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Hey there, first thing I want to mention is that in my opinion the arrogance and rudeness of some people in this discussion is disgusting. Some people here are godlike and that is nothing new. To bad... Nevertheless, Erik has a valid point. Servers have running costs and someone has to pay for it. If having an active subscription is the way to go to solve the costs-issue, than be it. It's his wallet - his money, his rules. But as this community is from all over the world, of course some people get problems now on how to pay the subscription. Maybe it's not the golden idea, but would it be technically possible so gift a subscription to anyone? It could at least be a short-term solution for some people out there. P.S. I made s subscription...I hope that helps a bit.

Thank you for your input and gracious reply. I too agree that kindness and politeness go a long way, so thank you for that. I hear what you're saying in both posts and appreciate your views. I will add your thoughts to the future release. Thank you, Erik

First and foremost, I want to wish everyone on this site a happy 2025. I truly appreciate you all and hope this year brings success to your lives. Secondly, there's a lot to say, so I apologize in advance if this is lengthy. I prefer to express my viewpoint fully in one context, rather than diluting the same idea in parts and repeating myself. Where I come from, there's a saying that goes, "Politeness doesn't take away from courage," and that's where I'll share my thoughts on this matter... In over 20 years of visiting forums, I've seen that arrogance and a lack of empathy are terrible moderators. When I read Erik's post, my first thought was, "He's absolutely right, but this will upset those who have contributed," and I didn't comment until I saw if all viewpoints would be treated with respect and empathy in a place where the average age is probably around 35, meaning adults with common sense. Well, I was right... (in my opinion) the problem of discontent is due to the fact that for CA to be what it is today, it has taken 20 years with a handful of users who contributed for free to a site that admitted them for free, in a symbiotic relationship of collaboration (some with little, some with a lot, but everyone has added something) and to unilaterally decide that those who have contributed content to the site should now be forced to pay a subscription overnight is completely logical to generate, at the very least, annoyance. (And here I want you to understand my argument very well): the reasons Erik gives are very sensible, but the solution could have more common sense and could have taken things more calmly. According to what I've read, the problem lies in the maintenance costs, caused by the exponential growth of user accounts that download large amounts of content. But is that the core issue? Isn't it more about monetary resources? And who's causing this content flood? The ones who have been around for 15 years? Or the new users...? If you think about it, who's been around for so long already they've probably downloaded everything they wanted during that time. The problem is the new users who want to catch up in a week and the famous "I want" crowd that doesn't even use common sense in their forum posts. Are they really going to question whether multiplying their accounts is harmful to the site...? I came from Checksix and Column.us, and that's where I found this amazing place. I'm sure that if there had been a subscription when I arrived here, CA wouldn't be what it is today, because there are talented people who wouldn't pay anything because they have other priorities, and yet they don't have any problem sharing their talent in exchange for a 'like', feeling part of a collaborative group, or simply for personal growth. I'm also disturbed by the lack of empathy from some users. We've been part of this community for years, and it's disheartening to see people resort to attacks when faced with different opinions. I greatly appreciate everyone's contributions, but let's remember that we're all human beings first. While this platform may not solve world hunger, it provides a valuable escape for many who face challenges in their daily lives. Some live in areas without reliable electricity 24 hours, others in conflict zones, and still others deal with chronic illnesses. This community offers a much-needed distraction. The cost of the subscription is also a concern. It's important to remember that people's financial situations vary greatly. Some may have already established themselves, while others are still building their lives. If everyone is expected to pay, we should reconsider the values of this community. The focus should be on finding sustainable solutions rather than criticizing those who can't afford it. In my children's school, we encourage cooperation and inclusivity. If a child can't afford a field trip, we find ways to help them participate. That's what community is all about. If you don't share these values, at least try to be respectful.

