This is good news. I was planning to purchase it so I could fly into ATL and than into the new MK Studios Key West as soon as I can get in front of my PC. After the DRM news it was put on hold. I can now go back to the regularly scheduled program now.

37 minutes ago, Jack_Sawyer said:

But isn’t the Marketplace safer for devs?

Now THAT is a fair question 👍

I won’t debate the merits of all the DRM solutions out there (and from briefly reading about this new(?) one, it does seem unnecessarily inconvenient AND would cause me to decide against purchasing it).

My problem is with anyone having the viewpoint that DRM itself is unnecessary in the first place.

Having to Activate your purchase is fine, but I wouldn't want to run the software whenever I'm flying in the sim.

I agree, Online Activation is perfectly fine!

—

Anyways this is really good news, thank you everyone for pushing on this one.

I will of course be buying this and an extra copy for a friend just to support a good decision like that. Cheers!

24 minutes ago, Amon1973 said:

Having to Activate your purchase is fine, but I wouldn't want to run the software whenever I'm flying in the sim.

Same here. I have an Aussie friend who flew into KATL to visit. I live not far from the airport.

1 hour ago, UrgentSiesta said:

Yours is a bad take for a number of reasons.

Do you have keys to your car? Why?

Do you use easy passwords for all your important online accounts? Why?

The keys to your cars isn’t a form of DRM. DRM serves to prevent copyright and replication. Odd example

As for the other example, you’re describing DRM, I’m not wholly against DRM.

1 hour ago, UrgentSiesta said:

A. Some people steal whenever they can

B. Some people steal just to “get one over on The Man”

C. Some people steal for the gray market.

D. Some people do it to spread malware so they can ransom computers

A: sure, which means they never intended on buying in the first place.

B: of course, but again no intention to buy so not a lost sale.

C: I guess I need to be more specific because now you’re just discussing general thievery/stealing. I’ve been discussed software piracy.

D: sure but people spread malware in plenty in other ways. You’re suggestion would only affect other pirates and if you spread malware as part of a known crack the warez scene is pretty quick to black list you.

2 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

It’s the 2nd and 3rd group that are commercially dangerous and necessitate DRM

1. Because they like to brag about it.

2. Because they will upload the cracked copy (or “how to” instructions) to warez sites for all to grab.

3. They will re-sell cracked copies for ultra low prices and keep all the cash for themselves.

I get it you might not be aware of any warez scene or groups and that’s fine.

1. Ok? Are you talking about bragging rights for cracking ? And then what? People do it for fun because they like reverse-engineering, not to mention they need to purchase the software in order to develop a crack for it.

2. So people who never intended on purchasing in the first place?

3. Who does that? Honestly which warez group do you know that does? Except in china due to VPN restrictions

2 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

But there are a much larger group of people who will gladly take for free or Pennie’s on the dollar what they would otherwise be willing to pay

There’s plenty who would still buy it even though if it were handed for free. poor argument and speculatory.

2 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

So stop being selfish and complaining about your personal convenience when it’s the thieves who are the root cause of the issue.

Oh please, tell that to cd project and their GOG storefront that pulls in millions per year despite serving entirely drm-free content. Majority of piracy is a service issues in the software industry as Gabe Newell put it succinctly.

In any case I don’t want this to become a spat, let’s agree to disagree. It seems like Orbx has reversed their decision and thus so it seems like the potential paying customers have made their wishes heard.

ggg

Edited May 29May 29 by Keirtt
delete

In the 70's Atlanta was tiny but still pretty humid.

dd

2 hours ago, atco said:

And just like that Orbx have now confirmed in discord they will not be moving forward with this DRM.
The community has spoken loudly and forced change.

That's the right way to handle a backlash.

I'll still wait and buy at the Marketplace, but I'm looking forward to reading all the "I'm running out of Vram" posts. 😁

2 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

My problem is with anyone having the viewpoint that DRM itself is unnecessary in the first place.

Might want to have that discussion with the owners of gog.com. It will be enlightening for you.

Every single game is DRM free. Thousands of games from new releases to the ones we loved decades ago.

Edit to add: I now see @Lucky38i made the same argument earlier up in this thread before I did.

Edited May 30May 30 by Greggy_D

10 hours ago, UAL4life said:

I will get it for the marketplace, because I don’t care about updates for scenery.

10 hours ago, CFIJose said:

I recommend this to all devs, "sell your add-ons at the Marketplace. It might take longer to push out updates, but it's so much easier for the customer."

Updates are released to the marketplace within a day or two of the dev sending it to Asobo for review... multiple devs have confirmed this on the official forums. It took much longer a year ago, but the Phenom is proof that marketplace updates can be released quickly.

When devs release "exclusively" to other stores first, they are likely doing so because they make more money selling through those channels. When they delay updates, they are likely using the early updates they release directly as beta tests to avoid releasing a buggy update to the MP.

I’m glad orbx and the dev made the right decision.

The really good part of this story is that it is now a precedent. Every other developer will now know that adding DRM of this kind to their product will result in a massive backlash from the flight simulation community, and (almost certainly) a significant reduction in sales to honest customers. That is priceless.

📢 Matteo Veneziani’s KATL Atlanta has arrived for MSFS 2024!

One of the world's busiest and most recognisable airports is now available exclusively on Orbx Direct.

Built entirely by a single developer using extensive real-world references, KATL captures the scale and complexity of Atlanta with detailed interiors, animated transport systems, realistic gate assignments, and much more.

✓ Detailed recreation of KATL Atlanta
✓ Atlanta's distinctive sloped runway layout
✓ Animated SkyTrain & Metro systems
✓ Detailed terminal interiors
✓ Custom VDGS + GSX profile included
✓ Delta HQ & Renaissance Hotel recreated
✓ Designed with optimisation in mind

🎬 Check out the launch video: https://youtu.be/t8EUQt03hvY
👉 Available now on Orbx Direct for MSFS 2024: https://orbxdirect.com/product/katl-msfs2024

Edited May 30May 30 by MPL

So here's my initial impression. I purchased it and installed it. All went smooth (And no DRM!). I started it up and used the FSReborn Phenom for my tests. Visually, the airport is impressive! It has all the visuals you would expect. Make sure to disable the Asobo scenery. As far as performance... my FPS held a constant 117 without budging; HOWEVER, holy micro stutters. Just like was seen in the previews, the micro-stutters for this scenery are pretty intense and that's with a TLOD of 100 on the ground and all static scenery, 3d passengers, etc. removed.

Unfortunately I'm unable to do a full flight due to the fact that I'm headed to work but this is what I saw in the few minutes I was able to play around with it and just fly around the immediate airport with the Phenom. Matteo did a good job visually, but he absolutely needs to work on the performance.