Earth Simulations ceased trading?

It seems that Earth Simulations has ceased trading. That's a shock. :(

Oh no, that's a real shame :(

 

Their scenery was truly exceptional. Was waiting to upgrade to a larger SSD so I could expand to Scotland photoreal. Guess that might never happen now.

 

Don't the ES installers have to connect to a server to authenticate prior to installation??

I was quite keen on getting their Channel Islands and Scillies sceneries, it was just that they were too expensive. I wonder whether they will find someone to sell these off more cheaply without support.

 

I checked their web-site and it does confirm that they have ceased trading. This link provides the reasons:

 

https://earthsims.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/484665-why-has-es-ceased-trading

 

IAN

From Simflight:

 

The current trading market for flight simulation add-ons has claimed another casualty with the closure of British add-on developers Earth Simulations today.

 

In a statement written on the company’s knowledge base pages, the company cites falling sales and the recent changes to EU VAT legislation as two of the primary reasons behind closure, along with Microsoft’s departure from the marketplace.

 

While there have been a number of “discussions” regarding the pricing of Earth Simulations’ products since their release, they have been widely regarded as being very high quality add-ons with excellent feature sets and the company will definitely be missed from within the hobby and industry.

 

Sad, but inevitable given the impact of this ludicrous change to legislation by those unelected idiots in their ivory towers.

Don't the ES installers have to connect to a server to authenticate prior to installation??

 

Not only to authenticate, but also to download. Your purchase was added to your account on their server, and you needed to run their client to actually get your content at all. Rather complex DRM system, probably expensive too (for them).

 

Wonder what happened. Devs not wanting to go down the tedious "gimme-my-compatibility-update-for-free" road, now that FSX-SE and P3D are out in force? If you are a small business you can't afford that. Some only came into existence as the unchanging FSX platform made it possible to develop addons at your leisure. Look at poor HiFiTech, they start on one compatibility update for FSX-SE, and before they have even finished, DT throws in the next update. Working against moving targets is "not so good" in the IT-project business...

following IAN's link, I saw:

 

from Earth Simulations' site:

We would like to thank sincerely all our past customers, many of whom we consider to be our friends. We hope that you have had, and will continue to have many more hours of pleasure from our scenery creation efforts.

 

This helpdesk & ESInstaller will remain active for as long as possible but not indefinitely. We encourage you to create backups of your scenery installations.

Not only to authenticate, but also to download. Your purchase was added to your account on their server, and you needed to run their client to actually get your content at all. Rather complex DRM system, probably expensive too (for them).

 

 

You can still (for the present at least) download scenery packs for all your download scenery, which I think should allow you to re-install or repair the sceneries once the site goes down. Run ESI, go into your library on the ES site and click on the scenery you want to download, and then on "Mark for Repair". An option to repair or to download an ESI-Pack will appear at the top right of the screen - just choose the ESI-pack button.

 

Dugald

The facility exists within ESI to create a local backup of the scenery downloaded. You can then load it to backup media for future installs as required. ESI having connected to the server displays your serial numbers in a tabbed box, bottom right of screen.

If a number of people who purchased these very expensive products eventually find their the DVDs they own are now useless thanks to DRM...well, that would be utterly scandalous.

 

I own and paid good money for these ES DVDs - if they cease to function, I want my money back from the developers.

If a number of people who purchased these very expensive products eventually find their the DVDs they own are now useless thanks to DRM...well, that would be utterly scandalous.

 

I own and paid good money for these ES DVDs - if they cease to function, I want my money back from the developers.

 

Which part of ceased trading don't you understand?

 

It was a limited company with limited liability. The developers were employees/staff of the company. When there is insufficient cash flow to pay the bills and wages of the staff then by UK law the company has to close. When that happens the staff are unemployed and any creditors, those suppliers owed money lose.

 

You paid for a product, you received a product and your using a product.Backup your product discs now because your not getting your money back. There is no one to give you a cent.

 

Darren who was the MD has said he will keep the download site open for as long as he can to allow people to 'backup' their products as paid for. At some point the Accountants now winding up the company will say 'stop' and the download site will go.

 

A sad ending to a company making superb photo scenery.

If a number of people who purchased these very expensive products eventually find their the DVDs they own are now useless thanks to DRM...well, that would be utterly scandalous.

 

I own and paid good money for these ES DVDs - if they cease to function, I want my money back from the developers.

 

If FSX someday fails to register, are you going to ask MS for your money back also?

Thank you to everyone who's commented in this tread with such kindness and understanding. Both Vikki and myself appreciate it very much.

 

I'd just like to respond to some of the concerns raised regarding backups.

 

It is possible to create backup ( esi-Packs) of any ES software you own. Once downloaded the ESI pack can be used to re-install your scenery should that need ever occur. The ESI pack you created is pre-configured with your valid serial code embedded. As such it does not require a connection to our servers to function. It doesn't even need an internet connection at all in fact.

