Goodbye Phoenix, nice to know you................

[Bravedan 106]

Word is spreading that Horizon Hobbies have effectively called a halt on Phoenix. 

What follows is personal opinion on this, and a suggestion. (I was an early buyer of v1, so Phoenix and I go way back!)

Under the original programming team/ownership at the time of the change from v2 to v3, I spent a few months pre-launch as one of the Beta Test team. At one stage I had the program running across four very different computers with differing hardware and OS. I spent many hours a week on it (unpaid, before anyone asks!). Launch issues centered around hardware anomalies, with next to no issues with program operation or features.

Shortly after HH bought it, they launched on a major work over of the base code. Why this was attempted was never fully made clear.

Under HH ownership a very different more closed off operation was undertaken.  As a result, so many third party people drifted away, some talented plane and scenery builders stopped modelling freeware and low cost payware when the base program changes meant the skinning format of their graphics no longer worked. I had models that I had successfully reskinned, yet all of a sudden the fuselage graphic was appearing  halfway down one wing, etc, etc.  I could not be bothered with the rework. I wasn't alone.

Suffice to say the HH rewrite did not go well, and over a year later some models in the old program were still not reintroduced, some features were poor shadows of their former ability, slope soaring gliders and wind effects were for example effectively broken, and the program had lost its way.

With the last official update dating from middle 2016, and some lost aspects of the program still unresolved, it could be sensed that time was not on the side of the program when the parent company was appearing increasingly distracted by other priorities.

"Heavy" Models that had worked perfectly before were being blown across the runway by a 10mph breeze. Ridiculous! 

There are a few freeware developers left, "rickp" on RCG deserves lots of credit for continuing to make very good models. (I contributed to a few, so maybe bypass them!!).

How long the servers for download and multiplay will continue is a moot point.  I suggest that if you have an interest in keeping your copy running (until a Microsoft OS change wipes it away!), you need to download and store to safety all the files you can. Backup, Backup, Backup!!! 

 

[Ivan.S 9]

Backing up all files to external drive now, cheers.