Have You seen this

I guess what one of the problems that I am having with this whole thing is that Auran/NVRfail, have decided that they would essencially force users to upgrade(while, of course, giving them the shallow illusion of a choice) in order to make money on their latest games instead of a less slap in the face approach.

What they should have done was actually take the time to actually make 2010 a very good game, rather than just an updated version of 09 that fixed the tree problem... sort of. They should have announced on the forum that they were delaying the Engineer's Edition in order to make improvements, and actually add more features and fix some of the problems, rather than simply taking the Madden approach of "make it shinier and the masses will flock to it like moths." I know quite a few people that feel that each time that Auran releases something, it is pretty much the same old game with the same old problems ignored, and maybe one or two fixes but that is it.



Oh, and I did some looking into the company that is actually running the show now that Auran doesn't exist in anything other than name. You know, N3VRF41L. It is a partnership, so it doesn't have stockholders. According to their website, they have also partnered with several big games companies, such as EA games.

Also, they are quite profitable from what I can tell. Trainz is far from the only source of income, just something that can be milked for money apparently. (Gevo shaped teats?)

Here is a list of some games published through N3VRF41L.(According to their website.)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R
Age of Conan(a somewhat successful MMO)
Painkiller: Resurrection
Sins of a Solar empire.
Hearts of Iron
Blazblue

These games are published through N3VRF41L for the Australian and New Zealand markets.
 
meatloaf747 said:
.....At the end of the day NV3/Auran has to make decisions that give itself the best possible chance of keeping the cash-flow coming in to staying in business........
Click to expand...

That's true, but I don't think that alienating those of us that create in '04 is going to help that cause. As I see it, 04 content can be created that runs fine in 09/10, so why not go ahead and let error free 04 content continue to be uploaded. Auran already does automated checks on uploaded content, so why not just do a check to see if the content is error free in 09/10 and if it is, go ahead and let it on the DLS. I think most are assuming that we old 04 creators are just going learn the new methods and keep creating once all of this takes effect and we all know what happens when we assume.

Mike
 
Is it my imagination that people have been saying that the sheer amount of Trainz versions is confusing for a newcomer? Weren't people calling for a cleanup of the DLS? It brings to mind the Chinese proverb that you should be careful what you wish for because it might come true.

Personally I think it's a good move that Auran should have made ages ago (although I can't understand why they don't just kill TS2009 at the same time, I mean, who would buy that now?)

Paul
 
Hey, I still use 2009. I prefer it over 2010.

Plus, you have to love how Auran was giving away a free copy of 2004 with purchase of 2010, so that you can "get your friends hooked on trainz as well." I see what is going on here. They threw out this bait for potential new users, and are planning on cutting those new users off in a few months, hoping that they will move to the newer version.
 
jadebullet said:
Hey, I still use 2009. I prefer it over 2010.

Plus, you have to love how Auran was giving away a free copy of 2004 with purchase of 2010, so that you can "get your friends hooked on trainz as well." I see what is going on here. They threw out this bait for potential new users, and are planning on cutting those new users off in a few months, hoping that they will move to the newer version.
Click to expand...
So at worse the copy of TRS04 was a free demo.
 
I could be wrong but I think from reading what Auran has released on the subject that if you make something in 2004 and it is error free in 2010 and beyond it won't be removed. I don't believe they are just going to say ok it is 20XX time to delete anything made from 2006 and back. I believe what they are saying is in the future things made for 2004 that have errors (as 2010 sees them) will not be able to be uploaded. If it is error free for 2010 I see no reason for them to get rid of it or not allow it to be uploaded. This is all about making the DLS better and have less errors in the current game.
 
I'm a fool that bought 09:D

The best thing about Trainz was the choice. 09 didn't cut it for me, I didn't care for the new content, so I went back to an older version. While the new changes won't affect me much I still find it a shame to cut older versions off from the DLS.

You say they don't profit from that. Well, in a way they do. More content on the DLS means more new content to put in releases. Also, the DLS is a major selling point for Trainz so they profit from it indirectly. It was said in another thread so what if 1000 people refuse to buy another version of Trainz, that is just a drop in the bucket in sales. What if just 5% of those were serious DLS contributers who were forced to go elsewhere? Auran has admitted they don't have the staff to create new content. In the end every one will loose.

Some people won't upgrade, not until something substantial gets introduced. I tried it and got what I feel as a repackaged 06. Right now it seems it's just spinning it's wheels over content. I see a lot of complaints from 10 users about content but not near as much the other way around. I can't use a new object in 06, tough. The same holds true for new version users. Auran created that mouse trap by relying so heavily on third party creators.

