How many are still going to buy payware for FS9?

[Guest LLgaz]

There's one more addon on my list for this year: The LDS757 whenever it comes out. That will be it for me until I'm able to upgrade my aging Athnon 2200+xp to something better able to run addons without flying in 2D cockpit only.As for FSX, as usual, I'll be purchasing it as soon as its released. Not sure how soon I'm gonna get Windows Vista though. If FSX runs ok on windows XP then I'll put off the purchase of Windows Vista for a year or more.

[Guest jaapverduijn]

"(...) I will probably buy FSX because if no one does, then MS might not make FSXII (...)"If nobody buys FSX they might not even make FXI!Anyway, I'll certainly be buying FSX, probably fairly soon (if not immediately) after it becomes available...Be well!Jaap Verduijn.

[Guest neilb]

At the moment my FS9 configuration is as good as it can probably be.I have awesome weather (AS6)I have awesome AI (flightplans, aardvark/evolveai/FSP models)I have awesome add-ons that work (PMDG, LVLD)I'm looking forward to the PMDG MD11 and the LVL-D 757 (which will both hopefully be FS9 based).Why upgrade?MS is going to have to give me a #### good reason. And birds and wildlife aint doing it for me right now.

[Guest allcott]

>At the moment my FS9 configuration is as good as it can>probably be.>>I have awesome weather (AS6)>>I have awesome AI (flightplans, aardvark/evolveai/FSP models)>>I have awesome add-ons that work (PMDG, LVLD)>>I'm looking forward to the PMDG MD11 and the LVL-D 757 (which>will both hopefully be FS9 based).>>Why upgrade?>>MS is going to have to give me a #### good reason. And birds>and wildlife aint doing it for me right now.Why do we have to make a decision now? Can't we just wait until FSX is released and make the decision THEN? Too many uncertaintises right now, so I'm just not making a decision. The sensible option at this point!As for buying additional addons for FS9, if they make what I want to buy at the price I'm prepared to pay then yes, I will. I still have my eyes on one or two eagerly-awaited products and the desire to purchase them hasn't really changed at all with the FSX announcement. What I will do is remove those addons from my list which might be `nice to have` but aren't on my `must haves`. I will probably leave those alone, along with the `ongoing` projects that look unlikely to complete in time for a reasonable go before FSX comes along. Like many, I like to think I won't be forced into buying FSX as soon as it is released. But I know I certainly will, and FS2004 will gradually fade away until it gets removed. Just like FS2002! Allcott

[Guest bobsk8]

Remembering back to new releases of MSFS, I am going to wait until the initial beta Testors ( the first people that run out and purchase it) finish listing complaints about it on this and other forums, to figure out if a purchase and switch to FSX will be worth it to me. This is the first time that I have a current version of MSFS on my PC that I am really happy with. I have no problem with frame rates, system crashes, bad ATC, aircraft that don't fly like the real thing, etc..etc, thanks to the money that I have spent on carefully chosen add-ons and the basic FS9. So far, all I have seen in the screen shots for FSX is low level VFR type scenery, and I don't do much of that at this point in time, other than a minuteor two during takeoffs and landing approaches in my Level D 767. For the few seconds on short final, when I would see a car rolling along the road or a chicken on the runway, giving up many features of the add-ons I have now, is probably not going to be worth switching to FSX. For someone that is mostly flying at 1,500 feet AGL in a Cessna or Helicopter, FSX will probably be a must have, the day it comes out. So if someone comes out with a worthwhile add-on for FS9, I will mostly probably buy it since it will probably be used for at least 1 1/2 years.

[Guest MarkM]

>Even if FSX were released tomorrow I would still keep FS9 on>my system for at least the next several months. This is the>samething I did with FS2002. Mainly thats to allow payware to>catch up to the new version AND to allow for any patches or>mods required. Basically I take a go slow approach to>conversion. Also, if this version forces me into a PC>upgrade...which it might...this system of mine is now>old...then I'll probably run parrallel on two PC's.>Me too.

[Guest davidvoogd]

I've spent an idiotic amount of money on payware addons for FS9, most of which I don't use (just too many). For that reason I've pretty much stopped buying stuff (and my new personal goal of not being so materialistic). That said if a really good addon comes out I may pick it up, but I won't rush to get an addon on release day all the time as I did before. Also I beta test for a few companies so that saves me having to buy stuff. I plan to be much more limited in payware from now on, only buying the best of the best, and relying on freeware when I need a "new toy" fix.That said I do plan on getting FSX on the release date, but I will keep FS2004 installed for a while too.

