Is buying FTX addons an addiction?

[Jon Clarke]

Don't get me wrong here by the title of the post because I wouldn't write it if I wasn't affected

 I, like many hundreds of other orbx fans have spent many, many hundreds of their currency on FTX products only to find a quite high percentage are used infrequently after the initial "thrill" of the new purchase.

I am trying to convey a perspective here. Take PNW as an example. Has anyone who has it actually flown in all the area, visited every airport whether just the included enhanced versions as well as any payware airports (further enhanced and detailed) one's purchased additionally? I doubt if they have.

Taking that example and then ask the same question all the other Full Fat Regions you may own, I think the answer again would be a "No"

Take the OLC addons, anyone flown all the areas covered?

Then lets look at Global Base covering the rest of the whole of the world.

The amount of enhancement offerings from Orbx is overwhelming and I still want more !!!

I reckon I may have covered about 2% of all the addons sceneries content, yet again, I want more.

Is this a sign of an addiction?

Should I seek help? Is there a Betty Ford type rehab clinic for simmers

[paulb]

Hi jjaycee,

 

My perspective -

Well I started with orbx a long time ago.

Initially I purchased Australia and many of the airports.

Then PNW was released, so I purchased that and a few airports.

Next, I purchased a couple more NA regions.

After that I went to rehab.......................

Now I am back.

This year I have purchased almost the whole of North America (regions and airports). Probably $1,000 and more.

I am contemplating getting into Europe with orbx.

My wife is contemplating sending me back to rehab..................

Perhaps we will meet at the clinic?

 

Cheers

Paul

 

[Triplane]

Please, yes, lead me to the clinic also. Several years back I'd never even heard of FTX/ORBX much less bought anything. Then my son (and I may never forgive him.....this is all his fault) gave me a disc as a birthday present. Some sort of flight-simulator scenery call Pacific Northwest or something like that. And now I own them all.....every scenery product FTX has made. Have I used them all? No. Will I buy the next release? Yes. Will I use the next release? Probably not.  Am I addicted? No.....i'm an art collector .

[Larry_R]

I have discovered that spending money is not the only form of this addiction.  On a lark I bought FSX a number of years ago and found it boring after a bit. And then FTX PNW came out and I was completely amazed. In large areas I know well the realism was and still is incredible... except the default ferries, like the huge Washington State ferry at Nanaimo BC that broke the magic spell.  I knew absolutely nothing about  making models or how a sim worked but I started to try to fix the PNW ferries.  I didn't know the process of making scenery, especially scenery for PNW would be highly addictive. Whole days go by without any sense of the time. I have to force myself to walk away when I get so tired I start making mistakes. I forget meals.  I'm beyond hope of a cure, but maybe others can benefit from knowing the risks.  

[Holy Cheese]

Larry, at the risk of offending, I hope you never get cured - I love the work you have done with the ferry system

 

Jack

[FreeBird]

I got off the train awhile ago and have been saving lots of money. In the past If ORBX came out with something new I had to have it. I have gigabytes of flight software that I don't use. Today when I buy something I think hard on how much I will use it. I don't fly in Europe much so why buy airports and such. For me in that area LC is good enough for the few times I fly there.  I didn't buy Megis field because I would fly it a couple of times and then rarely go back there. I don't buy airplanes anymore as I have 50 or so that I don't even fly. I bought all the FSDT airports and never use them. Long story short is think about it before you buy and determine how much you will use it. ORBX can be a addiction if you don't think it thru before you buy.

[paddler]

I do not have an addiction! I can stop buying every ORBX product any time that I wish to! I know that I can!!! I just don't want to stop,yet.

However, it seems that the rate of development of products is about to increase over what we have seen in the past. This alone may cause me to change my ways and focus on the areas that I now have and wish to spend the majority of my time in. But to be honest that will only slow down my purchases in relation to what will be available. 

[Triplane]

A big part of the problem are the sales. Who can resist 30-40% off? JD has to stop this nonsense. I don't think he realizes what a sale does to we-the-addicted. Or.........maybe he does and that's why they have the sales. Sigh.....Is there some sort of 12-Step program for ORBX users?

