OK, fine, so WTIUs are delayed. MTH still selling trains and specifically high end Premier with whistle steam. They want to promote the app and while that's not my preferred choice, a compromise can be made. There are still folks out there with DCS Explorers from starter sets. It's effectively a single channel TIU with Wifi. One of the huge complaints is that not only is single fixed channel limited to about 5A (input says 6A, but the fuse is rated at 5A), and it cannot be used in passive mode. But the real kicker in the teeth is the software limitations. They limit to 3 locos, no advanced functions- not even whistle steam. So let me get this right, you start off, you buy MTH starter set. You then get deeper into the hobby and buy a whistle steam equipped engine, no TIUs are available to buy, you have DCS via the explorer, but you are crippled by a software limitation. MTH sells upgrade app licenses but they ONLY work when used with a TIU and WIU, not the explorer. MTH already has the billing model in place for upgrade licenses. They have the hardware out there.
What I'm proposing is another upgrade license for the DCS Explorer in which you unlock some of the hidden features and key ones like whistle steam. It just seems to me this tiering of the system, forcing the starter set user to buy a TIU and effectively chuck their Explorer. The just sets pretty off-putting.
Again, this simple, create an upgrade license or new version of the app that unlocks the DCS Explorer with some features so you can keep selling high end trains and not cripple your customer base with a control system that you cannot even build.
Let's think outside of box, let's do right for the customer- build your ever expanding customer base, still making money with licensing upgrades- a process and function already in place, and keep promoting DCS and MTH PS3 as a viable control system.
Mentioned in the recent talk with Trainworld was a beta version of the app. Obviously MTH is working on the app, this is a couple of bits flipped that literally turns on and off existing features of the app. Leverage your exiting customer base and products already out there, make some money in the process to cover development costs, but in the end- KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS BUYING AND ABLE TO RUN TRAINS with DCS.
Again, maybe at some point in time the marketing team decided to crippled the explorer so they have to upgrade, but if you cannot produce the hardware to sell, how about selling the software upgrade?
I'll also ay this, if the intent was to limit features to make the explorer easier and less confusing to the sorting user that too was a fail.
Stop failing and start winning back some customers.
) quirky. I noticed that it seems to only look for the TIU only once when installing with no way to force it to look again.