If you want to cut sales and support of older versions, that is understandable. Cutting access and use to those people seems a bad move. That DLS may cost to maintain, but, what would it cost to hire employees to replace what some of them contribute. An object made for 04 say, still can be of use in new releases. Every release including 10 proves that as well as that little Q and A floating around here.

Dave.....
 
meatloaf747 said:
Hi amigacooke,

At the end of the day NV3/Auran has to make decisions that give itself the best possible chance of keeping the cash-flow coming in to staying in business. If NV3/Auran stays afloat, NV3/Auran continues to have the resources to continue to develope Trainz.
Click to expand...

Then their obvious next decision will be to leave any content not containing errors ON the DLS and require everyone who wants content to pay for an FCT...
 
Well this has obviously turned into a forum Civil War.

Should I worry that by choosing the side that is fighting to oppose change, that I have sided with the more CSA-like side? :o

(Oh, and if anyone starts whining about this analogy, being about comparing slave ownership to DLS access, I kindly refer you more than superficial information about the Civil War. Most southern soldiers were not slave holders, and most didn't care about that particular aspect. For most CSA troops it was just about defending their homeland and their way of life. State's rights was the key issue in the start of the war, not slavery. Slavery was just the catalyst. This is coming from a history minor, and a Yankee who prefers the Northern side, but sees where the south was coming from.)


LOL, CSA= Content Savers of Auran?
 
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G'Day, The one big thing that angers me is the fact that even with a FCT 04 and 06 users will not be able to directly get content. I don't mind paying for access to the DLS as I have an FCT at the moment and download is fast, it's just the cutting us off from direct in game access even if we pay that is the killer. Does this encourage me to update, NO IT DOES NOT, not if this is the way they are going to treat us.
Regards
Barrie
 
Johnny Reb!

jadebullet said:
...where the south was coming from...quote]
Funny post my friend! The truth of the matter, there was slavery in the north also, even Lincoln had a slave! And not all slaves were black, just think about all the Chinese and Irish slave labor that built the railroads! As for the Union, a few men in Philadelphia, that had nothing to do with the chosen goverment of the time, desided to make a new goverment ( a overthrow acually). Today you can see that this goverment is doing the same thing to americans as the english were doing to the colonies. The Confederacy was about individual say in goverment, really did not have anything to do with slavery directly!
Click to expand...
 
mikeman, I refer you to this part.

Q: Will I be able to upload old-format content to the Download Station?
A: New uploads to the Download Station must be in a format no older than our oldest supported product. Attempts to upload content with a trainz-build number lower than our oldest supported product will be rejected. This ensures that legacy formats are cleanly phased out over time.
 
meridious said:
mikeman, I refer you to this part.

Q: Will I be able to upload old-format content to the Download Station?
A: New uploads to the Download Station must be in a format no older than our oldest supported product. Attempts to upload content with a trainz-build number lower than our oldest supported product will be rejected. This ensures that legacy formats are cleanly phased out over time.
Click to expand...


ok I missed that part. can you download with 2004, items with build numbers above 2004's? If so I guess all those that build for 2004 will have to give it a higher build number and then when people download it for use in 2004 lower the build number to that build. Sort of a pain in the but but I guess the cost of using an older( if not better) product.
 
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jadebullet said:
Well this has obviously turned into a forum Civil War.
Click to expand...
Nah, there's just a lot of good discussion about what this new policy means, and how it will affect people. I'm sure Auran is monitoring the threads, will take this feedback into account, and may change certain parts of this policy based on this feedback. Or, they may not - it's hard to say :)

Imho, this is somewhat short notice - 6 months isn't that much time.
On the other hand, I can see Auran wanting to be able to dump some of the legacy systems to be able to better upgrade the DLS functionality. And, '04 and '06 *have* been out for quite some time now.

Curtis
 
gremlin1812 said:
G'Day, The one big thing that angers me is the fact that even with a FCT 04 and 06 users will not be able to directly get content. I don't mind paying for access to the DLS as I have an FCT at the moment and download is fast, it's just the cutting us off from direct in game access even if we pay that is the killer. Does this encourage me to update, NO IT DOES NOT, not if this is the way they are going to treat us.
Regards
Barrie
Click to expand...

There are other sites that host content.

Cheerio John
 
meridious said:
mikeman, I refer you to this part.

Q: Will I be able to upload old-format content to the Download Station?
A: New uploads to the Download Station must be in a format no older than our oldest supported product. Attempts to upload content with a trainz-build number lower than our oldest supported product will be rejected. This ensures that legacy formats are cleanly phased out over time.
Click to expand...

Thank heavens for that I can stop creating two versions, one for TRS2004.

Cheerio John
 
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