They can only rely on an ageing and dormant platform for so long.

 

 

The only company that is really in a bind is VRS, since their product competes with P3d2 Pro Plus. VRS supposedly does sell a license for TacPack for use with P3d, but it is in the same price range as P3d2 Pro Plus:

 

http://www.vrsimulations.com/tacpack.htm

 

 

 

• Prepar3D NOT supported (commercial-use inquiries welcomed via sales[at]vrsimulations.com)

VRS has polled TacPack users and they overwhelmingly want a version for P3d2.

 

Also, I have a feeling that Nick will probably come around with a P3d2 version of GEX eventually.

Project X from them looks very promising, but it looks a long way off yet, they have been developing the automated tools for a couple of years now and they still haven't got to a production stage yet.

 

http://scenerysolutions.tumblr.com/

It's closer than you think Andy!

 

Vic

 

 

The "big four" of P3d hold outs (PMDG, UTX, VRS TacPack and GEX) is now whittled down to only 2.

 

As far as UTX goes - they had a specific licensing agreement with the source of their commercial data - ONLY for FSX. They couldn't release UTX to P3D2 period without losing their business. They are working on revising that license and they say they are close to getting it done - so a version of UTX might be available for P3D soon.

 

Vic

All I know is even mentioning installing UTX and Prepar3D in the same sentence in this forum was an instant lock for ages because of all the legal threats and talking down on people  like they were 5 year olds by Flight1 reps.    UTX was in the group of software that mere mentioning installing it would bring  a Flight1 rep in here hammering away on their keyboard with legal paragraphs and other none-sense in a smug condescending attitude. 

 

I just refused after that to donate a single cent of my cash to anything produced "In cooperation with" Flight1 or even a product with their wrapper.  

 

Main problem is indeed Flight1. For example with their C177, King Air etc., they put in a special check to detect if you were running P3D, in which case they disabled the VC.  :lol: Even if you buy it for FSX only, you're paying for this "feature" since it obviously took development time and money to implement.

 

As for UTX, for all we know, it might be a "Professional" version, only licensed for flight training and costing $999.

Main problem is indeed Flight1. For example with their C177, King Air etc., they put in a special check to detect if you were running P3D, in which case they disabled the VC.

Wow, that's actually malware. Thanks for the head's up!

 

 

Main problem is indeed Flight1. For example with their C177, King Air etc., they put in a special check to detect if you were running P3D, in which case they disabled the VC.

 

 

 

Wow, that's actually malware. Thanks for the head's up!

 

I think it would be a stretch to call it malware, but it sure an active reinforcement of their EULA.  That said, I've stopped purchasing anything Flight1, even items simply distributed with the Flight1 wrapper.  Personal choice, but I find the Flight1 wrapper to be quite annoying.  'Project X' as mentioned above will have to be good enough to make me change my mind!

quote name="Jimmy RFR" post="2893724" timestamp="1388423451"]

I think it would be a stretch to call it malware, but it sure an active reinforcement of their EULA.

 

A stretch for some, but untolerable in my book. It is enough that most addons don't have full disclosure as to what files are installed, where they are installed and what files have been modified or changed on my computer. Now they even take the liberty to break a product if I choose to use it in a sim with a different name.

 

I stopped buying records a couple of years ago for the same reason. I had collected 5000+ CDs and 2000+ LPs at that point. Suddenly I couldn't use certain CDs on my CD player because of DRM. I used to collect movies too, but when Blu Ray came around and it takes two minutes to boot the disc because of DRM I quit that hobby too. They even insult me by adding advertising before being able to play the movie. Addons, well, I've bought 200+ of them but I now only aquire freeware (except for those few that don't have any DRM). Enough is enough. It's no loss. There's plenty of other things to spend money on in life.

 

 

They even insult me by adding advertising before being able to play the movie.

 

Getting even further off topic and I apologize to the OP, but gosh, that in particular is one of my biggest pet peeves ever, in the history of Things-That-I-Complain-About-To-My-Spouse. :lol:

 

 

It's closer than you think Andy!
 
Vic

 

Sounds like you know more than the average person on this.  Is there any drive to work w/ LM/P3D do you know?

Noel - Allen has stated that he is working on getting the required licensing. I would think this would include past and future products. He had no issues with P3D, it was just that his license to use the data restricted him to FSX.

 

IMHO, with ASN released and P3D2 growing and other developers getting involved, we (the sim community) are in for a great year!

 

Vic

Noel - Allen has stated that he is working on getting the required licensing. I would think this would include past and future products. He had no issues with P3D, it was just that his license to use the data restricted him to FSX.

 

IMHO, with ASN released and P3D2 growing and other developers getting involved, we (the sim community) are in for a great year!

 

Vic

 

Yes it sure seems so.  It is nice to see some hope for a better simulator engine and so far P3D V2 offers enough of a change in the core engine it's definitely breathing new life into the old sim.  I like Srdan Word Not Allowed's argument if I read that right for better multithreading as a means of improving performance in places where it is needed, for example w/ complex planes.  There must be some real technical hurdles else it would have been better implemented in both P3D V2 and XPlane 10.20.   Even so, it would be so cool to have all of my 6 cores humming along at 90+% ;o)

 

Thanks for the good news!  Happy New Year yeah!

