NZFF February 2013 newsletter thread...

[toprob]

This is where you can add any comments you might have after reading the recent email 'newsletter' (see below.)

We are already getting feedback via email, which is very promising, but since emails don't form part of the community discussion, it would make sense to post any comments here.


NZFF newsletter Feb 2013 ( New Zealand Flightsim Forums )

NZFF is still going strong, heading into 2013. One of the reasons why NZFF has succeeded for so long is the low-key promotion -- we don't push for membership numbers at the expense of our original goals. NZFF is very firmly based on 'New Zealand' and 'Flightsim'. However things change, and now and then we need to adapt to keep in step with the community members. There's been a big increase in overseas members, partly because of an increase in interest in New Zealand thanks to some professional scenery releases, from the likes of Vector Land Class and Orbx.

But from the feedback we get, some of this interest is simply because NZFF is a good place to come for some sensible advice, and a friendly place to 'hang out'. As a result some members have suggested that we extend the scope beyond New Zealand. It's hard to gauge the power of our tight focus on NZ, but personally I think that this is our main strength, and I don't think that this will change any time soon.

This doesn't mean that we are not open to extending our reach a little to cater to increased world-wide membership. Over the next few months I'd like to see some discussion on some of the requests and suggestions we've had for new sub-forums, and changes to existing sub-forums. To get the best result from these discussions, we really need input from the widest range of members possible, not just the latest members, but some of the earlier members who may have become less involved with NZFF, or have found a better 'home' forum. We'll like to know what it would take to bring you back to NZFF, and what would increase your interest.

This is just a heads-up, to give members a chance to take a new look at NZFF, and make a note of any things which you'd like to see done differently. This might be your one and only chance at having a say in where NZFF is heading, as we don't often go democratic:)

One of the most popular features recently is the monthly screenshot competition, thanks to Doug's great work sourcing some great prized through sponsorship. This month there are four prizes up for grabs, so this is a good month to get involved. You'll find the screenshot thread here:
http://nzff.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19282

Last month's competition is now open for voting, and all members can vote.
Even if you don't enter the competition, you should really vote each month, it's a great way to support the competition and encourage our sponsors to keep up the prizes! I'd love to see a lot more entries each month, but more importantly I'd like to see a lot more votes.
Here's the current voting thread:
http://nzff.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19284

Which brings me to the main point which we need to make with this newsletter -- whether you want to enter the competition, just vote each month, or get involved in any upcoming discussions on the future of NZFF, you will need to be logged in! Remember you can set the 'Remember me?' option when you log in, and this will log you in automatically whenever your visit. If you've forgotten your password, there's a handy link below. It is important that we know how many active members we have before we make any decisions to change our direction. Don't leave it up the 'vocal' few who currently contribute to the forum.

[Timmo]

My 2cw- I think we should keep NZFF as New Zealand based forum as that's the point of focus for us- Whether that be because we are from New Zealand or simply enjoy flying here. I think expanding to other countries would just dilute our raison d'etre.

I think we should also try and bring in more Xplane 10 users- With the recent release of a free scenery pack for XPlane 10, the sim really shines and conversion of existing FSX scenery can be achieved fairly easily I think. I realise that NZFF doesn't specifically exclude Xplane users, but a new 'X Plane' subforum should generate renewed interest and expand the community.

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Timmo @ Feb 3 2013,12:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My 2cw- I think we should keep NZFF as New Zealand based forum as that's the point of focus for us- Whether that be because we are from New Zealand or simply enjoy flying here. I think expanding to other countries would just dilute our raison d'etre.

Good point , We still get to see other world scenery incoming in Screen Shots and Announcement's that go with the aircraft types that you simply don't see in New Zealand .

QUOTE (Timmo @ Feb 3 2013,12:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think we should also try and bring in more Xplane 10 users- With the recent release of a free scenery pack for XPlane 10, the sim really shines and conversion of existing FSX scenery can be achieved fairly easily I think. I realise that NZFF doesn't specifically exclude Xplane users, but a new 'X Plane' subforum should generate renewed interest and expand the community.

