MSFS Scenery Prices

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

3 hours ago, HiFlyer said:

Here's one.

Thanks, very interesting.

I think that is more of an anomaly as the first one is SO bad.

Yet, I still think what I said holds mostly true, it discourages developers from doing the same regional airports, maybe NOT the largest international ones like Boston.

I also think the demand for airports has fallen greatly since release, people bought what they bought and have purchase fatigue, and generally have less interest (just like all games). Think it's more the hardcore simmers buying now, or the youngens that just became of age to get into flight sims.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[Keto Ketchup 240]

5 minutes ago, Alpine Scenery said:

Yet, I still think what I said holds mostly true, it discourages developers from doing the same regional airports, maybe NOT the largest international ones like Boston.

You're talking paid developers, yes? Because there are lots of free airports available on third-party sites, some of them very good. Even the airport I paid for had a free version (not in Marketplace, but elsewhere) that wasn't bad, it just lacked some specific detail that I wanted that the paid version included.

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

4 minutes ago, Keto Ketchup said:

You're talking paid developers, yes? Because there are lots of free airports available on third-party sites, some of them very good. Even the airport I paid for had a free version (not in Marketplace, but elsewhere) that wasn't bad, it just lacked some specific detail that I wanted that the paid version included.

Yep, did you check out the KLGU I released free?

Lots of detail (for free) if you fly in the US, still working on a few things, but I think it works fine at this point.

Honestly, I haven't found that many good free airports LATELY, but there were lots of good ones released in the first year (payware or near payware quality). There are a few in Europe or the East Orient (Japan-China), but not that much else.

Most of the free airports this past year I haven't really cared for, they are using mainly default buildings.
I don't mind people using default buildings for the non-important ones, but I need at least 1 rendered tower to make it feel right.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[Keto Ketchup 240]

2 minutes ago, Alpine Scenery said:

Yep, did you check out the KLGU I released free?

Lots of detail (for free) if you fly in the US, still working on a few things, but I think it works fine at this point.
 

Honestly, I haven't found that many good free airports, there were lots of them being released in the first year.
Most of the free airports this past year I haven't really cared much for, they are using all default buildings.
I don't mind people using default buildings for the non-important ones, but I need at least 1 rendered tower to make it feel right.

I plan on making my hometown airport (it's a small GA field) using actual photos taken specifically to convert to textures for custom-made buildings. I don't know if I'll put in every fence and cone and light pole and shrub, as I think that's a bit overkill, but it will definitely look like MY airport from the air and even the taxiway. Won't be the first time either, as I did this long ago back for FS 2002. It was quite a fun project!

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

3 minutes ago, Keto Ketchup said:

I plan on making my hometown airport (it's a small GA field) using actual photos taken specifically to convert to textures for custom-made buildings. I don't know if I'll put in every fence and cone and light pole and shrub, as I think that's a bit overkill, but it will definitely look like MY airport from the air and even the taxiway. Won't be the first time either, as I did this long ago back for FS 2002. It was quite a fun project!

Sweet, I remember a few people made airports that way by importing aerials into the sim. Honestly, the color overlays and texturing is so advanced now you can probably just get what you want by modding it directly and overlaying textures and make it look similar to the photo.

Of course the photo will look better if you get good ones, using drone photos I guess.

The SDK is pretty awesome, I just got so sick of them changing things and then having to update stuff.
This last version I had to re-do all my taxiways, and I think still a couple of issues.

The Gatwick developer was complaining about it too.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[HiFlyer 9,359]

I also feel demand for airports may seem to be lower than it actually is due to the fact that Developers for some reason are producing tons of where the heck is that, no-named airports in generally out of the way places that must be a godsend for people living in that area but are meaningless to pretty much everyone else.

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

Because a lot of the active developers are foreigners in third world countries (good for them to make money, just saying). They are just making whatever, they aren't that aware. 

