about the competition

[town]

Why is the screenshot contest only open to freeware aircraft and scenery? It would seem to me that addons are the cheapest solution to improving your screenshots.

Let me expand a little. I own a fairly standard computer with a standard graphics card and a bit of memory - fairly normal stuff and I own one or two addons just to help me enjoy the experiance.

Now my pal has a mega liquid cooled super unit running twin graphics cards and multiple monitors - you get the picture. He can produce the greatest most most realistic screenies ever even using freeware yet in effect he has bought himself "a better game" so as a consequence I think payware should be included in the competitions

Does that make sense?

[pete]

You've kinda killed your argument  ;D

1. You're suggesting payware while running a FS shop ad on your profile..  

2. You've said your friend gets great shots with freeware ...

Like Fly2e has stated in the Screenshot comp Rules : Freeware keep the playing field level.

a. Everyone uses some freeware. The majority use mostly if not all freeware add-ons.

b. A lot of people will not, or don't want to,  buy payware.


Its not a debate. It's been thrashed out & decided upon at the outset of this competition.

[C]

Tis a tough call. The gap between payware and freeware is getting smaller, and to be fair, as 99.9% of screen shots focus on the aircraft exterior, there is very little to show between the two. As Eno's shots in the payware forum show at the moment, even freeware scenery is often better than that "off the shelf"...

[town]

My point is there are many ways to improve a screenshot. Wherever you have acquired the software,
yet there is no limit to the hardware you can use. which kind of skews the playing field a little in my eyes. :-/

[Fly2e]

We have had this discussion many, many. many times and I don't have the will to answer it in the detail I do every time.

In short....

Simv has been built on the foundation of offering thousands of freeware add ons for all.

Many members can not afford payware.

To keep the competition even, we require that the contest only allow freeware add ons only so all can acquire the free available scenery & aircraft out there, it keeps the playing Field even!

Thus the reason for two separate Screenshot forums!

It would not be fair.

There are many Payware users who post in the payware forum all the time but still enter the competition. They just use the freeware!

The trick is to be creative here.

If you look at this months comp, or any other past, you will see that the variety and quality that the freeware offers, can stand right up there with the best of the freeware, and I am an exclusive Payware person!

Hope that makes sense!!

Dave

[town]

Don't get me wrong I agree that rules are set down in order to try and keep things fair (and I think that the majority of simViers are a good bunch of lads and lasses) It just seems a little sad to discount some very good aircraft or scenery because someone has paid 20 quid for it, however I'll not labour the point, I'll just hope you might keep it under review

[Theis]

You still don't get it?
Two admins has talked, and there is nothing in the world you can do, to include payware, and 99% of the members here agree...

The competition is payware free!

Cheers Theis

[flyboy 28]

The prize is freeware. So why spend money for something you would have to pay for anyway?

[legoalex2000]

The prize is freeware. So why spend money for something you would have to pay for anyway?

nicely stated.buying an aircraft so you can win another seems redundant.

now trust me when i say i have some payware that i think is bad quality, and there is freeware that is much better (ie: the PMDG 1900D (not C, that one is cool)).

Ramos

[Saitek]

If the payware was 50p ok. Many peope would buy it and most FS folks would get it.
Most payware starts at $10 or

[legoalex2000]

espically young kids who don't have credit (or debit) cards, and asking their parents is pretty much out of the question.

glad i got one now, my dreamfleet 727 is amazing, but i was also in the "no payware" boat.

the rules are just fine the way they are.

Ramos

[Overspeed]

As Saitek said, payware can be just as much as FS2004 itself, and its around $20 now. I dont buy payware stuff, i just wait for someone to make a freeware version of it