I've been following this since the OP and don't really have anything other to add (because I'm relatively new here), other than how surprised I was that this resource was free when I first joined some months ago. To have a database of files free to the community (and not to mention the "free" hard work from the community) blew my mind. I have bought a sub in the past to download ODS and some others, and thought it was fair - even cheap! So thank you, Erik, for what you do. I'd rather have you and the site, even at modest cost, than not. What I will say is that, as some in here will recognise, I am active in a couple of discord groups trying to keep the game alive as I enjoy it myself. There have been several occasions recently when new users/players have admitted in the open that they have pirated the game (this alone I find distasteful) and have sought to circumvent the CA download limits by using multiple email addresses, so I can understand the need to make these changes, and I support them. I'm sorry some of us are jolted by the changes but I would echo those others who compare CA with any other kind of streaming service; nothing is free, it all costs someone money, and it's unfair to pass that on to someone else.

so let me get this straight youre going to remove a program you already own because you cant download new content to your hearts content? a program that you could modify on your own to your hearts content? and are annnouncing this on your computer while complaining about a price that is the cost of an average fast food/street vendor meal (hell just large coffee or tea in some countries)? well maybe you should. if moneys that damn tight you should probably be working more, simming less. energy to run a sim capable computer is quite alot in other countries too

If you read between the lines, you could have made a conclusion that I am in a situation that is far from that. And you suggest I am nothing but a lazy government leech??? For that I truly say a big fat FUCK YOU!!! I have done my share for other people in another country... I got nothing back in return except all the shit I am in right now. On top of that I live in a country that may have "mo money" but with bills exceeding the imagination... I wish my life was as easy as you describe!!! I have experienced the worst things man can do to eachother and it broke me mentally and physically, all because I was always willing to help my fellow humans... Don't give me that pathetic shot just to have an excuse to keep nagging and whining! I cannot spare a single dime in all fairness but I still contribute. If you hypothetically ARE an uyghur and have ¤2 a week, you don't have a PC with SF on it at all. Everybody here has the minimum to have a PC, to have SF and to use electricity and internet. You're not living in a cave so get over it and stop bitching... Freeloading times are over and now it is time to help paying the bills. Otherwise... FUCK OFF.

Hello again and first, Happy New Year for Everyone. I've been here for a long time and so I think I can make a suggestion about your problem? But first I'll tell you a little about my story. I ask you to read it before misinterpreting it because I am using a translator. Reading the posts I didn't imagine that there were abusive people making fake accounts. Firstly, I will try to explain my position and apologize. I had asked what was happening in another post because I thought it was an error on the site and unfortunately they thought I was being abusive. Because it was something so unexpected, and because I had already had an error in my browser here, and a moderator even guided me on how to fix it, I thought it was another error and didn't even stop to pay attention to what was happening. I'm one of those people who downloaded a lot of models and almost didn't even comment. But it wasn't abuse. I'm from South America and I can't write English well. For me, I have to use a translator and sometimes things go wrong. I read very well, but I write and speak poorly. So when I saw a colleague write about abusive people, I felt the need to let them know that I'm not one of them. In my other post, which I think was deleted, I thanked everyone for providing the models I downloaded. They are helping me a lot. And why? My purpose in this community was to help develop mods and share them. I've even spoken to a moderator about this. My difficulty is the same as Erik's. Money. That's why I agree with your decision. Developing games or models is not easy. Your mods are helping me understand how to make models, although my understanding is very poor due to the fact that my PC is weak and cannot run programs like Blender or 3D Max. I'm pursuing a career as a game developer, the amateur way because I don't have the money to pay for games college. I made the mistake of studying Biology, which didn't give me anything, and I decided to invest in making games. I'm developing a children's game but I've always dreamed of making simulators. But then life plays its tricks, I lost my father, I lost my dear friend, depression came, lack of money, pandemic and corrupt government. Things that a lot of people also face. I really wanted to be able to contribute money from the first day I joined and that's why I haven't been able to until now. I was never able to register because dollars here are worth a lot of reais. 9 dollars for example, the minimum registration, costs very money. And here in my country, as you may already know, it's not even possible to make a good purchase in the market. And I think that's the reality of at least those like me, who live in a third world country full of corruption like mine. Yes, we suffer so much from violence that we are afraid to even leave the house. Due to health problems I have, I depend on my mother. And, she has already denied contributing to this because you knows, it's hot here and she and no one here are betting on developing games, much more simulators. Therefore, the reason I never said thank you or left a thank you was really embarrassed to lower myself and not be able to contribute anything. I always thought you guys deserved a bigger contribution and then I thought - The guy download himself and only knows how to thank him. If we can't give something better, nothing could be done. But I think I made a mistake and didn't say thank you. Besides, I'm moving at a snail's pace. But why am I saying this? Just so you can see my side and why I didn't contribute, since I saw that this was one of the main factors that led to this decision on the site. I felt the need to speak out since one of you mentioned the abuse by many who just want to get down. Well, I not want you to think I'm the abusive guy who wants to breastfeed. The only thing I can do now is contribute suggestions.

