Guest Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Hi Aerosoft, I just wanted to ask why there is such a lack of Canadian airport add-ons in the FS world. I know that there are some add-ons for areas in the country (most notably in the Pacific Northwest and Rockies), but it is a very small amount compared to the amount of add-ons that are available for other parts of the world, like the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Some people might say that there is a small market for Canadian add-ons, but that is not true. I know several people who would love more Canadian scenery, and I bet there are many more out there (have you checked the "What if you would like to propose a project?" topic?). So please, could you consider making a few Canadian sceneries/airports - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, etc? I'm sure Mega Airport Toronto/Pearson would be a popular one. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidT 1 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm not from Aerosoft, but have you tried this? http://www.sceneryso...ut_fsx_can.html http://www.simshack.net/product_info.php?products_id=334 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Smith 1116 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 If you google you will find loads of Candian addons for FSX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snave 466 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Hi Aerosoft, I just wanted to ask why there is such a lack of Canadian airport add-ons in the FS world. I know that there are some add-ons for areas in the country (most notably in the Pacific Northwest and Rockies), but it is a very small amount compared to the amount of add-ons that are available for other parts of the world, like the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Some people might say that there is a small market for Canadian add-ons, but that is not true. I know several people who would love more Canadian scenery, and I bet there are many more out there (have you checked the "What if you would like to propose a project?" topic?). So please, could you consider making a few Canadian sceneries/airports - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, etc? I'm sure Mega Airport Toronto/Pearson would be a popular one. Thank you. Several isn't enough. You must find hundreds. Is there a dedicated Canadian Simmers forum? A developer that is purely Canadian? Are there any flight sim conventions in Canada? If the answer is on the negative, then now you know why. With that said, given the `Diamond connection` it might be nice to see some scenery around CYXU so we could fly the Katana X in for some heavy maintenance..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerosoft Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558 Posted June 24, 2011 Aerosoft Share Posted June 24, 2011 We are seriously checking out some Canadian projects but there are a few reasons why there is not a lot of Canadian scenery that are the same for everybody. (and for many other countries besides Canada) 1) it is pretty hard to get access to the airports for the photo shoots. 2) while large, it is not a highly populated country, people tend to buy the airports that are close. Worse, commercially it's even two countries as there is a large French speaking group that seems reluctant to use the English versions. We need a few thousand customers, not just a few. Bring me 3000 download sales and we'll basically will do anything you like. 3) in retail it's a VERY difficult country, almost no shops that want to stock FS add-ons. If you recall, we even had an Canadian office not too long ago, but we closed that are opened one in the USA because it was just not worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bionicCrab 7 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Honestly I'm perfectly happy with the BluePrint simulation. Sure it's not the most detailed but at the very least things are in the right place and it costs very little compared to other scenery. I also have the Simaddons Halifax addon which is just great incredible detail and bonus features. BC and Alberta is covered by OrbX... also there is a ton of freebies for FS9. But lets get real here, even the busiest airport in Canada only sees a few million more passengers than Antalya and I bet that was even a gamble for Aerosoft. As for retail forget about it, Futureshop/Bestbuy has a hard enough time keeping FSX in stock nevermind addons. Also the bilingual police will throw tantrum if the box isn't labeled in French and English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Okay, wow. Lots of replies. I'll take them on one by one. Dave, I have seen those types of products, that correct certain things in the sim, add textures/mesh, etc., but that is not what I am looking for. I am looking for accurate, detailed renditions of individual cities/airports, like what Aerosoft, and many other companies do. Matt, you do not know how many times I have tried that, but without success. I am aware of two companies, BluePrint and Sim Addons, but, to put it straight, BluePrint just sells freeware quality add-ons, and Sim Addons is largely based in the Maritimes and Eastern Canada, and has not done sceneries for any of Canada's three largest cities. Plus, their add-ons are still not of Aerosoft quality. Simon, I know very few people outside of this forum, especially ones who are interested in FS. So knowing several people who are interested in FS, live in the same city as me (Toronto), and want Canadian scenery is pretty good in my view. And plus, these are only people who I know. As I said, there are probably hundreds more out there who I just do not know. Now for your questions. Canadian flight sim forum? I can't find on eat the moment, but I'm sure there is one. Canadian developer? Sim Addons, VFR Short Fields. FS conventions? Well, there aren't any FS-specific conventions that I know of, but there is always some FS stuff in an aviation event around Toronto. So not all the answers are negative. As for London (the Canadian one), I think it could be nice, but then again, I think Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal would sell much better. Mathijs, I am so glad to hear that you are checking out some Canadian airports; that one statement just made my day. Now for your points: 1. I never knew getting access to the airports could be hard here in Canada. I mean, our security isn't that bad is it? I go spotting around Pearson International (CYYZ) all the time, and I have yet to be confronted by a police officer or security guard. 