You want to sell more FC vol 1?

[LukeFF]

59 minutes ago, FeuerFliegen said:

they should release two new WW1 planes, and make those free.

 

And how exactly would the labor needed to create those 2 planes be paid for?

[BraveSirRobin]

1 hour ago, FeuerFliegen said:

I think that instead of making two planes that we technically already paid for, free, they should release two new WW1 planes, and make those free.  That way people who purchased FC wouldn't feel like they just lost 20% value.

 

I assume this means that you're volunteering to pay for the development of those 2 free planes?  That's a very nice gesture.

[BMA_Hellbender]

4 hours ago, BraveSirRobin said:

I assume this means that you're volunteering to pay for the development of those 2 free planes?  That's a very nice gesture.

 

That's assuming that paying them to develop 2 free planes is even a remote possibility.

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

Most of us are so hangry for new crates that we will do anything what would come from devs to make it happen.

[BraveSirRobin]

4 hours ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

That's assuming that paying them to develop 2 free planes is even a remote possibility.

 

No, it was sarcasm.  But I’m sure that if an investor with deep pockets shows up then Jason will listen to what they have to say.  

[SCG_ItsDrifter]

Well, after reading through this whole keyboard war, I want to adress the fact that through personal experiences, making samples of what would be available if they bought the whole product does increase sales, they did it with RoF, I have had 4 friends, and myself. Who started off with the beginner starter pack of the free albatross and spad, and it got me hooked to buying more. 

 

I think a big thing thata stopping people from buying this game, is seeing the low pop on servers that host FC scenarios. Sample aircraft will not only bring in more possible sales , but it will also increase the pop of FC servers, which will be more appealing to people who are looking at the server list seeing they are missing out on a unique era of combat.

 

 

[BraveSirRobin]

12 minutes ago, ACG_ItsDrifter said:

Well, after reading through this whole keyboard war, I want to adress the fact that through personal experiences, making samples of what would be available if they bought the whole product does increase sales, they did it with RoF

Yes, they did it with ROF.  That’s how they know that it doesn’t work.

[BMA_Hellbender]

 

1 hour ago, BraveSirRobin said:

No, it was sarcasm.  But I’m sure that if an investor with deep pockets shows up then Jason will listen to what they have to say.  

 

I can't tell anymore... was that also sarcasm?

 

 

26 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

Yes, they did it with ROF.  That’s how they know that it doesn’t work.

 

You keep comparing free sample planes for existing paying customers to a game that is free-to-play (or at least advertised as such).

 

Look at some of the negative reviews on Steam for RoF United:

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/244050/Rise_of_Flight_United/

 

• Base game is installed, but you have to buy aircraft in order to play the game - that in itself is not really an issue, but one set of aircraft is quite pricey. Given the age of the game, I'd have to say it's not worth it.
   
• Dont play this game, everything needs paid DLC contents..
   
• Game sucks unless you want to dump money into not only planes but also maps imo. Cant get with these kind of games
   
• So, I love flight sims and this one was free, well free to do hardly do anything of coarse, so I spent 20+ bucks on I think 5 DLC content packs and still cant even start a career or campaign because it wants me to purchase more planes and maps. What was the dlc for? Apparently nothing at all. Cant get a refund on them either. Waste of money! Rip off!

 

 

In other words: they've attracted freeloaders, who found out that the game isn't actually free.

 

 

That is not the kind of criticism I'm reading about the DCS F-14, which was free for a weekend:

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/411893/DCS_F14_by_Heatblur_Simulations/

[HagarTheHorrible]

Potential problem that I can see is, if the free Central aircraft is pretty much anything other than the “f” then new players, playing online, are going to die, a lot, and be put off in their droves...:..:..and if they get the “f” for free, they wouldn’t need anything else.  A bit of a catch 22 situation.  It might make more sense just to have a free weekend, every now and again, for BoX users.  They wouldn’t even need to download stuff, just have access all areas promotion,combined with a sale to entice people in.

Edited February 5, 2020 by HagarTheHorrible

[No.23_Gaylion]

^ If only there were a set of rules, or suggestions, perhaps a list of some sort, compiled over a hundred years ago, and still in use today that could help one not get shot down so much....

