Some personal thoughts about ED, the forums, and where things are going

[Zimmerdylan]

I have been with ED now since about 2008 or so. I purchased Blackshark on disk for some ungodly low price in the cheapo bin at Best Buy. I also purchased Combined Arms on disk if I am remembering correctly.

Being only a casual part time kind of player, I wasn't impressed with the complexity of the game. I wasn't looking to learn a ton of commands just to go out and blow things up.

My interest waned until the P-51 was released. I had been flying other sims to that point that weren't so challenging or complex. When I saw the P-51 in DCS however, I was all in. Of course, I hated it. But this time it wasn't the complexity. It was the flight model. After flying so many unrealistic versions of the P-51 that allowed unlimited power, and a very user friendly F.M. I found the P-51 in DCS to be unfliable......Limiting. I hated it and I complained like a little girl. I complained to the point where I was perma banned from the forums. I might add that ED had every good reason to do so.

Over a short period of time, I began to realize that these other sims (reputable, highly praised sims by the way) were actually at fault for my misconception of the DCS modules. I began to see the potential in DCS, and started looking into other modules. I did some research and began to feel pretty stupid about myself. This eventually evolved into me buying pretty much everything that ED was putting out.

I eventually went back to the community leaders and moderators and pretty much pleaded to come back and was very graciously accepted. Over the years I have been both a helpful member and a thorn in ED's side at times. I have praised ED, and I have been temp banned for my attitude toward them.

I am not an expert on aviation. I know very little about it. I don't make a hobby out of knowing every detail of aircraft. I have several acquaintances that are military aviators who have helped me and shown me along the way. But I am still just a casual flier. I only know what I know and am not particularly interested in becoming a full time gamer or pilot.

A couple of years ago, I started to look over all of my modules. I looked at what I had, and what I'd been promised. I evaluated the enjoyment I was getting and compared it to the growing frustration over the lack of delivery of complete product from ED. I made the decision to stop buying new modules until the older ones that were out of Beta for years were complete. Well....As of yet, this has not happened. So my resolution has remained in place. This was not at all a personal decision. It was just a matter of being a wise consumer. I have nothing against ED, nor have I taken further purchases off of the table. But my ideology remains that if I'm not getting the complete product that I paid for, then I really should not invest in any more product. It's not punishment, nor is it an ultimatum for ED. It's just consumerism.

As of late, I find that my opinions on why some modules have never been completed have changed. Now a days I feel that it's because ED has over burdened themselves with too many projects. They have started too many little fires and cannot possibly put them all out because they are exhausting their resources on creating newer, more complicated modules. This just creates more fires, maybe bigger fires. Then the question remains, which fires to put out, and which fires to let burn until they burn out and they lose that element of support from the product and community. Will I ever really know what's going on internally at ED? Most definitely not. But what I have found lately is that they are responding to the community more and more. They are more compassionate to the unhappy fans on the forums and being more forth coming. I find this incredibly encouraging. It really makes me feel better about my relationship with them.

I see moderators and ED staff alike talking, being involved more and more in the conversation. I've seen some threads on the forums cleared up by ED staff, and good explanations being offered. This is happening more than ever before and it's probably the best thing that ED has offered up in a long time. If you think about it, they are not obligated to do this. Many software devs don't respond at all to their communities.

I don't mind borked updates to Beta. I never complain about them. I see many unfairly bashing ED for a feature that they more than willingly signed on for. I have stable DCS. I don't need to use beta if it really comes down to it. I have pretty much removed all other flight sims from my computer so DCS is all I have left. I will keep it on my system. As bad as it seems at times, it's still the best sim out there by far. I appreciate DCS for that.

I will in all likelihood purchase some of the new WWII modules coming out. If for no other reason, I will do it to lend some support to ED. I think that they are probably in need of it. I love WWII era planes and as much as some of my modules aren't complete, I still believe that DCS is worth investing in and do not relish in the fact that it may not be around in the future. That's not to say that I am predicting their demise. I'm just saying that I'm not ready to let that happen should it be a possibility.

I want to say thanks to the staff at ED for their patience with the forum at large. I also want to thank them for being more responsive to the community lately. I know that it has helped me to want to come back and start purchasing modules again, and prompted me to be more opened minded and understanding to their internal issues.

So for what it's worth ED......I have had a rocky relationship with you these past 20 years. But all said and done, I wish all of you only the best and success. I'll be reaching into my pocket book in the coming months to help keep things going for all of us.

 

Still here ED..........:smilewink:

[Grodlund]

Wall of text

Spacing plz, and ppl might actually read it

[BIGNEWY]

Thank you for the feedback, and for the support over many years we appreciate it.

[Reflected]

Wall of text indeed, but well worth reading. Well spoken, and I completely agree. I've been there too: banned for months for being overly negative and attacking - but I was like that because I saw what you saw: no other sims can satisfy my virtual needs after DCS, so there is no oter choice but to make DCS better.

 

Many people believe that ED doesn't care about the unfinished modules, they only care about releasing new ones to get more money. It's just the opposite: they care too much, they want to give us more and more, and with this, they sometimes end up with more "little fires" - as you said - than they can handle at the moment.

 

Anyhow, I appreciate their effort and dedication to making DCS what they want it to be, with all their (our) dreams, and ambitions. I buy everything I like the day it's released - or up for preorder, because I know that it's a good investment.

[QuiGon]

I started playing DCS somewhere around 2010/2011, when I picked up the A-10C on a disk and have never stopped playing since. If there is one thing over all this time that ED really approved upon, then it is communication and being transparent, which is something that means a lot to me and one of main reasons I stuck around for so long and plan to do so in the future (besides the really awesome simulation this game offers!). I can only imagine how though it can be for the ED staff and the forum moderators to interact with the forum crowd, which can be pretty furious at times, but it does pay off! Knowing what is going on behind the scenes is pretty important (at least for me) and knowing what the devs are actually busy with gives me the confidence to keep supporting this endeavour of creating the ultimate Digital Combat Simulator!

 

Keep it up @ED! :thumbup:

 

 

And also: Spacing does help indeed @Zimmerdylan ;)

Edited April 23, 2020 by QuiGon

[Ala13_ManOWar]

Nice to see somebody acknowledging past mistakes, ans so well written despite lack of paragraphs and spacing. It's probably not me but ED who should thank you your words, but anyway thanks for those kind words in these times of constant rage out there :thumbup: .

 

S!

 

 

P.S.: BS came out in 2009, I bought the DVD right away it was released :smilewink: . I don't believe CA was ever release on disc, A-10C in 2010 was probably the last one.