NZFF

As I've announced on the Subscription site, I'll stop selling Subscriptions at the end of June. After this, I'll be packaging up individual areas into 'Real NZ' sceneries, once they are finished, although it may take a while for the first release. As this will mean a bit of an increase in the price of all the scenery included in the subscription, I'd encourage NZFF members to 'sign up' before then, as I hope that the benefits would outweigh the risk of buying into the Subscription.

To make it easier, here's a 40% discount for NZFF members. To get the discount, you'll need to order via the Godzone Store, rather than the Subscription site, and enter the coupon code:

Hidden Content

This board requires you to be registered and logged-in to view hidden content.

...when you order. (Note that the coupon code is for NZFF members only, so you will need to be logged in here to view the code.) There's some info on the Store site showing how to use the coupon code, but it should be simple enough -- just enter the code on the Payment Info page, where it says Redemption Code. Note that the discount applies to the Subscription only. For those wondering, the discount brings the price down to NZ$59.40.

In the Godzone Store you can pay using NZ Bank/Internet transfer, Paypal, or VISA/Mastercard via Paymate.

I did plan to offer this throughout June, but I wanted to try some of the new forum features, especially the members-only text, so I've brought it forward a bit:) Hopefully only members can see the code...

Here's the link to the Godzone Store Subscription product page.

Things you should be aware of:

• The Subscription covers all the scenery produced from June 2014 to June 2015;
• At the moment I've released 8 of the expected 10 issues;
• Each issue is between 1GB and 1.4GB;
• You really need to download it all in order to get the full benefit;
• The scenery works with default FSX, Prepar3D, Vector Land Class and Orbx NZ;
• Once the subscription period is over, I plan to keep releasing new scenery to existing subscribers for at least 6 months.

You should take a good look around the Subscription site (link in my signature) for all the details, but remember that if you want to use the discount voucher, you'll need to order through the Godzone Store link above.

Note that this is for NZFF members only, so please don't share the voucher code -- if anyone wants to take advantage of this, all they need to do is to sign up to NZFF and login.

If for any reason the hidden code doesn't show up, and you are sure you are logged in, please send me a PM while you are still logged in.
You must type the code exactly as it appears under the 'hidden text' label, or better still, copy/paste it. Note that there is no space in it!

Rob - glad to see you mention this. In the not-too-distant future I will need another subscription, so that I can install it on a second machine. I was waiting until you cleared the decks from this one, before asking if you can supply the complete set on DVD.
No hurry for this - I have the downloads safely stored, but I need a second licence.
ATB

Although I've taken the 'media delivery' product off the Store (I think I had two orders in 6 months), you can always ask for this. These days, though, it is a lot easier with a USB drive, as a full subscription would require 4 DVDs.

I would have to work out the price for supplying a 16GB drive, but the cheapest way is probably to send me a drive with some sort of return-paid post bag, in which case there would be no extra charge on my part.

One point I missed in the post above -- by ordering the Subscription through the Godzone Store (the only way to use the discount code), you would need to wait for me to create your account on the Subscription site. This can take a few minutes if I am on deck, but it could mean a wait of up to 12 hours if I am not.

Hi Robin, Just for my own peace of mind....I am a current subscriber from June 2014 to June -2015, which is great. & thanks for the great scenery.. What I don't understand is - you mention in a previous post that you will continue to put out stuff to subscribers for a further 6 months after June. Does this mean I need to extend my subscription to qualify for the works after June??

Thanks & Cheers .

Sonnyj wrote:Hi Robin, Just for my own peace of mind....I am a current subscriber from June 2014 to June -2015, which is great. & thanks for the great scenery.. What I don't understand is - you mention in a previous post that you will continue to put out stuff to subscribers for a further 6 months after June. Does this mean I need to extend my subscription to qualify for the works after June??

Thanks & Cheers .

Take a look at this post, Sonny, it should explain what'll happen in June.

The final stages of the Subscription

But to answer your question here, all Subscribers are fully paid-up, no matter when the Subscription ends.

I still have 3rd instalment to make, don't know when it's due as I haven't gotten an email about it. So not too sure how that will affect me

Hi Rob

In August last year I bought the Orbx Compilation of Real NZ Supercity, Real NZ Tauranga, Real NZ Southern Lakes and Real NZ Nelson. I am looking at buying a subscription but am wondering whether I should install these sceneries or utilise the subscription sceneries. I also have the Orbx North and South Islands as well.