It is only available from the Meta Quest store for the Quest 2 and Quest 3 series headsets. It was made using the "Unity" game engine, so they could port it to other platforms, but I doubt they will do that. It is similar to the free-to-play Strike Fighters android game (which is also available as a PC game), but it is VR only and flown from the cockpit. I don't see any way to see external views. A typical mission involves startup, takeoff, fly through a portal to get to the mission area, fly through some waypoints, accomplish the mission, fly through a portal to get to the turn onto final approach, and finally land. The clickable cockpits, startup, takeoff, and landing procedures give the game a simulator feel. But targets have generous hit boxes and 0.50 cal. MGs can kill most targets with ease. But the differences between attacking with rockets, bombs, and guns are fairly well modeled. The bombsight is basically CCIP and the bombs usually detonate well after you have flown past the target, so bombing is much easier than it should be. Dogfights are not that much different than F-86 vs MiG-15 in DCS World: the AI can extend at will in a climb or hit the brakes to make you overshoot. Because I have already learned how to deal with this type of AI in DCS, I do fairly well. I finally earned enough money with the T-33 and F-80 to get the F-86. Now I want to save up enough for either the F9F-2 or the FJ-3.

Thank you. The Modders in this community have always stood up and put their shoulder behind this place when we've needed it. I owe them a huge debt and amount of gratitude. It's one of the reasons I don't complain about finances, and try the best I can, to quietly maintain things in the background. Sincerely, thank you guys. Please take a bow for all you've done throughout the years. You deserve applause and appreciation. @logan4 you own the spotlight sir, center stage please. It is unfortunate but everything has gone up in price, even what do here. What used to cost us $400 a month 20 years ago has increased yearly to our current state. Everything has gone up and I mean everything. The cost to have the books and taxes done for the site has doubled since I first started. Our licensing and support for our forum software has doubled. Not to mention we've been running outdated forum software because our Apache distro is outdated but I can't upgrade the LAMP stack without new gear, it's a never-ending battle. Licensing for our domain names has gone up 35%. Licensing for hosting software has gone up. The cost we pay to PayPal for every transaction has gone up. The servers have been at contractual rates for 24-month clips, but they go up with every new contract. We're working on the 12th renewal now due to be signed by the 15th. Our delivery costs have gone up 46% while growing in volume. Even electricity has gone up. If we broke even every month I'd pass out. Let's not forget I'm also forced to look at a $3000 - $4000 hardware upgrade because our gear is old and tired. I'm surprised the old girls have lasted this long if the truth be known. The amount of abuse these machines take is insane. I'm sure you've noticed the sluggish response when making form posts? That's our MySQL database machine just choking on the size of our database after 23 years. So, the bills aside I've been agonizing over the equipment for years just praying it hangs in there. On the plus side we don't have any money to keep track of, so our banking fees are non-existent besides the PayPal fees. Another good thing is my hips are still in decent shape because I don't have a fat wallet to carry around. I prefer to end on a positive note, so I'm going to leave it there. Erik

Well time to uninstall SF2 then. Was a great journey!

you know what, ffs .... Erik, just start askin em what ice is......

