Surprise surprise. I've been warning about df1 demise for months and when I finally shut it down (after 6 months delay!) Everyone panic!

Well, let me get some things straight. Df1 cannot and won't be updated. Two main reasons:
1) Technologically it is obsolete. I can't update it.
2) It produces no income.

I've been getting some very nice emails where greedy bastard is the nicest thing I read on them. Apparently many think I'm swimming on cash and I want to milk them even more. Now the real facts.

Df1 has almost 15 million players. That's ton of people.
Dogfight Elite has less than 2 thousand players. Very little by comparison.

Dogfight Elite generates MORE money than Df1 already.

With Df1 and 15 million players, I pay out of my pocket around $3000 a month after all income. It's not that it doesn't cover the costs, nope, it's that I'm actually paying to keep those guys able to play an obsolete game. That's how much I'm swimming on cash that at this point I'm the only employee at Echoboom.

So I have to take measures. If 2000 players on a game pays more than 15 million people... it is clear that there are TON of people abusing our trust. I love df1 and I would love to keep updating it but besides technologically impossible, I'm not here (neither are the subscribers in the game) to pay for the free loaders, specially when they are incredibly unthankful and think they are entitled for you to pay for their games.

I've seen also many posts from people saying that after all the money they've spent on the game now I shut them down. Well, I'm curious individual and when I read that the first thing I check is their account to see how much they've spent. 99% of the times that number is zero. Yeah, they are just bullshitting big time. Not only that, some have been playing it for free for over 2 years! Fine, but at least don't come to insult and complain with lies. If every person that wrote to me complaining about how much they've spent on df1 was true... I would have enough money to hire 200 employees.

As for the news about Df1. I'm giving it a bit more time because I just feel bad for some players who are honest, have paid and simply do not have yet a better phone. But I'm trimming it considerably because I can't afford the cost of keeping Df1 running any longer.

1) Df1 will have only 1 server. And probably a huge amount of lag. All other servers will be moved to Elite already because it is not fair for people that pay to have to share those servers with people who don't.

2) Df1 will have chat disabled and not in a distant future Forum access disabled since I have to migrate this forum to Elite and I can't have both different databases at once connecting.

3) Df1 was not a great, awesome or best game ever. It's not me saying it, it is you saying it. Apparently I'm the only one to remember that on December, right before Dogfight Elite was launched, these same people was saying that Df1 is crap, a scam, piece of junk and they were not going to pay or subscribe for it because it was so horrible (they hated it so much they played it free 2 years because you know...). Come Dogfight Elite, and without a single change on Df1, this same people is saying Df1 is the best thing after ice cream. Fine. Prove it, subscribe to df1 in masse now please so I can keep this awesome game and servers running! You were either bs before or now. Pick your time frame.

4) Df1 will die. There is no discussion about this, either that or you transfer me voluntarily the $3000 missing for breakeven monthly and you'll feel as happy and proud as me to maintain over 14 million players playing on your dime (and trust me, freeloaders are hyper thankful, I can give them your email so they can write to you, work 14 hours/day coding including weekends and maintain their servers too for no cost on their side!). I'll be happy to keep it running without touching it if you do that for me. Otherwise I feel sorry for those that keep playing Df1 without moving to Elite. They will be missing ton of stuff living in the past.

Those are my last words about Df1.

Lastly, if instead of complaining about Dogfight Elite (some without even trying it), you let me know what's failing I try my best to fix it. You just have to follow the different threads on Elite to see that I'm not bullshitting. Tons of stuff have been fixed since January and my day to day work is to improve and fix Dogfight Elite.

To all my friends of dogfight community, my humble request is try to encourage not discourage a person who is the reason behind Df1 or Elite. One can feel the pain he is going through after reading this post.

It's really unwanted for using abusive language in email not just for zuperman but for anyone. It's really shameful and disgusting. Kindly avoid spoiling the day for the person who is working hard to come up to our expectations.

If the game is not working, you can either suspend the subscription till you are able to play. Zuperman had never forced anyone to pay for subscription. He is working hard and for that he deserve encouragement and helping hands of df community to make this DF Elite game better than DF1.

