I have been thinking about something as I look at my growing (and aging) fleet of payware aircraft. Would it be of interest to you if payware developers offered a higher costing aircraft "package" in return for an aircraft that they develop/keep up to date as new FS versions are released?So in other words, we pay let's say $20.00 more, or something (not sure there), BUT we will enjoy the aircraft for as long as that developer is around for many many FS versions to come. The PMDG 737 comes to mind here, what a great package that is...but sad to see it go to the FS mothballed field of dreams after FS2008 or whatever. Agreed that some people simply keep using the older sims, but what if we want to be on the cutting edge FS and still enjoy our favorite aircraft?Sometimes this may even require the developers to re-code the whole darn aircraft, which may not be of interest on their part- but heh you never know? There must be at least a FEW things that could be used over and over again on each version.

Would this be like buying an 2004 car, paying extra for it, and then when the 2006 cars come out getting that one for free, while keeping the 2004 car?

>Would this be like buying an 2004 car, paying extra for it,>and then when the 2006 cars come out getting that one for>free, while keeping the 2004 car?No. Can't compare software to cars, for one, once you've made one copy you can sell it over and over again at no extra cost. Updates may reuse much of the old stuff, unlike physical products, just like MS use a lot of old code whenever they make a new version of fs.However this idea of continuity might be a sleeping pillow for developers. I much prefer competition driving development rather than flying the same old product in 2008. I suspect we will have something better than the current NG by then, from either PMDG or someone else.One developer I think gets it right is FSD, they do not abandon their products, and offer rebuilt products at discounted prices for current owners in addition to several free service packs.

>Would this be like buying an 2004 car, paying extra for it,>and then when the 2006 cars come out getting that one for>free, while keeping the 2004 car?Please notice I said pay MORE for the package ($20.00 or more) not sure...Don't worry I thought about the developers right to cash here. If we compare it to cars, then so be it..okay there are alternatives there too like LEASING, etc. But this isn't cars.com it is about flying right?

i think it's a good idea. they upgrade the real aircraft every so often instead of a new one every year. like after a year or so they don't throw the real ones out the window. remember Falcon F16? that was around for many years and did VERY well. there's nothing wrong with new aircraft but i see no reason to forget about them after a year or when a new version of FS comes out. MANY are very high quaility and deserve a much longer life span than a one version. william

Don't see how that could work at all. No developer knows what the next version of FS will contain, so how could they possibly guarantee ahead of time to support it? Could be a tweak and a line in a .cfg, could be a whole rewrite with different texture formats, model requirements, sound needing to be re-recorded, panels redesigned to offer compatibility, duplicating of system elements, memory conflicts. Anything. And you want a developer to promise that in writing? for a few extra 2004 bucks for work they'll do in 2006? If there still around. You'd have a safer bet putting money on the gee-gees. LOL.Also what is cutting edge today will be old hat in a year or two. I have several aircraft in my hangar that I swore I would fly until the day I die in FS2000. Haven't used them in years!Allcott

If they take your extra money and then close up shop before the next release would they need to send some money back to you?

As far as I'm concerned, 25 bucks for 18 months or two years of enjoyment is a very fair deal. Really, whats the difference if I pay extra now and they upgrade the plane for the next version, or I just pay for another plane when the next version is out? I mean I've got say the RealAir SF260 now for about $25 and I get a couple years of enjoyment (lots of enjoyment) out of it. So what if they don't port it to the next version of FS? There will be other great planes available for FS10 so I'll just choose one of them. Heck, maybe I won't even want the SF260 for FS10.

It could work if you were to pay a yearly fee for upgrades and bugfixes, not a one-time fee.That's the practice in most larger software systems and it works well.For example, the product I work on as a job costs about

>It could work if you were to pay a yearly fee for upgrades>and bugfixes, not a one-time fee.>That's the practice in most larger software systems and it>works well.>>For example, the product I work on as a job costs about>

>If they take your extra money and then close up shop before>the next release would they need to send some money back to>you?>Jim- a wee bit testy no? Have I done or said something to offend you?

Again, assuming that the developer is still around. Flight Factory Simulations are one example. I'd be miffed to have paid for something that I never received. The RV-7 was a good, but slightly flawed product. There was going to be a patch and possibly a noseweel `conversion` for the taildragger. And technical support.I don't see how paying a vendor money helps establish a relationship. Only a contract. I buy a ticket to the movies, the cinema manager doesn't invite me over to dinner with his wife and kids, and I don't mind - well, if the movie is good, the theatre clean, the seats comfy and the sound quadrophonic. If I buy the ticket ahead of time go to the cinema and its' closed "because of family illness" I just want my money back. And do I go to the theatre to pay to see a movie that is in pre-production? No, because 8 out of 10 pre-production projects never make it to the screen.In your model the vendor benefits because they have your money now, money that could still be sitting in YOUR interest-bearing account or invested in something that appreciates in value. The customer benefits because they think they have a stable product that they will know and trust. Until another developer comes along and blows their package out of the water with advances never before seen, the customer switches allegiance, and the process starts all over again! What price the support you never use (which is actually how Jeroens model outlined above works. The nominal charge wouldn't begin to coverthe cost if every customer needed the support all the time). It's like insurance, where insurance companies gamble that the income they receive will be greater than the claims they pay - and the majority of insurance companies profit comes from investment of YOUR money which they've received up front for a service you never use.No I dont see this at all. The nature of the hobby is that it is primarily occupied by developers on their own time, with very few using it as sole income. They are simply unable to offer the concrete guarantees to make this work, and they are not party to the deevlopment plans of the mighty Microsoft. What if, for example, MS decided to switch to a four year upgrade for FS? Or cancel the franchise completely `in the interests of security`. Or decided to draw a line in the sand and start from scratch with the next version, with no backward compatibility but a much-improvesd physics ans systems engine that rendered all previous packages obsolete but permitted substantial development in a new area?Instead, why not put a certain amount of money into a long-term, long-notice account and earn the interest? The gain is your money is still yours, to spend as you will, and you haven't risked it until after the product comes out. Allcott

Yes, it works well for largescale corporate software.It works well there because the money involved is serious money indeed.For the money we get from support contracts (which are mandatory b.t.w. when purchasing) we can hire several people fulltime to man the helpdesk as well as pay the time needed to fix problems.For entertainment titles the cost involved is too low though. At

No way!! As a user, on both sides of this, I want to see both the positive and the negative of the idea. No attack intended, just some good o' fun! Who knows, maybe someday we'll offer something like this.Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg