Well said. Add-Ons in the past always cost relatively more. It’s a different market now with this sim and Xbox though. And I think the perception of value has been skewed by the “WHOLE GAME” only costing around that price.
Overall it’s up to the developers and market forces to decide what they charge. And I hope with the larger market there is enough incentive to sustain their chosen business model and commitment to making of the higher-end products. Last thing we want is a race to the bottom like in the mobile gaming world!!
It is the Xbox market that is driving prices down for all of us. MS was right to tap into that market and create a sim that could run on both platforms, even if it meant some compromises in areas we all know well. Does this benefit of having the much wider customer base - like 5-10 times wider - and the lower cost of addons as a result outweigh those compromises? And will technology advances in the near term actually eliminate many of those compromises sooner than we think?
Interesting analogy apart from the fact that food isn’t optional while MSFS is.
Now imagine they brought you a pizza the size of a pancake for that price.
The gripes about the price are about comparability to similarly priced products and from what I have seen and read about the Thunderbolt (and experienced with previous retail AH planes) the P-47 is much closer to the 20,- EUR F-86 Sabre by Shrike than i.e. the Flying Iron warbirds.
AH planes always look great but the rest is almost always a mixed bag. So I definitely wouldn’t get the same fun out of my 34,- bucks. That’s basically their business model and I don’t see any progress there either. Apart from that they have a history of rudeness, abandonware mentality and bad customer support.
I gladly buy something from them as a FamousFlyer or LocalLegend for 15,- EUR (or 9,99 with PremiumDeluxe) if it interests me, but personally I simply don’t pay premium any more just because it’s so darn pretty on the outside while the rest is somewhere between mediocre and sub-standard.
There is no way I’m going to “gladly” pay for any of their products without seeing adequate reviews of it first to base my decision and despite what other people’s opinions and biases are - especially if it’s only a $10 Local Legend or Famous Flyer (e.g. Stratoliner). ALL of their products are a mixed bag, not just the ones they release themselves.
Aeroplane Heaven is still “…like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
A fair point. But it’s also worth noting that according to first reports - I have to say that because I haven’t yet bought it - the AH P-47 isn’t at the same level as other add-ons of comparable depth that are priced much lower - the Shrike F-86 and the GotFriends Wildcat come immediately to mind. So to borrow from the way PepsiCo used to talk about its snack foods, the P-47 is a “fun for you” airplane that’s considerably more expensive than other “fun for you” airplanes that have better reputations. That’s a strike against it even if it’s less expensive than the “good for you” airplanes from Flying Iron, Blackbird, Heatblur et. al.
I still have my limits. An MSFS addon has to offer some type of feedback while flying it. I fly inside the cockpit typically with eyes out, so I need the addon/aircraft to at the very least communicate to me via aural feedback. Flying a really good silent digital model doesn’t provide me with any immersion, and it’s not even worth installing. (E.g. Stratoliner)
This P-47 might have a meek voice while airborne, but at least it can somewhat communicate what it’s doing.
We all have different priorities - sound is one of mine because, for me personally, a good soundset stands in for some of the physical sensations you can’t get any other way in a desktop sim. A big part of my enjoyment of A2A’s warbirds came from the sound (not an accident that Scott was a musician by original calling).
Once the freeware soundpack is out, I’ll be willing to come in on the P-47 - with expectations set for what it is and what it isn’t. Your commentary is very helpful in that regard - thanks for that.
Beyond that, I’d like to have a P-47 to fly because - to pick up a theme from earlier on in the thread - I think the sexiest airplane is the one that gets you home alive.
I’m not really a fan of the P-47, and specifically the earlier razorback models. However, with only another version of the Spitfire being released recently, this P-47 provides a welcome variety to explore - at least for a few people.
Again, hoping that Flying Iron brings their P-47N. But with the Hawker Hunter in their queue in addition to the others you mentioned, it’s going to be a while - if it happens at all.
The Wildcat is probably the best $20 aircraft you can buy for the sim, IMHO. Just a wonderful aircraft all around. I’d add the Boeing 247D is the developer hadn’t dropped off the face of the planet immediately after release, before even releasing the promised first patch. Eh, water under the bridge there. But the Wildcat is GREAT - excellent modeling and texturing, great sound, great flight model, great power plant modeling and just fun to fly.