Let us pass the information he needed to remove the shortcoming and give him time and respect for what he is doing. Always remember, this game has build many good friendship and I personally very grateful to zuperman for that for giving us platform to meet such lovely people.

Zuperman, for me you are doing great job and will feel honored if I could be of any help to you. You'll keep getting inputs from myself.

Hope there are plenty of members in our community who think on same line.

Thanks Zup, I appreciate the update on where things stand.

Zup, I think you sell yourself short. I think that many of the players of the original DF, will tell you that it "is" a great game (I for one think so). I will migrate over to the new Elite game and try to figure it out, and maybe one day I will forget the "old" game. I may be in the minority, but I have told you before on the forum and in PM's, I have loved this game from the beginning. I for one thank you for the countless hours of enjoyment I have had. Keep fighting the good fight and get rid of the freeloaders. Either pay, or get out.

For the people who want to say I am kissing zup's a$$. You don't know me very well. I just speak my mind, one way or the other.

I kept up my subscription with Dogfight even in times that I rarely got to play. Just recently let it expire because the future was uncertain.

I paid for the download of Elite, but after the Android crash issue, I've decided to wait to subscribe until the game smooths out and I have time to play more than once a month.

If everyone had chipped in the whopping $1.99, maybe we wouldn't be in this boat.

As with all things in life, you can't please everyone. And if it ever occurs that you do,
Wake up and get dressed, you just had a really good dream!

Had just ceased my subscription to DF1 as I expected it to die very soon , am about to renew it again . Thanks Zup for all you do.

zuperman wrote: Surprise surprise. I've been warning about df1 demise for months and when I finally shut it down (after 6 months delay!) Everyone panic!

Well, let me get some things straight. Df1 cannot and won't be updated. Two main reasons:
1) Technologically it is obsolete. I can't update it.
2) It produces no income.

I've been getting some very nice emails where greedy bastard is the nicest thing I read on them. Apparently many think I'm swimming on cash and I want to milk them even more. Now the real facts.

Df1 has almost 15 million players. That's ton of people.
Dogfight Elite has less than 2 thousand players. Very little by comparison.

Dogfight Elite generates MORE money than Df1 already.

With Df1 and 15 million players, I pay out of my pocket around $3000 a month after all income. It's not that it doesn't cover the costs, nope, it's that I'm actually paying to keep those guys able to play an obsolete game. That's how much I'm swimming on cash that at this point I'm the only employee at Echoboom.

So I have to take measures. If 2000 players on a game pays more than 15 million people... it is clear that there are TON of people abusing our trust. I love df1 and I would love to keep updating it but besides technologically impossible, I'm not here (neither are the subscribers in the game) to pay for the free loaders, specially when they are incredibly unthankful and think they are entitled for you to pay for their games.

I've seen also many posts from people saying that after all the money they've spent on the game now I shut them down. Well, I'm curious individual and when I read that the first thing I check is their account to see how much they've spent. 99% of the times that number is zero. Yeah, they are just bullshitting big time. Not only that, some have been playing it for free for over 2 years! Fine, but at least don't come to insult and complain with lies. If every person that wrote to me complaining about how much they've spent on df1 was true... I would have enough money to hire 200 employees.

As for the news about Df1. I'm giving it a bit more time because I just feel bad for some players who are honest, have paid and simply do not have yet a better phone. But I'm trimming it considerably because I can't afford the cost of keeping Df1 running any longer.

1) Df1 will have only 1 server. And probably a huge amount of lag. All other servers will be moved to Elite already because it is not fair for people that pay to have to share those servers with people who don't.

2) Df1 will have chat disabled and not in a distant future Forum access disabled since I have to migrate this forum to Elite and I can't have both different databases at once connecting.

3) Df1 was not a great, awesome or best game ever. It's not me saying it, it is you saying it. Apparently I'm the only one to remember that on December, right before Dogfight Elite was launched, these same people was saying that Df1 is crap, a scam, piece of junk and they were not going to pay or subscribe for it because it was so horrible (they hated it so much they played it free 2 years because you know...). Come Dogfight Elite, and without a single change on Df1, this same people is saying Df1 is the best thing after ice cream. Fine. Prove it, subscribe to df1 in masse now please so I can keep this awesome game and servers running! You were either bs before or now. Pick your time frame.

