Just what I DIDN'T want , another software subscription

[swdw]

So many packages are going subscription based these days. While a good deal for developers, I don't think they stop to think of the impact on the consumer. Right now, If I upgraded all the software I own to subscription based, it would cost me over 2 grand a year.

Then there's the issue with some releases being a complete disaster that never gets fixed until the next major release because of what 'appeared' to be great ideas that didn't pan out. I prefer to wait for reviews before upgrading.

And the annual costs are only going to keep going up as more developers go to this model. I was sooo thankful the Vegas Pro offered either a purchase or subscription version. Got more extras with the subscription, but I'd tried it and had enough software update issues with the service, I no longer wanted to use it.

Wish all developers would go the route of offering purchase or subscription.

So for now, I'll stay with TRS2019

Just my 2 cents.

 

[HiBaller]

I'm with you, man. The biggest software house I'm worried about is Microsoft. Windows 11 is only one step away from a subscription operating system. Can you imagine the hold they will have of millions and millions of suckers--er--customers?

Bill

 

[DARTrider]

I'm with you, man. The biggest software house I'm worried about is Microsoft. Windows 11 is only one step away from a subscription operating system. Can you imagine the hold they will have of millions and millions of suckers--er--customers?

Bill

Same, I will stay with TRS19 for a loooong time, and Windows 11 is getting out of hand. If I had to pay 70 bucks a year for a game that I could just buy once and be done I would flip out. There is no reason to pay so much money/year for a game. Although, N3V isn't a multi-billion dollar corporation like Google, Microsoft or Apple and they need a steady cash stream somehow, so a subscription benefits game development but costs users thousands. The only thing I reckon would solve this is to just go back to how it was before, buy it once, get the rest for free.

My opinion.

 

[wreeder]

Software subscriptions are hardly the cash cow that people think they are. They produces more or less the same amount of revenue that perpetual license software brings in. It does as Tony has pointed out, levels out the revenue to be less boom or bust which makes it far easier to convince investors to advance a company capital to expand or finish a major product.

I do agree that the more acceptable form of a subscription is one that is like a layaway plan. I pay a bit every month until I have paid the full price of the software and then I get to keep it. That is why I'm going to sign up for the newest deal to get TRS22.

I also have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription which renews tomorrow by the way. For $99 a year, I can install the latest greatest version of Office on up to 5 PCs and 2 tablets or phones. But the real value to me is the up 5 terabytes of online storage I get included. I would pay at least $99 a year just for 1 TB so I win just on that alone.

 

[nicky9499]

But the real value to me is the up 5 terabytes of online storage I get included.

Yes but a 5TB hard drive can be had (in my country at least) for US$130 which will last way longer than a year (a decade if you take care of it).
And I can access all of it at speeds that are at least an order of magnitude faster than the average broadband connection.

How often are you away from your primary workstation that you really routinely need 5TB of cloud storage anyway?

 

[Forester1]

But you are going to have to back up that 5TB hard drive somewhere, so you either buy 2 or maybe use online for backup. At any rate, I don't see why people want to complain so much about the subscription model. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE! It's a choice, so if you want to just buy TS22, just buy TS22. I don't get what all the whining is about.

 

[pware]

I'm a Trainz Plus subscriber (monthly). I joined about 3 months ago for a 12 month trial after resisting N3Vs subscription offer since its initial announcement. So far I have no complaints and I have the benefit of trialing the new TRS22, which is currently on one of my two Trainz Plus computers.

I agree with Forester1, the subscription is an option only, you don't have to get it if you don't want it. Tony has stated that it will not become the only option so why do people keep complaining about it? Unless we want to turn these forums into yet another a conspiracy theory - "The flat earth theorists are all wrong, because the earth is not actually real!".

The subscription model is certainly not for everyone. A "one off" purchase makes sense for many users - pay for it once and keep it forever. Repeat for the next version.

This was the model I had followed since my first Trainz purchase and I got to keep all those versions that appear in my timeline above. But where are they now? All digital "dust" or at the tip. I came across my original box set for Trainz 2006 the other day in a forgotten corner of a cupboard. I must have missed it in a clean-out after I installed a later version. I just checked my MyTrainz Digital Downloads - I still have access to T:ANE and TRS19 installers but I doubt very much that I will ever be reinstalling them. Interestingly, TRS22 also appears in my list but as I will have it in the next Trainz Plus (non-beta) update, I will not need to download and install that either.

But all the above is just my opinion based on my experiences and circumstances. Others will have different experiences and circumstances and will reach different opinions.

 

[wilts747]

The purchase/subscription models work just fine on the condition they compliment each other while retaining a level playing field and don't create a two tier game. Currently those with a subscription are buying into a number of extras, which do not change the basic TRS, and as others have said we are all free to pay our money and make our own choice to suit our interests and pocket and hopefully it will remain so. Peter

 

[wreeder]

Yes but a 5TB hard drive can be had (in my country at least) for US$130 which will last way longer than a year (a decade if you take care of it).
And I can access all of it at speeds that are at least an order of magnitude faster than the average broadband connection.

How often are you away from your primary workstation that you really routinely need 5TB of cloud storage anyway?

I do use a Raid 5 network storage device with 10 TB of storage capacity. But it automatically backups certain folders to the cloud so that my friend in Thailand and I can share work files.