 

And what if, by chance, that list was compiled by a man who never flew a Fokker D7... 

 

GASP!

::CLUTCHES PEARLS::

Edited February 5, 2020 by US213_Talbot

[HagarTheHorrible]

9 minutes ago, US213_Talbot said:

^ If only there were a set of rules, or suggestions, perhaps a list of some sort, compiled over a hundred years ago, and still in use today that could help one not get shot down so much....

 

And what if, by chance, that list was compiled by a man who never flew a Fokker D7... 

 

GASP!

::CLUTCHES PEARLS::

You mean the rule that says “ If men were meant to fly, they’d have been born with wings”, is that the sort of rule you mean ?  ?

 

GASP!

CLUTCHES AT EGGS

Edited February 5, 2020 by HagarTheHorrible

[Enceladus828]

33 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

Look at some of the negative reviews on Steam for RoF United:

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/244050/Rise_of_Flight_United/

And the number of hours they played before posting those reviews is just absurd.

[BraveSirRobin]

44 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

You keep comparing free sample planes for existing paying customers to a game that is free-to-play (or at least advertised as such).

 

And you keep making the assumption that existing customers are the sales that they need.  It isn’t.  That’s the low hanging fruit.  The sales that they need are the people who buy the game, fly a few quick missions, then never play it again.  Those are the sales that they can’t afford to lose.  And free planes kills those sales.  
 

If your argument is that they only offer free access to existing customers, then it’s a waste of time.  That doesn’t generate enough sales to make it worth the effort.  Those people already know about the game.  Remember when you posted the list of people keeping you from getting on the server Sunday?  Did you actually look at the names on that list?  They were all RoF owners.  The BoX owners who are going to buy FC already own it.

[BMA_Hellbender]

38 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

And you keep making the assumption that existing customers are the sales that they need.  It isn’t.  That’s the low hanging fruit.  The sales that they need are the people who buy the game, fly a few quick missions, then never play it again.  Those are the sales that they can’t afford to lose.  And free planes kills those sales.

 

Are you talking about people who come to IL-2 Sturmovik looking for a WWI flightsim, without prior knowledge of Rise of Flight? I never would have taken you for an optimist.

 

I'm sure that they exist, although even the mighty Google doesn't mention it for at least 5 pages, and even then only through Reddit of all places.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=wwi+flightsim

 

 

They'll much sooner just try Rise of Flight, which is a better place to start anyway if you haven't bought into the IL-2 GB ecosystem.

 

As much as I enjoy FC1, it's a WWI module for a WWII sim. Those are its main customers (and the RoF players) and the reason I've always been excited for WWI to reach a wider audience by being integrated into WWII.

 

 

Quote

If your argument is that they only offer free access to existing customers, then it’s a waste of time.  That doesn’t generate enough sales to make it worth the effort.  Those people already know about the game.  Remember when you posted the list of people keeping you from getting on the server Sunday?  Did you actually look at the names on that list?  They were all RoF owners.  The BoX owners who are going to buy FC already own it.

 

A lot of assumptions here without data to back it up, but I'll indulge you.

 

If all the regular players are indeed RoF players (and most of them are), yet everyone in BoX who was going to buy FC because they knew about it already has, then shouldn't it be a clear sign that some kind of marketing is in order? Since any kind of outside marketing is missing, we can only assume that the RoF players and existing WWII customers are indeed the target audience.

 

Maybe we should turn the question around: how would you suggest FC1 sells more copies?

[1/JSpan_Wind75]

30 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

Maybe we should turn the question around: how would you suggest FC1 sells more copies?

 

It's simple. FC1 needs a Caree Mode with the IL-2

[BMA_Hellbender]

52 minutes ago, 1/JSpan_Guerrero said:

It's simple. FC1 needs a Caree Mode with the IL-2

 

If only... But it was never a planned feature for FC1.

 

It's one of the valid reasons many RoF players are not coming over. I don't play much single player myself (or I play single player in multiplayer), but it's obviously where most people are and where there's money to be made.

