Payware Developers

[DominicS]

Gentle reminder to all - keep it nice.

[darrenvox]

Also to add I don't get why they think fs2004 is dead, sure it's dying, been bloody well dying since like 2010 or so but we still have active uploads everyday and lots of aircraft scenery makers still alive and making stuff each day or month.

 

Things like this only die when no one makes stuff for it anymore. Until then we as fs2004 community a still alive and kicking.

[il88pp]

I can think of another possible reason.

Games like FS2004 need the CD i the drive to be played. This has to do with Copyright protection.

Afer DRM (Digital Rights Management) changes, games like that that are run with a CD in the drive, are no longer allowed.

Microsoft Win7 Win8 and Win10 received an update, making it impossible to play these games.

Not just FS2004, but many more games. (FSX does not need a CD to be in the drive, so that still works fine.)

 

Someone created illegally a file that makes it so FS2004 still works on the modern Operating Systems, however use of this is not allowed.

 

I can understand if Addon designers decide not to create Addons if the game is no longer allowed to be played.

 

You mightreply: "But it would be possible to play them on older Operating Systems, like Windows XP.".

 

Two issues with that.

Addon designers probably won't designing Addons and software for an obsolete Operating System. No serious company designs software for XP anymore.

Also, XP has gotten a very bad name recently, and rightly so.

It used to be mainly a security risk to the users of XP themselves.

But a few months ago there was a worldwide virus attack. Many computers all over the world got infected with something called "RansomWare".

Users (of all kinds of operating systems) started their computer but only saw a message that said:

"Your PC is locked, you can unlock it by sending xxx dollars to my bank account."

 

Some sent in money, but there was no reply, and no one got back into their pc to access data. All data lost.

 

This attack cost millions in damage, and put lives at risk. For example, many Computers in UK hospitals were affected, putting patients at risk.

 

It turned out this virus was spread by remotely taking over XP computers all over the world. These computers then started infecting other computers, spreading the virus. (Something that can't happen on WIn7 and above).

The analisys of the attack also showed that this attack method could very easily be used again as long as XP was being used.

There was then a very pressing request, worldwide, for all XP users to please stop using this horribly outdated system.

 

--------

In conclusion:

FS2004 can't be run on a modern Windows PC. (legally)

Older Operating systems are obsolete, and no longer supported.

---->>End of FS2004.

 

 

Note:

>>I'm not speaking for any developer, real or imagined

[tiger1962]

FS2004 can't be run on a modern Windows PC. (legally)

Older Operating systems are obsolete, and no longer supported.

---->>End of FS2004.

 

Older games like FS2004 can still be played by using Microsoft's official secure drive workaround described here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3086255/ms15-097-description-of-the-security-update-for-the-graphics-component

 

Windows 7 will be supported by Microsoft until 2020.

 

Until then at least, The King of PC Flight Sims still rules! ;)

 

All we ever wanted was FS2004: Remastered, and FSX just wasn't it.

It was, and it's offspring still is, all kinds of WRONG from a user's and a developer's point of view.

It seems to me that the K.I.S.S. principle has been forgotten - Keep It Simple, Stupid!

We're all still patiently waiting...

[Skywatcher12]

Windows 7 will be supported by Microsoft until 2020.

 

Possibly longer.

 

I'll be using FS9 forever regardless. Still a long, long time before you can see anything beating it. People just like to move on assuming it is for the better. The FS9 market likely is dead for any profit to be made but let's not get confused, that's no indication of how good it still is.

[avallillo]

Interesting thoughts. It might well be very interesting to get an idea of the level of FS9 usage these days, and I imagine that one of the best sources of that information, if not the best, would be Nels here at Flightsim.com.

 

Perhaps Nels or someone with access to that data could chime in here?

 

Other than that, it might have to be a voluntary census! Come to think of it, that might work too, considering that anyone who still uses FS9 a lot would have a solid vested interest in letting the world know about it.

 

BTW, I still have FS9 and used it up to a few months ago, when my HDD failed and I had to install a new one. What with 2 versions of FSX, XP10 and XP11, and FS2 going onto the new drive, I thought I would wait awhile and see if I really needed to install the older one, which did indeed satisfy my desires in most aspects. Turns out that I have yet to reinstall it, and if I do it will be strictly to return to the earlier times in aviation -- I had a special installation done up with the California Classics scenery and older planes in which I could turn back the clock! I have always wished that something like that could be a part of a new simulator; ie, the ability to change the era as well as the weather, with scenery changing to reflect a prior era. Probably too much work for too little interest, just like others are saying here.....

 

Tony Vallillo

[Guest lavochkin]

I still use FS9 Only.

[Skywatcher12]

Interesting thoughts. It might well be very interesting to get an idea of the level of FS9 usage these days, and I imagine that one of the best sources of that information, if not the best, would be Nels here at Flightsim.com.

 

Perhaps Nels or someone with access to that data could chime in here?

 

Not sure what data he would have available. Just checked the forums and there were 128 people in the FS2004 forum and 242 in the FSX forum. Is that an indication that out of those 2 sims 2/3rd of the users are FSX and 1/3rd FS2004? You wouldn't think so or you would tend to believe the developers should still see profit in FS2004. Not sure what it means really but it was enough to create this post! lol

[JSMR]

Who said using the no cd patch for fs9 is ‘illegal’? New one on me. :)

And who adds unnecessary ‘updates’ for Win7? Havnt done that in years.