2. Well, Canada does have a fairly low population for its size, but that's because the majority of the people are concentrated in a few small areas of the country, especially southern Ontario. For example, Toronto has a higher population and pop. density than Paris (when comparing the cores of the cities - not the metro areas). As for Quebec (the French speaking group), many people in the province are bilingual, and know English as well as French. I've been to the province a couple of times, and I have had no trouble getting around, even with my very small French vocabulary. 3. When you're referring to the big electronics stores, that is true, but there are many smaller stores that do stock FS products. I know of two in Toronto (Aviation World (which also has a store in Vancouver) and Threshold Aviation), and I'm sure there are many more across the country. But you could always try the big stores like Best Buy (website) and Future Shop (website). It's worth a shot. But I did not know that you had a Canadian office. That was a surprise for me. bionicCrab, to me, BluePrint's scenery is of freeware quality, and I would never pay for it. Plus, as I stated before, I am looking for detailed, high quality scenery, which is not what BluePrint makes. SimAddons Halifax is nice, and I have considered purchasing it, but I just don't fly in that area often. I usually fly in the big cities, like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, etc., which is where most people (well, Canadians, at least) fly, and where a scenery add-on should be based. I am also aware of what Orbx is doing, and, I will say it again, I am looking for smaller, more detailed sceneries. Orbx has yet to make any individual airports/cities for Canada (and by the looks of it, they're more focused on covering the U.S., rather than Canada). As for your other point, Pearson (the busiest airport in the country) saw 32 million passengers in 2010 - over ten million more passengers in that year than Antalya. Aerosoft's latest offering, Zurich Airport (which, by the way, had already been made for FSX in professional quality) handled only 23 million passenger in 2010. So, Pearson does have quite a bit of traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bionicCrab 7 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 pacinka: the difference is that out of the 22 million 90% of those originated from Europe , when CYYZ gets that many tourists and changes it's official language to German , you can count on Aerosoft to make it. The fact that no one is buying the BluePrint series is just an indication that either people are pirating the software or just aren't interested. Sorry but SimAddons has done an entire province to OrbX quality and yet I can count the number of people in the support forums with my hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Smith 1116 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 pacinka: the difference is that out of the 22 million 90% of those originated from Europe , when CYYZ gets that many tourists and changes it's official language to German , you can count on Aerosoft to make it. The fact that no one is buying the BluePrint series is just an indication that either people are pirating the software or just aren't interested. Sorry but SimAddons has done an entire province to OrbX quality and yet I can count the number of people in the support forums with my hand. Maybe they dont use the forums because they have no issues? After all didnt Mathijs say the forums ar roughly only 10% of their customer base. So its possibly safe to assume similar figures else where. And maybe no-one buys blueprint addons is because at best they are expensive freeware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bionicCrab 7 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Maybe they dont use the forums because they have no issues? After all didnt Mathijs say the forums ar roughly only 10% of their customer base. So its possibly safe to assume similar figures else where. And maybe no-one buys blueprint addons is because at best they are expensive freeware? Lets see the terminal building are spot on, the parking codes spot on, the taxiways spot on, heck theres even room for deicing and parking an MD11 outside the FedEx building. As someone who actually lives in Toronto I'm wondering what more you could possibly want from a scenery that cost $15 dollars. If people aren't biting at $15 dollars they're not going to bite at three times the price. The fact you would rather use default scenery isn't helping your case. Quite honestly if Aerosoft wanted to appease the Toronto demographic who actually travel , doing Beijing or Mumbai would make more sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Smith 1116 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 This isnt the place to discuss the merits or drawbacks of other developers, after all its a forum paid for by Aersoft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMacAir1 12 Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I would be totally on board if Aerosoft did a Canadian scenery. As I am from Vancouver, I have been waiting for a scenery for a while. If you are looking for a Vancouver scenery for now, Jonathan Gabbert is doing a stellar job at one - http://jgabbert.wordpress.com/. Anyways, I hope Aerosoft ends up making a scenery. Anyways, fly on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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