Cheers

Bernie.

toprob wrote: These days, though, it is a lot easier with a USB drive, as a full subscription would require 4 DVDs.
I would have to work out the price for supplying a 16GB drive, but the cheapest way is probably to send me a drive with some sort of return-paid post bag, in which case there would be no extra charge on my part.

Good thinking, Rob - I must be getting old, IT-wise...but I lately had to buy a new mobile, and I increased the storage by adding a 16GB micro SD, which cost me about AUD12 and is virtually weightless... ideal for airmail, I reckon

Hi Bernie
Supercity, Tauranga and Southern Lakes Adventure have been relegated to 'legacy' status, as they use fairly low resolution aerial images -- 2.5 metres/pixel, which is half the 'normal' FSX resolution. However they are still worth using, if you prefer photoscenery, and the included airports are worth having, albeit a bit old now.

If you did buy a subscription, you could install Supercity and Tauranga, as these are not covered in the Subscription areas, but Southern Lakes Adventure is kind of obsolete with the Southern Lakes scenery included in the Subscription.

Nelson is still a good quality payware, so I hope you get plenty of use out of that!

I guess this really comes down to whether you'd get good use out of all the subscription photoscenery. Not everyone is into photoscenery, that's for sure.

emfrat wrote:Good thinking, Rob - I must be getting old, IT-wise...but I lately had to buy a new mobile, and I increased the storage by adding a 16GB micro SD, which cost me about AUD12 and is virtually weightless... ideal for airmail, I reckon

Yes, the good thing is that unlike the DVDs you could archive the contents of the SD to your storage drive, and reuse it. Just realised you are in Australia, so I don't think there's any such thing as prepaid over the pond, so I guess you'd need to pay for postage.

-Robin

Rob - I looked into that a few years back and at that time there was a system where I could send a Reply Paid envelope to NZ. If it still exists, I would be happy to use it.
The week before last, I posted a DVD in an OzPost DVD pack (stiff cardboard) to Ian, and it weighed so little it went as an ordinary letter.
Thing is, the rules are changing all the time, as email overwhelms snail mail and airmail. We can look more closely at method, when the new set of files is needed.
As I said earlier, I want to purchase a second licence - the method of delivery is not terribly important

ATB

toprob wrote:Hi Bernie
Supercity, Tauranga and Southern Lakes Adventure have been relegated to 'legacy' status, as they use fairly low resolution aerial images -- 2.5 metres/pixel, which is half the 'normal' FSX resolution. However they are still worth using, if you prefer photoscenery, and the included airports are worth having, albeit a bit old now.

If you did buy a subscription, you could install Supercity and Tauranga, as these are not covered in the Subscription areas, but Southern Lakes Adventure is kind of obsolete with the Southern Lakes scenery included in the Subscription.

Nelson is still a good quality payware, so I hope you get plenty of use out of that!

I guess this really comes down to whether you'd get good use out of all the subscription photoscenery. Not everyone is into photoscenery, that's for sure.

Thanks for the answers Rob. I only paid half price anyway so I have not lost an awful lot if I just install Supercity and Tauranga. It is a pity about Southern Lakes Adventure as I was really interested in Wanaka after "Warbirds over Wanaka" brought it to my attention. I presume there is a way to disable the photoreal imagery in SLA. Presumably the same would apply to Nelson.

I have not actually got around to installing any of the scenery yet as I got a new computer at Christmas time and I have been flying around Australia since then to reacquaint myself with my native country. I am just about finished so it won't be long before I install FTX NZNI and NZSI. I had better do it now so I can see if I like the scenery that I have got.

So expect an order from me for the subscription on 1st June. At 40% off, it is hard to resist a bargain.

Cheers

Bernie

bernief wrote:Thanks for the answers Rob. I only paid half price anyway so I have not lost an awful lot if I just install Supercity and Tauranga. It is a pity about Southern Lakes Adventure as I was really interested in Wanaka after "Warbirds over Wanaka" brought it to my attention. I presume there is a way to disable the photoreal imagery in SLA. Presumably the same would apply to Nelson.
...

Bernie

Just a couple of points, Bernie -- the Subscription includes a slightly tweaked Real NZ Wanaka, and there is even the 'Warbirds Over Wanaka' addon around somewhere:) This was included in SLA as a Mission, but in the Sub it is a simpler drop-in scenery which adds the airshow elements.