 

Our servers will remain active for at least a couple of months, but as mentioned we can't promise they'll stay active indefinitely. Vikki and I are committed to ensuring you are given every opportunity to safeguard your purchases from us, and as such we are continuing to man the ES helpdesk for at least the next couple of weeks to help anyone that gets in to difficulty. After that we will have to move on to pastures new, but we're not abandoning our moral responsibilities to our past customers in the meantime. :)

 

Kindest regards

Darren & Vikki

The DRM issue referred to does not apply to disc based versions of Earth Simulations Software, only that downloaded directly from their servers and only if you don't make an "ES-Pack" whilst connected and recording your serial number.

 

Flightstore in the UK have an article about it on their forum: http://forum.flightstore.co.uk/post/earth-simulations-drm-7250930

Darren, Vikki,

 

I'm very sorry to see you have had to cease trading.

 

Thanks very much for all the great scenery you produced for us - I think you have created the best quality scenery we have seen for MSFS.

 

Good luck with all your plans and endeavours from here on!

 

Best Regards

 

Jon

Yes, shame Jersey was never finished, as my Wife and I went there last year to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary and it would have been good to recreate our flight in FSX!

 

I'm currently updating my UK FSX scenery, but it appears Treescapes Vol 7 (Central Scotland) doesn't exist.

 

Can anyone confirm if this is correct, please?

Treescapes Volume 7 was released as a download. Unfortunately it never made it to disc.

 

Tony

Yes this is stunning news. I am stunned as well as annoyed by the way this has turned out. I have been long awaiting for the island of Jersey from ES and now it won't happen. All thanks to the scumbag that made the new EU VAT Legislation 2015. All I can say is for the politicians; "Wind your interfering necks in!" The UK ought to get out of this EU crap once and for all! All politicians UK or European are the scum of the earth and this planet is better off without them. A good politician is a dead one in my opinion.

Not only has it affected Darren and Vicki, it has affected us all. How to back up our sceneries is beyond me, you need ESI Installer and looking at it, this will no longer work in time! Darren and Vicki, my heart goes out to you and your team of expert developers. Your scenery was absolutely brilliant and I am so annoyed at the way things have turned out. Microsoft never helped matters. One thing has crossed my mind though, why not consider selling just in the UK and perhaps DVD's of the sceneries for the rest of the world at the time? I wish you both the best for the future.

Trying to SAVE my scenery and not sure if it is possible according to instructions from Flightstore!

All thanks to the scumbag that made the new EU VAT Legislation 2015.

 

Earth Simulations gives the real reason in its own press release;

 

Within a month of setting up ES Microsoft pulled out of Flight Simulation development. Since then there has been a steady and continued decline in the add-on market which seems unlikely to improve any in the foreseeable future. Rather than things getting easier we can only see things getting harder.

 

EU VAT is a red-herring. Other flight simulation developers can cope with it. Also, there is at least one company that will seamlessly handle the VAT processing for 0.20€ per transaction or less. Any developer that can't cope with such an increase deserves to go out of business.

"The UK ought to get out of this EU crap once and for all!"

 

You mean the EU crap the allows us to buy stuff from other EU countries and not pay 20% VAT + customs/excise duties? The crap that allows us to live and work in any EU country we want without facing immigration restrictions? The crap that means we no longer have to pay extortionate mobile roaming charges when travelling in the EU?

 

As far as a UK company selling FSX add-ons, I can't see how not being in the EU and facing tariffs to export to EU countries would be better.

Any developer that can't cope with such an increase deserves to go out of business.

A classic example of Darwinism in the marketplace. I can't speak about UK/Euro based companies but there are more than a few businesses in the US that closed shop because they failed to or were unwilling to adapt to marketplace be it creating a digital store or looking for a simpler means of taking online payments.

having said that, I fear that Earth Simulations may be correct in saying this is a declining market.

 

When I was a boy in the 80s, myself and many of my contemporaries were interested in flying and we all wanted to be pilots/astronauts. Now we all live out those dreams in PC flight simulators.

 

My three kids, all boys in their early teens don't seem the list bit interested in aviation, and neither do their friends. My FSX hobby is probably an embarrassment to them.

Sadly young people these days seem more interested in pop culture and reality TV

I can't speak about UK/Euro based companies ...

 

I can assure that there also many UK/Euro based companies who have gone out of business because couldn't cope with changing circumstances. It's called the survival of the fitest.

Oh thats a shame, probably why I've just manged to buy the Isle of Man scenery for £4! Just running the install now although not sure if it will work if i cant authenticate it with the unlock key at the end. :-(

Help! I recently had a PC rebuild and when it came to reinstalling Treescapes it says it cannot connect to ESI servers. I had no idea ES had gone out of business so didn't realise I had to perform the pack backup as suggested elsewhere, I assume this makes my rather pricey England & Wales DVD as useful as a brick? Has anyone had any luck with support since they ceased trading? or bypassing the ridiculous ESI installer? Thanks!