Will LM Pull their FS?

Will LM pull their FS from the public and use it as a government contract to train Government pilots?

 

I have heard this said by many folks. What say you?

Will the world end tomorrow? What say you?

In the world of corporate business ANYTHING can happen. XP11 could be bought out by someone and turned into an arcade game. DTG could decide to abandon FSW and, of course LM could decide to shut down their entire simulation division.

 

Yes, could happen BUT I would not worry about it at all.

 

Vic

The world will never end. All the people may die. The world will never end. The earth will last forever. Question is who is living? There is no one living today that will see the earth go away.

The earth will last forever.

 

Completely OT, but 7.5 billion years from now the Sun will be a red giant with its surface past where Earth's orbit is now, thus engulfing and destroying our planet.

 

But I'm sure it will last my lifetime, and so will P3D :)

Will LM pull their FS from the public and use it as a government contract to train Government pilots?

 

I have heard this said by many folks. What say you?

 

No. They don't even seem overly bothered.

No. They don't even seem overly bothered.

 

...Yet. Let's see how many P3Dv4 compatible add-ons it takes (and of what kind) before they are...

...Yet. Let's see how many P3Dv4 compatible add-ons it takes (and of what kind) before they are...

 

Umm.. what? Don't follow your point at all?

 

Again - no one can predict the future? When MS closed down Aces and shut down FSX it came as a shock to EVERYONE. No whispers, no rumors just here today and gone tomorrow. That is the way of the business world.

 

Rumors always start because of fear and this is no different.

 

I would't worry about it in the least.

 

Vic

Vic, what I mean is that IF there is a significant increase in the number of P3Dv4 payware products and freeware add-ons for the games market, will LM be in an awkward position with their "not for entertainment purposes" agreement with MS? How many add-ons would be too many? As you say, no one can predict the future, but surely that day will come sooner or later?

Vic, what I mean is that IF there is a significant increase in the number of P3Dv4 payware products and freeware add-ons for the games market, will LM be in an awkward position with their "not for entertainment purposes" agreement with MS? How many add-ons would be too many? As you say, no one can predict the future, but surely that day will come sooner or later?

 

The canny developers are now shafting the non-entertainment market (oops did that come out loud? What I obviously meant was: "Selling to government agencies and commercial simulation providers at a strong commercial advantage!") so if LM are seeing this as a demerit rather than a positive benefit to sales then they wouldn't be very astute.

 

And you can accuse Lockheed Martin of many things, but lacking astuteness is not one of them!

 

I know of at least one military user that has been doing that with P3D for at least two years - adding `our` software addons to `their` sim for added fidelity for training purposes.

 

Getting the entertainment market to provide crossover content is NOT the same thing as the entertainment market grabbing the non-entertainment product and I see no situation under which this could be perceived by L-M as a Bad Thing.

Completely OT, but 7.5 billion years from now the Sun will be a red giant with its surface past where Earth's orbit is now, thus engulfing and destroying our planet.

 

But I'm sure it will last my lifetime, and so will P3D :)

 

Great post. I was going to say the same thing. Still, considering the OP's question and the tone of lavochkin answer, we shouldn't be too persnickety.

 

In reply to the OP. LM, I am sure, already does military training. They also seem to be pursuing civilian pilot training centers, if one considers how many cockpit/FAA simulator folks are on their website. I don't know if they are certified by the FAA as a simulator or not? If not, I am sure they could get certification when they want it.

Completely OT, but 7.5 billion years from now the Sun will be a red giant with its surface past where Earth's orbit is now, thus engulfing and destroying our planet.

 

But I'm sure it will last my lifetime, and so will P3D :)

 

HAHA You took the words right from my mouth.

Vic, what I mean is that IF there is a significant increase in the number of P3Dv4 payware products and freeware add-ons for the games market, will LM be in an awkward position with their "not for entertainment purposes" agreement with MS? How many add-ons would be too many? As you say, no one can predict the future, but surely that day will come sooner or later?

 

OK, I see what you mean. However, the operative word is ADD-ON - LM doesn't care if thousands of addons are made or none. Their market is the commercial customer. Addons are extras but not a requirement. The product performs just fine without them. It's OUR sim market that wants all the bells and whistles.

 

Vic

Having met their rep at the recent FlightSimCon I got not indication that they would change the availability of the sim.

 

So....I would take it from this that LM is fully aware of who is using their product and do not care no matter what the EULA states. Maybe this will now put an end to all them EULA freaks out there who won't buy the product because they think LM will call the software police on them........LOL

Think about this. How many copies of "recreation" PD3 can LM sell? 1000, 10,000,....? $200 per. What is that? Somewhere in the small number of millions from the commercial flightsim market. Coverage for one head in the PD3group at LM is say $250,000 per year. It is likely LM uses the commercial PD3 sales as a means to offset R&D costs for their target market which is support to their combat aircraft business. So one must remember that LM is not in the recreational flightsim business and don't over-commit. Just sayin....

First of all, at $200 a pop, it would hardly be considered recreational. We will NOT get into a EULA discussion but LM has consistently stated that one of the main uses for P3D is "SIMULATION".

 

The terms "entertainment" and "recreational" use apply to the marketing method. If P3D were a boxed CD available to the retail market - that would be recreational or entertainment distribution.

 

The fact that you enjoy using P3D ( or not for some) is completely irrelevant.

 

Vic

The box and marketing doesn't affect the you-know-what, Vic. That has not changed. Still a niche software program for a limited market.

So I guess a downloaded software product only or the price at which it sells, defines that it is not recreational or entertainment. Funny how things can get spun in a certain direction when we want it to fit in a certain category.

 

 

No, "use" does not depend on marketing. "Use" depends on those meaningless sentences that you are supposed to agree to before using a software program.

The box and marketing doesn't affect the you-know-what

 

Exactly. It has nothing to do with what the product is being sold for, it's what it's being used for that matters - butane lighter refills are not sold for drug use, for example.

It also matters who the product is being sold to - it's illegal to sell alcohol to persons under age 21, for example.

LM have been walking a fine line up to now with this program, I wish them continued good luck for the future.

And you have the last word.