HT protects AH!!

[hitech]

There is no way i could take your post as a flame indian.

I understand what your are saying about what's the likly hood of ,just because players are from finland how would they know eachother. That thought has crossed my mind also. How the dissicion was made was that I had a call from a Finish player. He was having a little outing with 5 other player's to play the lattest flight sim's over the weekend.He asked if he could have an alpha copy of AH. I have met this player multiple times and don't belive he would delibertly do anything bad with AH. But I also know that most alpha's have a way of circulating between friend's. My fist thought was (sure ill send you a copy) but then itmo came to mind. I then asked my self is it worth the risk to send him a copy, and decided no.

In some ways I wish I could charge the "free loaders" but getting people interested in an online game, by letting them have the FE free with limited features, is part of the cost side of doing things. I just want to make sure HTC has the control of those cost and features.

BTW where did you move to and who did your wife work for?

HiTech

[stardog]

YOu guys are a joke and just want to be a part of this little club and will be paying your tulips off to be in it. I would say if FH opens some peoples eyes as to how much of a rip off Pay to play sims are then im all for it. Warbirds and all Pay to play sims are all going to fade away eventually when everyone wakes up and figures out that you can get just as good a sim and online experience and not have to pay for every hour you fly, what a joke!!!!!!

[Rolo]

Stardog,

I must thank you for your last post as it has allowed me to rethink my politics.

You see, much to the chagrin of my former ICI colleagues, my politics tend to run to the left.  However, your suggestion that it is a good thing to disregard the countless hours of labor put into a product like WarBirds and develop a bypass for the revenue generating mechanism makes me pause.  

The revenue generated by WarBirds did some simple things, like put food on my table and the tables of more than 20 others.  As much as I hate to admit it, I became somewhat addicted to eating and found myself doing it 2 to 3 times a day.  I would have hated to give it up.  Unfortunately, if faced with a choice between creating a sim and eating, I'm afraid I, and most others, would choose the latter.

By viewing this issue from a personal perspective, I now see the error of appropriating the work of others without adequate compensation.  Stardog, thank you for providing me with this moment of enlightenment. I shall be forever in your debt.

Rolo

[indian]

HITECH I still live in Grapevine Texas I work for that big Airline based in Fort Worth you know the big silver one. My wife works for a good hands agent behind the Firestone center in Grapevine. She told me about having some people insured with IMOL after the move and that move to NC she tried to contact someone out there and recieved the answer macgine deal, after that she came home for lunch and ask if I ever heard of Imagic Online. Which ofcourse I had I told her thye just moved to NC, she said that what the recoreder says. Thats how I found out about IMOL. If you guys are still in the Grapevine area and would like to see a big Airline maintenance base send me an email, This goes for anyone I can walk people threw with restriction ofcourse on any weekend.

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon

http://www.geocities.com/~tltoon

[stardog]

Well i am certainly glad that Warbirds kept your family fed just as my job feeds my family and i dont mean any harm to anyone that works for warbirds or AH for that matter, what im saying is people are going to wake up someday and realize that you dont have to pay $2/hour to fly a realistic sim online. And then that happens what are all the people that work for these companies going to do? maybe putting your time and money into a great realistic sim like the rest of them that you pay for once and then fly online all you want would be a better choice. But hey who knows. I do know i have a family and would never wish anyones family any harm and if thats what you want to make out of my post go ahead, whatever gets through the day but saying that i also am not responsible for how you choose to feed your family or provide for them just as you are not for how i do it, but if you thought/think that pay to play sims are something with a longterm future i would plea with you to rethink that, because as bigger and better sims come out that support more and more people and have more realistic FM's how many people are going to continue to pay $2/hour to fly? Thats a bet i wouldnt be willing to take myself but hey im just a realist from the midwest what the hell do i know?

S! good luck to AH and Warbirds get the fat cash while you can, cause just look at sims like B-17 II and FLight Combat and you see where your customers are going to end up.....

[eadg]

rofl ROLO - that's brilliant!  I just hope you don't find out about s-e-x - you think FOOD is addicitve...

I'm employed in the software development business, and I can tell you from personal experience that opinions like stardog's are as widespread as they are moronic.  Dale's statements, though made in haste and probably more anger than he intended, are completely justified and are not unwarranted paranoia.

Go hit your favorite search engine or chat client for the words warez, appz, gamez, or MP3z.  Think about the billions of dollars of revenue that might be lost to this network of c0oL DuDeZ.  Whatever business you are in, ask yourself what the impact would be in your life if the the product or service your company sells to help you make a living was being stolen with ease across the globe (Bernie/Worr, if you are reading this, your industry doesn't count ;p).

The unfortunate thing is that HT's costs are going to go up as a result of having to defend against the potential hack attacks that are sure to come based on what I'm reading at the NG's.  Which means we as players will pay the price.  The hackers will tell you it's a good thing that they are making the game more hackproof - they will even want thanks.  I wonder if they will thank a burglar (or worse) who breaks into their house to remind them they need a better security system at home....?