[clements 4]

I am excited about FSX and may buy it quickly just to see it what it offers; however, I remember when FS(fill in the version number) came out and there were always some bug that, while not fatal to the casual virtual pilot, annoyed me. I expect to have the same problem with FSX.Interestingly, the biggest thing that I worry about and the biggest reason why I'm not getting excited about FSX is that I doubt Microsoft's ability to deliver this year. I am surprised that nobody is talking about that. I would suspect that we see the product in Q1 2007. They may push very hard to get it out the door by Christmas but then I am sure quality will be a concern (I don't mean to be pessimistic but I have been a consumer of video games for years and my experience has taught me to be realistic.).So, I am still buying add-ons. I just bought BEV (great purchase!) and am deciding on a good general purpose GA aircraft (DF B58 or A36 or Aeroworx B200 -- suggestions?!?). I am really looking forward to enjoying FS9 in 2006 and into 2007.Bob

[Guest Bell206freak]

Why in the heck are we still seeing negative reaction to the "eye candy" aspects of Flight Simulator X? I am getting sick of reading the "I ain't buying FS:X because the birds and wildlife aren't doing it for me" thread post types. It smacks of arrogance and a failure to acknowledge that even for a chance Microsoft and the ACES team may have improved flight dynamics on a broad level and they may still be working on upgrading them as we speak before the software goes "gold" so to speak.It sickens me to think that all most people in the Flight Simulation community seem to care about these days are correct flight dynamics and an updated FDE and all that happy BS. What about the best of both worlds? What about giving FS:X a chance before we start calling it a crappy simulator?It has been said before that the scenery in Flight Simulator has been pretty bare at the default level since the days of Flight Simulator 98. I was overjoyed when I read that they had incorporated a "living world" rich in highway traffic and other forms of immersion in the simulator. I feel no need for such posts like that. It's that kind of negative reaction that may lead to an end result of this perhaps being the last release of Flight Simulator, and I want to see releases for years to come.When I fly in FS, I want to be able to look down on a road or highway and be able to see cars moving, or birds taking flight in tandem with me. When crossing a runway or taxiway in a rural setting, I want to be able to look at the realistic depiction of wildlife in their natural setting. (After all, deer can be seen at a rual airport and has been referenced in a major comic routine by Bill Engvall.)Quite frankly, I sick of this nonsense type of posting.As to the topic at hand... I am more of a freeware proponent than anything else, because of a number of factors. Primarily, it's because I find the price of some add-on titles exceedingly high (as a rule of thumb, no add-on should ever exceed the cost of the simulator at retail, which in my area is now at $20), and that some add-on titles are advertised as being "greatly detailed" and yet come off as the opposite.With that said, however, I have purchased add-ons before. Megascenery Volume 4: Pacific Northwest was my first payware purchase and I still use it to this day. One add-on I have not purchased yet and I plan on doing it shortly is the RealStart Bell 206 BIII JetRanger.In terms of FS:X, I'll wait and see, but I do know this.. The minute I see it on the store shelves and I have enough cash in hand, it's gonna come home with me.

[Murmur 3,941]

>Microsoft and the ACES team may have improved flight>dynamics on a broad level and they may still be working on>upgrading them as we speak before the software goes "gold" so>to speak.I really hope so. Unfortunately, being backward compatibility a high priority, I am a bit skeptic flight model will be significantly modified.>It sickens me to think that all most people in the Flight>Simulation community seem to care about these days are correct>flight dynamics and an updated FDE and all that happy BS.If you consider Flight Dynamics as BS, I bet you play FS9 in slew mode all the time. Or you might as well use Google Earth instead of FS9 :(>Primarily, it's because I find the price of some add-on titles>exceedingly high (as a rule of thumb, no add-on should ever>exceed the cost of the simulator at retail, which in my area>is now at $20), and that some add-on titles are advertised as>being "greatly detailed" and yet come off as the opposite.You can't compare the cost of the simulator with the cost of add-ons. Add-ons don't sell millions of copies, therefore their retail cost is higher. And by the way, have you a vague idea of how much work goes into complex add-ons, like for example PMDG, Level-D, etc?Marco

[Guest Bell206freak]

