I share that sentiment. Furthermore, we were promised that the base default content in the game would be unlocked for editing. So far this has been overlooked, and I (and many others) would like a solid answer on this front.
There are still pressing issues with T:ANE that should be addressed before even thinking about moving forward with a new version. We've been through this with TS10 and TS12, and now it seems that you are still keeping to your M.O. of "fixing" problems by trying to create a new game. We paid for a full working T:ANE with a DRM-free option. We did not pay for what is starting to amount to a beta for another game.
PWare, please tell me of a game that has been out for an entire year and still has game breaking issues that the company is trying to fix. Now, take those games that you have thought of (if any), and tell me which of those developers was working on a sequel to that game before the majority of those problems were fixed. Now, tell me which of those companies are still in business.
Fixing the current game isn't staying stagnant. Nor is creating a patch for it. "Standing still" in the software industry is doing absolutely nothing. You don't have to begin developing a new game to keep progressing, and in fact, the most successful companies make sure their product works before releasing it to the public. Fallout 4 took years and years to get right, and now it's one of the best selling games ever. Same with Skyrim, GTA V, LA Noire, Payday 2, et cetera. The list goes on ad nauseam. Are these games devoid of bugs? No. Are they playable on a day-to-day basis without encountering most of these bugs? Absolutely. Did the developers start work on the next game in that respective series until they had reached a point where the community was satisfied with the game? Absolutely not. This is the trend of successful companies. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to see N3V reach this level of success and communication with the community, I'm sorry to say that the majority of us agree that N3V has done a pretty poor job of this.
Let's fix that. Let's all try for a moment (looking at you N3V staff) to rethink this situation. I propose that N3V makes a concerted effort to listen to the community and try their best to achieve what we think T:ANE should be, whether that be a better DRM policy, bug fixes, whatever. When that's all said and done, then we can talk about a possible sequel, and then we can do it all again. I personally guarantee that you will save money on PR and advertising, and that alone will help pay for itself. With the community behind you, maybe you will find more support for DLC and content donations towards projects. Currently, the situation is reversed, and because of all of the dissatisfaction, people are resisting N3v policy changes, and for good reason.
Listening to the community is important. T:ANE could have, would have, could, and will go further if you take a step back, listen, and then execute properly. No more of this dancing around issues like DRM. No more of this sweeping under the rug.
If you want the full force of the community behind you (particularly content creators), this is the one and only way to do it.
One other important thing to note. All of us, and I mean ALL of us, want N3V to succeed. Whether we approve of N3V's actions is one thing, but without N3V, we don't have Trainz. Are we frustrated? Yes. Do we want something done about this? Yes. Do we want N3V to change so that they will succeed? Definitely.