[VH-KDK]

Yes I am addicted to FS in general.

I have every ORBX product except for one plane(which I don't like) and the Canberra scenery, which I forgot to buy in the last sale.

I have heaps on non ORBX airports in Asia, The South Pacific, South America with a few European ones.

There is so much of the damned stuff that I haven't got a hope in hell of visiting it all.

Then there are the pay ware planes, hangars full of them.

At the moment it is the freeware aircraft, mainly old British stuff giving me a trip down memory lane.

I have spent a bloody fortune but it keeps me amused and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Money wasted? Absolutely not. Addicted,  again, yes!

Someone I know and his wife spend over $15k a year on cigarettes, 3 years they could have brought a decent car or made a dent in their mortgage.

While I am sat here at my desk every day flying, he is working 2 jobs, one to pay for his addiction.

Now that is an addiction I definitely don't want!

[Ken Terry]

I buy too much, but I liken it to going out for lunch and a coffee, both about $30 but when the lunch is over I have nothing.  I find however that I fly the new scenery immediately and I may explore in the few days after purchase but then it slips off the radar and is not visited much more, mainly because there is another $30 to spend today on a new scenery.

Some examples KVAX, KEGE, KTEX, KSEZ, LDDU, ENNO, ENNK etc. etc.

Addicted for sure

Cheers

Ken

[goodperson36]

I don't find it additive as I only buy USA scenery only

[Ziggy]

I'm addicted  

 

but, whatcha gonna do right 

[jsapair]

Wow, some of you guys have the addiction bad. I have managed to limit myself to NA, pretty much, with a little PNG thrown in. Europe and AU have never appealed to me 'cause I live in No. CA. Not to say that, hey, honey, there's a sale on, wouldn't change that in a heartbeat.

 

jsapair

[OscarGrant]

18 hours ago, Triplane said:

Please, yes, lead me to the clinic also. Several years back I'd never even heard of FTX/ORBX much less bought anything. Then my son (and I may never forgive him.....this is all his fault) gave me a disc as a birthday present. Some sort of flight-simulator scenery call Pacific Northwest or something like that. And now I own them all.....every scenery product FTX has made. Have I used them all? No. Will I buy the next release? Yes. Will I use the next release? Probably not.  Am I addicted? No.....i'm an art collector .

"have i used them all? no. will i buy the next release? Yes."

 

im dying over here 

[PumpkinZA]

I guess I am one of the many who have need to visit an addiction clinic.

 

Funny thing is we have one not 1 km from where  I stay. Personally it will be more fun visiting the clinic for Orbx Users. However one of the Psychs at the local clinic is into aviation so one can only expect the addiction to become even worse. For those of us who leave after 2 weeks of rehab, if we leave at all, we will probably need to 'buy and try' (conventional wisdom says try before you buy) out the new things we have heard spoken off.

 

Then again my name says it all  - Am I a pumpkin? For sure Yes

[Steve Colbert]

I, too, am totally addicted....but I have limited purchases to North America, which helps a great deal.

 

Planes are another addiction....so many in the hangar!

 

But I'll continue buying both, especially if P3D v4 can compete with XP11 visually and performance-wise on my PC.   I've fallen for XP...hard...but hope P3D can win me back as I have huge investments in Orbx and they make the BEST scenery in the industry.

 

One thing that makes me buy every region etc. is that I like the POSSIBILITIES of flying to many places, to be able to take off from FHR and know that no matter my course, I'll arrive in Orbx greatness.  But I usually just go to Orcas or Anacortes or something.

 

I echo the sentiments of others that there are far worse addictions, and the "cost per hour of fun" is much lower than movies or going out drinking etc.

 

22 hours ago, Larry_R said:

I have discovered that spending money is not the only form of this addiction.  On a lark I bought FSX a number of years ago and found it boring after a bit. And then FTX PNW came out and I was completely amazed. In large areas I know well the realism was and still is incredible... except the default ferries, like the huge Washington State ferry at Nanaimo BC that broke the magic spell.  I knew absolutely nothing about  making models or how a sim worked but I started to try to fix the PNW ferries.  I didn't know the process of making scenery, especially scenery for PNW would be highly addictive. Whole days go by without any sense of the time. I have to force myself to walk away when I get so tired I start making mistakes. I forget meals.  I'm beyond hope of a cure, but maybe others can benefit from knowing the risks.  