4) Df1 will die. There is no discussion about this, either that or you transfer me voluntarily the $3000 missing for breakeven monthly and you'll feel as happy and proud as me to maintain over 14 million players playing on your dime (and trust me, freeloaders are hyper thankful, I can give them your email so they can write to you, work 14 hours/day coding including weekends and maintain their servers too for no cost on their side!). I'll be happy to keep it running without touching it if you do that for me. Otherwise I feel sorry for those that keep playing Df1 without moving to Elite. They will be missing ton of stuff living in the past.

Those are my last words about Df1.

Lastly, if instead of complaining about Dogfight Elite (some without even trying it), you let me know what's failing I try my best to fix it. You just have to follow the different threads on Elite to see that I'm not bullshitting. Tons of stuff have been fixed since January and my day to day work is to improve and fix Dogfight Elite.

Thanks Zup! So quick question. You said there is not a specific date yet as to when df1 shuts down completely. However is there a date or at least an estimate for the cutoff to transfer accounts to Elite?

Accounts and stats have been transferred over twice now. Once at the beginning of the year, and the second time about a month ago.

Right now it's automatic the first time you log into Elite.

I can't guarantee it will be like that for long since I'm beginning to make lot of changes already that do not allow for compatibility of older vs new account system.

Again, although I don't have a specific date, if you can move to Elite, do so as soon as you can or you may find yourself without being able to transfer to Elite all the progress from df1 at any moment. I don't take into consideration df1 any more when developing for Elite because I want it to move forward fast.

As my big green brother said above, i have loved dogfight since the first time i played(and got my butt kicked), and have every belief that elite will be better than the original. I have seen many games disappear as technology has moved on, there will be more, it is the same way in real life. People, or games, will enter your life stay for awhile, some forever some not so long, it is the way of the world, real or online.
Thank you Zuperman for introducing me and many others to dogfight and the community that has evolved from it. I look forward to advances in elite.

Both games are great, I hope the business plan for elite is more sound. 14,000,000 players, even if you lose a good percentage by making it more advantageous to subscribe I would like to think it would at least make some kind of profit.
Ha! I think it's funny that you access the information of the complainers and can see how much they've paid! They might just think twice before complaining if they know that!

Proud subscriber to both! Zup, call me out and shame me if I am bullshitting. They are both great games. Good enough that I fight with the wife if I want to play! Keep it up! Don't sweat the bitching. If people didn't love and care about the game, you wouldn't get any feedback, even the negative.

Hey, how about a new color code for subscribers at the bottom of the forum page where it shows who's online. It already color codes us according to our board status or maybe you can't post at all if not a subscriber

Pfft! Scrooge McZup is swimming through his mountains of gold and laughing at my Beta tapes!

Not nice, Zup

pmoon1{WP***} wrote: Hey, how about a new color code for subscribers at the bottom of the forum page where it shows who's online. It already color codes us according to our board status or maybe you can't post at all if not a subscriber

The gold crown is suppose to show who is a subscriber or not, however it doesn't show for me but I subscribe to Elite, therefore it must just be connected to DF1.

What if subscribers earned more points per hit/kill?

No mentioning in the World ranking will fix it all.

No one ever paid for thát, and it's for the "in-crowd" only.

Ill admit. I haven't subscribed. And I do love this game. I met a lot of great people. And yea, a lot of idiots too. Zup, thanks for all the fun man. Truly. I'll be moving on. TO ELITE!! Ya buddy. Cyall soon.

THIS LETTER FROM ZUPERMAN SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR ALL WHO PLAY EITHER VERSION OF DOGFIGHT!

I have urged everyone since I started this to support by subscribing. I have little respect for the whining and endless rationalizations as to just why someone is entitled to play for free. Pay up, or get out. Zup, you are much nicer than I am!

Dunc7 wrote: THIS LETTER FROM ZUPERMAN SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR ALL WHO PLAY EITHER VERSION OF DOGFIGHT!

I have urged everyone since I started this to support by subscribing. I have little respect for the whining and endless rationalizations as to just why someone is entitled to play for free. Pay up, or get out. Zup, you are much nicer than I am!

I also agree. Pay the subscription and support. I have to renew my subscription tomorrow