Another Good Idea .. just recently posted after a new NZFF member ' hotelindia17' post his video all the way from Japan using Xplane , I might be able to have a look and see what this program has to offer as an outsider .

[Bazza]

QUOTE (Timmo @ Feb 3 2013,12:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My 2cw- I think we should keep NZFF as New Zealand based forum as that's the point of focus for us- Whether that be because we are from New Zealand or simply enjoy flying here. I think expanding to other countries would just dilute our raison d'etre.

That sums my thoughts up exactly...it's what makes this forum unique and to expand into "overseas" areas would only dilute our special advantage over the others. I too have noticed the recent interest shown by new "overseas" posters, they will obviously have their own localized forums, but they see an interest here.

I personally have no intention of adding other brands of Flight Sim related products, I haven't even bothered with ORBX. My reasons for this are varied, but include a wide range of other interests and lack of time. I would be the first to agree that we should keep up with the trends and usually read the posts that cover them with interest.

I think we should be mindful that there are two types of simmers, those that seem to live for the subject, and those that treat it as an interesting sideline. As long as the forum covers both sides we should survive.

I think the screenshot competitions have created interest, however the standard now required would put many off, by this I mean those with more modest equipment and knowledge.

[beaufighterguy]

I agree cattering to overseas comrades is a good thing, but it is still "New Zealand Flight Sim Forums".
Maybe create a new sub-forum of some kind? That way it would keep things basically the same, but it'd perhaps be more inviting or accommodating to our overseas friends?

[toprob]

Good stuff. There are some other directions we'll be looking at, though, such as a more 'real world' focus. There have been requests for more real world flying, and aviation photography. At the moment there is a good number of these types of topics, but still with a New Zealand emphasis. There have been some departures though which have had people asking where particular threads belong, such as New Zealanders covering overseas experiences, etc, including aviation photos.

In the past we've tried not to add too many sub-forums, and there are good reasons for that. There are a lot of points to consider when evaluating extra sub-forums. People have different reasons for making changes, but some of these reasons may or may not suit everyone. For instance, some members have trouble finding new relevant posts, but this may just mean that they are not using the forum features fully. How many of you have trouble keeping track of new topics, and sorting out the good stuff? I admit that my normal link to NZFF is via a bookmark which is the same as the 'View New Posts' link above. I only see new stuff, but I do see ALL new stuff that way.

But of course you do need to be logged in the take advantage if this, which is one of the many, many reasons why we push for automatic ('Remember me') logins. Some time ago we made a minor change to the forum which required resetting these 'remember me' cookies, and since then a lot of members have foregone this. This doesn't really matter unless these members actually find logging in difficult -- how may members can't remember their password, or even their login name? A forgotten password is easily fixed, and the 'remember me' function means that you don't need to worry about this in normal use.

[deeknow]

First up, thanks for starting the thread Robin and for kicking off the discussion. Also, would be great to see some sort of monthly/periodic management team post to the forum like this.

Re the NZ regional focus, I think this is critical for keeping the character, feel and distinction of the current forum and community. I believe it would be a terrible mistake to generalise it, there are plenty of existing broad catchment sim communities out there.

Do like the idea of incorporating more real-world stuff, and I think inclusion/encouragement of other platforms that have a NZ offering (esp X-Plane etc) is a fabulous idea.

Putting my VA hat on I'd also like to see some sort of virtual airline sub-forum as there are a good dozen or so VA's operating regularly in this region with no particular place to promote or communicate outside their own VA walled garden. I appreciate there's potential for this one to be competitive and mine-vs-yours-ish but we could set guidelines for appropriate posts and behavior. Truth is a lot of VA guys fly for more than one airline so no need to get to parochial about it.