 

We have some great community-made content, such as PWCG and the Kaiserschlacht campaign by @SYN_Vander, but that's not something you can really market.

Edited February 5, 2020 by J5_Hellbender

[BraveSirRobin]

3 hours ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

If all the regular players are indeed RoF players (and most of them are), yet everyone in BoX who was going to buy FC because they knew about it already has, then shouldn't it be a clear sign that some kind of marketing is in order? 

I’ve asked Jason about trying to market ROF.  I suggested giving away free game CD’s at air shows.   He said it’s not worth the effort.  It seems likely that Jason as looked at this from every angle and has all the data to back up what he’s doing.
 

The problem is that not enough people want to play games like this.  Period.  There is really no way around that.

 

3 hours ago, J5_Hellbender said:

A lot of assumptions here without data to back it up, but I'll indulge you.

 

Not really.  I looked at that list of people on the FC server. I recognized all but 1 or 2 from RoF.  

[BMA_Hellbender]

12 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

I’ve asked Jason about trying to market ROF.  I suggested giving away free game CD’s at air shows.   He said it’s not worth the effort.

 

@hq_Jorri and I did this for Jason once, at a sim convention at least... but that was in the VERY old days (RoF Iron Cross Edition).

 

https://riseofflight.com/forum/topic/18891-live-lowland-tigermeet-2011/

 

 

 

We were really the odd ducks there with the WWI sim (and also because we're odd ducks in general).

 

Today this sim has its target audience within IL-2 Sturmovik. There's really no need to look any further, and it's the best guarantee for its continued support, and hopefully further development. If everyone who owns at least two or three BoX modules also owns FC1, there's reason enough to sell us another FC volume with every other BoX module.

 

All it needs is a little more visibility.

[BraveSirRobin]

40 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

All it needs is a little more visibility.

So they couldn’t be bothered to fly the free RoF aircraft.  And they were not persuaded by all the dev diaries to buy FC.  But a few hours of free access to a FC aircraft is going to convince lots of BoX people to buy the game?  That seems unlikely.

[BMA_Hellbender]

15 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

So they couldn’t be bothered to fly the free RoF aircraft.  And they were not persuaded by all the dev diaries to buy FC.  But a few hours of free access to a FC aircraft is going to convince lots of BoX people to buy the game?  That seems unlikely.

 

At this point we're just going round in circles, but again:

 

If they had no prior interest in WWI, why would they even bother installing RoF?

If they have no current interest in WWI, why would they bother following the dev diaries?

If they have a free WWI plane available, maybe even for a weekend, would they bother trying it out for 5 minutes?

 

Maybe.

 

 

And would they then buy the module?

 

Uhhh... very maybe?

 

 

And could it take away a potential "curiosity sale" if FC1 drops to below $20 in a year or two and they impulse buy it, only then to confirm their suspicion that they didn't care for WWI all along.

 

Sure.

 

 

But then again, Exhibit A: free tanks.

 

Whether they actually belong to Tank Crew or not, they were the number 1 reason I bought the module in early access, because I messed around with the T-34 for a bit and thought it was fun. That's all they need to do: mess around with the Alby for a bit.

[BraveSirRobin]

1 minute ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

If they have no current interest in WWI, why would they bother following the dev diaries?

 

 

Because the dev diaries mostly provide information about the WW2 games.  They already know about FC.  THEY.  DON'T.  WANT.  IT.

 

So the idea that they're a significant potential market is ludicrous.

[ST_Catchov]

3 hours ago, J5_Hellbender said:

  3 hours ago, 1/JSpan_Guerrero said:

It's simple. FC1 needs a Caree Mode with the IL-2

 

FC2 you mean. But yes it is that simple. A no-brainer to me. But will The Board/Investors approve it? Do they have the money or will to have a crack? 

 

3 hours ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

If only... But it was never a planned feature for FC1.

 

It's one of the valid reasons many RoF players are not coming over. 

 

And WOFF players, and perhaps First Eagles or any other WW1 sims out there. The more the merrier. The MP strategy is not working.  So Jason should be targeting all SP players interested in WW1 aviation. Not just RoF or the WWII battle series guys.