All I know is even mentioning installing UTX and Prepar3D in the same sentence in this forum was an instant lock for ages because of all the legal threats and talking down on people  like they were 5 year olds by Flight1 reps.    UTX was in the group of software that mere mentioning installing it would bring  a Flight1 rep in here hammering away on their keyboard with legal paragraphs and other none-sense in a smug condescending attitude. 

 

I just refused after that to donate a single cent of my cash to anything produced "In cooperation with" Flight1 or even a product with their wrapper.  

 

It was certainly frustrating and from my point of view - irritating. What makes it worse is that the American legal system has minimal legs to stand on in this country and legal threats are simply laughed out of court. Go ask Kim Dotcom.

 

Main problem is indeed Flight1. For example with their C177, King Air etc., they put in a special check to detect if you were running P3D, in which case they disabled the VC.  :lol: Even if you buy it for FSX only, you're paying for this "feature" since it obviously took development time and money to implement.

 

As for UTX, for all we know, it might be a "Professional" version, only licensed for flight training and costing $999.

I think it would be a stretch to call it malware, but it sure an active reinforcement of their EULA.  That said, I've stopped purchasing anything Flight1, even items simply distributed with the Flight1 wrapper.  Personal choice, but I find the Flight1 wrapper to be quite annoying.  'Project X' as mentioned above will have to be good enough to make me change my mind!

A stretch for some, but untolerable in my book. It is enough that most addons don't have full disclosure as to what files are installed, where they are installed and what files have been modified or changed on my computer. Now they even take the liberty to break a product if I choose to use it in a sim with a different name.

 

Regardless of what it is called, it is illegal in this country to tamper via "software digging" to modify files after "point of sale". And this is where these smaller 3rd Party Developers are caught. Their business model does not allow the finances to budget for a multi national EULA enforcement and POS system. For instance, if I purchase a MS product direct from MS USA, I am automatically redirected to the NZ site and have to purchase there under the EULA applicable to this country (which in many cases is less restrictive than the US product). Likewise, there is a different local sales tax applicable (which of course is accountable in this country, because it is money spent from this country).

 

So as far as I am concerned, they can bark as loud as they like because their bite is no more than a little suck on the side of my neck, or to put it into $$$$ terms - if I do not wish to abide to an EULA that does not apply to my country, I don't have to. It will cost them $$$$$$$ to try to enforce and at the very most, they would only be able to rescind use of the software AND be obliged to give me a full refund.

 

Do I feel sorry for them? Not sorry, but sympathetic. Why? Because I also run my own small business and have similar hoops to jump through all too often, especially when dealing with anything that good old "Uncle Sam" is behind.   

Regardless of what it is called, it is illegal in this country to tamper via "software digging" to modify files after "point of sale". And this is where these smaller 3rd Party Developers are caught.

Irregardless of any EULA discussion or it's relevance to your country, I don't think your reference to software tampering is entirely accurate. I'm not the greatest programmer in the world by a long stretch, but even I can think of at least 4 or 5 ways that one could legitimately disable an aircraft addon without any modification of any files outside that which was provided by the addon itself. If you're only doing a version check of the host platform prior to allowing the operation of your addon, there's absolutely no modification of files taking place to begin with.

 

The addon is being sold to work within a certain platform, which it does, with no statement or guarantee (ignoring any EULA considerations) that it will work on any other platform. The fact that they are simply ensuring 100% that it doesn't work on any other platform is completely irrelevant to that fact, no matter how much we may dislike it as a consumer. There is no misrepresentation taking place at all, in my opinion.

Irregardless of any EULA discussion or it's relevance to your country, I don't think your reference to software tampering is entirely accurate.

 

My reference was to the point made by JimmiG below (highlighted by myself) and is therefore accurate in my context. I do however agree with a couple of your other points.

 

Main problem is indeed Flight1. For example with their C177, King Air etc., they put in a special check to detect if you were running P3D, in which case they disabled the VC. 

My reference was to the point made by JimmiG below (highlighted by myself) and is therefore accurate in my context. I do however agree with a couple of your other points.

Yes, I do realize the context of your statement. However, I disagree with the idea that this amounts to software tampering (or malware, as mentioned by others). It may be a unwanted and useless 'feature' in our eyes, but it is purely self contained within the add-on itself, does not involve tampering with or altering any files, does not make permanent changes, and does not even prevent the operation of the host platform.

 

A version / platform check that disables the operation of software has many, many precedents; sometimes warranted, sometimes not. It could be construed as an attempt by Flight1 to prevent support requests (and therefore time and resource wastage) from users attempting to use their software on an unsupported platform. Or possibly it could have been done to satisfy third party liscencing requirements; that wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility either.

 

However, please don't think that this post is in complete support of Flight1 or their position; I just think one has to be extremely careful when making the accusation of software tampering or malware.

That is great news