[This message has been edited by eadg (edited 08-19-1999).]

[indian]

Stardog If you never have played online then you cant know the difference. These games are far more fun to play with over 150 others online (and less for that matter). As you can see HT wants to promote his new game so probably wont charge for it but he could make it very limited for offline use only like less planes to choose from one arena to choose from and so on. Dont hink he will. The reason we pay to play is the pure enjoyment we have while online, if Im dont spend 2$ an hour here Ill do it some where else. The online WB crowd is some of the best people ive seen online most are willing to help the newbee's and I do my best to do the same although Im kind of new myself. Playing online is an expereince not an expense, for anyone who truely loves flightsims then there is no alternative to playng in a massive arena. Playing agiasnt 4 to 8 is ok but will get old after awhile.

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon

http://www.geocities.com/~tltoon

[Adamski]

Sorry folks ... I can't seem to find the info I need in this thread (or in the Website) ... call me stupid, but don't call me Shirley!

What *is* the likely policy to be with regards AH hosting/pricing - main or mini?

Having access to a scaled down host for Ladder systems as my WB Ladder would be great  to have ... and in no way life-threatening to the main server(s).


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Aministrator, Warbirds H2H Ladder - http://www.fl-air.co.uk/warbirds/

[indian]

Adamski
  HiTech Said 4 to * multiplayer with match making on the server. Dont know how to quote a post yet so see HiTech above.

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon

http://www.geocities.com/~tltoon

[Rolo]

Stardog,

I appreciate your not wanting to take food out of my mouth (my wife appreciates it too, but not as much because she doesn't eat a lot).

The simple fact of the matter is that it costs a lot to make and maintain a quality sim.  A company has to generate enough revenue with its sim to cover the costs, something to my knowledge that no online sim has ever done.  Thus, while $2/hour may seem expensive, it's less than the cost of actually producing the game and offering the service.

$2/hour may not be the answer.  Different price plans may be more successful, but the crux of the matter is that $2/hour is not gouging the consumer.  

Plus, take a moment to reflect on what -itmo- is doing with Freehost.  He hasn't created a sim.  He's not providing the users with an alternative game.  Freehost would not exist without the months and years of work the ICI/IMOL crew put into to creating the client software.  Where's the incentive for people to create the client software if they have no chance of being compensated when the revenue mechanism is bypassed?

The entertainment software industry is a rocky business and few companies actually make money.  Chipping away at an already shakey economic foundation is not a great way to ensure that we'll have quality games to play tomorrow.

Rolo

[dogftr]

  In truth I dont give a damn one way or the other about freehost. I dont, however respond well to threats. Or bullying. I wont be playing AH and since I have read that HT owns stock in WB, as soon as another sim comes out (and there are several comeing) I will be leaving WB so that he does not recive even a few pennys from me.

 The reason I am reading this bb is that I heard that there was a freehost thread here. This after browbeating AGW, and BnZ into removeing the subject of freehost from there BB.

easymo

[Yeager]

I managed to stumble into a european warbirds ladder a few days back and I tell you these guys are FREEHOST.  They are completely and totally outside the revenue generating cycle.

Yeager




[This message has been edited by Yeager (edited 08-19-1999).]

[sky61]

I want to help with the Alpha and Beta!!

[Cabby]

"I wont be playing AH and since I have read that HT owns stock in WB, as soon as another sim comes out (and there are several comeing) I will be leaving WB so that he does not recive even a few pennys from me."

What a relief.  Thanks, easymo.

Yeager, i assume the guy at the top of this "ladder" LOL!!! is the best cheater???  Like maybe he flies an Me-110 with twin Jumo's, 4 75mm's in the nose, and a 75mm rear gun?  Wow, what a guy, i'm truly impressed.

Stardog, you do have a point in regards to big bux to play online.  I won't pay premium prices to fly an online game that is unsecured from hackers, cheaters, account theft, and overloaded with "user-configurable" you-name-its.  However, i WILL pay premium prices if i am reasonably assured the game is FREE as possible of the aforementioned trash, and provides a realistisc, level playing field.

Ok, HT and co., i won't clutter your board up with any more FREELOADER posts, but consider what i said about a "secure" game.

I wish HTC/AH all possible success.
Thanks,
Cabby

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cabby ++44th SOS++

[-tip--]

HA HA HA Ha Ha Ha ha ha...  hmm, no one laughing...  Umm...

Ah, to h@#$ with those people from Finland, and the rest of those Eastern Europeans, and all the people from the former USSR.  While were at it, get rid of those Chinese, and why not those evil Canadians!!!

Sure burn 'em all at the stake!!!

Being fair?  That's not the American way!!!

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-tip--
VMF-58 Wildcards