Okay, so I don’t make posts like this but I feel like I need to say this. The thread above was about concerns involving retro liveries, aircraft, and more. Some of the replies I saw were not only dismissive, but sort of rude. Some words such as “be grateful” were said. The OP never stated they weren’t. Also some people didn’t seem to try and see things from the opposite side. For me, retro holds a place in my heart. I wasn’t alive and I want to experience what is long gone. I might sound like a brat, but this is a simulator. Not real life. Why is it that retro stuff is seemingly out of the question? Heck, MSFS, one of the most realistic sims out there, has retro planes. I get wanting to have realism for a simulator, it’s a cool experience. But it’s also ok to bend the rules. Some mentioned there was no point as we had tons of the same livery. I can see that point, but I’m sorry that can be applied to many things. I also felt a lot were saying it was “never going to happen.” Okay? We can still dream, don’t need to trash on our hopes. Infinite flight’s saying is “carry your passion.” Retro aviation is some people’s passion, so why is it being frowned upon? Why are people being seemingly mocked, at least to me, about this? Shouldn’t all opinions be considered? You can disagree but flat out denying or mocking the other side in a passive aggressive way is not ok. Also before I stop, I want to mention I know the other side can be a bit harsh too. Trashing on modern stuff. Why does it seem hard to just reach an agreement?
TL;DR, The things some people said in this thread made me sad, and very disappointed. I know I’m going to get some flak, but so be it. If that’s what happens because of my opinion, it happens. And I’m okay with that.
All opinions should be considered, but at the end of the day, a lot of suggestions get thrown out due to the majority wanting the IF team to focus on something else. People get angry because they want the dev’s attention on the thing that they want, but this sim’s development team is too small and too busy to cater to the smaller opinions, such as the request for retro liveries. If a larger part of the community wanted them, then they would probably focus on that, but alas, there isn’t significant demand for it, and thus it will probably never happen. As for people being rude, its the internet, people get aggressive over the smallest things on any platform.
I completely understand where your coming from and how that discussion may have upset you. I get it.
However one tip id give you for this community is to take everyone’s word (regarding the future of infinite flight, except staff ofc…) with a grain of salt. Dont even entertain those who throw out the “never going to happen” or who are rude about it, because they cant say one way or another.
I will say, retro aviation is not being frowned upon. It is simply not the current path Infinite Flight wants to pursue. They have set their boundaries because it is truly impossible to have every livery for each aircraft old, new, and future. The devs have to play a balancing act to please enough consumers to keep their business profitable.
It is fundamentally unfair to Infinite Flight to compare them to MSFS due to the significant difference in the amount of staffing(im making the assumption Microsoft is bigger than Infinite Flight LLC), and the entire market of 3rd party payware planes available to X-Plane, MSFS, P3D… etc
&
Simple answer, some people are not old enough to fully understand what they say may have unintentional harmful effects on others.
I 100% agree. However at the end of the day Infinite Flight Staff/Devs have the final say. Yes, it is in the best business interest of infinite flight to follow the greatest demand, however sometimes changing the pace can also attract new people into the sim. There’s give and take.
Fully agree, I for one can’t understand why retro liveries are frowned upon. Retro liveries are a thing, be it present day renditions of it or the real ones from yesteryear. A lot of people would fly retro liveries if they were indeed available. I enjoy the DC-10 and 747-200 because of this.
I think a majority of members have just accepted the fact that IFS will only do present day liveries.
As for members being rude, whilst I’ve found a majority of members are warm, welcoming and helpful; I’ve noticed a handful who seem quite blunt or rude when replying to people with some genuine queries.
Take it with a pinch of salt, people behind a keyboard tend to feel a little more authoritative and bolder in typing stuff out. The lack of voice and tone often gets people to read in a more negative tone and eventually reply in a blunt manner.
This forum is very useful, I do wish people were more receptive.
Here’s hoping for some retro liveries in future, I do hope the devs see beyond the current day scenario. Whilst these liveries are time consuming to make, it is not as if people won’t fly them.
Maybe they should host and event where people who are seriously interested in retro liveries can gather and see the response.
I think that post made a good point (that retro planes and liveries have a place) but used a flawed premise (that the AA A330 was a retro livery, and it not being considered meant that no other retro livery would be considered).
I’ll point out that that feature request was opened while the A330 was still in operation with American. It’s possible many of the votes came while the aircraft was still operational.
The user who said “be grateful” referred to the fact that American already has 10+ aircraft with the current livery in the sim in addition to a bunch of retro liveries already; meanwhile, there are plenty of other airlines that don’t have any representation. Personally, I took that comment to mean “AA is well represented already, pick your battles” more than “you shouldn’t complain ever.”
At the end of the day… written communication is hard, let alone on a global scale across many people who have never met or maybe even interacted before. I also suspect the mobile flight sim community skews younger and many folks are figuring out how this all (online forums, interpersonal communication, life) works.
I agree with others who have said to take posts and opinions (mine included!) with a pinch of salt, and I think your post serves as a good, always-needed reminder to be kind to one another, assume good intentions, and try to understand the perspectives of the people you’re talking to.