rec.autos.simulators

  I'm really suprised by Ten's pricing structure.  All one has to do is
look at Airwarrior to see how participation and growth was limited by
highcosts.  You had maybe a couple of hundred people Nationwide who
regularly participated in AW and the rest would be curious folks who came,
enjoyed the flying, but then either left because of technical hurdles or
the huge bills.
  AOL and Compuserve have watched millions of users leave, some right
away-others who've been with them for years, due to thier high online
surcharges.
AOL finally got a clue and has been swamped since they went to a 20$ fixed
price.
And you know whose been clogging AOL's pipes the most??? Airwarriors.
  Ten will see an initial burst of users, but thier long term commitment
is doubtful.  Papyrus too will see the same dedicated group that flocks to
Hawaii, but who else?
$30 for ten, $15 to $19 for most ISP's, or a buck an hour for local
dial-up.  $40 to $50 a month is pretty racey for the average Joe.  Papyrus
& TEN need to get a package that would TOP out at maybe 20.00 dollars a
month.  And that is still pretty steep since you'll be having ISP charges
or Dial up costs on top of those.
  Just like the famous guy once said.
Those who forget History are....
Dave Henrie

If Blizzard can offer it for free with Battlenet. Then why can't
everyone?

I would think about it at $10. Anything higher to me is no worth it.

Q.B.M.

Nope, I would have to disagree with you on this one.  First of all,
Compuserve tried the unlimited thing and took quite a beating
before finally giving up...Can you say "Wow!"?...

Also, keep in mind that the price for an on-line service - even when
combined with the price of TEN and an NRO membership - is a
fraction of what it used to cost when racing on Hawaii.  My bill
hasn't been as bad as some, but the above mentioned services
have price-caps to keep the monthly NASCAR expenses at an
acceptable level...Can you say "Budget!"?  ;)

Best Regards,

Marc J. Nelson
Sim Racing News

Not only that, but TEN is not the easiest place to connect to in some parts
of the country... C***te for one, TEN doesn't even have a fast
connection here. Only slow connectoin games via a TEN connection which is
supposed to be the fastest. And if you already have your own ISP... good
luck finding one that can reach TEN in under 10 hops and a less than 200ms
time per hop.

I like the Quote...

This may apply to you sir, but not to me.  My bill for Hawaii the past few
months?  $0.  The phonebill was just to dang high.  And I doubt my bill to
TEN will ever get much higher either. ( $0 ).

Those that can afford it,  Drive on Brothers!  Just be sure to tell us
about all the fun we are
missing, ok?  :-)

Since N2 supports 8-player IPX, perhaps we'll get a race on one of the
new N2-Kali sites.  You won't miss a thing.  :)

Best Regards,

Marc J. Nelson
Sim Racing News

  Yes I know the cost of TEN will probably be less than what the die-hard
Hawaiians spend each month.  But for NRO to suceed long term, you are
going to need lots and lots of users, and that means folks who don't have
a lot to spend each month.
  How many folks buy a new PC game each and every month.  That is about
what a straight Ten/ISP connect "COULD" cost.  
  Now I'm the first to admit, there is no pricing announced yet, AND I'm
willing to bet that a NRO only access on TEN may be quite a-bit less than
full access to TEN's entire game list.  So while 50 -60 bucks may seem
like heaven to you, to the masses that ultimately will make or break
online ***, it seems pretty dang high.
Dave Henrie

I am sure I did, but at least my wife still talks to me.  Or did.  ( Visa
Bill came in :-) )

Well, it won't be for lack of trying.  But my ISP is only giving me pings
of the mid 500s.  Tried AT&T, but theirs was in the mid 700s.    Luckly, I
have a friend across town who likes to race.

OTOH, Mega player games such as Air Warrior, Warbirds, and NRO use a
client-server technology.  They have a central server that keeps track
of everything, and processes every packet sent.  This takes bucks.
You need an extreemly powerful server to be able to keep up with all
the packets going through it, and oodles of bandwith to handle all the
traffic.  

Don't get me wrong, I also think TEN and the NRO are a tad pricy, but
comparing it to Kali or Battlenet is comparing apples and oranges.
They're two entirely different things.

David

*** You're only young once, but you can stay immature forever ***

Yeah me too...Just kinda' wished I still lived in LA when it comes to h2h.
Not too many here in the stix.  :(

Best Regards,

Marc 'L8BRKR' Nelson
Sim Racing News - USA