 

Another thought. I bought FC as a standalone product. Perhaps others think that in order to get FC they have to also purchase the IL2 Sturmovik BoX series?

[BMA_Hellbender]

12 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

 

Because the dev diaries mostly provide information about the WW2 games.  They already know about FC.  THEY.  DON'T.  WANT.  IT.

 

So the idea that they're a significant potential market is ludicrous.

I get your point of view, or at least I’m trying to. But can you clarify one thing: do you think it is a bad thing that we have access to free tanks?

 

After all, it’s a flight sim, not a tank sim. And I’ve never played any tank sims or followed any tank dev diaries. Plus, there was a real chance I would have tried them and said (in your words): “DO. NOT. WANT.” which could have potentially cost them a sale a few years down the road.

 

 

[BraveSirRobin]

5 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

I get your point of view, or at least I’m trying to. But can you clarify one thing: do you think it is a bad thing that we have access to free tanks?

 

 

No, I don't think the free tanks were a bad idea.  Some programmers used some free time to experiment.  Good for them.  It also demonstrated to 777 that the idea was viable and that people would use the tanks.  I think it would be a bad idea to give free access to the TC tanks.  If the existing free tanks don't sell you on the idea, then it's waste of time to try anything else.

 

9 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

Plus, there was a real chance I would have tried them and said (in your words): “DO. NOT. WANT.” which could have potentially cost them a sale a few years down the road.

 

 

The problem I see with free aircraft is not even remotely connected to convincing people that they:  DO.  NOT.  WANT. 

The problem with giving free access to BoX owners is that it's a waste of effort.  They have already made it clear that they:  DO.  NOT.  WANT.

The problem with giving free access to others is that they need the revenue from people who eventually decide that they:  DO.  NOT.  WANT. 

 

[BMA_Hellbender]

15 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

No, I don't think the free tanks were a bad idea.  Some programmers used some free time to experiment.  Good for them.  It also demonstrated to 777 that the idea was viable and that people would use the tanks.  I think it would be a bad idea to give free access to the TC tanks.  If the existing free tanks don't sell you on the idea, then it's waste of time to try anything else.

 

I see what you mean, and I also see the parallel with RoF (= free tanks) and FC (= Tank Crew). My main issue with this remains that RoF and FC are substantially different products. There's VR amongst other things.

 

I will admit that if you previously played RoF and hated it, it would greatly surprise me that a free weekend of FC would change your mind. But that's not the people we're after.

 

 

Quote

The problem I see with free aircraft is not even remotely connected to convincing people that they:  DO.  NOT.  WANT. 

The problem with giving free access to BoX owners is that it's a waste of effort.  They have already made it clear that they:  DO.  NOT.  WANT.

The problem with giving free access to others is that they need the revenue from people who eventually decide that they:  DO.  NOT.  WANT. 

 

Here I really must disagree, and I will make this my closing argument because it's clear that our views fundamentally differ.

 

There are tons of people in the world who would enjoy WWI flightsims, but will never have the possibility to know, nor would they want to know. Here we are lucky enough to deal with people who DO have the possibility to know, may very well enjoy them, but are still not interested. So you choose to play the waiting game, until they cave in and eventually pay to find out. I think it's a fundamental mistake and misreading of the business model, that people should be tricked into buying something they do not enjoy. It is far better to get them to discover something they never knew they'd actually enjoy, even if it means a small revenue loss (advertising, basically) and have them come back for more later.

 

Jason has said in the past that the vast majority of people who bought planes in RoF played with them for a few minutes at release and then never came back to them. And while that may be true, that's how most people use new toys. That doesn't mean they regret their purchase. I still don't expect to see complete WWI converts, but I do sincerely believe that much of the apparent lack of interest comes from lack of exposure.

[BraveSirRobin]

1 minute ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 

I see what you mean, and I also see the parallel with RoF (= free tanks) and FC (= Tank Crew). My main issue with this remains that RoF and FC are substantially different products. There's VR amongst other things.

