What to expect going forward?

[splotch]

Hi All,

I played for a while a couple of years ago, under a username I've since lost, and just got an urge to come back to give it another try. It's a really wonderful game, and I give full credit to Sami and all the dedicated users that make it so much enjoyable! That said, there are still some issues which come up over and over again and really don't seem to have been addressed since I played last.

For me, and it seems for many others, the main issue is the difficulty (and sometimes impossibility) of operating profitable airlines out of smaller bases. And I don't mean difficulty in absolute terms - I'm fine with games being "easy" or "hard" - but rather the relative difficulty. Starting at a large airport at the beginning of a game, it's pretty trivial to achieve explosive profits.

The cause of this difficulty has been discussed in many other posts. It's largely a function of how staffing costs scale, but it's also somewhat a function of how marketing costs scale. In any case, these are well discussed. I will point out that this also inhibits the ability of players to join a gameworld late, when the larger airports are largely occupied.

My question is, and I apologize if there is an answer somewhere in the forum that I haven't found, whether management of the game (read Sami) views this as an ongoing issue that needs to be rectified. If I come back in another year, will I be able to base in Christchuch, New Zealand and run Aerospatiale N262s to Invercargill and Hokitika for a profit? I know these profits won't compete with airlines flying LHR-JFK, but it should still be sustainable. This type of airline exists in real life, and it could also exist in this game with a little tinkering (specifically to staffing and marketing costs).

So... yeah... we all know (right?) that the game could be better if we expanded the viability of smaller airports (and smaller aircraft - they go together). What can I expect on this front going forward?

And, again, I love the game, even with this flaw - I'm not just trying to be confrontational!

Thanks,
Splotch

[Sami]

Yes, operating costs for very small airlines need tuning. User have provided some solid "research" data on the previous games (partly on my request) on this.

(However, it's currently not on the top of to-do things - meanwhile some minor tuning could be possible)

[TranceAvia]

very pleased to hear it!

[splotch]

Yes, operating costs for very small airlines need tuning. User have provided some solid "research" data on the previous games (partly on my request) on this.

(However, it's currently not on the top of to-do things - meanwhile some minor tuning could be possible)

Indeed - there are always more pressing concerns, bugs to fix and fires to put out, etc. But I'm excited to hear that it's at least on the drawing board. Keep up the great work, Sami!