[toprob]

QUOTE (deeknow @ Feb 3 2013,1:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do like the idea of incorporating more real-world stuff, and I think inclusion/encouragement of other platforms that have a NZ offering (esp X-Plane etc) is a fabulous idea.

Putting my VA hat on I'd also like to see some sort of virtual airline sub-forum as there are a good dozen or so VA's operating regularly in this region with no particular place to promote or communicate outside their own VA walled garden. I appreciate there's potential for this one to be competitive and mine-vs-yours-ish but we could set guidelines for appropriate posts and behavior. Truth is a lot of VA guys fly for more than one airline so no need to get to parochial about it.

A couple of good points, which others have mentioned from time to time. I'd like some more input on X-plane -- the current layout of NZFF does cater for X-plane, with most of the flightsim sub-forums able to cover X-plane. The only real oddity is the 'FSX' forum, but this has always been a bit of an odd man out. Yes, we have an FSX forum, but we don't have a FS2004 or X-plane forum. Originally the FSX forum was put in to cater for discussions before FSX was released. In retrospect, it might have been better to name it something like 'upcoming simulators', in which case it could now be used for the current Outerra topics.

But all other aspects of simming can be spread amongst the existing sub-forums, no matter what simulator is used. If you want to mention an X-plane payware aeroplane, it could easily go under 'Aircraft' or 'Announcements' if it's new. The bug in this ointment though is the 'Other Flight Simulator Games - A single forum dedicated to all other non Microsoft flight simulation games' which implies that everything else relates to MS sims. I think that it would be simpler to just change this to 'non-mainstream sims such as MS simulators and X-plane.'

So the best way to improve X-plane coverage is for those who are interested to actually post stuff in any of the existing flightsim forums. Maybe remembering to mention that it is X-plane would help, but I like the idea of non-partisan screenshot forum -- a great X-plane screenshot doesn't need to be excused in any way.

VA sub-forums are a different issue, and I'm not too clued up enough to participate too much here. However I am keen to take advantage of the existing sub-forums, especially those which are under-utilised. One of these is 'Flights'. Would this work for VAs? All we really need is a new moderator.

I'd rather see a new forum as a result of a particular topic suddenly flooding the existing forums, rather that a niche topic getting lost in a big forum.


EDIT: I don't mean to write-off any ideas at this stage, but I have notice here that I'm not afraid to give my opinion on some things:) This doesn't automatically mean that this is right, though, I'm also aware that I have my own weird traits -- I am a bit sensitive to patterns, so I get a bit anxious when things don't fit the pattern -- one such is the FSX subforum which has always annoyed me! It doesn't fit the existing pattern. This is as bad as putting scenery sub-folders into the already pre-activated Addon Scenery folder -- it has no real-world counterpart for storage, so it drives me balmy when people do this.

Yes, some people may recognise this as a form of autism, but a strong sensible argument can still break through that, so feel free to make your arguments!

[steelsporran]

I'm in the keep it Kiwi camp, you will never ever be able to cater for everyone. Those who want different things are quite capable of finding them elsewhere themselves. We do it now, posting heads-ups from what we find on other forums.

[J7G]

I do think that the focus needs to remain on NZ but I'd like to see a bunch more overseas people on here to freshen up the air a bit.

[freaknout]

Here's my 2p as a expat newbie

My sense is that you've gotta keep doing what you do best and that is...NZ centric discussion (where the hell else would you go) but keep with a world view (so nothing is excluded).

The friendly and tolerant approach that everyone takes here is really important. Sometimes it's not WHAT people say but HOW and in my FS travels it appears there are militant (not just the aircraft ) views that I can see no real basis for in the real world.

I think this is a great place. Visit and read daily.

JJ

[zkcav]

I agree with most of what has been said here; NZFF is exactly that - aimed at NZ Fight Sim with a majority of postings coming from Kiwis, ex-pats or someone interested in Simming in Gods own.

One thing I would add is the international flavor is good and opens our eyes to what is "out there" with a heads - up to what other developers are doing in other parts of the globe. I've bought more than one add on scenery that isn't NZ on the basis of what I've seen in these forums.