SLA has a tool which can turn the photoscenery on and off for Wanaka, but this isn't really possible with Nelson.

This is a good time to mention that although nothing is set in stone, I do hope that the final Subscription lineup would include a number of airports in the included photoscenery areas, such as Napier, Hastings, Hood (Masterton), plus of course Subscribers will receive NZWN when it is finished. I have been thinking about what will happen when I finally package up finished areas, and I may need to have airport versions which work without the photoscenery, but that's down the track a bit.

bernief wrote:

toprob wrote:............ I am just about finished so it won't be long before I install FTX NZNI and NZSI. ...............................

Some good and bad points about the ORBX sceneries. I find it way too green and the elevations can cause issues for other add ons. I have to fly during summer to get the green to look anywhere near correct. The included airports and object flow are cool though.
I think VLC looks more natural. A tough choice.

cowpatz wrote:
Some good and bad points about the ORBX sceneries. I find it way too green and the elevations can cause issues for other add ons. I have to fly during summer to get the green to look anywhere near correct. The included airports and object flow are cool though.
I think VLC looks more natural. A tough choice.

Orbx certainly has a lot of fans, and the 'total package' concept is great, but it only really works properly if you don't want to add anything new:)
I can kinda understand the green thing -- people were always complaining that FSX, and NZ in particular, were not green enough, so I can picture John V pacing up and down in front of a row of designers, yelling 'More green! Gimme more green!':)

The mis-match in elevations is always going to be a nuisance, especially for 'BO' scenery. (Before Orbx.) In general developers who want compatibility with Orbx will stick to Orbx-only scenery, but it makes more sense to me to design for both default and Orbx. By default, I mean elevations, as Vector Land Class uses default elevations.

However this is a real nuisance, my simple little Turangi airfield is still a mess when I turn on FTX NZ, which just adds to the development time.

toprob wrote:

cowpatz wrote:I think VLC looks more natural. A tough choice.

The way I look at it is the placement and the hedgerows and the VLC definition and dark line were Orbx has the more defined and grouped texture.
The one thing with photo real it allows itself to blend in better than VLC

I can picture John V pacing up and down in front of a row of designers, yelling 'More green! Gimme more green!':)

The mis-match in elevations is always going to be a nuisance, especially for 'BO' scenery. (Before Orbx.) In general developers who want compatibility with Orbx will stick to Orbx-only scenery, but it makes more sense to me to design for both default and Orbx. By default, I mean elevations, as Vector Land Class uses default elevations.

However this is a real nuisance, my simple little Turangi airfield is still a mess when I turn on FTX NZ, which just adds to the development time.

Arrr the Green and Had the Elevations stuck to the real deal rather a fangled this is more so called accurate mesh , ole John V would have all the scenery people on his side and the customer and would have suited Rob and everyone to a tee ! and Mee

toprob wrote:
Just a couple of points, Bernie -- the Subscription includes a slightly tweaked Real NZ Wanaka, and there is even the 'Warbirds Over Wanaka' addon around somewhere:) This was included in SLA as a Mission, but in the Sub it is a simpler drop-in scenery which adds the airshow elements.

SLA has a tool which can turn the photoscenery on and off for Wanaka, but this isn't really possible with Nelson.

This is a good time to mention that although nothing is set in stone, I do hope that the final Subscription lineup would include a number of airports in the included photoscenery areas, such as Napier, Hastings, Hood (Masterton), plus of course Subscribers will receive NZWN when it is finished. I have been thinking about what will happen when I finally package up finished areas, and I may need to have airport versions which work without the photoscenery, but that's down the track a bit.

Hi Rob

Thank you for your reply.

I install NZNI and NZSI last night and had a look at the NZ airports that I bought before installing Supercity and Tauranga and was very surprised at the improvement. I thought Orbx did a good job on upgrading the default airports but they are still very basic apart from a bit of people flow tech.

I will definitely buy a subscription on 1st June.

Cheers

Bernie.

Take a look at this post, Sonny, it should explain what'll happen in June.
But to answer your question here, all Subscribers are fully paid-up, no matter when the Subscription ends.[/quote]

Thanks Robin, Cheers

Note that I've now opened up the discount to everyone, through to the end of June, so that if I need to shut down the business, anyone interested will still have access to the scenery.
This means that the coupon code is not required to get the special price of $59.40.