Jump to content

SB Pro PE 2.4x Upgrade - Announcements & Discussion


Ssnake

Recommended Posts

I'm wholly confused here. I payed 125$ for a copy of Steelbeasts a while back. That's, arguably, quite a lot for a PC game. Now, I know it's a top class simulator used by DOD's around the world, including my own. I know it's a pretty damned good simulator (I've been manning the CV9040 in real life and could vouch for Steelbeast's accuracy). And I also know I really like Steelbeasts and was willing to pay for it. But, now it seems like an upgrade would cost me a lot more money.

Hey guys: I bought the game/simulation once!! I love it, and I appreciate what you are doing, but I think it's a bit over the top to be required to pay for an upgrade, yes!?! I will probably pay (just because I like your product), but I don't know of any other PC application that requires a hefty new payment every now and then.

I rest my case. Just wanted to let you know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 596
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

hey guys: I bought the game/simulation once!! I love it, and i appreciate what you are doing, but i think it's a bit over the top to be required to pay for an upgrade, yes!?! I will probably pay (just because i like your product), but i don't know of any other pc application that requires a hefty new payment every now and then.

I rest my case. Just wanted to let you know.

vbs?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
I'm wholly confused here. I payed 125$ for a copy of Steelbeasts a while back. That's, arguably, quite a lot for a PC game. Now, I know it's a top class simulator used by DOD's around the world, including my own. I know it's a pretty damned good simulator (I've been manning the CV9040 in real life and could vouch for Steelbeast's accuracy). And I also know I really like Steelbeasts and was willing to pay for it. But, now it seems like an upgrade would cost me a lot more money.

Hey guys: I bought the game/simulation once!! I love it, and I appreciate what you are doing, but I think it's a bit over the top to be required to pay for an upgrade, yes!?! I will probably pay (just because I like your product), but I don't know of any other PC application that requires a hefty new payment every now and then.

I rest my case. Just wanted to let you know.

The upgrade is completely optional; it is not as if you are required to purchase it to continue enjoying Steel Beasts Pro PE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
I'm wholly confused here. I payed 125$ for a copy of Steelbeasts a while back. ... But, now it seems like an upgrade would cost me a lot more money.

Maybe it's just me and my wacky ideas about the value of our work, but $25.- for the first time since March 2006 doesn't sound excessive to me (if you preorder just the disc).

Even if you waited until after the release and then wanted to have it with the new manual (representing a value of $10), the total upgrade price is still just $40 (and you don't really need the new manual since you'll get the PDF version for free anyway).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

As far as "paying for an upgrade" is concerned - well, that's a question of principle, and perspective.

$125.- certainly is a lot of money in relation to typical disposable incomes (although IMO anyone who has bought a PC for computer gaming has already proven to have enough money to burn on luxury items). It isn't all that much if you discount the production and shipping costs, and the corporate taxes that eSim Games must pay; at that point we're down to $60.- which then are used to pay our costs of living; there's four people essentially living off of Steel Beasts, or at least receiving a certain amount of their incomes from it. So, 60.- dollars net will buy you between a day and three, depending on your style of living (and I must confess that our dedication to the cause does not cover the concept of living in abject poverty). So, thanks for your $125.-, I really appreciate it, but I can assure you that I didn't blow them on booze, hookers and cigarettes and then squandered the rest (I don't know what Al is doing, but I suspect that his lifestyle is about as reclusive as mine).

Now, we spent the last two years since the original release of SB Pro on work to improve it. These improvements have a certain value - be it that they offer more diversity (and hence better entertainment), be it that they improved the stability and reliability of the code, be it that they improved the productivity of mission designers and instructors.

Why on earth should we not ask for compensation for it?

