Up until now I have been able to resist posting in this thread. - Can't resist any longer...
The 2004 verses the rest debate will go on forever.
(well, at-least till September anyway)... Those that love 04 and want to say with it, great, you'll always be part of the community and good luck to you...
Fortunately most of the rest of Trainz community/addicts want to move forward with the times. I applaud NV3/Auran with cutting off support for earlier versions (later on this year).
They have to make some not so pleasant decisions that will undoubtedly improve there chances of staying in business. Decisions that will hopefully ensure that new sales will continues to bring in the revenue so that Trainz's continues to get developed.
What alot of the community doesn't seem to understand is that NV3 could close down the development of Trainz overnight. (If it's no longer profitable, why wouldn't they)? MS did and they are turning over 13 - 14 billion per year...
NV3 could lay off all there programmers and half there support staff and still stay in business. NV3 are now distributing a large number of other gaming titles and would survive.
(Yes, that right!!! Would survive!!! It maybe even be more profitable to the shareholders if NV3 ran a leaner business model). If you have ever been in business, you'll know exactly what I mean by this.
The only way Trainz is going to survive is if enough people purchase the latest additions
(& FCT's) to warrant it's continuing development. At the end of the day NV3 is a business. Any business needs continual cash flow to cover there
(normally) high overheads
(wages, etc, etc) to stay in business.
I don't mind hardcore 04 fanatic knocking 09/2010 if they has purchased 09 or 010 and for whatever reason don't like it,
(and gone back to 04). At-least they have supported NV3/Auran. What really pisses me off is the 04 fanatic's that are always knocking 09/10 at every opportunity and yet haven't bothered to purchase either of them.
Part of NV3/Auran problem is that
some of the 04 fanatic's purchased "04" six years ago. They have never brought an other version of Trainz. They have never brought a FCT, yet continue to bludge off the rest of us that regularly buy the latest versions
(and FCT's). They just continue to download there 100 megs per day and expect the rest of us to buy FCT's and latest versions so that NV3/Auran have the financial resources to stay in business...
I loved 04 when it came out.
(buggy, but an improvement over UTC). I loved it even more when SP4 was issued. Moved onto 06 when it was launched and loved it once SP1 came out.
(warts & all).
Brought TC1 & 2. Felt a bit short changed. Brought TC3 & loved it.
(great value). Then brought 09 and was a little disappointed. Spent my time 60/40 between 06/09 until TS2010 came out. Service packs have greatly improved 09, but I still feel another SP
(or two) is still required.
Then brought TS2010 SP1 and love it.
(from day one). Put simply, the best version of Trainz to date. Without question, IMHO...
Imported some large layouts from 06/09 and are getting much better frame rates in 2010...
(As far as I'm concerned, if TS2010 doesn't unite the Trainz community, nothing will)...
The main point of my post; All those 2004 diehards. Why don't you download all the UTC, 04 & 06 stuff you want between now and September this year. That way, no matter what changes come in September
(if any) you will have all the earlier content that you want, already downloaded.
NV3 have given you plenty of time to download what you want.
Anybody with any common sense knows the DLS needs a good clean-out. (long overdue). Particularly alot of that SP3, UTC, 04 stuff that is showing up as faulty and in a lot of cases outdated.
(rolling stock, no moving bogeys, cars with pencil thin wheels, etc, etc)...
How much is eventually cleaned out seem to be what's up for debate.
Personally I would like to see anything that was made for the earlier versions of Trainz that shows up with faults in TS2010 either fixed or delete. If some of the original creators don't want to repair there faulty content, that's fine. Either let someone like Ian Woodhouse or other great content repairers fix their creations, still giving credit to the original creator or ask for the FAULTY stuff to be deleted/removed...
Credit should still go to the original creator. Eg; Originally created by Jo Blobs. Repaired to 2010 standards by Bill Smith...
Just imagine, a DLS with no faulty old content and with everything able to work/run in TS2010 "Native Mode" - I'm very optimistic that it will happen. I'd like to see more of the community with half full glasses, rather than half empty glasses...
My two penny's worth.
Cheers, Mac...
