[Skybird]

Feel free. But you do not know the sim, and cannot judge the standards it set for simulation of flightmodel and thermals, winds, airstreams. Do not compare this to Microsoft. This part of their message is very true:

Condor uses an advanced flight dynamics model which demands a lot of accurate input data for every plane. To assure realistic flight characteristics of the planes, the data must meet our quality standards and must be critically reviewed and adapted to our flight model. We are convinced this can only be achieved by having a thorough understanding of the internals of Condor's physics model.
That's why we have decided not to allow the development of 3rd party planes for Condor. It would result in potentially nice looking gliders but with unrealistic and uncomparable flight characteristics which would ruin the soul of Condor which is fair, realistic simulation of competition soaring.
We have, however, given users the possibility to design the 3D models of the gliders they would like to see in Condor. With some knowledge of 3D modeling, with our cooperation and feedback, it is possible to build the glider to the phase where we take it over and finish it. We add pilot animations, moving surface animations, instrument panel gauges, textures, flight model and, if required, custom sounds. The plane then goes to testing to our beta team and when all errors are fixed, it's ready to be released in one of the plane packs.

This si is used by real saoring pilots, only in their community this title has raised awareness. And they as well as internet flyer do not want the invasion of the Uber-God gliders during online races. Creating a 3D model and skins is one thing (and you are pefectly free to do that with Condor, the SDK is there), but I am sure that most mpodders will fail miserable in attaching reasonable flightmodels to it that match the real plane that they wish to model, and fits into the competiton without having faults or unfair cheats, advantages, etc. And btw, neither Microsofts FS nor X-plane feature realistic and complete flight models - until today! Condor does, and by having seen it in action I am sure that this cannot be acchieved without a lot of background knoweldge - more than most modders will have.

So, feel free to not use Condor, and feel free to wish for flightsims and games to be moddable. Just do not attack the developer (by far no great and evil commercial enterprise) for not giving you what you want and labelling them as money-hunters where the truith is they have perfectly reasonable reasons. Condor is not IL-2 circus where people even are not satisfied after having collected several hundreds of skions and planes. So pick yourself a less complex and less realistic simulation like those you mentioned, and modd away, fine.

And finally, they allow developement of modded terrain maps. You can download them, use them for free. Another hint that your accusation of them just hunting money is not correct.

Steel Beasts also is not accessible for modders beyong mission creating, skinning, and making new sounds. Vehicle developement is a total no-no. For the same reason: not compromising reality.

Originally Posted by goldorak

Not even Microsoft has gone that way with the flight simulator series, nor X-plane which are both commercial sims,

MS cannot afford that, they know too well that the modular constuction is the strong argument in favour of Flight Simulator, and is the reason for it'S long life and popularity. Comparable thing can be said about x-plane. without free modding, microsoft wopuld have lost far more customers to X-plane, which in several regards is superior to FS.

what are 98% 5 freeware gliders models with little input from the developers of the sim.

Well, nobody forces you to do spend any money at all, so why your offensive tone? If you now that only 2% of work in a plane model package for Condor is the physics and flight model and the beta-testing, you probably already know the insides of Condor so well that you may want to consider to ask them for a job, because they will be happy for sure to have additional help from somebody who even can teach them some things - they are a small team only.



I also must say that the differences of the gliders in Condor are not as spectacular as between planes in FS or IL-2. I myself do not plan to unlock those five additonal planes in the first plane pack. 13 planes is more than enough for me. Ajnd if I want, I can re-skin them all.