PMDG on the marketplace update by Robert Randazzo

[177B 730]

I prefer the Marketplace. So convenient, and I like to encourage and support MS/ASOBO to keep developing and supporting the servers.

But I have bought about a third of my add ons from developers. Because I wanted them right away.

Developers are not stupid and they weigh the potentially bigger market using the store, and take that into account when pricing products.

FS2020 is a great product with huge potential, I have never experienced such fantastic support and communication from other Sim products I have used over 30 years of simming.

It is wonderful to see how far we have come in a short time and how many developers are actively supporting the SIM.

Just my wooden nickel.

[Dominique_K 10,133]

The worst that could happen to the sector is that MS progressively gains a monopolistic position (or duopolistic with Stream) to market addons, Buying direct from the developers when they are well known and the transaction secure, is the way to avoid this. MS Market Place will  be the solution of last resort for me. 

I am no Microsoft hater. This is a great company which deserves my respect and they have it. But monopolies are bad  specially in the US where big corporations listen way too much to fringe groups on one side and their lawyers on the other side. In a nutshell, they are not to be trusted to respect the freedom of choice and should have the counterweight of a strong and independent cottage industry.

The fear that not buying at the MP would jeopardize the future of the franchise is absurd. 'nuf said.

 

[abrams_tank 7,393]

8 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

The worst that could happen to the sector is that MS progressively gains a monopolistic position (or duopolistic with Stream) to market addons,

 

I want to point out that when Asobo/Microsoft allowed the Community folder to use outside add-ons, it eliminated the possibility of MSFS becoming a monopoly on 3rd party add-ons.

By definition, the Community folder is the opposite of a "monopolistic position."  It allows any add-ons to be used, without going through Microsoft.  The very existence of the Community folder means that the MSFS marketplace can never be a monopoly.

[Silicus 850]

I am not a Microsoft hater either and I love MSFS and while there are issue, I see it going into the right directions.

What I don't get with MS, being one of the largest tech companies on this earth, is why they do some of there projects 'half - word not allowed'.

I mean, they put in the effort to create the marketplace, but then it takes weeks to updated the products. I can understand why developers are reluctant and concerned. The weekly update is a small amount of products, why does it take weeks to place them?

Streamline your procedures, MS.

My 2 cents (Canadian).

[Pugilist2 878]

16 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

I want to point out that when Asobo/Microsoft allowed the Community folder to use outside add-ons, it eliminated the possibility of MSFS becoming a monopoly on 3rd party add-ons.

By definition, the Community folder is the opposite of a "monopolistic position."  It allows any add-ons to be used, without going through Microsoft.  The very existence of the Community folder means that the MSFS marketplace can never be a monopoly.

Exactly! Microsoft has always supported add-on developers since the beginning.

I purchase from the Marketplace for convenience. I also do not mind supporting Microsoft/Asobo being as without them we would not have the sim at all.

[ca_metal 2,015]

Hey! Let's just follow Randazzo's advice: "Do what is best for you, as that is the correct solution for you."

If the developers (Be it Microsoft or PMDG) are ok with it selling on the marketplace or outside it, why are you fighting for it?

The only thing that bothers me is Steam getting 35% for doing nothing, they just process the payments, the downloads are from Microsoft's servers. 

Both Microsoft and PMDG deserve our money.

[RobJC 2,069]

I am going to try to buy my purchases as much as possible from the marketplace to support MS, which helps keep them engaged. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by RobJC

[Pugilist2 878]

 

7 minutes ago, ca_metal said:

Hey! Let's just follow Randazzo's advice: "Do what is best for you, as that is the correct solution for you."

If the developers (Be it Microsoft or PMDG) are ok with it selling on the marketplace or outside it, why are you fighting for it?

The only thing that bothers me is Steam getting 35% for doing nothing, they just process the payments, the downloads are from Microsoft's servers. 

Both Microsoft and PMDG deserve our money.

 Lol, I do not know who you are referring to as "Fighting for it"! Everyone on this thread is only stating their opinions as you are doing.

[Shack95 2,658]

Obviously everyone should do whatever he or she prefers. Back in August I thought I was going to buy from the Marketplace exclusively, mainly to avoid chaos, but I quickly threw my resolutions overboard when I realized how long it takes for certain addons to be on the MP. Now I‘m back to the mess of the olden days that I thought I had left behind. I still prefer the MP if the price is right and if the addon is available when I want it, but I don‘t wait for the MP to offer an addon I want. I also prefer to buy aircraft directly from the publisher because of the sluggish update cycle. That said, I still think the MP is a good idea and I hope they make enough money to keep up their work. 

[Steve Dra 7,579]

Sadly, us Avsim'ers, who probably make up .001% of the total MSFS community, can argue this point to infinity, and even if we all collectively agreed to never buy from the marketplace again, it would be akin to the Gulf of Mexico drying up because a beaver 100 miles upstream of the Mississippi, in a tiny tributary, built a dam and stopped its flow into the Mighty Mo. 🤣 

With Xboxer's coming on line (not sure if they already are...don't follow that news)...using the same analogy above, it will be like 5 more Mississippi's joining the flow into the Gulf.🙂

I don't think we need to spend sleepless nights worrying if our decision to not buy from the Market Place is going to be that final beaver dam that causes the Gulf to dry up. 😉

Me personally, I will always buy directly from the dev to give them that 30% back, because without a healthy payware dev community feeding our insatiable craving for stuff for our hobby, it can have the same overall effect as an underfunded Market Place because if we don't get new stuff to play with, the simmers will eventually lose interest, and the same net effect will take place. 
Just look at P3D or FSX as examples.  With fewer devs creating content for them, their popularity is slowly declining, which causes less and less 3rd party payware to be profitable for payware devs, who in turn produce less and less for those platforms. Its the law of natural digression in a marketplace. MSFS however, is currently on the upward side and is in progression, not digression.  I hope we won't be having this discussion 10 years from now....I'm hoping that projected life cycle for MSFS will be enhanced due to breakthroughs in technology such as 4k, 8K, 16k VR sets...where we'll all be wearing headsets and big monitors will go the way of VHS...or Beta tapes!

