Tim Harris Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Portland CBD was my own project, I made it for myself, by myself, and then decided to share it here at Orbx freely, it does not set a precedent for other regions. Let me explain what Orbx 'freeware' really is, freeware is made by a person in their own free time for their own personal reasons, it is not 'owed' to anyone, 'excluded' from anyone or anything, or 'left out' of a project for a secret financial purpose, nor does it send Orbx broke or detract Orbx from other tasks, it just is what it is, freeware, never think about it any other way. Remember we are simmers, fans of aviation, lovers of aircraft, landscapes and geography as much as you Cheers Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduekev Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Orbx gives away to much for free. Respectfully, I could not disagree more. With regard to P3D installers, with me Orbx has secured a loyal customer for life for their policy of not charging for the upgrade. No, they were under no obligation to do this, and yes it is certainly additional work on their part. But I am more inclined to support Orbx and buy additional products from them because of the generous way they have treated their customers in this area. And they have probably done as much to promote migration to the new platform as anyone by making it easy for their loyal customers to do so - I for one would not have been inclined to switch to P3D without Orbx making this decision. There are other companies that have not done this and in fact have basically told their customers that they will not be updating their back-catalog. I am steering my limited flight-sim budget to Orbx and away from those other companies because of it. As for freeware, all of the freeware packages that Orbx provides are complementary to their payware products. No we are not owed anything, and I for one am very appreciative of how Orbx has treated us with this additional content - which actually makes their signature paid content more valuable. The FTX Global freeware airports make it worthwhile to fly in the FTX Global world and invest in the multiple layers of that world (Global / Vector / OpenLC). And it shows in the amount of product that I have purchased from them in the past and will continue to in the future. The Orbx developers are artists, and the majority of us probably do fully appreciate that often they do things just because they love to create and they want to share that with others. Many of us also appreciate that Orbx does not release things until they feel they are ready - payware, freeware or otherwise - and they don't treat their customers like Beta testers. That is another reason I am loyal customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spacey Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Happy to be wrong guys, but I just feel there is an air developing of give me, give me, give me by some in the forums. Is it really so wrong to pay a little token for the fantastic quality we get? And I am not trying to tell JV how to run his company. But I feel there is a constant push in the forums to tell JV where to build, what to built, and then when is it coming as JV promised now. And we want it now to a point that some of us have forgotten that Orbx is a company, and to stay a company it has to make a profit, so some things have to go on hold and sometimes indefinitely. I think it is great if someone wants to do some free work, it meets the Orbx standard, and it is released as an free extra such as Portland, but the push on getting these freebies we need to remember are a gift for supporting Orbx and not a right which lately some sadly seem to think they are and get upset because it's taking a while even though it's free! JVs decision to no longer give out future projects until in beta is sad, but very understandable. When I read the number of people asking for this and that, and when is it going to be ready, and it was promised yesterday, I now enjoy seeing JVs simple response of a link back to that statement. Most other companies keep project fairly secret, but JV was simply too generous to us, and some took advantage of that in their demands to the point it had to be stopped. As I said, I am happy to be wrong in my thinking, and clearly the responses support this view, and I have no idea of the financial position of Orbx other than the comments I read about to survive, Orbx needs to build in the more profitable areas. All I am trying to really say is Orbx has given a lot and maybe it's time we try to give even a little more back like buying NZ and UK so it is profitable, and the airports can be built. Also try to remember, those having to now update their airports for nothing so they are compatible with the latest P3D, get nothing for this extra work we are benefiting from for free. There are many who support Orbx heavily, and that is great, but these are often not the ones demanding this and that. So shoot me if you will, as I have put myself out there with a big target on me, but constant updating each airport is time, expense and less time to build other profitable airports that people are demanding. So when you get a freebie, at least think about that, and buy an extra airport to say thank you to Orbx for the extra time that had to be put in to keeping us customers happy in 3 separate platforms for the one price, and let's fund and keep Orbx around for a long long time. PS please be gentle on me in the attacks back ... I'm old!