Greens fees. One golf game. Over in one afternoon.

As others have said, the green fees are only the beginning, add lunch at a nice course and when the day is over there is quite a dent in the wallet.

Never mind, bag, clubs. shoes, decent clothes, a dozen Srixon soft feel high viz yellow, travel to the course for weekend outing, etc.

 

Then we rinse and repeat because we ARE adicted. :fool:

You refer specifically to FSX (P3D has a separate forum).... I have never seen an addon for FSX that would be in the price range you suggest.

If it is, you have a good point ..but show me the examples. Most aircraft I see for FSX is in the Aud$50 - Aud$60 at the top end of the market. (That would be roughly 25 - 30 UKpds)

And there are plenty on sale in the Aud$20 - Aud$30 price range. Just wait for the promotional sales and buy then. (Whats so important about having a new release as fast as possible ... )

Aud$30 is what you would spend taking your girlfriend to a 2 hr movie plus buying the overpriced popcorn.

So dump the girlfriend and go buy another plane... it will go for more than 2 hrs.

But if you're stupid enough to pay nearly $100 euro/usd for an add-on, I've got some high quality snake-oil I want to tell you about....

 

It's very simple economics. It's called "win-win" transactions.

 

I am a customer with 3000 bucks in my wallet

An Apple Store has the latest MacBook Air Pro MaxPower 3000 on their shelf.

 

To me the MacBook is MORE valuable than my 3000 bucks.

To Apple my 3000 bucks are MORE valuable than their MacBook.

 

And hence a transaction takes place. Both parties win. Both parties "thank" each other for the transaction taking place.

 

Regarding Flight Simulation, I believe that some companies are DOING ME A FAVOUR by putting their software out in the "general public" market for reasonable prices. Of course they are not NGO's and they make a profit out of it, both the costumer and the seller must WIN. But just as much as the MacBook buyer is thankful that a company such as Apple exists and put the effort into selling him his beloved iPad, I am thankful that a company such as PMDG  exists that sold me their 777 (or use any other example, I'm using this one cause it's close to the $100 you mentioned).

 

Now don't go calling anybody stupid for the way they spend their money...

Aud$30 is what you would spend taking your girlfriend to a 2 hr movie plus buying the overpriced popcorn

 

So  I take  it  your  girlfriend is  going  alone  than   for that price  since  popcorn alone  cost  that much :Big Grin:

Ben Weston from Airline2Sim sums it up well enough for me. Anybody putting out their wares on the market will soon know if the price they ask is justified.

 

If you like the top-end stuff, you can wait for the odd sale or two that occurs. Granted, not all the design studios offer their goods at sale prices, but over the years I have picked up some good deals on OrbX goods, to name but one...

 

If you feel that you do not wish to be at the cutting edge, or cannot afford it, sometimes a little patience is all that is required...

 

Now, off to MilViz, I have had my eye on the F100 now for a few weeks...

 

A

Some great addons are dirt cheap. I bought the Airbus X for £22 and i must have done a 100 terrific flights with it (and counting). I cant think of anywhere else i could spend that money and get as much back.

One thing every retailer knows, or soon learns:  If someone really wants something, they will be willing to pay full price for it.  If someone doesn't really want it, they want a big discount.

 

The list price for an addon is usually the first price which is asked.  The people who really want it, will buy it on the day it goes on sale and pay full price.

 

About six months to a year later, most products will be offered at a considerable discount.  Some of the people who are not the day one purchasers, i.e. those who really don't want the product will buy it at the discounted price.  A few years later, the product may be in the bargain bin at a significantly lower price -- and the people who really don't care if they have or not, may finally purchase it since it is on sale and really cheap.

 

The lesson here is that if you have to have a certain addon RIGHT NOW, you just need to suck it up, and pay full price -- perhaps complaining the whole time.  If you feel like you can wait, you probably can get it for a lower price.

 

For example, when PMDG releases its version 2 747, you probably will be able to pick up the boxed version 1 747 for a song.  There is nothing wrong with version 1, except that it isn't as cool as version 2.

 

This is true for many products.  FSX has been around for a while, so you should be able to pick up many of the older addons for a dramatically reduced price.  One advantage of some of the older products is development is done, and there probably will not be any new patches or upgrades.

 

But if you want the latest and greatest, and you want it NOW, expect to pay full price. 