Anyway....simple thoughts to add to the discussion. 🙂 

[Car147 2,276]

I try to use both, For the likes of higher fidelity aircraft such as the DC-6, Aerosofts CRJ i go direct to the dev. But i have also spent quite a bit (Mostly Airports, and less complex aircraft ) from MS

That way i hope i am helping both.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Car147

[abrams_tank 7,393]

12 minutes ago, Steve Dra said:

😉

Me personally, I will always buy directly from the dev to give them that 30% back, because without a healthy payware dev community feeding our insatiable craving for stuff for our hobby, it can have the same overall effect as an underfunded Market Place because if we don't get new stuff to play with, the simmers will eventually lose interest, and the same net effect will take place. 
Just look at P3D or FSX as examples.  With fewer devs creating content for them, their popularity is slowly declining, which causes less and less 3rd party payware to be profitable for payware devs, who in turn produce less and less for those platforms.

You are getting the causation wrong.  The 3rd party developers migrated from P3D to MSFS because MSFS is a bigger market.  3rd party devs sell more of their product with MSFS than they do with P3D.

MSFS has expanded the home consumer market for flight simulators.  You need to read this again and understand it.  Without MSFS, the home consumer flight simulator market would be a lot smaller.  MSFS literally brought back many people into flight simulation that wouldn't have spent a cent on flight simulation otherwise (ie. I am an example, I had FSX, but after FSX, I stayed out of flight simulation for over a decade until MSFS came back - now 3rd party devs are benefitting from people like me that spend money on their products, that I wouldn't have spent without MSFS pulling me back to flight simulation).

If Microsoft stops supporting MSFS, we go back to the days of X-Plane and P3D.  Yes, we go back to the days where flight simulation is stagnant, and there is barely any improvement in flight simulation from year to year.

If you want flight simulation to advance for the home market, especially in the next 10 years, Asobo's continued work in MSFS is definitely one way flight simulation will advance.  Asobo can only continue to work on MSFS if Microsoft sees the revenue from it, such as the MSFS marketplace.  Otherwise, if the revenue from MSFS is poor, Microsoft can cut back the budget that they spend on MSFS. And we may not see MSFS 2 in 2030 (I believe if MSFS ends up as a revenue success for Microsoft over the next 10 years, we will eventually see MSFS 2 by 2030 or so, which means flight simulation continues to advance).

Edited June 23, 2021 by abrams_tank

[ca_metal 2,015]

22 minutes ago, Pugilist2 said:

 

 Lol, I do not know who you are referring to as "Fighting for it"! Everyone on this thread is only stating their opinions as you are doing.

All on my mind, I guess. 👽

[Baber20 1,438]

All my purchases have been from Marketplace and will remain so in the future. Without Microsoft, this sim wont exist so its of utmost crucial importance that they do generate revenue from the Markerplace. If the project doesn't seem profitable enough to the high ups, make no mistake that the ball WILL be dropped. This is Microsoft we are talking about. They dont kid around. Also it seems a huge burden lays on Jorg Neuman's shoulders. MSFS wasnt gifted to Jorg Neuman and Asobo Studios. Alot of work went into convincing the high ups. You guys are forgetting that literally no one outside a very small and secluded circle cared about Flight simming. It was a very niche genre. MSFS took everyone by surprise at E3 and the  entire simming scene exploded right after. I believe Phill Spencer must be really happy with Jorg now lol.

So please do consider this when making your future purchases that Marketplace purchases are probably their only means of generating revenue. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Baber20

[abrams_tank 7,393]

4 minutes ago, Baber20 said:

All my purchases have been from Marketplace and will remain so in the future. Without Microsoft, this sim wont exist so its of utmost crucial importance that they do generate revenue from the Markerplace. If the project doesn't seem profitable enough to the high ups, make no mistake that the ball WILL be dropped. This is Microsoft we are talking about. They dont kid around. Also it seems a huge burden lays on Jorg Neuman's shoulders. MSFS wasnt gifted to Jorg Neuman and Asobo Studios. Alot of work went into convincing the high ups. You guys are forgetting that literally no one outside a very small and secluded circle cared about Flight simming. It was a very niche genre. MSFS took everyone by surprise at E3 and the  entire simming scene exploded right after. I believe Phill Spencer must be really happy with Jorg now lol.

So please do consider this when making your future purchases that Marketplace purchases are probably their only means of generating revenue. 

Yes, this ^^^. I absolutely agree with Baber20.

Jorg went through a lot to convince the higher ups in Microsoft that MSFS can continue to generate decent revenue for Microsoft after its release. That was the whole idea of the MSFS marketplace.  Randazzo said this was Jorg's plan all along and Randazzo mentioned the hoops Jorg had to jump through.

If anything, we should support Jorg and his vision, if we want MSFS to be a 10 year project.