Barnstormer22
Banned
Hi all.
I'll fill you in on why most of my content was deleted. It was primarily a proof-of-concept.
First, let me say that I apologize to the Trainz community. I really did not want any of you to be caught in the middle and am sorry that you were. At the same time, it needed to be done, thanks to N3V's abject hostility to content creators (ok, well, more like taking us for granted.)
I was banned from the forums for a fairly innocuous post criticizing the hosting of content on third-party website (and a fairly tame debate with DeadpoolMX55), and noting that two creators recently left RRMODs amd took their content with them. This was sort of an "I told you so!" moment. But I think N3V's become a bit cocky in thinking that content creators don't have similar control over their content: Obviously, we do.
I've thought a bit about what would happen if N3V tries to restore my content to an earlier version. Supposedly, according to the EULA as well as N3V's own statements, a content creator retains full ownership of their content. I am well withing my rights to haul them into court if they try to restore it. As I have a significant legal background (owed to being a business-owner in modern day America) and having represented myself pro se, I could make life suck for N3V should they push the issue. However, I've made my point, and that would not be good for the community and not why I put 400+ hours into making the assets I have on the DLS. Moreover, I could easily have, say, made my textures pink and purple and been well within the purview of artistic license.
So, I intend to re-upload my content to the DLS, with some updates after the weekend. Of course, if N3V decides to be dbags about this, then maybe I won't be able to. That's on them. So, they;ll be fudging things up. Oh, well.
Which brings me to the next point: A lot of my content needed updating anyway. The skyscrapers don't have LOD. That's my bad. And new error-checking announced by Chris (Windwalkr) would have broken most of my assets that do have it. So, now I'll need to duplicate meshes rather than reuse the same one in config.txt...ugh! Stupid, stupid, stupid, N3V! (For those of you who are content creators, that means you can't simply refer to the same mesh for, say, both LOD0 and LOD1. You have to create two different files, even if they are of the exact same mesh!) I have a large number of unreleased assets that I needed to fix up for reasons both my fault and N3V's, though I'm not sure if I'll release those to the DLS or as a part of my SEPTA route.
Which makes for another great segue!
I haven't really decided what will happen with that. I've thought about releasing it and much of the custom content NOT on the DLS as payware. I had started my own scripted signal project meant for the DLS and MP use, cancelled it due to prior N3V douchebaggery, then planned to restart it with the deletion of GrahamSea's site a couple weeks ago and probably distribute them with my route. Oh, well, we'll see. I hope GrahamSea realizes his site got hacked and puts his signals back uip.
I want to say thanks to those users who gave me the benefit of the doubt about this issue, especially Dave Snow. I didn't delete my reskins of his (and Euphod's reskins of same) because of his kind heart and very generous licensing terms.
I have no intention of returning to the forums, and, if I do, at nowhere near the levels of helpfulness I was willing before. N3V has become very, very demotivational.
FYI, for those who were seriously worried about my content going bye-bye, check my licensing terms...not only can you redistribute the content, but you can modify it as well, particularly to back- or forware-date it for use with various versions of Trainz. Crap, you can even port it to another sim, as long as you abiding by the DRM-free clause! (e.g. not Railworks!) So, have fun, folks!
I'll fill you in on why most of my content was deleted. It was primarily a proof-of-concept.
First, let me say that I apologize to the Trainz community. I really did not want any of you to be caught in the middle and am sorry that you were. At the same time, it needed to be done, thanks to N3V's abject hostility to content creators (ok, well, more like taking us for granted.)
I was banned from the forums for a fairly innocuous post criticizing the hosting of content on third-party website (and a fairly tame debate with DeadpoolMX55), and noting that two creators recently left RRMODs amd took their content with them. This was sort of an "I told you so!" moment. But I think N3V's become a bit cocky in thinking that content creators don't have similar control over their content: Obviously, we do.
I've thought a bit about what would happen if N3V tries to restore my content to an earlier version. Supposedly, according to the EULA as well as N3V's own statements, a content creator retains full ownership of their content. I am well withing my rights to haul them into court if they try to restore it. As I have a significant legal background (owed to being a business-owner in modern day America) and having represented myself pro se, I could make life suck for N3V should they push the issue. However, I've made my point, and that would not be good for the community and not why I put 400+ hours into making the assets I have on the DLS. Moreover, I could easily have, say, made my textures pink and purple and been well within the purview of artistic license.
So, I intend to re-upload my content to the DLS, with some updates after the weekend. Of course, if N3V decides to be dbags about this, then maybe I won't be able to. That's on them. So, they;ll be fudging things up. Oh, well.
Which brings me to the next point: A lot of my content needed updating anyway. The skyscrapers don't have LOD. That's my bad. And new error-checking announced by Chris (Windwalkr) would have broken most of my assets that do have it. So, now I'll need to duplicate meshes rather than reuse the same one in config.txt...ugh! Stupid, stupid, stupid, N3V! (For those of you who are content creators, that means you can't simply refer to the same mesh for, say, both LOD0 and LOD1. You have to create two different files, even if they are of the exact same mesh!) I have a large number of unreleased assets that I needed to fix up for reasons both my fault and N3V's, though I'm not sure if I'll release those to the DLS or as a part of my SEPTA route.
Which makes for another great segue!
I haven't really decided what will happen with that. I've thought about releasing it and much of the custom content NOT on the DLS as payware. I had started my own scripted signal project meant for the DLS and MP use, cancelled it due to prior N3V douchebaggery, then planned to restart it with the deletion of GrahamSea's site a couple weeks ago and probably distribute them with my route. Oh, well, we'll see. I hope GrahamSea realizes his site got hacked and puts his signals back uip.I want to say thanks to those users who gave me the benefit of the doubt about this issue, especially Dave Snow. I didn't delete my reskins of his (and Euphod's reskins of same) because of his kind heart and very generous licensing terms.
I have no intention of returning to the forums, and, if I do, at nowhere near the levels of helpfulness I was willing before. N3V has become very, very demotivational.
FYI, for those who were seriously worried about my content going bye-bye, check my licensing terms...not only can you redistribute the content, but you can modify it as well, particularly to back- or forware-date it for use with various versions of Trainz. Crap, you can even port it to another sim, as long as you abiding by the DRM-free clause! (e.g. not Railworks!) So, have fun, folks!
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