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlexFlier Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 +1!!!! Orbx - i.e., JV - has developed a very successful business model and it would be highy presumptuous of us to challenge that. Businesses come and go; the successful ones have two predominant characteristics: 1) quality products at a reasonable price, and 2) excellent customer service. It is a very delicate, and often difficult, balancing act. But, to paraphrase a famous quote: You can please some of the people all of the time; you can please all of the people some of the time; but you can never please all of the people all of the time. John and his team have created an outstanding series of products that have obvioulsy pleased a lot of the people a lot of the time, and thus created a very loyal following. In business, you really can't ask for much more than that. he should be commended for his expertise and thanked for giving simmers so much pleasure. So, thank you, John. And best wishes for continued success. ~A most loyal fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 Good discussion. Orbx is profitable. We've had our touch and go moments even as recently as two years ago but we have persisted in our vision and now there is less financial pressure on the business day to day. As Tim says, the freeware being offered is mainly an artistic expression by various developers and we don't see them as a marketing tool. What we DO remember though is that a decade ago it was VOZ freeware that gave us the opportunity to form Orbx so we repay that legacy and support by giving back to the community. It's not always about money, we're still simmers at heart even though the CEO doesn't have FSX or P3D installed anymore. Remember that P3D 3.x ports will not be free, we've made that public nice and early so your expectations are set accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduekev Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Remember that P3D 3.x ports will not be free, we've made that public nice and early so your expectations are set accordingly. John: I had listened to a podcast interview that you gave where your enthusiasm for P3D 2.x was very obvious, and your company's policy and commitment with the P3D v1.x and 2.x ports has been a big factor at least in my decision to make the switch from FSX. It has also made me more inclined to purchase Orbx products that I had not yet invested in with the knowledge that I can, for the first time, use them on a fully stable and commercially-supported software platform. If I may also say, your policy of being very clear about your intentions early about where you are focusing and what you are doing is very much appreciated. As far as P3D v3.x, my understanding is that this will be the first big update from Lockheed Martin that they don't intend to be backwards-compatible with FSX development tools, in order to be free to push ahead with new technologies and new code to push the platform in a revolutionary way. In that context, it makes perfect sense that P3D v3.x products, including those from Orbx, will be essentially new products and we should expect to pay for those ports. I think Orbx has been very forward-thinking in the way you have embraced and promoted the benefits of P3D and the way it opens up possibilities for further showcasing of your products. Many thanks! P.S. Spacey, I hope our responses have not been too harsh - I participate in this forum in large part because of the friendly and respectful environment that exists, and you are most certainly entitled to expressing your opinion. I agree with you that the tone of some posts related to product releases and the product roadmap are at times unappreciative of the fact that Orbx have a business to run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan King Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Good discussion. Orbx is profitable. We've had our touch and go moments even as recently as two years ago but we have persisted in our vision and now there is less financial pressure on the business day to day. As Tim says, the freeware being offered is mainly an artistic expression by various developers and we don't see them as a marketing tool. What we DO remember though is that a decade ago it was VOZ freeware that gave us the opportunity to form Orbx so we repay that legacy and support by giving back to the community. It's not always about money, we're still simmers at heart even though the CEO doesn't have FSX or P3D installed anymore. Remember that P3D 3.x ports will not be free, we've made that public nice and early so your expectations are set accordingly. This is VERY fair and I think I will finally make the switch when P3D 3.x comes out. For now I am happy with FSX but am happy to support ORBX now and in the future. I honestly consider ORBX to the single greatest contributor to the simming community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownCityMisfit Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I honestly consider ORBX to the single greatest contributor to the simming community. I second that, and will continue to spend my hard-earned money to support their fantastic products. I will also take advantage of every single freebie, guilt-free. Thank you Orbx! And yes, can't wait for the SF update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavemanhead Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Does anyone know anything about P3.X and what it willinclude and when it may come out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan prewett Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Pure speculation but probably; aircraft, ground, sky, clouds, rain....... In the future.... Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Goff Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Prepar3D v3 is not the focus here, please start a new thread for any discussion please. I doubt there will be any information to give, it is on the very distant horizon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Armstrong Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thanks for the interest in Cityscape San Francisco everybody. As some of you may know, I'm the developer who's working on the project. Cityscape San Francisco is to me what Cityscape Portland is to Tim (see his comment above); it's basically a personal project that I started while doing the texture and landclass work for NCA. I started it on my own initiative and worked on it in my own free time. The other huge time demands of getting NCA out the door necessitated that it be put on hold and it didn't make it into the initial release of NCA. Since then, I have been very busy with commitments relating to my real-world aviation career, and haven't had much time for FS-related work. Currently, I'm attending training at Ameriflight, an on-demand cargo airline in Burbank CA, to fly their Piper Chieftain aircraft. It's a pretty intense experience, I can assure you! But once the dust settles, I should have a nice chunk of time in the middle of each weekday to devote to FS work and I fully intend to complete Cityscape San Francisco and, separately, KHAF Half Moon Bay Airport. As has already been mentioned, I can't give an indication of a release date, but I'm as eager to see the job done as you are Thanks for your patience and understanding; I hope this helps to answer any questions as to what's been going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Newman Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thanks for the interest in Cityscape San Francisco everybody. As some of you may know, I'm the developer who's working on the project. Cityscape San Francisco is to me what Cityscape Portland is to Tim (see his comment above); it's basically a personal project that I started while doing the texture and landclass work for NCA. I started it on my own initiative and worked on it in my own free time. The other huge time demands of getting NCA out the door necessitated that it be put on hold and it didn't make it into the initial release of NCA. Since then, I have been very busy with commitments relating to my real-world aviation career, and haven't had much time for FS-related work. Currently, I'm attending training at Ameriflight, an on-demand cargo airline in Burbank CA, to fly their Piper Chieftain aircraft. It's a pretty intense experience, I can assure you! But once the dust settles, I should have a nice chunk of time in the middle of each weekday to devote to FS work and I fully intend to complete Cityscape San Francisco and, separately, KHAF Half Moon Bay Airport. As has already been mentioned, I can't give an indication of a release date, but I'm as eager to see the job done as you are Thanks for your patience and understanding; I hope this helps to answer any questions as to what's been going on. Didn't realize you got the job... Congrat! See you up there (just listen for the only British sounding Horizon flight out there ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Armstrong Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thanks Rob, I'll keep an eye out (and an ear open ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilottj Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thanks Scott for putting this together. I was just in the city yesterday, a beautiful late summer day, looking forward to this and KHAF very much. Cheers TJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot82 Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 Hello, will the SFO City Scape and Half Moon Bay finally arrive someday? Im a big SFO and NCA fan, but in NCA, the City Looks just terrible compared to the not very well working AS SFO City Scenery, and its not up to date anymore, there are a lot of new buildings in town. Best Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusilier Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 l'm not the only one still waiting for this to be released, after over 3 years. What happened ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhalunen Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I hate digging in the old graveyard but; is there any status updates on SF Cityscape? Perchance, to hope for V4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJohnJohn Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 Incredible again! More space to be taken on the hard drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaktus Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Is this an update or something? I have NOCAL and SOCAL so imma getting this too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KVSandleben Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 1 hour ago, Kaktus said: Is this an update or something? I have NOCAL and SOCAL so imma getting this too? On 9.12.2017 at 3:34 AM, JohnnyJohnJohn said: Incredible again! More space to be taken on the hard drive! Oh guys... perhaps you should check the posting dates before commenting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJohnJohn Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 10 minutes ago, KVSandleben said: Oh guys... perhaps you should check the posting dates before commenting? Maybe we can just enjoy the marvelous work that Orbx puts out???? The thread is still open, thus can be commented on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhalunen Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Yes, we are all aware the post dates back to 9/13/14 . The question still remains; is SF Cityscape still in the pipeline or did it die a quiet death? Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusilier Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 1 hour ago, rhalunen said: Yes, we are all aware the post dates back to 9/13/14 . The question still remains; is SF Cityscape still in the pipeline or did it die a quiet death? Thanx Exactly. Used as a reply to confirm or agree with what has been said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcord Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 I am sure the guys will circle back around to this eventually. I think Scott went on to become a real world pilot, or already was employed that way, or something to that effect - in a world, the real world took priority. It happens. Another guy fell ill, and a project never made it. Take it from me, it's lot of fun to get a vision and start a project, when the creative juices are flowing, but oh man, it is a grind to actually finish one. And who knows, maybe this is still in the plans at some point... after all, there is only so much cabbage they can extract from our meager pocketbooks each month, so they probably need to space these little goodies out a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhalunen Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 I love the "we can neither Confirm or Deny" the existence of this project. It's either one or the other in this simple question. Yes, no, maybe. I fully understand complications occur frequently in real life and can readily accept a strong "No" if that's what the situation warrants. I think that asking for clarity from the powers that be does not constitute a sin and it keeps the topic alive and lets everyone know there is still great interest in SF Cityscape. Just say'in... Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 Personally I think this thread is a very valid reason for closing old threads..Teecee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Cajic Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 KHAF Half Moon Bay is very close to completion, stay tuned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianV Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 38 minutes ago, Misha Cajic said: KHAF Half Moon Bay is very close to completion, stay tuned... I am all ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmb Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 48 minutes ago, Misha Cajic said: KHAF Half Moon Bay is very close to completion, stay tuned... Great, really looking forward to this one. Kind regards, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddler Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 On 12/17/2017 at 6:36 AM, Misha Cajic said: KHAF Half Moon Bay is very close to completion, stay tuned... Nice teaser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireRx Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 oooooooooooooooh Nice. been waiting for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot82 Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 But we wann have SFO Cityscape too!! Please do it as soon as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woogey Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 On 2/3/2014 at 3:17 PM, John Venema said: Cityscape San Francisco is being developed by Scott Armstrong and will be a freeware release much like Tim Harris' Portland was for PNW. Expect that in the next few months if not sooner. The reason I am most interested in the San Francisco Cityscape, is that ORBX is finally developing for X-Plane. San Fran Cityscape, along with Portland, Canberra, Gold Coast, Barcelona and Côte d’Azur, Plus more will all greatly add to the immersion of arrivals to the cities in X-Plane. Life is Good! -Woog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhalunen Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Misha has come to the rescue completing Half Moon Bay after it was originally promoted for release in 2014. In that same vein will there be a SF Cityscape. After looking over the Orbx 2018 Roadmap I see several cities in the works but there is no mention of San Francisco Cityscape for P3D. Have I missed something or do I need to start campaigning, promoting, and voting for SF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Venema Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 SF Cityscape is on hold because we are potentially handing to another developer/publisher to complete, but discussions have not been concluded. If that does not happen then yes, SF will be a cityscape product we'll complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhalunen Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Thank you John for the clarification. It's always great to hear directly from the "Big Guy" on this subject. I feel that I can now rest assured this will come to fruition. Thank you again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vora Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 My first bet when reading "another" was on DD as they are the biggest cityscape developer... but this "developer/publisher" combo has "Aerosoft" written all over it. Sascha had developed US cityscapes for Aerosoft in the past (and as the lead of GEN/GES is well connected to OrbX). So my bet is on Aerosoft/LimeSim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireRx Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Stanislaw's cityscapes are will known. Seattle is perfect and fits well with Orbx scenery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmb Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 2 hours ago, Vora said: My first bet when reading "another" was on DD as they are the biggest cityscape developer... but this "developer/publisher" combo has "Aerosoft" written all over it. Sascha had developed US cityscapes for Aerosoft in the past (and as the lead of GEN/GES is well connected to OrbX). So my bet is on Aerosoft/LimeSim. Aerosoft has a San Francisco Addon made by Sascha available, updated to Prepar3d4 recently. It was not actually bad but has a number of shortcomings today: (i) It's dated, (ii) it was not made with FTX integration in mind originally, (iii) it doesn't have night lighting, and (iv) it doesn't have seasons. Based on the knowledge and raw material (POIs etc.) Sascha would certainly be a good choice. On the other hand, Drzewiecki Design delivered a Seattle which will be hard to outplay. So I think both would be good options and ORBX will certainly find the fitting partner. Kind regards, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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