Question for upcoming aircraft developers

[Xflyboy2]

I just purchased the Q400 of Jacks, nice plane, however, I'm being told I need to purchase a Gizmo license for another $10 to get the register screen to stop loading and the Gizmo Logo will not go away either.

If developers are going to use this feature please put this in your offering documentation, as I don't wish to purchase a Gizmo license and I don't want to have products logo stuck on my cockpit screen.

I'm not trying to be rude or anything, just stating an opinion of a recent purchase, that I don't want now because of this.

[Cameron]

I'm genuinely curious, and please don't take this the wrong way...

What is your objection to supporting a platform (Gizmo) that is going to allow developers to rapidly create products they never would have been able to before without tons more work? It benefits you in the end, and $10 for ALL of the products you use it for seems like a great shareware price to me!

[Xflyboy2]

Cameron,

I don't really object to supporting Gizmo, it's that this is not stated anywhere about purchasing this aircraft, also, I would rather have a license included with the price and so as you don't need to purchase anything additional.

It's like buying a new car and then being told you need to buy two tires to drive it away.

And having a products logo plastered on the screen is in bad taste. (my opinion).

[Cameron]

Gizmo, it's that this is not stated anywhere about purchasing this aircraft....

Aha. Well, I can agree with you there to an extent. You'll need to take that up with the fine folks at armchair.

I would rather have a license included with the price and so as you don't need to purchase anything additional.

You "don't" need to purchase anything additional. The aircraft works, full featured as the author made it, with or without the added license. It's not mandatory. It's optional.

*shameless plug*...developers who sell at X-Aviation will have their products exempt from this screen popping up as a license is embedded for our products and customers into our DRM.

It's like buying a new car and then being told you need to buy two tires to drive it away.

Again, because the product DOES work with or without the license it's not the same analogy you have used here.

And having a products logo plastered on the screen is in bad taste. (my opinion).

For you as an end customer, I suppose that could be true. The reality is this:

Gizmo has been about 5 or so years in development to make life easier on developers. Ben Russell has worked very hard on this. I see no harm in getting the name out there and giving the power to developers to develop faster for FREE. All a customer needs to do is pay a one-time $10 fee to get rid of the shareware logo and that same $10 purchase is good across ALL aircraft you buy that will use Gizmo. Considering Ben's work is near enterprise level, this is absurdly cheap and this community should be appreciating this effort rather than trying to bash it.

If you're willing to look around the Gizmo forums there's also a way to currently get the serial for Gizmo for a measly $5 fee with a special promo code.

[Leen de Jager]

In my opinion a product like a sim add-on should work as expected , showing screens of the product at the shop, showing the product without the popping up stuff creates that expectation.

The product shown is the product a customer expects to get.

If you buy a car and there is a sticker on the windscreen in front of you ,wich only can be removed after paying another thousand dollars , that would be the same as whats happening here.

OK you may be able to drive the car but it is quiet abnormal.

IF the car was showed in the showroom having that sticker with the remove-price on it it would be another case.

This plane is in the showroom whithout the sticker I assume , so it has to be deliverd without it.

Gizmo is worth every penny and even more, that however is not the discussion.

Leen de Jager

[Xflyboy2]

Ok, let's close this please.

I respect what Ben has done for everyone, I try and support X-plane as best I can.

The nag screen and the Logo have ruined my experience with the plane, I have talked to Jack and I'm going to try a work around.

Nothing like waiting for a screen to disappear to start a flight, it's just VERY annoying.

And the Logo, that's bad taste in my opinion, end of story.

So please close this.

Thanks!

[Cameron]

Guys,

We're having two different topics here. The context of my speech is STRICTLY about Gizmo and its worth.

If the developer fails to disclaim the fact that they have a nag screen with their product I certainly agree it SHOULD be disclosed with info as to why it's there, that it is there, and how to get rid of it.

Ed,

Can you please share what this supposed work around is?

[Xflyboy2]

An older version of Gizmo, without the nag screen.

Also this makes me look at purchasing ANY aircraft with this in the future, if the aircraft will only function with Gizmo and Ben decides to add more things that some people don't want we are stuck.

[Cameron]

An older version of Gizmo, without the nag screen.

Which will now render your X-Aviation purchases no good. You'll understand what I mean when you try to open one up with this older version of Gizmo Jack is suggesting.

[Xflyboy2]

LOL, all this because of a NAG Screen and a product Logo.

Well guess what, I guess I will NOT be purchasing any NEW aircraft that uses Gizmo.

[Cameron]

LOL, all this because of a NAG Screen and a product Logo.

Well guess what, I guess I will NOT be purchasing any NEW aircraft that uses Gizmo.

That's your prerogative. The CRJ-200, Falco, Corvalis and any other products on XA do not have this.

You simply reverting back to an older version will cause issue, and if you find it not worthy to purchase a $5 license (which is not mandatory to begin with) at promo discount so that planes that are not sold on X-Aviation don't have the nag screen then that's up to you!

Simple solution:

1) Keep the nag screen and the Gizmo that works with X-Aviation products and don't buy a license for all non X-Aviation products.

2) Buy a license for all gizmo aircraft at only $5 currently and keep all you X-Aviation products happy as well (they'll be just as happy in option #1)

3) Use Jack's method and break your X-Aviation add-ons.

Simple solution. What you do with it is your choice!