No it's a free market. You are NOT forced to buy anything. FSX comes with airplanes, there are free ones available and it also has an SDK and basic 3d tool so that you could make your own. Buying one that is already done for you is a free choice that you make (the market) but it is not neccesary to enjoy the game as marketed and sold to you. You may also choose to buy very accurate representations or simple ones, but again, the choice is yours and one of the choices is not to buy anything at all.

 

A limited market is one where you must buy something to recieve basic or better functionality (such as those "free" online games that require to make micropurchases to gain maximum benefit of the game).

You don't understand the economic term. If it's a free market there are little barriers to entry for a developer, and competition between different developers all making the same product and competing.

Ben Weston from Airline2Sim sums it up well enough for me. Anybody putting out their wares on the market will soon know if the price they ask is justified.

 

If you like the top-end stuff, you can wait for the odd sale or two that occurs. Granted, not all the design studios offer their goods at sale prices, but over the years I have picked up some good deals on OrbX goods, to name but one...

 

If you feel that you do not wish to be at the cutting edge, or cannot afford it, sometimes a little patience is all that is required...

 

Now, off to MilViz, I have had my eye on the F100 now for a few weeks...

 

A

 

I repeat myself it appears, but some developers rely on no competition to release products that are priced too high but people pay because they are no other options. Carenado and Captain sim for example.

 

For airport scenery, you usually have only one option for an addon airport scenery, either you buy it or you use a bland default. That isn't a free market to make prices more competitive.

 

 

One thing every retailer knows, or soon learns: If someone really wants something, they will be willing to pay full price for it. If someone doesn't really want it, they want a big discount.

 

Yeah, that's a marketing strategy for price fixation that in Spanish is called "descremar el mercado", something I have no idea how to translate (to "delayer" the market?)

 

It means full price first -> some people buy it.

A discount later on -> some more people buy who wouldn't have bought it otherwise

A further discount later on etc

You don't understand the economic term.

 

No I do, but your argument has shifted to macroeconomic terms and you apply an artifical barrier to entry.

 

 

 

I repeat myself it appears, but some developers rely on no competition to release products that are priced too high but people pay because they are no other options. Carenado and Captain sim for example.

 

For airport scenery, you usually have only one option for an addon airport scenery, either you buy it or you use a bland default. That isn't a free market to make prices more competitive.

 

 

You have the option of not buying at all. That is the Free Market. Or you make one yourself. That is the Free Market. If you make one and there is a demand, you can charge money for it. Again, free market. If you put a lot of time into it and make it really pretty and lots of people like, you can charge more money for it. Free Market. If someone else make one, but it clearly is not superior you can market that yours is better quality so you can keep your prices the same. That is competition. Even if your customers go over to the other guy, you still are good because you have enough willing to pay for your products. Free Market. If some of those customers come back to you because the other guys stuff was terrible but yours was great, and the other guys goes out of business that is the Free Market.

 

That too is the free market at work. If there is not enough demand to be profitable, it is not done. There is no barrier to entry in this niche. It is not a locked out proprietary environment, if you wanted to design a panel, make a plane, or even create your home airport, it can be done. The SDK is included and it is free. The only barrier to entry is the size of the market--which in this case is minute. But some do pretty well by working smart or charging an arm and a leg where it is needed to cover expenses and (!) make a profit. I own every single PMDG product. I also own some Captain Sim and even some Abacus and the price varyied greatly along with the quality.

 

If the game would not run unless you paid money for something--then we are starting to close it up and that would not be a free market. Which is why Flight was a collosal failure.

 

Contrast and Compare Mercedes Benz and Porshe with Ford and Chevy.

 

In short--

 

You percieve the lack of competition of your airport example as a result of s barrier to entry and demonstrates the lack of a Free Market in the world of FSX.

 

I see it as the opposite--The market is too small to be profitable for someone to spend time making your airport example unless they charge a lot for it so the Free Market dictates that it is not undertaken at all(demand is not sufficient for profit to occur unless significant effort is undertaken).

 

By the way, I own Carenado products as well as Captain Sim. They are just fine and worth what I paid. Free Market.

Now don't go calling anybody stupid for the way they spend their money...

 

When I can get the same thing for half the price, I will. And will call people stupid when they buy the over-priced version and then complain publicly it's too expensive.

 

Easy, don't buy it?

And then, when the companies that you obviously support so much go out of business... what will you fly then?

To Milviz... I think Flying Beach has a point but not that people are stupid for buying at the high price.. like many have said, if you want it ..you pay for it.. but to pay the price and then complain about it.. that is what is stupid..