 

 

What other things?  I've got both games.  They're not substantially different.  RoF has improvements.  But I really can't imagine that there is anything that would attract someone who had no interest in RoF.

 

11 minutes ago, J5_Hellbender said:

 but I do sincerely believe that much of the apparent lack of interest comes from lack of exposure.

 

The only problem with this view is that they've had plenty of exposure.  They could have played RoF.  They've seen the dev diaries.  They still don't want it.  So your plan is to ignore reality.  Good luck with that!

[Feathered_IV]

People aren’t fools.  They won’t spend money on a video game if the the core gameplay just isn’t there. 

[Enceladus828]

3 hours ago, J5_Hellbender said:

do you think it is a bad thing that we have access to free tanks?

People paid a lot of money for IL-2 Battle of... in the past years and got access to 8-10 planes, plus 2 tanks. I mean, if you’re on the fence about getting TC, then get IL-2 Battle of... and play around with the tanks is the first thing to do. If you like it and want to get more tanks, get TC, if you don’t then just don’t bother. There, the free tanks are available to those who bought the game, not some freeloaders.

 

The devs gave us 3 free planes for RoF: if we like it and want to have more content, then we buy more content, if we don’t like it, then we just move in from it. Didn’t cost us any money there. Giving away 2 free FC planes for a limited time would be for people who have IL-2 GBs, and want to see if FC is really worth all the money before dropping a large sum of money on it. Therefore, the opinion comes from someone who has the game already, not some freeloader.

 

A curious question is, “Will people who don’t like Rise of Flight like Flying Circus?”

 

Salute

[BraveSirRobin]

20 minutes ago, Feathered_IV said:

People aren’t fools.  They won’t spend money on a video game if the the core gameplay just isn’t there. 

 

It's a combat flight sim. You blow things up.  You shoot things down.  That's the core gameplay.  And it's all there.

2 minutes ago, Novice-Flyer said:

 

The devs gave us 3 free planes for RoF

 

 

No, they didn't.  Access to the free planes was not started until several years after the game was released.

[Gambit21]

22 hours ago, LukeFF said:

 

And how exactly would the labor needed to create those 2 planes be paid for?

 

Dude, I must be missing out.

All this time working in 3D applications and other content creation software, and I never realized there was a "create awesome content" button hidden somewhere in one of the menus.

 

 

[JG1_Butzzell]

1 hour ago, Gambit21 said:

Dude, I must be missing out.

All this time working in 3D applications and other content creation software, and I never realized there was a "create awesome content" button hidden somewhere in one of the menus.

 

 

Yes there is. And here is what it does. Recorded by Deadallus

 

[Zooropa_Fly]

4 hours ago, Novice-Flyer said:

A curious question is, “Will people who don’t like Rise of Flight like Flying Circus?”

 

 

Absolutely not.

 

VR is the only significant difference at this stage.

I've said previously that besides VR and Graphics, there are several other improvements in the FC experience.

But I'm saying that as someone who's flown virtual ww1 crates for about 10 years.

Any noob put in front of them both would notice little to no difference.

[HappyHaddock]

12 minutes ago, Zooropa_Fly said:

 

I've said previously that besides VR and Graphics, there are several other improvements in the FC experience.

But I'm saying that as someone who's flown virtual ww1 crates for about 10 years.

Any noob put in front of them both would notice little to no difference.

 

I'd second the notion that for fans of WWI flight sims FC has a lot to offer that can't be found in the other titles out there,  but if the challenge is to generate many more sales a big part of the problems is not to get enthusiasts of WWI sims to take note, but to get folks who might not otherwise be bothered by such things to give something new a try.

 

I first piloted a virtual Sopwith Camel back in 1982 and have flown many different virtual renditions since, so it was kind of an unquestionable given that I'd buy FC. The same is probably true of most fans  of WWI simulators... Yes, the comparatively limited content might make it appear relatively expensive in relation to the other WWII titles in the IL-2 series, but it is still a lot for the money. Consequently I prefer to think of the majority of the IL-2 titles being under priced for their content rather than FC being overpriced.