[davidjones]

Who said using the no cd patch for fs9 is ‘illegal’? New one on me. :)

And who adds unnecessary ‘updates’ for Win7? Havnt done that in years.

 

Any modification of the stock exe or its reverse engineering or its disassembly is forbidden by the EULA. The NoCD "patch" is clearly in violation of that and thus "illegal" should MS decide to enforce the agreement. You can argue about that ad infinitum but there it is.

 

DJ

[JSMR]

Its not illegal as it is a requirement to use FS9 if you have Windows 7 ( and maybe 10). I don't know if its even possible to use FS9 with out it anymore.

 

Its DEFINITELY needed AND required to use it with a/some payware add-ons. (At the request of the developers).

[JSkorna]

Can you provide a link to ANY payware add-ons that require this patch?

[il88pp]

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?210348-Posts-about-crack-files-etc

[tiger1962]

Its not illegal as it is a requirement to use FS9 if you have Windows 7 ( and maybe 10). I don't know if its even possible to use FS9 with out it anymore.

 

Its DEFINITELY needed AND required to use it with a/some payware add-ons. (At the request of the developers).

 

Either ignorance is bliss, or a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

 

Older games like FS2004 can still be played in current Windows versions by using Microsoft's official secure drive workaround described in this KB article from 2015: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3086255/ms15-097-description-of-the-security-update-for-the-graphics-component

 

Most of us DO use the NoCD patch, however, because it's a lot less hassle than the official workaround above.

[W2DR]

I have a digital image of a wedding photograph taken by a professional photographer. Yesterday I decided to resize the RAW file and print it in black-and-white. It was really easy. Until I read this thread I didn't realize that I'm now a professional photographer too..........Doug

[W2DR]

Of course that FS9 patch is illegal...as are the activation .dll files for FSX and P3D. Are they readily available? Yes. Do people use them? Yes. Does that make them legal? No.

[JSMR]

Either ignorance is bliss, or a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

 

Older games like FS2004 can still be played in current Windows versions by using Microsoft's official secure drive workaround described in this KB article from 2015: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3086255/ms15-097-description-of-the-security-update-for-the-graphics-component

 

Most of us DO use the NoCD patch, however, because it's a lot less hassle than the official workaround above.

 

 

 

One of the newer patches for W7 “block’s the use of a CD to authenticate and start a game”. The iFly requires the no CD Microsoft patch for it to work. Microsoft must known what they are doing. :)

[tiger1962]

One of the newer patches for W7 “block’s the use of a CD to authenticate and start a game”. The iFly requires the no CD Microsoft patch for it to work. Microsoft must known what they are doing. :)

 

That's true, with the KB3086255 update Microsoft were trying to fix a vulnerability in the third-party secdrv.sys (Secure Rom) driver which could be hacked into: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3086255/ms15-097-description-of-the-security-update-for-the-graphics-component

However, since Microsoft don't recommend their own workaround(!) and advise us to use it at our own risk, we might as well use the NoCD patch instead.

[Skywatcher12]

It's one thing to run a NOCD with a legally purchased game.

It's another thing to run a NOCD with an illegally obtained game.

 

Yes, they are both technically illegal but I think the world has bigger problems to worry about! lol

[JSkorna]

One of the newer patches for W7 “block’s the use of a CD to authenticate and start a game”. The iFly requires the no CD Microsoft patch for it to work. Microsoft must known what they are doing. :)

 

 

No mention of any NoCD Patch needed here:

 

http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=iflyfs9

 

http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=ifly7442k4

 

Are you sure YOU know what you are doing?

[davidjones]

JSMR is quite wrong. MS patched windows and provided a method to allow running of programs that require CD anti-piracy programs. Whether he likes it or not the NoCD patch is a direct violation of the EULA and is a reverse-engineered patch to the executable provided by MS. His opinions are very much his own. Don't rely on them. Skywatcher may not be a lawyer but is quick to believe pure, unsupported, opinion. You will never find the NoCD file on this site for obvious legal reasons.

 

DJ

[Skywatcher12]

Skywatcher may not be a lawyer but is quick to believe pure, unsupported, opinion.

 

Not quick to believe anything, I don't think it's legal. What I do think and what I did touch on is we can be technically anal about all this or we can put it into a realistic and logical perspective.

 

We're running a 14 year old game that no longer runs without a CD and that needs an official workaround probably half this community aren't capable of even achieving.

 

It would be fair to suggest almost every single individual is using a nocd. Where are most people even getting this NOCD they are using? Most are likely downloading it from another completely legit FS site just like Flightsim which is taking a different view of the situation and hosting it. And no, I'm not suggesting Flightsim "should" host it. I'm suggesting we simply look at everything here in perspective. Has anyone ever driven their car and knowingly gone over the speed limit? I hope you all took yourselves to the police and reported yourselves!

 

Finally, not sure where this thread left payware development for FS9 and became about how we run FS9 toady but what the heck, gives something to read and post about! lol

[Skywatcher12]

Here is something a thread or two down in this forum that I believe deserves far more attention from the FS community than the nocd issue. It's about having perspective imo:

 

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?297809-Is-ProFlightSimulator-com-a-SCAM