[Nicola_M]

My experience of Gizmo is that the nagscreen was extremely irritating. It began 60secs into xplane, counting down from 31secs. If I tried to move it out of the way so I could see what I was doing, the timer changed to 50-odd seconds and counting down, so this made the ordeal even longer.

I paid and registered. $10 is a tiny tiny price for the time, effort and skill Ben's put into it, and for what it gives back. A very tiny price to get rid of the nagware screen.

The Gizmo logo's so small, how intrusive can it be?

[Lukasz]

It's just a 10$ for a whole new world...

[MaidenFan]

Oh, what the heck! I just bought a serial number. I appreciate the work that is done on Gizmo, so no problem!

[Goran_M]

To give you guys some perspective...

Gizmo Code:

boo = sound.load( acf.getFolder() .. "sounds/boo.wav" )

sound.play( boo )

And the C/C++ equivalent:

http://www.xsquawkbox.net/xpsdk/mediawiki/OpenAL_Shared_Example

The choice is yours.

[woweezowee]

Ridiculous. I donated to Gizmo first and later bought the licence. It's THAT GOOD and worth to support further development. And if one can't or won't afford it, it will run without paying a cent. People want the best? Then better expect and prepare to pay more in the future. 60$ planes, 80$ planes, 120$ or more xplane 10. Or stick to xplane 8 and x-hangar planes.  :

(and to the second point: the Gizmo nag screen et.al coming with the q400 was made topic before. I know, cause I had opened a thread about after version 1 came out. I realize it might be a failure by the armchair guys to announce it better. But the info about what's going on is around for some months now).

[Xflyboy]

I also noticed that Gizmo 11.0 will not work with Gizmo 12.0, so if someone designs a plane with a different version, you have to purchase a new license is this correct?

Why should someone have to purchase a license for developers code to fly a plane, this is what I don't understand.

[Kesomir]

I think you are right and that an agreement should have been worked out to license a Q400 specific gizmo so that having a licensed gizmo is not required for that plane. I can understand for freeware but this should have been included for payware (imho of course as I've stated before).

I have a licensed version of gizmo so doesn't diretly affect me, but I stand by this principle, even if it had meant paying a couple of dollars more for the plane. More revenue for gizmo support, more development for it.

I don't know if there are politics beind the scenes to make the x-aviation store more attractive by barring such an agreement, but I assume not, probaby just on negotiated license cost.

I can understand the developer position too - why tag on a cost for people who already have a license for gizmo, but it's more appearance that counts I think.

[Ben Russell]

You bought X-Plane, same thing.

Your quarrel lies with Jack and Joe for lack of full disclosure about exactly what you were getting.

There are multiple threads on this forum covering the nagware systems and their progress.

I have tried multiple different types of licensing arrangements.

Ultimately the person really paying for Gizmo;

- so you can enjoy the products that artists and content produces publish, content that you all so dearly want

- so content producers can charge $40-50+  .. instead of the $25 it'd be worth without custom systems..

..is me.

I work a 2nd job and focus a lot of free time on updating Gizmo.

It receives a near-monthly update and improvement.

It's completely free to download, install, evaluate/test, develop with, share, etc.

I ask for "but one minute" of your time.. or a small fee for an entire year of "new" content - that will run and work forever.

(You can run a Gizmo 11.x product in 2015 for all I care..)

You pay so that we can take one small step at a time forward and we can all enjoy improved systems.

If you don't like it, feel free to go Plugins > Plugins Admin > Gizmo > Disable.

You can go back to standard X-Plane, no nags, no logos.

See how far your next $10 in the real world goes.

[Ben Russell]

Sub licensing arrangements come down to tracking transparency.

How do I know how many they really sold?

In X-A's case, the arrangement comes by way of the DRM system you all "love".

These avenues were explored previously, please re-read the threads from late 2010 if you need reminding of the confusion that surrounded that affair.

[Goran_M]

http://www.x-plugins.com/gizmo/faq

[YYZatcboy]

I want to reiterate here what I have said on our forums:

Gizmo is a wonderful tool for developers, and without it the Dash would be nowhere near as good as it is now. We owe that to the YEARS of work that Ben has devoted to creating Gizmo for us to use, and then given to us as  open source donateware. I firmly believe in this project, and ask that everyone who enjoys using the Dash contribute to Gizmo by eventually getting a license. We don't require it to get the Dash to work, but there will be a 50 second nag screen. All posts with a work around have been deleted from our forums, and are not welcome.

I also donated to the project and bought a license.

[Xflyboy]

Ok, I just spent the $10 to get rid of the screen.

Ben, you didn't even answer my questions.

I will NOT purchase ANYONES planes without this included in the future.

This is developers code that should not be forced on to the consumer, if I had to do this type of thing with my clients I wouldn't have any.

Cameron, PLEASE close this thread.

[YYZatcboy]

FYI: It has been made clear to us that is not an option. Only XA Authors will be allowed to include a Gizmo license in the purchace (AKA use Gizmo without requiring a license), Should this change Jack and I would be very interested in using it.

[Ben Russell]

Here's the keys to my car.

The fuel tanks full.... it takes a minute to warm up.

Feel free to drive it wherever you want, do whatever you want.

You can even bring it back with the fuel tank empty, doesn't bother me, I'll just fill it up again for the next person anyway.