Classic!

Yes, it's only for Meta Quest. We certainly can't compete with DCS, etc. so we decided to make the "best possible" air combat game we could using the Quest hardware.

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,73370.0.html

Heyo, first time messaging here but i think this is quite disappointing because I got into SF2 last year after a few friends recommended it for me and i had a lotta fun with NATO Fighters, ODS and some other mods. Its a shame that this happened but its fair enough after reading about the reason behind it. Wish there was some other way and I will definitely be keeping an eye of Combatace but I can't justify another subscription. Thanks for extending the amount of fun i had with SF2 and I hope you all the best in the new year, hopefully you will find another way to let people like me who wont pay for a subscription download mods but yea. Godspeed everyone and thanks again for the mods 07.

Indeed for a lot of people around the world giving 90$ is a significant sum. I know that for some others in the US this may sound crazy, but I know a lot of people that their money are ending before the end of the month and they are just waiting to get paid and this cycle goes all over again.

It is nice to see you have an open mind. You're open to discussion and reason and that counts for something. And as said earlier here... asking for money to keep CA alive is not easy and funny at all... but very necessary! Happy to see you get the broader perspective. Cheers!

Why all the vinegar? Why all this nitpicking? Bills need to be paid to keep this site going! It's not about profits and earnings... And for those whining about it... You have cable TV or a streaming subscription... You have a mobile phone with a monthly subscription... You have a speedy internet subscription... All these cost a lot too, wherever you are. And you are NOT willing to pay for the 1 or 2 year subscription to have access to the greatest flightsim community, to the huge amount of files? Spread the costs and a CA subscription costs you less a month than an evening meal... If you are NOT willing to help lessen the burden and chip in... you're a cheapskate. Letting someone else pick up the (huge!) tab so you can have your "free" files makes you a leech... And please don't come here with local exchange rates, with living standards and such... In comparison with my countrymen I am in a pickle. My military disabilities have shrunk my income to 60% of the nominal average so I never have enough to get by. HOWEVER... I DO appreciate the little things in life and I am willing to put some money aside to pay for that. So that is why I paid a 2 year subscription here on CA to do my little bit to keep this site going. Not because I can afford it and I can easily take it out of my checkbook, but because I want to! I want CA to stay afloat, I want to be a part of this community, I want to keep my SF game alive. And to ALL those people who have no contribution to CA whatsoever (so I mean those who register to download and never ever write something, except the last few days) and are here only to suck it dry for its contents... shame on you and go f*** yourselves and your arrogant privileged attitudes...

I'm not from Michigan but the suburb neighborhood tiles feel right at home. So many easter eggs could be placed on this map too. Don't suppose there's a cargo ship that looks close to a lake freighter?