No.. I didn't say I considered flight dynamics as "BS" per se and never regarded them as such. But as a whole, Flight Simulator isn't just soley about them, and the focus shouldn't just shift to flight dynamics as a whole and leave it at that. If it had been that way, we'd be still flying in scenery akin to Flight Simulator for Windows 95 - which I never in a million years would find realistic given today's capabilities of Flight Simulator. It's about the immersion of flying on a desktop PC - which has been the core focus of Flight Simulator since the days of Bruce Artwick's little DOS-based simulator. It would be rather plain looking to see the next release of Flight Simulator be a patch for Flight Simulator 2004 rather than an evolutionary release. All of the features mentioned in the press releases and as shown in screenshots I have been waiting for since the days of Flight Simulator 98, and I am thoroughly excited to see them finally implemented. I would rather fly in a realistic depiction of the world first rather than whining about the missing FMC and whatnot.Sure, I would like to see advanced flight dynamics, and more support for more realistic helicopter simulation (because helicopters by and large have been considered the ba$tard-stepchild of Flight Simulator), but there are many 3rd-party add-on developers who have pushed the envelope and essentially rewrote the book on them. I'm sure that with FS:X, we'll see the process "repeat itself."In previous posts, I alluded to two examples of the complex development that has gone into complex add-ons. One of them was the DodoSim Bell 206 JetRanger. Countless hours went into development of the most realistic helicopter flight dynamics ever for Flight Simulator. What was previously thought to be impossible was done. Unlike before, a user can now melt a JetRanger's turbine in Flight Simulator, and if the start-up checklist - which by-the-way is the exact same as the real world 206 - isn't followed to a "T", you ain't goin' nowhere.The same is true for Jordan Moore of Hovercontrol.com. Late last year, he released the Bell 412 package, and over two years of intensive development went into making sure that the Bell 412 was as true to life when possible when it was released. Everything, from official cooperation with Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc, to countless hours of testing by real-world Bell 412 pilots made sure that each feature was as correct as possible. I cannot count how many hours Jordan spent on the gauges alone.So yes, I do have an idea of how much work goes into payware add-ons.And as a freeware developer, I can attest to the fact that even freeware can be just as good - if not better - than payware. In fact, right now I'm working on the largest freeware scenery package release ever for Washington State, with over a dozen high-detail GA airstrips and one large high-detail full-service airport. Additionally, countless other objects and features will make their way into the final release. In the end, over 10 months of development will go into the project, with enough disk space consumed, and features enough, to rival that of a high-end payware package.And no.. I don't fly in slew mode all the time. My flights begin at the parking ramp (er, helipad since I only fly helicopters in Flight Simulator) and end there. Slew mode is only used for scenery development and screengrab use only.

[Guest SimDog]

I am now more causious with my money. I am extemely tired of people that offer products for purchase, them end up not answering emails or support posts in "their" support forum.I could write more and and point fingers but will not. I do want to say THANK YOU to those who care about the product they developed and take extra care to answer the concerns of their customers.Regards,S.D.

[aerdt 0]

I might get the PSS or Level-D 757, but that will pretty much conclude my buying spree for FS9 unless something revolutionary comes out of nowhere.Pat

[Guest byoung]

Well, I plan to buy a 120 GB drive (should be about $50), load VISTA and FSX and put it through the test. ORI am also hoping that Microsoft releases an FULLY OPTIMIZED (25 to 30 FPS, no stutters, all sliders maxed to the right) version of FSX for the XBOX 360, that is FULLY compatible with USB devices. It would be a morononic move on Microsoft's part if they ignore this market potential.Then your out of pocket expense will be the current price of an XBOX (should be about $199 by then) 360 + FSX. My 52 inch HD TV is begging for this to happen. Then while all of the PC'ers are WAISTING time tweaking their bloatted OS based systems, I'll be Flying!!!!! :) :) :)I might be dreaming.... But oh well.Barry

[MD83 1]

>Gee wiz! Why all this anti FSX sentiment? Were you all so>dour when FS9 hit the scene?>>Never in the history of Flight Sim have so many had so much to>say about software they they knew so little about. It's still>vaporware people, specifications subject to change without>notice. If I were a MS exec and I saw all these sour grapes,>I'd probably can the whole platform and use the money for>Xbox360 marketing. Where would that leave us, huh?People don't like change ;). They will have to start from scratch with FSX. I missed FS9 altogether, as it didn't impress me. I'm looking forward to FSX :) :)