 

I suppose we need to ask if we are trying to sell Flying Circus as a product, or more generally sell WWI sims as an area of interest? From one point of view a free to play ROF serves as a handicap, from the other it is a useful stepping stone for folks to try something new!

 

HH

 

 

[FeuerFliegen]

On 2/5/2020 at 12:28 AM, LukeFF said:

 

And how exactly would the labor needed to create those 2 planes be paid for?

 

It would be an investment on their part, to encourage people to purchase the full package.  Exactly like Tank Crew, and similar to many free to play games out there, like RoF.  I'm not sure why this is so confusing to some.

 

I personally put off purchasing it for a while because I had never played any WW1 planes on the Great Battles series, and I could see others not purchasing it for the same reason.

[Zooropa_Fly]

Perhaps the glory days aren't coming back ?

In fact I'm sure of it.

 

A growing number of virtual pilots are sadly passing away, many will have jacked it in never to return, many have migrated to ww2 unlikely to return.

Getting noobs in isn't easy - basically down to the amount of kit required and how much it costs. WT numbers will conversely prove this.

Lack of advertising seems to be the biggest thing holding sales back imo.

I would bet 95% of FC sales have been to punters already 'in the know'.

 

In RoF, at least the free planes brought some in and helped pad out the MP servers a bit.

 

I think FC MP would benefit from changing the options after clicking 'Multiplayer' :-

Instead of Cooperative and Dogfight.  (usually 0-1 and 60+ servers relatively)..

Split into four options - WW1, WW2, Coop Missions, and Password protected.

 

Would make WW1 servers easier to find, and also gets rid of the password protected servers from the ww2 list.

 

[J2_Jakob]

Thank gods RoF was free to play when I discovered it. I spent half a year playing offline with the free aircraft. First QM, then Career. I was quite astonished by the amount of content I actually got for free. Tried MP, but my PC specs were not sufficient to spot anything at that time. So - back to SP.

 

More offline play. PC upgrade. Every sale, when I had some spare cash, I bought a few single planes. It felt like christmas. Collection growing.

Another PC upgrade.

Solid stick.
Joined a squad.

Better DIY ballcap.

Pedals!

...

...

...

 

Thanks to the devs for the wrong decision to give me a few free planes, a QM generator and a Career. You have earned a faithful customer.

[1/JSpan_Wind75]

In addition to being a simulator that is not as complete and complete with its campaign mode as its predecessor RoF. And that is only designed for those who like the On-Line flight, it has a big problem. New people in airplane simulation do not think FC is very well known. I think that FC1 should have had its own name and its own website. I have done a search on YouTube and FC is always associated with the word IL-2 Sturmovik and this can generate a lot of confusion, because people do not understand that of the IL-2 world. Almost all videos are titled as IL-2 Sturmovik Flying Circus.

[JG1_Etzel]

Because of the discussions here I did the 1st time a look on the reviews for RoF on Steam and esp. based on the negative reviews I have to say: The only doubtless pure wrong decision that 1GCS/777 took in a past, was to implement the option of mouse control....

80% of the negative reviews I saw was written by people who played with mouse, and, I'm sorry, but 3- or even 4-axis Joysticks start at ~30 or maybe 40$.... anyone does not even own such a basic input device is obviously is not interested in flying real flight simulations, consequently is not a part of the market segment that should be in my focus....

 

All other strategies of what to offer for free or at a specific discount at what point of the product lifecycle whatever are (at least in my perception) hardly calculable; you will never know for absolutely sure  (esp. not in advance, probably not even afterwards) what money you will loose (or have lost) because of you give something for free or cheaper versus what money you earned later additionally on because you found new customers....

So all arguments (no matter if pro or con) brought up in this thread are finally nothing more than a guess if anyones personal approach is reflecting the behaviour of a majority or only a minority of potential customers... ?

 

[JG1_Jaus]

Here's the experience of someone who just went down this path....

 

I found RoF while doing a search on Steam for games on sale.   I found RoF at 75% off and dl/ed the basic game.    I hadn't played any flight sims in years, and no WWI sims since Red Baron in the early '90s, but have always been interested in WWI aviation.

