Why is FTX quality not what it was?

[MarkSC 122]

I recently rediscovered NZSI. It's Orbx's best product that I own (I don't have any of Europe but have all NA except for southern Alaska). There are hundreds of dirt strips, many of which have surprising features like wicked slopes, animated people, abandoned autos, etc. A lot of effort went into that product. JV says it is his personal favorite too but that it was their worst seller. I'm hopeful that the forthcoming northern CA will get back to the old Orbx quality.

[Rocky_53 1,581]

Right, OK. For those that need a visual example of what I'm (and many others on the web) talking about, I've taken four random screenshots from FTX Australia, New Zealand, the PNW and England. They were all taken using almost identical settings (weather, altitude, season, etc) and the only conscious effort made was to grab shots whilst flying over similar areas in each region. There may be some of you that think I could have done this or that to better prove my point, but seriously, I'm not inclined to spend anymore time taking screenshots in an attempt to visually bolster a point that is already accepted by many.

 

These shots (although not comprehensive) give a good impression of the overall quality of each region. The obvious drop in quality exhibited by FTX England is due to the fuzzy textures, causing indistinct roads, parking areas and gardens; the lack of contrast exacerbates this problem. In my opinion, these single shots from each region clearly show that FTX England is not of the same quality that Orbx customers have come to expect when they spend their hard earned money.

 

And this is my point: when I buy a Heinz soup that I've not tasted before I know it's going to be good because it's Heinz. That's an example of consumer trust and confidence in a brand name. This is something that Orbx has lost on me since the EU releases. And even if I still trust that the Orbx brand is synonymous with good quality, the confidence to buy is certainly gone.

      

Oh, I did. I spoke to the main man himself, Mr Venema. Apart from admitting that SIM720 were new to the task of FTX development, I didn't get much else in terms of clarity. Pretty much the answer you or I would expect from a politician. 

 

Besides, does the admission of new developers (i.e. SIM720) make it OK to release software that is of a lesser quality than all previously released work? A quality that Orbx customers buy in to with confidence.

 

I have to say Storm, regardless of the fact that I am a staunch Orbx supporter, I absolutely agree with you. I think the problem can be seen whereever you look when it comes to brands. It's only the very clever companies who can maintain a true brand and by doing so allow customers to remain faithful through the knowledge that their purchases will always be made with good faith. Everywhere you look these days, companies who have become so large and 'successful' find they have to sub contract out work or development. By doing so they keep costs down as they don't have to employ and mainatain a fulltime workforce inhouse, but only need to deal with short term contractual arrangements. I remember a perfect analogy to your concern about buying into a  brand... some years ago we decided on a new kitchen at out new house. Included in the design we decided on a German, AEG cooker. Anyone who knows the name will know, or previously have known that they were a fantastic name in the kitchen appliance industry. German and known for good quality. Anyway, we had the cooker for quite a few years until which time we moved house. The next house we decided to have another AEG cooker, even though it had been quite a few years since experiencing the quality and reliability of this German product. The cooker was installed and was fine for a period of exactly 18 months, it packed in, caboosh, dead! During the visit from the engineer, he said "Oh, I know the problem with this, I have a replacement part in my van." He did have a replacement part, but it wasn't an AEG spare part but one made by a UK company. In fact the engineer enlightened my knowledge of our beloved AEG cooker by informing me that the cookers were no longer made in Germany but elsewhere by another company (the name I can't remember it may have been Candy, dunno) anyway, a long winded analogy but I think you may get my drift.

 

BTW, John Venema is a pretty shrewd character and a good businessman. I'm pretty sure he will be aware of these kind of issues and correct them accordingly. 

[Q_flyer 766]

@ StormVR6   - Awesome comparison pics :cool:  .... anyone who can't see the quality difference there, needs to visits Specsavers :wink:

 

Those pics perfectly illustrate the reduced quality in the EU product.  In fact it looks like it is from a different developer all together.   (I guess it is in reality; Sim720).

 

One does have to ask whether Sim720 can survive on their own now, when they are effectively considered by a section of the hobby to be "the people who made the lower quality Orbx stuff"..... a shame as we benefit from more not less developers in the market, but competition is tough and we, as simmers, are a demanding and discerning bunch!

[Boeing or not going 578]

I wish someone released Perth and Sydney airports, that would make Australia a complete flying experience for ga and jet flying.

[Brenchen 51]

Honestly I haven't went through and read all the replies, but from what I have read, it seems there was a lot of talk surrounding making money.

 

Way back in the days before ORBX (or pre-ORBX days) was well known by the community, JV (and co.) was making scenery for commercial sims. But I dropped out of the area so I heard no more.

 

I wonder whether they are still involved in one way or another, and if they are, wouldn't they make better money that way??

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

 

[simmerhead 885]

'Love' in this instance meant that they don't give a 's**t any more. They don't CARE as once they did. Orbx was born of a passion for FS. You are getting 'professionalism' as in 'Show me the money'

Or you could look at it this way. Love matures over time. We can't be hormone overdosed teenagers forever (Well, you can, but I think psychiatrists have a name for it ).

 

The old dogs might not learn new tricks, but look at the young talent they have brought in (Alex Goff, Misha Cajic, Russ White etc.) Don't tell me there isn't love for FSX @ ORBX!

