Forgive me in advance, I searched and didn’t see a relevant topic. I felt the general Marketplace discussion thread wasn’t a good fit as this is really quite the opposite. In continued efforts to do my homework before getting FS24, I am appalled at how the FS24 Marketplace is being run by Asobo/MS. Lack of updates, huge delays, specific 2024 compatibility updates only being available for 2020, etc.
A quick bit of background. When FS2020 came out, I avoided the Marketplace at all cost. I read they took a percentage of sales, and instead preferred to give directly to developers. I refused to buy military aircraft (my main interest) due to the weapons ban. The extended delay for Marketplace updates to hit was also a big drawback. The only problem was I got overwhelmed trying to keep products updated across multiple sources.
Then I heard maybe the skim percentage wasn’t that high, or the argument was made about greater reach and total sales for developers. Then developers started finding work-arounds to display weapons for Marketplace purchases (and recently this ban was finally lifted). At the same time the release delay shortened considerably. So I eventually started switching over to mostly Marketplace purchases for ease of use. With the FS24 hype of seamless transfer I felt I had made a good choice. Fast forward to now with encryption and lack of locally stored content and it’s really quite disappointing.
So, what are the options for PC users as an alternative to the Marketplace? Specifically, are there any group vendors where I could buy from multiple developers? I’ve used Just Flight since FSX, and did initially for FS2020, but that doesn’t always have everything. Is there anything better, anything more inclusive with more robust update notifications/mechanics?