 

Larry, your ferries are a huge part of the whole Orbx PNW experience for me...thank you and keep it up, your efforts are appreciated!  And if anyone hasn't installed Larry's ferries and scenery in PNW.....do it...today...you'll be very glad you did!

 

Steve

[wedge1047]

Simple answer, Yes it is addictive. of course it is, just read the forum.

[johnfromoz]

I'm not addicted. I've stopped. Because there's nothing else to buy ... yet.

[Benny]

I'm like that, buy it, fly it hard for a few days and after, I rarely come back. For the exception of the classic one, mostly Jarrad one and the package by Tim & Ken.
I didn't buy Germany and I don't think I will ever will. Why, no real mountain around.

 

Why ORBX more then Aerosoft, Fly Tampa and others? Because when they built a REGION airport it fit perfectly the surrounding, same goes for some other like giant mini region from Jarrad... again.

 

My only fun in flying simulator, real life or RC is landing and approach.

 

ORBX approach as changed since a few years, we get way more stuff for out money. 

Ben

[pmb]

23 minutes ago, Benny said:

Why ORBX more then Aerosoft, Fly Tampa and others? Because when they built a REGION airport it fit perfectly the surrounding, same goes for some other like giant mini region from Jarrad... again.

 

Agree Benny, say, up to that Germany point.

 

My main issue with Aerosoft is they only sporadically update their products for new Prepar3d versions and rather give fuzzy compatibilities in their product descriptions. ORBX invested quite an amount of resources into upgrading and testing all their products up to Prepar3d3 and already made statements about the next version. This is a strong selling point for me having been on Prepar3d since version 1.2.

 

And, yes, I am afraid I am addicted, too

 

Kind regards, Michael 

[European Mountain Man]

Hi I need help as well I am hooked I have every area that orbx  has done and 76 airports and about 50 aircraft that I do not use I am well addicted and cant stop.

I have 2 more to get when they are released .

and also loads of aerosoft airports and other company's airports for Europe  75 in total I need help regards stewart    

[Jon Clarke]

To further add to my initial post: Orbx, LM and just a couple of other devs are draining my bank balance....profoundly.

I still have several new Orbx addons to buy like LOWI and KSAN. OLC South America and several more that are in the pipeline but also coming up is the 64 Bit P3D, Black Marble by the Night Environment devs and others.

I think I will buy a lottery ticket, beg the mother in law for money, sell the house and downsize or move into a shed.

Oh yeh I forgot, didn't JV announce a whole slew of new releases this year?

I do need help

[Triplane]

On 3/24/2017 at 2:30 PM, Triplane said:

A big part of the problem are the sales. Who can resist 30-40% off? JD has to stop this nonsense. I don't think he realizes what a sale does to we-the-addicted. Or.........maybe he does and that's why they have the sales. Sigh.....Is there some sort of 12-Step program for ORBX users?

 

 My apologies to John. "JD" was a life-long friend who I lost recently. I guess I just had him on my mind. But, that doesn't change the fact that these sales are like giving a good single-malt to an alcoholic ..........Doug

[Gypsy Pilot]

The simple answer is Yes  

 

Dale

[pannellgj]

I'm still waiting for Half Moon Bay .  Been waiting for three years.  I think John knows that as soon as it comes out then that'll be it for me and I won't spend another penny, and so he keeps holding back on that one while I buy everything else in the meantime...

 

Garland

[Ripcord]

Ah Garland, you say that, but then they roll out something else you'd never considered...

 

This is an addiction, but one that is probably hard to really abuse -- there are only so many products you can buy, and so yeah, you can go nuts for a while, but eventually you get them all. As for me, I started just with one region.  Then another.  Then all the rest of them (this was right about the time they were working on FTX England and NZ north and south had not been out long).  So then I held off with the little airports.  Didn't understand why I'd want them, at least not at first.  Then I tried one, and off we went.

