It's a well known fact that you can't please everyone. It's also well known that you are trying. For that I and many others are grateful.
Trying to please those of us who use Track Ir with FB has been I'm sure, like opening pandora's box. Some want the full range of veiw, others are against it, and endless threads are devoted to what will always be a never ending argument.
One important piece of information does arise from all this disscussion though and that is that every one who use's Track Ir and Fb, or any other sim for that matter has a different set of need's. Some play on line and feel the full range of view gives one an unfair advantage. Others who only fly off-line feel it only adds to the games immersion.
Taking a poll and basing the developement of your latest version of the software on it's results, will only fan the flames. Some people will get "upset" others will praise. it doesn't matter whether it's the full or limited view.
If you put out two versions, one offering the limited view, and the other with out, well the result will no doubt be the same. But at least your customers, with all their many different needs will be able to choose the version that they feel they need. How they use it is up to them.
Personally, I like the full range of view. When the later version of the software came out with the restricted view, I installed it and used it for a couple of months but didn't care for it. I decided that the extra feild of view made up somewhat for the difficulty in seeing the virtual world in 2 dimentions, on a flat screen and from a tiny cockpit. Flying the sim is much more satisfying now and satisfying is a good thing for me.
If I had to guess, or make a bet, many other Track Ir users did the same thing and reverted back to the "full" range of view version. Many just won't admit it, because they'd get hammered at the various forums. I'd also be willing to bet that, should a new version be released that doesn't feature the full range of view, the users who presently use the full view Version will either skip downloading it, or revert back to the version that best suits them.
As for the "unfair advantage" folks? Well I don't fly online as much as I used to do with "vanilla" Il-2. Maybe once or twice a week now compared with the past where it was every day. But you know what? Even with the extra field of view, wether it's online or off, I still suck just as much as before! I haven't become the virtual ace that everyone against the full view assumes one will become.
Summary:
IMHO, having the ability to fully view around the virtual FB world makes things more pleasant, but thats about it. It's not the secret weapon the "sky is falling crowd" would make us believe.
Offer both versions. You'll make a few people happy, and you'll make a few mad. no matter what you do now, your dammed if you do and dammed if you don't anyway. But at least "we" get to choose what we feel we need and not be forced to have some one else choose for us.
I hope at least some of this made sence.
Thanks,
I/JG 3 Jaeger
[ June 18, 2003, 02:16 PM: Message edited by: Jaeger ]