Trainz Content Creator's Buy Out

Good Day All,

My name is Godwin Woodland aka constar261 on the forums. Today I something pressing to get off my chest. One can see from my profile tree that I have been into trainz since 06/07 and I have seen many content creators make brilliant content most for free and other's for money. Since then I have seen the work of creator's like Landrvr, Thecowboy, Marlboro, VMD, ProTrainz, and Connyxy who leave the community for various reasons and cause's. Now one particular creator responsible for one of the greatest yard module's to date has decide to take a final bow from trainz which I though at first was not fair for various reasons. I am not saying they are wrong but the circumstances behind their decision leave for more or less a bad taste in my mouth. So now for some tough love, We all at some point ask, beg, and pester for specific content to be created or shared myself included and back in August of 2016 I decided to take classes from Bill Klene to make locomotives for trainz in gmax which turns out to be a lot harder that I first thought. After realizing this I then understood exactly why these creators take offence when people begin to bash their work and nitpick at minor details granted there are exceptions to this trend. To the present while looking at the payware announcement page I read that some is attempting to try to distribute there trainz content one last time and then the individual came under fire by some rather less than enthusiastic members of the community after the content creator tried to be accommodating. Needless to say I thought the community should not suffer for the harsh attitudes of a few members and the biggest reason is I am tired of vaporware so rather than let it die out I decided to act. If not me who, if not now when and after some correspondence I have managed to convince said author to purchased said content and a future proofing solution. However I believe that it should not be just up to one person to try to keep the content relevant.

My solution is a Kickstarer Fundraiser Called the Trainz Content Creator's Buy Out
Its purpose is buy the Hump Yard Module Lock, Stock, and Barrel and make available for free to the community and leave to be updated for future use.
The goal is to raise about $900 to purchase the above item from its creator and after it is purchased it will be handed over to a trusted trainz group to watch over and update and free to modify with more details to follow. The link will be down below.

Blender is easier than GMAX and less limiting.

Cheerio John

constar261 said:

Good Day All,

My name is Godwin Woodland aka constar261 on the forums. Today I something pressing to get off my chest. One can see from my profile tree that I have been into trainz since 06/07 and I have seen many content creators make brilliant content most for free and other's for money. Since then I have seen the work of creator's like Landrvr, Thecowboy, Marlboro, VMD, ProTrainz, and Connyxy who leave the community for various reasons and cause's. Now one particular creator responsible for one of the greatest yard module's to date has decide to take a final bow from trainz which I though at first was not fair for various reasons. I am not saying they are wrong but the circumstances behind their decision leave for more or less a bad taste in my mouth. So now for some tough love, We all at some point ask, beg, and pester for specific content to be created or shared myself included and back in August I decided to take classes from Bill Klene to make locomotives for trainz in gmax which turns out to be alot harder that I first thought. After realizing this I then understood exactly

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No offence intended, but when reading your post I get the impression you stopped halfway during your (last?) sentence or some text of your post got lost somewhere in the process. Am I reading your post wrong or did indeed some of what you were trying to say not make it into your post?
Again, no offence intended. I just want to be sure that we did get the whole (con)text of what you wanted to share.

Sorry I was on my laptop and then windows 10 decided to up date so I had to save and the get on my desktop to finish it up.

constar261 said:

My solution is a Kickstarer Fundraiser Called the Trainz Content Creator's Buy Out

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Thank you for the update on that - I was puzzling over what this thread was all about but your final edit has made that much clearer. Those Windows updates are a necessary nuisance at times!

A very interesting and worthwhile idea, and a novel approach to keeping valued payware assets available to the community after the original creator has departed. The idea of not just preserving the assets in their current form but allowing them to be updated to meet the requirements of new Trainz versions as they appear, is a particularly good one.

I don't use these particular assets (the Hump Yard Module) and so I have no idea of their worth or value - but they are clearly valued by some of the community at least. This brings me to my only concern - we could easily be swamped by similar fund raisers for a lot of other assets that are also highly valued by various parts of the community.

What I think is needed is a solution that avoids this "piecemeal" approach. Of course, posting assets to the DLS would be a solution (and some payware assets have eventually been legally posted to the DLS as freeware by their creators) but I appreciate that not all payware creators would be happy with that even if they were leaving Trainz for good.

This only a stop gap solution at best but if something is not started and done now, who will and when. So I thought that if there was a call for action it is now or never and if people would like to join me and voice there opinions now is the time. I don't think there will be many who disagree however since I can't speak for others this will allow them to make an impact. I am always open to critique but I think now is the time for action and discussion for the future can take place later.

constar261 said:

Good Day All,

...... So now for some tough love, We all at some point ask, beg, and pester for specific content to be created or shared myself included and back in August of 2016 I decided to take classes from Bill Klene to make locomotives for trainz in gmax which turns out to be a lot harder that I first thought.

Click to expand...

Just as a point of reference, it was explained to me by a rather helpful PM from a Mod that "Gimmie Pigging" is not against the COC and therefore the mods have no power to stop it.

Perhaps Content Creators and the community should make their voices heard for a proposed "Anti Gimmie Pigging" addendum to the COC so the Moderators can act against those who cause such problems?

n8phu said:

Just as a point of reference, it was explained to me by a rather helpful PM from a Mod that "Gimmie Pigging" is not against the COC and therefore the mods have no power to stop it.

Perhaps Content Creators and the community should make their voices heard for a proposed "Anti Gimmie Pigging" addendum to the COC so the Moderators can act against those who cause such problems?

