Note to Devs - Communicate if you plan to charge for upgrades to XP12

[VirtualAviator]

I've purchased a ton of aircraft. I'm one of those guys who loves flying a variety of aircraft. However, I want good and decent aircraft if I'm paying for it. I still have a bunch of airplanes that needs upgrading to XP12. Am I willing to pay for my upgrades? The answer isn't that straightforward. Here is why.

 

If I recently purchased an XP11 aircraft, say within the last 6 months, I absolutely expect a free upgrade and any attempts to charge for it will seem and feel like a money-grab by the developer. Likewise, any aircraft that receives only a minimal amount of tweaks (i.e. rain effects and performance tweaks) ought to be free, my opinion. Aircraft that get substantial rewrites and/or new features should come at some price to the user.

 

I can't always discern which category an upgraded aircraft falls in. Here is an anecdotal example I recently encountered. I have the XP11 version of the KingAir 350. The developer charged me for the upgrade to XP12, and they gave me a 40% discount off the $50 purchase price. This dev has a reputation for producing good and decent aircraft with fidelity. The marketing blurb mentioned a host of new features. Since I trust the developer, I paid without concern. I expect this developer earned the premium and that it's a win for both of us (I'll let you know if I later feel otherwise). I have been watching IXEG redevelop the Boeing 737 for XP12. At this point, I think they deserve every dollar being charged, and yes, they are changing for the upgrade - but that debate is beyond this post. I want to give them my money because they've kept me in the loop. I have some idea of how much additional work they have put into the upgrade. I have not followed the redevelopment of the King Air. I was reluctant to pay the upgrade fee. Then I thought: if they've spent half as much time and energy as IXEG they've earned my money. The point is, it is important to communicate with customers to justify charging again for the same aircraft. It is especially true if you don't have a reputation for high-fidelity aircraft.

 

[Rick310]

Is there a Rep from AirFoilLabs on this forum? Because I have the King Air 350.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Rick310

[VirtualAviator]

14 hours ago, Rick310 said:

Is there a Rep from AirFoilLabs on this forum? Because I have the King Air 350.

I don't think so. However, there is a support forum on the ORG website. I only visit that site when I need support not available elsewhere. To that end, there is also an email support system available directly the Airfoillabs website.

[ilias.tselios]

I mostly agree about devs communicating more with users. This is, at least for this era, the trend. That's why most of the dev teams have own discord servers that allow more direct interactions.

Now, about XP12 upgrades, I think there is a misconception. Laminar promoted the idea of compatibility between XP11 and XP12 addons, that is not exactly the case. Update an (aircraft) addon from XP11 to a fully fledged XP12 one, a lot of changes are required, almost in every aspect of the aircraft, to the point that you can't maintain a common development branch for both X-Plane versions. That means a lot of additional hours of work.

In conclusion, if a developer provides a minimal patch for the aircraft "just works" in XP12, then free is the better option. But if we are talking for full XP12 standards aircraft, then a paid upgrade is the logical. Still though asking people for money, should come with a good communication of why that's the case, per addon. Free full fledged upgrades to XP12, should be considered as a gift from the devs to users.