Some thoughts on the recent changes to upcoming product communications

[malibu43]

I want to first say that I understand the reasoning behind the recent decision to no longer communicate the status of any WIP project until they enter beta.  I have seen similar things happen on other forums (even for other genres) where forum member complain about the lack of updates and “transparency,†praise the developer when they start communicating more often, but then cause and uproar when plans rightfully change.  Then the developer gets wrongfully accused of being incompetent, lying, or deceitful (although I don’t that I’ve seen it get that bad on the ORBX forums).  So again, I understand the motivation behind the change in policy.

 

However, I also wanted to share, based on my personal experiences, how a complete lack of visibility on upcoming projects would have significantly hampered my ability to buy the FTX Global products I did.  The FTX Global package is a little different than a lot of other FSX addons, in that it’s a very big project rolled out over a long period of time.  The investment from a customer perspective is pretty significant as well, even considering that it’s split out into pieces as things are released.

 

For me, I was only able to grab Global Base, Vector, a mesh, and the EU Landclass because of the advanced notice I had of what the total picture was, when the pieces would become available, and what the investment would be on my end.  I saved up some money and made sure I had the funds around when things were going to release.  Had I not known what was coming out, or when, it would have made it very difficult for me to plan accordingly and purchase.  Chances are I would not have been able to buy Global base when it came out and I would have needed to save for a while.  Furthermore, I probably would have been even more caught off guard when Vector was released and required roughly the same investment.  I’m sure at that point, I would have also started wondering what the plan was and how much I was biting off by trying to get the entire global package. 

 

“Ok.  $80 (or whatever it was) for Global Base.  Oh wait!  Now there’s another $80 piece of the puzzle.  Ok.  Looks worth it, but this is getting expensive…  Is this it or am I going to need another $500 by the time this is all said and done?  And what else is coming?  Should I spend my money on Vector, or is something else going to come out 2 weeks later that I would have wanted to buy instead?â€

 

Anyway, the bottom line is that the upfront communication about your releases, the timing, the cost, and the overall plan gave me the notice I needed to plan for purchasing the products and feel comfortable that my money was being used wisely.  If communication regarding future products going forward is really what has been indicated, I may have a hard time planning for some of these purchases and may be more hesitant overall to part with any large chunks of money.

 

Again, this is just my thoughts based on my personal experience.  I felt it was worthwhile to share them, whether they impact your decisions or not.

 

That is all.

[flya150]

Good point, Also One might buy from another scenery company not knowing Orbx is in progress with the same or similar product.

 

 

Scott

[FriLa]

I totally agree with this opinion!

My visits to the ORBX site are not so often now, because there are not so much new things to see.

 

Cheers, Fritz

[ChaoticBeauty]

Agreed, forum visits are becoming less and less exciting. The previews section hasn't been updated in a long time.

[Cal]

Hi all,

 

As I see it, Orbx has to consistently deliver a sensational product that excites enough buyers to purchase it, keep that product fresh and viable as systems change and and renovate it as new techniques allow better outcomes. They have to insure that new products being developed are superior to their competitor's and they have to contain development costs to make their products affordable to a diminishing pool of serious fans of flight simulation who will purchase their products. 

 

In order to do this Orbx must repeatedly find and attract outstanding talent to develop new products, and commit funding into re-inventing the creative processes. Orbx must also be responsive to customer's wishes and desires, and Orbx must be available to all of their customers regardless of experience and skill levels. 

 

I like doing business with Orbx. I believe they are going to continue to deliver what I want in scenery products and I believe that there is much more in store. I understand the decision to curtail hints and previews until a product is close to availability. I think Orbx demonstrates good sense and makes wise choices while sticking their necks out as far as they dare to keep exciting new products coming. Keep it up John.

 

good flights, Cal

[Eric Bakker]

I also agree with the view that their is less and less excitement going on now. Nothing new seems to happen for long stretches of time, so instead of checking the preview forum several times a day I find myself more on other forums looking for interesting developments.

[Alex Goff]

Despite what it may seem, not much has changed since John's post about how previews will be from now on. Products were almost never shown before they hit beta so that hasn't changed. The only thing missing is that April's roadmap was deleted. If nothing had changed about the Orbx preview policy, there still would have been nothing previewed. No products are ready. It's not unusual for weeks to go by with nothing previewed. 

 

Any drop in excitement or activity is perceived, there will be just as many previews in the future as in the past. The only difference is product announcements will occur closer to release and we will no longer be giving out deadlines since they can so easily slip they are almost entirely useless except for stating what year a product could potentially be released.