My opinion is it is quite rounded in it's present form with enough information presented to satisfy my simming requirements. I'd be interested in seeing both X Plane and VA discussions out of curiosity since I've had little exposure to either.

[sjimc2000]

Hi Guys ,, first post here even tho I've been a member for years. I'm a full time lurker and visit here nearly daily but on this one ,, I just had to "have my say"

My view is to keep the forum the way it is ,,, this is "home" for all of us and it's got that unque "Kiwi" flavour.

Keep the FSX slot ,,, and add an "X-Plane" slot and then the 2 main one's are covered ,, at least then us Kiwi's have somewhere to throw in things about the sim we fly or need help or have something to share.

No to VA's unless it's something special for us Kiwi's ,,, the forum world is full of slots for VA's that now no longer exist.
VA's have their own website at anyrate so to have one here would be just "advertising" (If thats the word)
But ,, Yes to an organized place where we can "free-fly" or tour and meet one-an-other.

Yes to NZ real pictures ,,, I really like seeing the one's here.(Some great pictures)
Yes to real NZ aviation stuff.

On the international thing ,,, Keep it Kiwi ,,, there are some great International Guys already here and they really add to the place but to open it out so the Kiwi thing is gone ,, I'm sorry ,, the forum will loose it's present attraction.

Ok all ,, thanks for the opportunity ,, now back to lurking mode for another 10 years


Cheers ,, Jim

[toprob]

Thanks for that, Jim, you make some good points. Great to see you popping in here, don't be a stranger!

We'll keep this topic simmering for a while, and see what ideas crop up.

[Fozzer]

I pop in to see what is going on, many times a day, since joining, and I am always disappointed to see that there is no Forum dedicated to we enthusiastic FS 2004 Users.
I have all the MS Flight Sims since FS '98, including FSX, but my particular Hardware, and all my various Freeware and Payware programs, suit my FS 2004 admirably, in common with other Flight Sim Forums, and give much more enjoyment and realism than my copy of FSX ever does!

We often have specific queries, comments, suggestions, and general chat, related to FS 2004 in particular...(Note that "Problems" related to FS 2004 are practically non-existent!... ...).

I am always curious, comparing the present number of FSX Users, and the rest of the other Microsoft Flight Sim Users, including FS 2000/FS 2002/FS 2004/CFS1, 2, 3, enthusiasts?

Are we FS 2004 Dedicated Users a dying breed?... ....!

Although I am English, I have Sim flown/explored Northern USA, and California in particular, since Flight Unlimited II, some 18 years ago, mainly for the extremely varied scenery, and being very familiar with the areas over time, I can join many of their residents in Multiplayer Sessions in various Forums.

The NZ Flight Sim Forums are mainly dedicated to New Zealand Flight Sim residents, mainly using FSX as their preferred Simulator and add-ons.

Another thing; Whenever I post Screen Shots , I ALWAYS indicate which flight Sim I am using, for all those interested in Flight Sims other than FSX!

Paul...FS 2004+FS Navigator+Plan-G v2.05...G-BPLF... ...!

P.S...there is no way that any of the highly detailed ORB-X, custom-designed, etc, FSX-type scenery will run on my present hardware at acceptable frame rates, which is suitable only for FS 2004!
Note also; that the scenery and mesh layout is different between FS 2004 and FSX in Multiplayer Sessions...>>> http://203.114.130.15:81/

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Fozzer @ Feb 22 2013,11:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are we FS 2004 Dedicated Users a dying breed?... ....!

No i don't think so , I needed a Phantom fix and the only place to go for the best is FS9/FS2004 .. after all it was a Century of Flight ! .. i am amazed with the PC now 10 years newer runs the program - graphics cards of what we use today turn the program on it head !

Shortly will have a look at Xplane just to see what the rave is but only for the outta box stuff "Islandboy" Pete was talking about .