It seems the main 10 big developers have really slowed production, some of them switched to planes only.
That tells us they probably weren't making enough on the last airports they produced.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[scotchegg 4,186]

I have no idea what the actual demand for different types of airport is at this stage of the game but I can imagine once the more popular ones have been covered there's going to be a tail-off.

Personally I think there's more room to go for small VFR airports in areas of great natural beauty with custom-built local points of interest, but you have the problem of marketing to people how beautiful the place is and showing it's rendered well in MSFS. One of the huge draws for MSFS is the quality of the world and I already have a big (and growing!) list of places that I wish there were a high quality airport to use as a sightseeing base for. Just this morning I remembered another small strip I used to love in FSX, CBA7 (Scar Creek) which I'd love to see in MSFS with a bit of local colour.

[LouP 116]

All I can say is, can we get a good looking and correct Nantucket back?  Please...??  Anyone know of what happened to Bill Womack?  I haven't seen him pop up anywhere lately.

LouP

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by LouP

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

That was a nice airport, I owned that one in Xplane 11.

Some of the best smaller airports (not bush) for MSFS were done in Alaska, DC Scenery Designs - Sergio Del Rosso (Blinn) Freeware - Northern Sky Studios - and a few others.

There are some really good ones in Europe too, but I don't fly in Europe as much.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

2 hours ago, Alpine Scenery said:

Because a lot of the active developers are foreigners in third world countries (good for them to make money, just saying). They are just making whatever, they aren't that aware. 

It does mean there are some very decent airports at good prices in places like South America.

There is some good stuff about if you search for it. NZA Simulations for example have a whole batch of decent freeware airports in their catalogue:

https://nzasimulations.com/shop/

[pyreegue 180]

On 7/12/2022 at 8:30 PM, HiFlyer said:

Here's one.

 

On 7/12/2022 at 1:48 PM, Keto Ketchup said:

This might be a dumb question, but can more than one developer make scenery for a specific airport? You know, like how more than one company can make and sell chocolate ice cream. Or is it "first come, first serve"?

EDIT - I'm specifically talking about the official marketplace.

I did EGPF Glasgow. So did UK2000. And I will make duplicate airports regardless of another one already existing because I use my scenery for my flights as well, and if it doesn’t cut it for me - you know it. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by pyreegue

[F737MAX 5,599]

35 minutes ago, pyreegue said:

I did EGPF Glasgow. So did UK2000. And I will make duplicate airports regardless of another one already existing because I use my scenery for my flights as well, and if it doesn’t cut it for me - you know it. 

And we're all better off for having that choice, so a big thank you for your efforts!


I feel fortunate that I see a number of UK airports and airfields developed / in progress to a very high standard, whether payware by Pyreegue, Pilot Plus, Burning Blue Design or freeware, such as mkvy's EGKK, Liam G's EGSS or superspud's EGFF, EGTE or EGHE.

That said, it really does feel as if the high quality developers have slowed right down after the flurry of releases initially. FlyTampa, Flightbeam, FSDreamTeam (finishing GSX is rightly their priority), Cloudsurf Asia Sim (Manila cityscape excepted), FSimStudios and others are all quiet on the airport scenery releases front. Shovelware is filling the gap (poorly).

[pyreegue 180]

10 hours ago, F737MAX said:

Shovelware is filling the gap (poorly).

Well I’ve seen plenty of people who want airports to cost 5-9$ and be that shovelware. I guess every product has its customer. I’m standing by my view on scenery, and Belfast Intl will be even crazier than anything I’ve made previously. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by pyreegue

[Steve_Ellis 273]

2 hours ago, pyreegue said:

Well I’ve seen plenty of people who want airports to cost 5-9$ and be that shovelware. I guess every product has its customer. I’m standing by my view on scenery, and Belfast Intl will be even crazier than anything I’ve made previously. 

If all your sceneries are like the ones you have already released, I will buy the whole lot...😀  They are outstanding.

Thank you for providing top notch quality sceneries.