 

I like RoF and was fascinated by the idea of flying the E.III and DH.2 and so purchased some extra content.   Then I decided to purchase all of the dlc while the sale was on.   RoF was fun but I kept hearing about FC and VR and better graphics, etc,   so I had to try it. 

 

I've had FC for a week or so now and find myself more attracted to it over RoF for the following reasons:    as someone has mentioned before the planes in FC are a much more stable shooting platform, and I find them easier to fly/land.  Also, I can't put my finger on it,  but there is a sense of a more realistic experience due I think to the graphics and  flight stability.   There is also my vision of the future (VR, more FC planes/maps) that attracts me to FC.   I haven't tried PWCG for FC yet so that may be another reason to go FC over RoF.   

 

What I think is a shame is that when you start FC you get the feeling that it is a tolerated sideshow to a WWII sim.   This is coming from a simmer who is more interested in history and immersion than in kill counting, so I may be in the minority market-wise.   I wonder if the developers are more interested in attracting new (perhaps non-flightsim types) customers to the genre, or if they are more interested in making sure that the existing WWI enthusiasts have a reason to adopt FC over RoF(?)

 

Anyway, my two cents.

 

 

[Hellequin13]

Mayhap I missed it, but I am pretty sure we have not seen the sales figures for FC, so I am not sure where all this gloom and doom is coming from. Perhaps it is the lack of a new volume or direction being announced when Jason informed us of the future plans for the BoX series? We might all be jumping to conclusions when in reality, it might just be a matter of them putting more focus on their main product, finishing up TC, and then looking at where to go with FC.

 

I would think they would consider adding some SP content to Volume One before announcing the next volume. Some new flight models for the existing plane set, with up-rated engines? Perhaps a few collector planes alongside that, to flesh out the late war plane set?

 

Though you probably don't know it, due to not flying under my old moniker, but I was there in the very early days of Rise of Flight, back before there was even a respawn option in multiplayer. The crowds FC is drawing today are larger than we could muster for the servers back then, so I don't think things are as bad off as you all make out.

 

Having said that, I do think there is still room to grow. In that regard, I agree that a free weekend would do well to bring over some of the WWII crowd, but what is really needed is something to draw in the RoF holdouts. A free weekend is not likely going to cut it, as they are going to be required to download how many gigs of data to access the sim, for just a few days? No, it is going to take a bit more to tempt them over.

 

RoF is no longer being developed or supported, it is essentially a dead game, but FC does not have near the content (yet), and won't for some time to come. I see the need for one of two things, if not both; first off, I would suggest some sort of discount for RoF users. Obviously not for the F2P only owners, but those that have invested in the DLCs. Perhaps the more content from RoF they have the better the discount? I am disinclined to agree with those who feel purchasing FC equates to throwing away all the money they invested into RoF: how may years of enjoyment did you get for your investment? But then again, the price of admission contrasted next to the current level of content in FC might be a hard pill to swallow, so a little incentive could be needed to help draw the more miserly crowd over.

 

The second thing I would suggest is to offer something RoF does not have. Some shiny baubles that just about every would-be WWI pilot wants: the Siemens-Shuckert D.III/IV and the Sopwith Snipe as collectors planes, perhaps? I would put good money on the availability of these two crates being the catalyst for many a RoF user joining us in the new engine.

 

In the end, none of this may matter. It is all speculation, mixed in with some well meaning suggestions, but I know Jason, and trust that he and his team have their business well in hand. WWI flight combat is a niche market, having it tied to a WWII sim is actually a very good strategy. The BoX series will continue to be their bread and butter, while FC (and TC) can continue to be developed along side it (albeit at a slower pace). My suggestion to you, my fellow simmers, is to relax, enjoy what we have now, and in our own way continue to develop and support it. Keep participating in the online servers/events. If you have the skill, put together some single and multiplayer content (I'll be doing my part in due time). Keep streaming and posting videos, keep the word of mouth spreading. The community that drove the early days of RoF, was far smaller, and we had less to work with than we have now, if you truly want to see FC flourish, all you need to do is show up. The more the merrier.