Hilarious: Freeware MiG-15 being sold as Payware Simmarket

[GO_Navy]

So MSCENERY, with their terrible chromed F/A-18C Hornet, has dropped a new payware MiG-15 on simmarket.
https://secure.simmarket.com/mscenery-mig-15-msfs.phtml


It's hilarious because the exact same aircraft is uploaded as a freeware on flightsim.to by a developer as a WIP. Model looks good, cockpit needs a little work, Flight Model needs some work and external model needs a pilot visible. After some work though, it will be a great addon (dare I say almost decent payware quality considering what's being brought to MSFS payware market by some lately (subpar aircraft like Eurofighter/Hornet/Bandeirante/737)
https://flightsim.to/file/11158/mig-15
Anyway, found it funny...do not buy it cause it's available for free. Check it out.

[jmig]

If I wanted to try out a MIG, I would fly it in DCS.

I once sat in the cockpits of a MIG 21 and either a 15 or 17, I forget which. I could hardly squeeze in. My shoulders were as wide as the rails. Oh, and I was 40 lbs lighter back then. It was interesting to see the gauges in metric and the Russian labels. My biggest impression was how small the cockpit was.

I apologize for hijacking your post. I agree with you about somebody taking freeware and selling it. I get emails, which go to my Spam folder, about a "new and great" flight simulator. It is one that died years ago and is being sold by some unscrupulous fellows trying to make money off someone else's work.

[stansdds]

So MSCENERY, with their terrible chromed F/A-18C Hornet, has dropped a new payware MiG-15 on simmarket.
https://secure.simmarket.com/mscenery-mig-15-msfs.phtml


It's hilarious because the exact same aircraft is uploaded as a freeware on flightsim.to by a developer as a WIP. Model looks good, cockpit needs a little work, Flight Model needs some work and external model needs a pilot visible. After some work though, it will be a great addon (dare I say almost decent payware quality considering what's being brought to MSFS payware market by some lately (subpar aircraft like Eurofighter/Hornet/Bandeirante/737)
https://flightsim.to/file/11158/mig-15
Anyway, found it funny...do not buy it cause it's available for free. Check it out.

This has been a long standing problem in the flight sim community. People upload things intended to be freeware, then someone pirates it and posts it as payware. You might want to contact Simmarket and give them evidence that this is a freeware add on. Typically, online retailers want nothing to do with these pirates.

[Tom Clayton]

I sent the freeware author a message with a link to the payware page. If it's his, he should have the chance to take action first.

[GO_Navy]

I sent the freeware author a message with a link to the payware page. If it's his, he should have the chance to take action first.

So I did contact simmarket and made them aware of the issue. Initially they took it down but now I see it back on their website. I am not sure what's going on, it seems both the freeware and payware developers bought the external model from this gentleman:

https://www.cgtrader.com/sdv

I have contacted him too and apparently the MSCENERY FA-18 was not licensed at all to be used as payware. But the gentlman Modeler has no interest in pursuing MSCENERY or the freeware MiG-15 developer.

Strange world we live in.

[GO_Navy]

If I wanted to try out a MIG, I would fly it in DCS.

I once sat in the cockpits of a MIG 21 and either a 15 or 17, I forget which. I could hardly squeeze in. My shoulders were as wide as the rails. Oh, and I was 40 lbs lighter back then. It was interesting to see the gauges in metric and the Russian labels. My biggest impression was how small the cockpit was.

I apologize for hijacking your post. I agree with you about somebody taking freeware and selling it. I get emails, which go to my Spam folder, about a "new and great" flight simulator. It is one that died years ago and is being sold by some unscrupulous fellows trying to make money off someone else's work.

Was it that much smaller than let's say our T-6s or T-38 or T-45s?

[Priller]

Are you really really sure that it is the same model? Simmarket states a 500 Mb filesize. The freeware file is 187 Mb.

Downloaded the freeware one, will compare the VC to the screenshots on Simmarket.

Priller

[jankees]

Are you really really sure that it is the same model? Simmarket states a 500 Mb filesize. The freeware file is 187 Mb.

Downloaded the freeware one, will compare the VC to the screenshots on Simmarket.

Priller

Both of them have no pilot, and both have the same paintscheme, I'd say they are the same.

[GO_Navy]

Are you really really sure that it is the same model? Simmarket states a 500 Mb filesize. The freeware file is 187 Mb.

Downloaded the freeware one, will compare the VC to the screenshots on Simmarket.

Priller

I am very sure that at least the external model is the exact same. Acquired from this website : https://www.cgtrader.com/sdv

To be clear, I am not accusing MSCENERY of stealing a freeware and selling it off as payware. What I am saying though that if the model was acquired legally from cgtrader, it had to have been licensed for resale as payware or freeware. Both MSCENERY and Aerosoar used the same model, I am not sure who had the permission to repackage and distribute it legally.