 

Now I am just another crackhead.

 

[kenthom]

Short answer, yes.  I am almost to the point of having to draw and airport out of a hat instead of deciding where to fly.

[mglan80]

Without a doubt!  I bought Global Base and Vector and was hooked.  PNW soon followed and then Northern and Southern CA.  The rest is a blur! 

 

I'm definitely a "gotta collect 'em all" kind of person, and the new Central V3 with the greyed out thumbnails certainly doesn't help that compulsion!  At least now I can contain myself and I wait for a sale.

[NN_Avirex]

I fit was ONLY ORBX...

But it's ORBX plus all the rest ( aircrafts, REX, Active sky etc...)

I don't even imagine how much I spent...

[aero-3fsx]

Thankfully I have my addiction under some level of control

I only buy when there are sales on but then I buy a few OrbX regions at a time

I explore them thoroughly then move on to the next

Am still stuck flying over the incredible Papua New Guinea tropical mountains in VR

I had decided not to buy anymore till next FS comes out sometime this year

Unfortunately with big Johns announcement that all current OrbX sceneries will be compatible in next P3D version, my defenses have fallen

When the next sale comes I will be spending big!!!

[mglan80]

On 4/5/2017 at 10:22 AM, NN_Avirex said:

I fit was ONLY ORBX...

But it's ORBX plus all the rest ( aircrafts, REX, Active sky etc...)

I don't even imagine how much I spent...

Unfortunately I've kept track...it's sobering!!

[Triplane]

On 3/31/2017 at 2:22 PM, pannellgj said:

I'm still waiting for Half Moon Bay .  Been waiting for three years.  I think John knows that as soon as it comes out then that'll be it for me and I won't spend another penny, and so he keeps holding back on that one while I buy everything else in the meantime...

 

Garland

 

If they ever do it I hope they throw in a drag strip option. I spent many Saturday nights there some 55+ years ago..........Doug

[Kim Sibbritt]

My two cents worth.

I have the entire Orbx catalogue,plus many more from other developers.At last count over 500 enhanced airports.

I have flight plans drawn up for each airport through every country to achieve the most scenic routes.
I fly them moving from one country to the next,till I've been all around the world.

Usually takes a couple of months,then I start over.

I've been flying like this for years,yet it always seems new.

If I could afford to fly in the real world,that's where I'd be.
The flight sim is a solid alternative.

 

[nigelgrant]

Over twenty years ago, in the early days of flightsimming, I would download files of detailed airports (in those days everything was freeware) then fly around those areas, since I liked the detail and realism.

 

I came to Vancouver at age 23 and was brought up in Scotland but I found this a good way to learn geography  - I flew in Australia, Japan, South America, Africa, the Far East, Scandinavia – places I had never been to.

 

Now I am a lot more focused, flying in geographic regions that I have been to on holiday or business  such as New Zealand, many parts of Europe, Panama, of course the UK, the States and Canada, all of which are supported with superb ORBx regional scenery or Vector/Land Class sceneries.  In the Pacific Northwest here, we are so blessed with incredible scenery all down the Pacific Coast and with top designers, such as Holger, the late Jon Patch, Don Grovestine, Ken Peters, Vern Opperman, et al adding to the milieu……..  I fly for the sight seeing and it is interesting the cathartic affect this has on one’s being. It is also interesting flying to your next vacation spot and doing a reconnaissance.

 

My flying technique is to conceive a general route in a specific geographic region, probably covering 5 or more airports, and fly from airport to airport.  At each airport I will save the situation/scenario with the name “trip” and place a shortcut to this on my desktop.  As well, if I get disturbed in my flight for dinner, I will hit pause and likewise save that situation as “trip”. Then when I wish to resume my adventure, I click on the shortcut and there I am – where I left off. So I move around the various regions according to my general mood!  Isn’t it strange that every time you get locked onto the ILS your wife calls that supper is ready?

 

I don’t use any flight plans per se, but use the GPS to get the correct direction to my next destination.   However, I am now flying the Majestic Dash 8 in P3D3 and may move towards using flight plans as I move up my learning curve.