 

Money is sadly important, especially when you employ people. I'm amazed that anyone can make an income from FS stuff, but thankfully some people do so I can keep on enjoying this hobby way past it's prime time.

[Brenchen 51]

I wish someone released Perth and Sydney airports, that would make Australia a complete flying experience for ga and jet flying.

Sydney is under construction by FlyTampa, Perth I have no ideas. I wished somebody redo Brisbane, a more FPS friendly version.

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

 

[dave2013 1,130]

I don't own any of the FTX UK regions, but from what I've read I believe the answer here is very simple.  The sim720 team should study user feedback such as this forum, make changes and improvements to the England and Wales regions based on that feedback, and release major patches for those areas.  They've proven that they can make good quality scenery with FTX Scotland, so I've no doubt that they could improve the other UK areas.

 

On another note, while I've at times been critical of JV's attitude, I don't believe for a second that he and his staff are in this business just for the money.  Please.  This is a small, niche hobby with a very limited customer base, so money-making ability is probably quite low compared to other hobbies, and I doubt they have a huge profit margin. 

 

The quality of the vast majority of their products tells me that they actually have a deep devotion to making the best scenery they can for FSX, and for a pretty darn reasonable price to boot.  Remember that this sim720 group is a subcontractor hired by ORBX, and as such they may not have the experience and talent that the original ORBX staff has.  Hopefully they'll get better over time.

 

If anyone on the ORBX or sim720 team is reading this, I reiterate my call for you to make improvements to your FTX England and Wales scenery products.

 

Thanks.

 

Dave 

[BrzI 26]

_{My personal subjective opinion :}

 

_{AU - fantastic}

_{PNW - very good}

_{EU ENG - visibly under par but still very good. My layman's eye struggles to find much difference between FTX Global and this package.}

 

_{Don't ask me why....}

 

_{And yes...Orbx CAN make big sceneries with great FPS - try their Cairns YBCS.}

_{And Melbourne YMML is still very good considering the complexity.}

 

_{Just my 2 cents}

[mhlarsen 2]

Hey Michael, love, passion, commitment , these are essential aspects of a successful business or enterprise, and don't misinterpret the term success as profit. For many, including myself, success is not just about a good profit margin, regular cash flow, continuous development, but also about taking a pride in what you do and that pride showing in the product which is supported by the customer. I work for myself and have always believed that the love of what you do is the absolute essence of good business. Without love and passion you will simply be an average player, it's the passion and love that makes businesses shine above their competitors :wink:

 

I disagree.

 

Love can be the start of building a business, but it will not save the day when competition gets rough and work becomes a routine, which most work eventually will do.

 

Do you know how many business ventures I have seen fail, because all they had was 'love and passion'?

 

If you feel 'love' for what you do, then fine. But I will first and foremost take professionalism and dedication any day, when hiring a new employee.

[Rocky_53 1,581]

Do you know how many business ventures I have seen fail, because all they had was 'love and passion'?

 

 

Sure Michael. I agree. My point was not that a business can survive on love and passion alone, but simply that they are an intrinsic part to success.

[Serge 8]

Sydney is under construction by FlyTampa, Perth I have no ideas. I wished somebody redo Brisbane, a more FPS friendly version.

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

Brendan,

 

Anthony Lynch has produced some great freeware Australian airports including Brisbane. Check it out here:

 

http://www.antsairplanes.com/scenery.html

 

Regards,

Serge

[simmerhead 885]

I disagree.

 

Love can be the start of building a business, but it will not save the day when competition gets rough and work becomes a routine, which most work eventually will do.

 

Do you know how many business ventures I have seen fail, because all they had was 'love and passion'?

 

If you feel 'love' for what you do, then fine. But I will first and foremost take professionalism and dedication any day, when hiring a new employee.

 

I think you're splitting hairs here. Part of being professional and dedicated is having passion and love for your busniess and field of work. Very few people can excel in what they do unless they are passionate about it. I've been a business consultant for all of my professional life and I can tell you, passion and love is what makes a difference when times get rough. If people don't "feel it", they rarely have what it takes to rise from the ashes.

 

It isn't black and white, and there is a big difference beween small businesses and large corporations. Sure, lots of business fail because they lacked professionalism. You can't live on idealism alone, but that doesn't mean you can surve strickly on professionalism either. Personal dedication and love is the foundation of success.

 

To name a prominent professional failure: Kodak (cash cow that lost sight of what once made them great).

 

To name a prominent passionate success: Apple (which now struggles because the passionate CEO is gone).

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

FTX quality has become ... variable due to the increased number of developers and projects.

 

Pretty much the "Aerosoft effect" with their releases from a multitude of different contracted developers.

[simmerhead 885]

FTX quality has become ... variable due to the increased number of developers and projects.

 

Pretty much the "Aerosoft effect" with their releases from a multitude of different contracted developers.

 

Good observation and conclusion. It is no doubt that the individual scenery designer/developer does matter and that there is a geat deal of artistry involved in addon making.

 

The publish house branding strategy is a slippery slope, and I guess ORBX, Aerosoft, JustFlight and Flight1 all have seen the pros and cons of this strategy. On the other hand I try not to forget that even the biggest brands in the addon market are small businesses that has to make tough priorities in order to put food on the table for those few individuals they employ.