Are the proper US aircraft ever going to make it in this Sim?

[sea enemy]

Originally Posted by Spin Doctor

There was a big stink about this maybe a couple of years ago. I suppose the problem was that they didn't contact those aircraft companies before putting the planes in the Pacific Fighter sim.

I can't remember the details, but I personally suspect Microsoft was trying to squash the competition by stirring the pot since it was about the time they released their POS combat sim. It was never an issue in any other sim that had been released in the past, so why now?

Actually, what got Pacific Fighters into trouble was nothing to do with the game at all. It was the BOX that the game came in. Some genius labeled the flyable planes by adding the manufacturers name before the model; i.e Grumman F6F-5.
Naturally, Grumman (Northrop) and one or two other companies were interested in this unsanctioned use of it's name-property- and sent some threatening letters to ubisoft..It wasn't really the big deal many made it out to be, the 'end of simulations' and all..

[akdavis]

Originally Posted by sea enemy

Actually, what got Pacific Fighters into trouble was nothing to do with the game at all. It was the BOX that the game came in. Some genius labeled the flyable planes by adding the manufacturers name before the model; i.e Grumman F6F-5.
Naturally, Grumman (Northrop) and one or two other companies were interested in this unsanctioned use of it's name-property- and sent some threatening letters to ubisoft..It wasn't really the big deal many made it out to be, the 'end of simulations' and all..

mmm...not quite the issue in its entirety...

[sea enemy]

mmm...not quite the issue in its entirety...

Well, that's how Oleg Maddox explained it, as well as I can remember.

I dunno, though..there's alot I don't trust about anything IL-2 related..They're always on lookout for new ways to make you buy IL-2 yet again-for the upteenth time....I guess it's a brilliant marketing strategy


By the way..Does anyone ever actually see any allied planes in career mode? I sure don't.

[akdavis]

Originally Posted by sea enemy

Well, that's how Oleg Maddox explained it, as well as I can remember.

Oleg stated quite clearly that they would never be able to add certain aircraft and ships to the sim. He also made it clear that he had doubts about their ability to do so in any future sim. You are correct about that being how the whole problem started off, but there is a much wider issue at play here.

I dunno, though..there's alot I don't trust about anything IL-2 related..They're always on lookout for new ways to make you buy IL-2 yet again-for the upteenth time....I guess it's a brilliant marketing strategy

Maddox Games was hit hard by the whole debacle. It was not in their interest in any way.

[Strikor]

I see some on radar near Pearl but they're usually too busy crashing into the ground to fly by me.

[DanielMcintyre]

Aces High has pretty much every major plane from ww2 implemented and has done for at least the last 6 years. I was playing it in 2001 and I think its still going.

In fact, pretty much since I started playing sims I have flown most if not all the major ww2 flight sim equvilents of modern ww1, ww2 and more modern aircraft.

I think the cats been out of the bag too long for companies to start claiming copyright on artwork, and if they did it would probably also apply to literature and still art as well.

"Im sorry sir, however we're going to sue you for your representation of our aircraft in your book" <- not going to happen.

Then again, haven't plastic model companies been hit by this as well?

I'm sure I heard that Tamiya, Revell & Airfix (RIP) among other were now having to pay for copyright on various kits. Even ones that they had been producing for years.

Could be interesting watching the Electric Boat company (aka General Dynamics) sueing Microprose for Silent Service 1 & 2.

[akdavis]

Originally Posted by DanielMcintyre

Aces High has pretty much every major plane from ww2 implemented and has done for at least the last 6 years. I was playing it in 2001 and I think its still going.

In fact, pretty much since I started playing sims I have flown most if not all the major ww2 flight sim equvilents of modern ww1, ww2 and more modern aircraft.

I think the cats been out of the bag too long for companies to start claiming copyright on artwork, and if they did it would probably also apply to literature and still art as well.

"Im sorry sir, however we're going to sue you for your representation of our aircraft in your book" <- not going to happen.

So? A corporation is not a law enforcement agency. They don't have to hold themselves to a standard of not making a claim unless it is claimed fairly and across the board. Nor do they allow their past choices or inaction to dictate current and future action.

Now a court might hold them to that standard, but here's the rub: Northrop-Grumman and friends have unimaginable resources in comparison to any French software publisher or Japanese model kit maker. They would run out of money long before anything went to court. The simple threat, no matter how baseless, is more than enough to cause them to back down (especially when it comes to niche games with low profit margins).