Click to expand...

I second that motion, there is something inherently wrong with the idea that it is okay to harass content creators like they are not members with rights, yet recieve protections from any repercussions from initiating such harassment.

Actually I was kind hoping to ask the erecting haul group to host the hump yard module if this kickstarter works.

johnwhelan said:

Blender is easier than GMAX and less limiting.

Cheerio John

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Nope. It's not easier to me.

Also take note of some of the content we have lost:
VMD's B39-8's, B40-8's, GP30's, And SD45 and FP45's
Marlboro's Southern Ps4 4-6-2, NYC K5b 4-6-2, and PRR K4
Protrainz's City of New Orleans, Panama Limited, Broadway Limited, 2 20th Century Limited sets in black and grey scheme.
TheCowBoys UP 9000's which still work in ts12 and tane and his defunct FEF and Cabforward Models.
Connyxy's HHp-8 Acela engines and her bilevel and single level railcars for amtrak and njt.

This is just a short list there is probably more than that.

pware said:

Thank you for the update on that - I was puzzling over what this thread was all about but your final edit has made that much clearer. Those Windows updates are a necessary nuisance at times!

A very interesting and worthwhile idea, and a novel approach to keeping valued payware assets available to the community after the original creator has departed. The idea of not just preserving the assets in their current form but allowing them to be updated to meet the requirements of new Trainz versions as they appear, is a particularly good one.

I don't use these particular assets (the Hump Yard Module) and so I have no idea of their worth or value - but they are clearly valued by some of the community at least. This brings me to my only concern - we could easily be swamped by similar fund raisers for a lot of other assets that are also highly valued by various parts of the community.

What I think is needed is a solution that avoids this "piecemeal" approach. Of course, posting assets to the DLS would be a solution (and some payware assets have eventually been legally posted to the DLS as freeware by their creators) but I appreciate that not all payware creators would be happy with that even if they were leaving Trainz for good.

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You have very fair points that will need discussion at some point but I am just one person this would provably need a dedicated team of trainz users to discern what should be done in future. I put as much forethoght into this as I could and my goal is not to profit but to keep trainz itself relevent. Especially after what take 2 is attempting with modding for games like gta 5 of which I am joining the gta DOJ roleplay server, makes me be concerned for the future of content creation itself

And all of this content that "has been lost" would continue to function in TANE?

I seriously doubt it. The content was great for its time, but it's outdated now.

Some of your list was payware so your solution to the SELFISH CREATOR HAS LEFT TRAINZ PROBLEM is to make it free?

The Goal is to purchase the content and rights thereafter then make it free to the community of which the trainz community as a whole would contribute to keeping the content relevant and updating it for future use. In my opinion no content creator is selfish but they do get fed up with people for lack of a better statement bearing their fangs at them over trivial matters while other become disgusted and wonder did they really need to put in the effort to be treated as such.

n8phu said:

Just as a point of reference, it was explained to me by a rather helpful PM from a Mod that "Gimmie Pigging" is not against the COC and therefore the mods have no power to stop it.

Perhaps Content Creators and the community should make their voices heard for a proposed "Anti Gimmie Pigging" addendum to the COC so the Moderators can act against those who cause such problems?

Click to expand...

NIARTcar said:

I second that motion, there is something inherently wrong with the idea that it is okay to harass content creators like they are not members with rights, yet recieve protections from any repercussions from initiating such harassment.

Click to expand...

Just to put a counter view here, I don't think that "Gimmie Pigging" should be banned from the forums. Yes, some gimmie pigs have no consideration or manners, go too far and become annoying, but it is all in how the requests are made. I have seem some very polite and well presented "gimmie" requests result in new assets being produced and we have all benefited.

constar261 said:

In my opinion no content creator is selfish but they do get fed up with people for lack of a better statement bearing their fangs at them over trivial matters while other become disgusted and wonder did they really need to put in the effort to be treated as such.

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A "thick skin" is a requirement of every creator, be it of a literary work, an art work (art critics can be particularly cruel), a software package (look back at the howls of protest hurled at Auran/N3V after every new version of Trainz) or of a Trainz asset.

For some reason, nit pickers (or rivet counters) seem to abound when it comes to rail fans. It is an unfortunate fact. The trick is to ignore the whining of those who could not do it themselves.

I'm still trying to get my head around the OP but it seems to me if a creator, decides to retire or otherwise leave the Trainz scene it is entirely their prerogative as to whether they withdraw their work from the public domain. In the case of items or routes on the DLS there are measures in place to preserve this. However you cannot compel a content creator - even by financial means - to continue to make their stuff available. If it's gone, it's gone - move on.

Vern I agree.

But the OP stated that an offer will be made to one particular creator to buy the rights to his work. There is no compulsion involved, the creator will either accept the offer or not. If not then we all move on just as we have when other creators have retired, resigned or, sadly, gone to the Great Engine Shed in the Sky taking their works with them.

Pware and Vern have brought up some other points as well. This is not compulsory but an option for the community to come together and try to preserve content in danger of being lost in time. I firmly believe that if a serious creator goes thru all the trouble of making great content they would at least like to see it survive and be useful in the coming years. If a creator decides that he does not want to or has his/her own plans in place then there is little one can say or do. However this was started to make a serious attempt to buy the content for future prosperity and if the creator does not agree as vern said we will move on and try again on a different task.

IMHO this sounds like such a stupid and selfish idea. If the contents gone then to bad and move on.