@FANATIC MODDER Hello and Happy New Year. Thank you for your input. I have relentlessly supported this community and everyone in it for more than two decades. No-one is more disheartened, and gut punched than me with the changes I must make. Since you were so kind to share your position let me reply with the same candor and directness. It has never been freeware. TK charged for his games. He stopped developing his games because he couldn't pay the bills, sound familiar? CombatACE has never been freeware. I pay for those "free" downloads. Nothing in this life is free. It would be helpful if we could stop propagating this myth. @Wrench Could you open a discussion in the Modder group about this candidate? @FANATIC MODDER This is conflating two different issues. One is us being able to pay for the site and the second is your Modder status. The Modder group is a peer accepted position that I have nothing to do with other than the physical change on your account. I have asked Wrench to offer your name up for consideration. We do appreciate the twenty files you have shared with the community, and we are not in any way trying to keep you from downloading your own content. Thank you for your involvement in the community. I understand your position. My wallet is empty. There are no more funds to pay the bills. I am finished with supporting this site. Today is the first and in my email is the bill for December 2024, just like clockwork. How do you suggest I pay that bill or can I send it to you for payment? Please let me know but see we both can play the victim card. I'm trying to follow along, but you lost me. I don't see that you've ever financially supported the site. I do see the twenty files you have here. You have been inactive for the most part and I do see your random hand full of downloads monthly or bi-monthly depending on when you would log in. So, if you're not really downloading then you're coming here to visit the forums which aren't changing they will remain open and accessible at no cost. You want to know what's excessive? The bills that I pay every month. We need 100 monthly subscriptions every month just to pay the bills. Why might you ask? Because our catalogue is large, and our bandwidth bill is huge. 3.521 terabytes for December 2024. So given those sums for me it's something excessive. If we don't keep this, I will turn off the switch tonight and then I will see an absolute decrease in downloads. That would be truly unfortunate. I don't understand most of this, but I get it. TK quit because he couldn't make money. Period. End of discussion. TK is not interested in selling the game or the rights to anyone but you're welcome to talk to him. If you need his email address, I will be happy to provide it to you. There is no update because TK quit, he could not make money. You keep SF2 alive, CA keeps it alive, the community keeps it alive. The nail is in the coffin. I've been trying to tell everyone that for years and years. I bring myself to the point of asking for donations and pleading for subscriptions, which is utterly demoralizing and demeaning, but I do it to keep this place open. You know who ends up supporting us during those times? The modders and a couple amazing people who understand. The public, the netizens on a whole have always been about the free part. Oddly, it's those that have never donated that are the ones speaking the loudest about this. So, I spend my time answering concerns and opinions when my time might be better spent figuring out a solution. Thank you for what you do, and I do hope I answered your concerns. Erik

Definetely NOT, sorry, what else should I had done to be named a modder??? You can ask Viper63a and Guruu.....also when in the original F-16 release ALL VERSIONS HAD YF-16A specs on them. Do you know how much time it took to adjust them and put the correct values?? Modding is not only skinning, you should respect the work of others.

To quote Erik... "With out more income CA will close. If CA closes then nobody gets anything. I just write what will happen." Pretty simple. EDIT: What I'm more surprised at is the passive aggressive tone coming from people towards Erik on this decision. A couple of thoughts: The running of CA is purely for the enjoyment of others, it makes zero profit, in fact it costs him a shit load of money to simply keep the website up and running. Does anyone seriously think he would ever want to apply a subscription to access downloads? It's been made abundantly clear from multiple posts in this thread that it is now beyond financial viability for him to keep things going without much needed help from the broader community I'm amazed at the sense of entitlement being shown by some... I'm yet to see one shred of thanks to Erik for personally bankrolling this site where we all come to blow off some steam and enjoy SF2 (and other games) for over 20 years. That's his own money, that he's perfectly entitled to spend on his own hobbies... but instead, he keeps this place open for all of our enjoyment. Instead of criticising the guy, maybe we could help with him out by buying a subscription? Crazy idea I know, but christ on a bike... come on.

This sim looks very interesting. Is it only for Meta Quest? Any chance to use it through SteamVR? I am sorry to ask this but I don't know so much about VR. I have an HP Reverb since years and happy with them.

Hello everyone, It have been a great new year day and eventualy got a chance to work on mods today; This time I am re-working on the optional accessiblity system to make more noticable and can be noticed easily. When switching to IRM, the inner circle will appear as red. And when lock is achieved, it will move to enemy aircraft telling that IRM is ready. Any thoughts on the new system? I am applying it on the rest of aircraft for next alpha version of mod. Eagle114th

Also, here's the citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross. He also had a Navy/Marine Presidential Unit Citation probably from this same mission, two USAF Presidential Unit Citations, Outstanding Unit Award (2 X), Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, NDSM, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Gallantry, Armed Forces expeditionary, and Expert Marksman. Nerdy little guy about 5'6" tall. Very quiet and self-effacing. And apparently a steel-balled badass of a navigator. That was the day the NVA broke through the wire at Khe Sanh.

