies was a dominant industry player. Steam practically *is* PC gaming. Valve's not going under any time soon.

Lehman Brothers was a global financial services firm. Before it went bankrupt. It was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA after Goldman Sach, Morgan Stanley and and Merrill Lynch. Merril Lynch was going under too until it was rescued by Bank of Amerioca. Any company can go bankrupt.

Lehman Brothers was a global financial services firm. Before it went bankrupt. It was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA after Goldman Sach, Morgan Stanley and and Merrill Lynch. Merril Lynch was going under too until it was rescued by Bank of Amerioca. Any company can go bankrupt.

Forgot about those guys, didn't see em on the list either. I'd call that extraordinary circumstances though. Honestly, what are the chances that the company that sells more games than the rest of the industry combined is going to go out of business any time soon, especially given the trend toward cloud-based storage? Answer: virtually none.