Hi All
As per my previous post, to maintain support for the older editions on the DLS is not as simple as not blocking them.
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showpost.php?p=591108&postcount=144
As has been shown, any changes that we make (including to make the DLS more secure, so as to protect the end users from virus' etc) can cause older editions of Trainz to simply not be able to download. Any new functions that we may wish to implement, so as to make it easier for the end user to download will either not come to fruition, or will require us to only half do it (hence it may not work correctly if it were implemented), since it may break any abilities for the older editions of Trainz to download.
Of course, we could patch the older editions. But this is not viable when there are a multitude of older editions, for which support (technical support, updates, etc) will be dropped in September. Hence if we did continue to provide DLS access for these versions, we would also need to continue providing support for them, which is costly. Hence, by dropping support, we must drop support for them on the DLS, otherwise we either end up with the DLS stagnating (no updates, which can be very bad, and no new features, or anything else, such as bug fixing on the DLS), or we must drop the older editions.
As such, anyone who is using an unsupported edition may have direct (TDH, CMP, etc) access blocked after the End of Support date.
Q: Can I still access the Download Station from within Trainz, Trainz Helper, or
Content Manager after the end-of-support date? A: Access to our servers from an unsupported product is not guaranteed, regardless of your level of Download Station access. You may need to download the content separately and then manually move it into the unsupported Trainz installation.
However, if you do either have an active FCT or a newer edition of Trainz in your profile, you will have access through other means (either via FTP downloads, or by downloading using the newer edition, then manually transferring it to the unsupported edition of Trainz). Of course, the access methods for unsupported editions of Trainz will change, either to the above, or to other methods in future. This is because we may change the DLS in future, which can cause problems with these older editions. We may, or may not, immediately terminate direct DLS access for unsupported editions, however we will not support their direct access if they do not connect after this time.
In regards to uploads, please keep in mind that TRS2004/TRS2006 covers 7 versions alone (version numbers in configs that is): 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6
As there are editions of TRS2004 and TRS2006 that did not receive patches (for what ever reasons), we would need to provide upload support for all of these versions. This actually means that we need to cover 7 different config.txt variations alone (since each build can add and remove tags depending on updates that may be made). Plus the following builds, which will be supported after September: 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1. Thats 12 builds so far, each with it's own changes to available tags for the config.txt files, not including the multiple different 'kinds' of assets. This does make the automatic checks for the uploads system very clunky, and much more than it should be.
Only a few months ago (late last year), we were seeing problems caused by this as well. There were calls to have it fixed, which did happen, but only after weeks of work. By limiting the number of builds that can be uploaded under, this work would be a lot easier, as the configs became more standardized, and of course there are fewer variations that need to be taken into account.
Of course, any future releases of Trainz (or possibly even service packs) will add to this, since we do introduce new features/functions into each edition. As such, this will increase the number of builds that we need to support to even more. As such, this will become near impossible to handle the multitude of variations in the code for the DLS, and will continue to make the system clunky and may make the system unstable.
For content already on the DLS, as has been said, we do not have any plans to actively remove content at this time. Our current policy is to only remove content that does not meet the Terms and Conditions for uploads, or breaks the COC. We may, in future, look at removing content, in particular content that is 'faulty' in Trainz. However, we do not plan to do so at this time. We also do not wish to break other items on the DLS that might require any items removed, and as such it is not an action that would be taken lightly.
In regards to FCT's, we do not promise new items with them. They are purely for access to the DLS without the download limits (100M/day, slower speed, possibility of server full messages, etc). This ability will not be removed, and at this stage, you will still have access to the thousands of items available for TRS2006 and older. Some items may still be removed, as per the above paragraph, however this is currently no our policy. By requiring a FCT to access the legacy content, you will be helping to offset the cost of continuing to host this legacy content, which does cost money to host, since it does require space on the server. And it is not free for us to do this, nor to provide the downloads.
In regards to support. We offer support for an item for 4 years after the release date. After this time, we do not offer any support for that edition. If an edition was sold from our store within the mandatory warranty period for an item that is sold (for example, if the mandatory warrant is 12 months, and the item is sold within 12 months of EOS), then we will still cover this (for example a disc that fails during use). However, warranty does not require us to provide technical support if the item is outside our support life cycle. This is why you find bargain bin games for companies that no longer have websites (there are many out there...). If you receive a dodgy disc, you can take it back to the store. However, you won't receive technical support for it.
That said, if I happen to know the fix for an issue, I will offer a suggestion. I will also explain that the software is no longer supported. However, I will provide some suggestions for you to try, particularly if it is an issue I've seen before. For example, I would suggest updating the drivers if a person is seeing graphics issues.
As has been said, please keep this thread friendly. We all have our own opinions, but we also must ensure that this thread does not degrade into a flamewar. Which is where it has been headed these past few pages. If it does get to it, we will need to close/remove the thread, which we do not wish to do.
Thank you
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