Bottom line, if the same model is being made available as freeware and as payware, I am opting for the freeware.

[GO_Navy]

This whole thing has me curious now and this is, I know, the wrong forum for this but what would it take to buy one of the model from here and make it flyable in MSFS? Any thought/experience?

There are some very beautifully modeled aircraft on this website.

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/a...4-ee54691048ce

[Priller]

Bottom line, if the same model is being made available as freeware and as payware, I am opting for the freeware.

Which is what I did!

And indeed, having flown the model now myself and having had the possibility to compare the freeware I have and the screenshots on simmarket, it's more than likely the same.

And like you say, the flightmodel is a bit "funky". But all in all I like it, the modeling is quite nice and I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Good to see that good freeware stuff is coming to the new sim!

Cheers,

Priller

[Priller]

This whole thing has me curious now and this is, I know, the wrong forum for this but what would it take to buy one of the model from here and make it flyable in MSFS? Any thought/experience?

There are some very beautifully modeled aircraft on this website.

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/a...4-ee54691048ce

Some VERY nice models!!



Priller

[GO_Navy]

Some VERY nice models!!



Priller

Yup,
Here's how MSCENERY ruined the model by giving us the chromed version of what you displayed.

https://secure.simmarket.com/mscener...18c-msfs.phtml

[Priller]

Yup,
Here's how MSCENERY ruined the model by giving us the chromed version of what you displayed.

https://secure.simmarket.com/mscener...18c-msfs.phtml

That is not a gift, it's punishment!

Priller

[GO_Navy]

That is not a gift, it's punishment!

Priller

Oh you know it buddy. I am wondering if I should head to fsdevelopers and ask about the way to develop some of the models on that website to full fledged native MSFS models. They are gorgeous.

[bazzar]

It is not unusual for commercial developers (and freeware) to purchase models from sites like CGTrader and TurboSquid. Providing license conditions are met- and there are quite a few. Quite a few models you probably already fly from some of your favourite companies often start life as third party models.

The conversion process, however is not always straightforward and can take longer than building from scratch over plans.

There are also 3D model companies (like us, for example) who supply models for a fee for use in flight simulators and again, it may surprise you to know that there are a few well-known development houses you already buy from who use these services. It cuts time and fills gaps where the skills are missing.

The problem with bought models is usually the size. As they are not built for simulation games, usually built for rendering high grade "art" pictures. As a consequence they can come in at well over a million polygons or more. Especially the high detailed ones.

Also, most do not have any cockpits. They are not modeled because the use is for external renders only.

To convert one you would need to cull the model down by a considerable amount and I am not sure would be happy with the result after losing a vast amount of detail.

Then, you would need to build a cockpit from scratch.

Now you need to re-map all the parts and texture them in PBR.

Now you need to animate every single part that moves - only the gear, flaps and maybe ailerons would be animated by the original modeler and even then not to flight sim animation timelines.

Now you need to code the systems, gauges and any special stuff that goes with the aircraft.

Stir in the cost of software to do all this and the time it would take for you to learn how to use it all and you would have a pretty expensive, very complicated result. Net cost, probably a few thousand dollars.

And after all that, you could probably only give it away for free because of the license.

Still interested?

[Priller]

Still interested?

Nah!

In fact, I just want to fly them!

Priller

[GO_Navy]

A LOT OF IMPOSSIBLE TASKS FOR ME.

Still interested?

Nope, I do not have the time nor energy to learn something that advanced. I am just going to wait on good developers to build and I will just pay to purchase.

I think Iris is working on a Native Hornet.

[MrZippy]

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t...on-f-18/375507

[centuryseries]

Buying models from third parties has been going on for a long time.

One example of how this can work is Milviz - it used to be a catalogue of military 3D models, but after some third parties bought some of their models for FS they started making/converting their own for FS.

I would imagine there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get a 3D model with no need for optimisation into an optimised mesh for FS that is kind on FPS.

[bazzar]

Actually you don't quite have that right. MilViz like a few others, purchase models from 3D Reach. They list their clients at the base of the page. https://3dreach.com/

[centuryseries]

Actually you don't quite have that right. MilViz like a few others, purchase models from 3D Reach. They list their clients at the base of the page. https://3dreach.com/

Thanks for confirming, I didn't know that. I was basing it on how it was perhaps 15+ years ago, but didn't realise they also buy their models in

[dvj]

Payware or Freeware, the model is quite stunning in FS2020. That metal work! Waiting for the pilot.