Hi Dave,
Good to see some thoughtful comments on this subject rather than the usual repetitions. Here's a few answers to the questions you pose, taken from our perspective.
-Content going to third party sites makes CM? useless.
It removes one specific use for CM in the unsupported products. It doesn't remove the other uses for CM in those products, and it doesn't affect the supported products.
-Endless CDP hunts and registering on multiple sites.
This only affects people who choose not to upgrade their version of Trainz. As I've noted before, we don't really consider these people to be our customers- they may have been at one point in the past, but with limited exceptions they are either no longer our customers (ie. those who choose not to spend money on our current products), or in some cases are actively working against our business model (ie. those who actively try to convince others to avoid our current products.) There is no business case to be made for sponsoring the activities of these users past the end-of-support dates for the products.
-Third party sites means no error checking for compatibility with new versions.
We certainly recommend that freeware content for supported versions be uploaded to the DLS. The ability to provide an integrated download service for our customers is the reason that we maintain the DLS, and performing error checking is part of that service.
-Less content coming to the DLS means less to choose for the next release.
As a blanket statement, this isn't really accurate. Having content available on the DLS certainly benefits us, but there lots of reasons why DLS content is a poor choice for a Trainz release. We certainly need to avoid relying on the DLS as a primary content source.
-Competing sites means less exposure to newer releases, less publicity. Why come here if there's nothing to offer.
Integration. Trainz is our product, not the DLS. The reason we host the DLS is to improve the Trainz environment. FCTs are there to offset costs in exchange for relaxing the download quotas.
-Times are tough and some may not be able to upgrade their systems at this time.
I don't disagree. This isn't a strong business case for keeping the DLS open to people who don't contribute to the running costs, however. "Hard times" affects companies as much as end-users.
-New content is going to take time. Is it wise to cut and run just yet? The community may need more time and support to adopt new ways. Most will upgrade eventually, better to do it here through attrition then one drop of the hammer.
We're decided on four years as a reasonable term for people to adopt new ways. This seems quite generous, especially where the new ways are typically very similar to the old ways.
-Most content is useable by any Trainz user. Build number is irrelevant, how it is built is.
This is true, and there are a few answers to this question- some technical and some practical. The simplest answer is that the build number gives us a fair indication of how the content is built. A lot of modern features and optimisations simply didn't exist for the older content versions.
-I have a newer version but it doesn't suit my needs at this time. Maybe TS2011 will. Why cut off a repeat customer who decided to skip a version because he decides to use an older version until then.
We're not cutting you off - this is clearly stated on the policy page. We won't be allowing new content for the old versions on our site, however. If you're happy with your existing build and content, then great- but if you're not, then there will come a time that it's worth your while to upgrade.
-The DLS is cheaper than a team to build new content.
And a small car is cheaper than a bus. That doesn't mean that we should replace busses with small cars - both have their place.
All this MAY add to a new user's frustration and affect repeat customers and sales. More compatibility issues may also perpetuate most train simmer's view of Trainz, that it is a model train game with content issues as far as errors and finding dependencies.
Reducing new-user frustration and content problems is exactly why we're taking this step.
chris