Respectfully, you missed the point entirely. The pot is empty. I am looking down the barrel of two options; figure out how to pay the bills or turn it off. I don't profit from CA it costs me money every single month without fail. Not fake money, real money that people pay their bills with and use to buy food and essentials. CA is a bill that keeps rolling in multiple times per month, payment due on receipt. If I understand you correctly, I turn off the site you won't get downloads or the community. If I charge for people to use our bandwidth you threaten to leave because you disagree with it. Seems to me I'm screwed either way. No thanks for paying the bills for 25 years and never being late so they turn the servers off. No thanks for all that you do working here 365 days per year for 25 years. No hey I have suggestion that might be worth trying. Nothing. Instead, let's all assume that Erik is doing this to make money off people and tell everyone how disgusting that is. After 25 years that is what I'm worth, understood, copy all. Hey while we're at it, CA needs $3000-$4000 in hardware and software. We've been running a deficit for so long I can't bring myself to paying for upgrades to bring us into this century. Instead, I've been patching us together just to keep us alive. Where do you suggest I get that money from? Erik

This is a decent flight sim for a VR headset game. The graphics are similar to 1999/Falcon 4.0 but with anti-aliasing making it prettier. Make no mistake, it is a game. But the cockpits look decent and the flight models are not totally arcade.

(up)loading and waiting Happy New Years everyone

your loss.... you should..it releases stress... and it is good for old boys too.... 45 here... watching nudes is healthy....unless you are doing it when researching aircraft serial numbers...

See here:

its a nice gift for the new year. Thanks. Time to say goodbye if i understand right? downloading free mods for abandonware game is payware now. its a good idea, if understand that modders get zero for their work. yes. see ya guys. in another world. Thanks for everything.

EF-2000

Runway Denial, Spanish AF Style..............

Hello ! Here several pictures of my 1:72 WWII fighters I began to build two years ago... an old project ! Next ones : Me 163, Bf 109s, P-47s, etc... P.

F-4J(UK) over Stonehenge, South England

some Su-7

i will not buy. i have no credit card. I wanted to offer to swap. You give me that twinsitter Harrier and I'll give you the Yak-38U. I was waiting for a good opportunity to offer. You said it was a bit unfinished and mine is also unfinished. Ha-ha. Offer now is not actual. Lets sell aircrafts now.

For all those complaints, no one yet proposed any solution...nothing. It is easier to say "fuk u, I quit" No one is forcing anyone to stay, pay or even create content. It does not matter anymore. The worst thing is that you "takers" do not understand that without CA...there will be nothing to take. Of course, after that, mods will stay on private drives, and then it will travel around, some will use it, some will mod it and use it, and no one will give credit to other's work anymore..and all that hard work of guys from CA will be absolutely raped. But for those who take it, it does not matter...Because mods should be free. I bought a game so you little moder- fukers give more content to download... You guys who only download, you do not even give a shit to say "thank you" or write a review of the mod...Yes. You do not give a shit about it, who made it and why. As long as the download button is clicked. And..I just had a thought...Maybe there is a solution to it. That access to download will remain free. Let's make content payable. I mean. Download mod - new F-89 for example. Made out of new stuff, not related to old ones..all is new. No one will complain about using old parts in new ones. But it is not free. 12$ per download. And the whole income from it goes to CA piggy bank. All modders and subscribers have free access to it. I think I could convince some other modders. For sure I can do it without a blink. I can even upload a mod within 3-4 days...TAV-8B. I think 15$ will be a fair price. All income from it is going to CA piggybank. I do not want any profit from it. But If you will share it with someone who did not pay for mod..I will consider it as piracy.... Of course, someone will say that there is some Illuminati circle in CA...but at least, the site will remain free and alive.

This is why we have announcements both as page headers, AND it's own forum

Uhu. great loss to the universe…

I'm not Erik, but I'll answer. In order to make a game, and especially a AAA class simulator, you need hundreds of gold, hundreds of crystals and oil and hundreds of wood and stamina, but Erik can't pay even for the site hosting. Keep yourself safe pal. i wish you luck in your studying and I wish you to find a job as a game developer and get out of your bad streak of life