 

Addicted? Probably.  In the 2000’s I became heavily involved in scenery design (mainly CYVR for FS2k, 4k and X plus bits and pieces) – now that is addictive……………..many times rebooting of the simulator checking each change and cursing when the call came for supper!  But it was fun.

 

When I was a kid and university student, I was into model railroading big time and fully intended returning to this hobby when I retired.  But flight simming took over, same features of miniaturisation, operating, designing, constructing but flightsimming doesn’t need a big single-purpose room.

 

It is an incredible hobby.

 

Nigel

Vancouver

[Slowlow]

FTX addiction has changed my life for the better.  I have a  back condition that prevents me from sitting or standing without excessive pain.  For the past three years I have spent 99% of my time lying in a pron position similar to that of a Formula One race car driver.  Needless to say, depression sets in when one’s physical activities are drastically curtailed.  After a year surfing the net 24-7, I was ready to blow my brains out.  Then I caught a video of FTX KHQM.  The visual candy blew me away.  I have put Flight Sim on every computer I have assembled since 1986, but I had never thought of “enhancing” it until I saw that video.  To make a long story short, I got hooked, and life got better.

 

During the past two years I have assembled a sim cockpit around an adjustable memory foam bed, so I can fly while lying in a Formula One driver position.  My ORBX world is getting larger and my bank account is getting smaller, but I am a happy flier.  The immersion factor has gone up exponentially since I began installing FTX regions and airports.  Now I actually “feel” as if I have gotten out of the house and flown somewhere.  Sometimes it seems so real I swear I can smell the tidal flats at Murray Field and feel the mist at Fall City, and when I land at Meigs field I look for my sister’s car in the parking lot while I taxi in.  I hated taxiing in default FSX because of the crappy airports, so I always started and ended flights on the runway.  In my ORBX world I taxi to and from parking spots and hangars with a smile on my face.

 

Yeah, I’m hooked.  I get the Joneses waiting for the next FTX sale so I can buy another region or airport or two, or three, or four, or . . .

 

This is a video I made using the FTX scenery that got me hooked.  I had not built my sim yet and was using a sticky, ancient, Saitek AV8R with twist rudder, so hold negative comments on my flying skills, please.

 

 

[Jon Clarke]

Lovely story, really nice vid. Thanks. As for flying skills....I'd fly with you 

[Sniper31]

Cool video Slowlow! Very nicely done

[JimmiG]

The way I view it, I pay over $60 / month for TV and Internet. That's $3,600 over 5 years. This doesn't mean I have a TV and Internet addiction. I barely even watch TV

I buy an OrbX addon roughly every other month so that's a lot less money, though of course if you add up every purchase over the past 5+ years, it's a lot.

[paddler]

Slowlow,

Great video and amazing story. The Orbx team and their amazing work have had a great impact on the lives of so many, and clearly a significant one for you. What a positive post in so many ways. Like nigelgrant I love flying the Orbx areas I have visited and to explore ones I am about to visit. Each time I am blown away with how well the Orbx scenery renders these locations. Rest assured that when you fly and explore Orbx locations you are indeed seeing an excellent rendition, almost like being there for real. Keep flying, kep grinning (from ear to ear)! 

[ruilaureano]

I used to not be addicted to ORBX but lately...  At first I was satisfied with PNW with a few airports (mainly those I already loved from the Georender series) and Alaska regions (my favourite region to fly). But then my long haul cargo flights took me to LA one day and I got the Southern California in a sale. Then I wanted to fly the PBY from Libby Montana to Anchorage (trip is still ongoing) so I decided to get the Northern Rockies region. Now I have my eyes on  a trip to the national parks (yellowstone, monument valley, grand canyon), so I am lusting for the Central Rockies region and the Yellowstone airports and the monument valley scenery... I am addicted!!

 

Is there an easter sale planned? What do you think?  Ive started that trip in cushman meadows/old emma field, been flying from airport to airport in PNW, including some in FS9 as well, and will venture into the east side of the rockies in two days. I hope there will be a sale soon because after Felts Field I will have to head south!