If you don't want to spend money on upgrades at all, that's your decision. But think about the message and incentive that such buying behavior sends to software developers in general: That it is better to crank out as many new applications in as short a time as possible, that it doesn't pay off to improve existing code. If, on the other hand, you think that it is a good thing that SB Pro is about as stable as a rock, that we did good work over the past years, and that the 13 pages of improvements since last November include improvements that you would like - well, I guess that we may not be asking for too much after all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my case I buy SB 1 month ago, I was not informed which the following version will be of payment, but it´s not problem (I probably would wait three months for buy SB as new version). Now I dont know if to buy 30€ (+ shipment to Spain) - or wait again for the following update.

Salu2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't get me wrong, I will be getting the upgrade, but can I ask why we have to pay for an upgrade that we had to wait over a year for and for approval from the Spanish for? Did the Spanish military order and pay for the update? or did you just code it for them coz your nice guy's and they where just picky?

If we are paying for this and future updates, can we ( the civilian comunity) have a say in the contents of said updates? (via polls on this site maybe).

Now $40us may not be more than pocket change for some, and yes we can choose to pay it or not, but I'm guessing that those who don't get it will not be able to play with those that do. so we lose more community members, at least until they fork out the cash. And I foresee a short period of "what version are we playing". That said, I can not wait any longer. ship it already. I'm sure its going to be worth the money for us die hard players.

S!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I bought PE in august of 07 for $125.00 I knew I wasn't getting some eye candied out arcade game made for ten year olds. As I read more about the sim I had purchased on our fourms, discoverd the various items made by the community in the downloads section and jumped into figuring out just how to use/play PE properly(still have much to learn); I knew that my money was well spent.

Any additional monies I may have to invest into this project based upon past performance experiences of the sim will for my part be invested with perfect confidence. Progress costs time and money and the sim we all play is not a static work; it is evolving with time and time is money. If there are some who for whatever reason cannot afford the upgrade at it's release what can be done?

Ssnake said it best when he talked about buying luxury items like computers to play only games with.

I remember paying for copies of BF2 for members in a clan I was a part of because they could'nt afford the game when we needed them to have it.

Perhaps some type of similar solution could be worked out here if it's really vital for certain persons to have the upgrade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it's just me and my wacky ideas about the value of our work, but $25.- for the first time since March 2006 doesn't sound excessive to me (if you preorder just the disc).

Even if you waited until after the release and then wanted to have it with the new manual (representing a value of $10), the total upgrade price is still just $40 (and you don't really need the new manual since you'll get the PDF version for free anyway).

Moreover, you changed a big part of the software for further upgrade.

I think, it's normal to pay for a new software that include new features.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty much any game/sim these days have one or more add-ons released within a few months, that you will have to pay for to use.

I can not understand why eSim should give out their updates for free.

We've all known for more then 2 years that one of these days we will be charged for an update - if you havent been able to save up $25 in that time, you should prolly be out looking for a new job or get an education instead of playing putter games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem with paying for an upgrade. As many veterans of the SB community have already pointed out, the updates that have been provided to the community to date have been free. Last time I checked I had to buy a new game each time EA Sports put out a new title which by in large was just an updated version of the previous year with a little more functionality. To expect an umlimited number of freebies to continue is rather unrealistic IMO.

Dealer31

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About two weeks ago, I wasted $40 on T34vsTiger. It is an absolute piece of junk. I bought it because I badley wanted to crew a Russian tank. I'll gladly pay an upgrade to this tried and true modern tank sim.

Just please, oh please get me sooner rather than later a crewable Russian tank. :biggrin: No tank? Then I'll gladly accept a crewable BDRM. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based on what is being added, I wouldn't really call it a patch anymore or an update. I'd actually call it an expansion-pack. It doesn't just fix glitches and bugs, it adds a lot of new content.

In my eyes 25USD is very little money based on the time you'll end up spending on this simulator. And it doesn't just give you a product which kicks ass, it also gives the product a future of support and further expansions. And that is what we all want in the end.

I'm happy to support eSim Games as long as they are there to back their product(s) up and offer me something I enjoy. It's a mutual trade, I support them with funds, they support me with recreational entertainment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...