Hi guys and girls,

the discussion about mods is very difficult, but i think i have a solution how i could work.

the first thing needed is following: the devs should release track and car editors. but not permanently, because then we will have the rfactor syndrome of a 30gig installation.

i am thinking of a fixed circle: 1 track per year and 2 cars per year made by community. why so less most will think now.... question is answered above with the rfactor syndrome.
let me do an example:
scawen activates the track and car editors tomorrow and they are activated until 1st march. all the tracks and cars made will be nominated to get in the game. all drivers will now have the chance to vote which car/track will be released. thats it. andon 1st july the cycle starts again but this time only cars.
the main rule btw should be like this: track and car must be individual and nothing from reallife.

i think my suggestion is good to make more content, but in a way that the game grows permanently and controllable. games like rfactor and gtr2/evo are out of control and mostly you have to download a 200mb mod to join a server.

nothing against you scawen, victor and eric, but LFS is stagnating in this time even if the scirocco will be realeased. all other simulations are growing very fast and if we dont get more content i see that not far in the future lfs will loose much drivers to the other sims.

Been suggested before, but I'll whole heartly agree with you. I think that this would benefit LFS on a very good way, aswell as keeping the quality up on the content in the game.

yeas! having a desighn contest!

Totally with you 100% on that one. Excellent idea.

Only possible bad side would be that people then make their own track and release them without devs consent.

On the whole, an excellent suggestion though, that way, we literally help to build and shape the game.

I think that "LFSers" are different than "rFactorers", because we want realism, and close racing, "rFactorers" want to drive " " " real cars " " ", only want to see mods and more mods.

I think that syndrome will not appear in LFS. And another reason why I am disagree is because if I run in a private league will be good to make a championship with a lot of tracks to a determinate car. And it don't interfere to the rest of community.

So I am agree to make free tracks and cars. A condition would be the devs permission to do Official, like a quality control

Quote from Napalm Candy :

I think that syndrome will not appear in LFS.

I guarantee you that it will. Just from looking around at some of the things in the forums, I guarantee you it will.

As for the OP, the programs being unlocked for a limited time is a bad idea - it promotes rushed (and thus, lower quality) work regardless of the intentions going into it.

Quote from danthebangerboy :

Totally with you 100% on that one. Excellent idea.

Only possible bad side would be that people then make their own track and release them without devs consent.

On the whole, an excellent suggestion though, that way, we literally help to build and shape the game.

will not be possible with my suggestion, cause all programs should be locked after contest including special server software and the editors

im not only 100% with you im 101% with you

I think this would be a good idea but MAGGOT has a good point if you have the editors open for only a month or so the content people will make will be lower quility so i think it would be good if all the programers in the LFS comunity have a contest that the devs arange and then the top 5 people in the contest get access to the Editors and then they can make there tracks/cars and make them in good quility. And if we did have a contest we would know its going to be good quility not just poor stuff.

Quote from swisscosmo :

I think this would be a good idea but MAGGOT has a good point if you have the editors open for only a month or so the content people will make will be lower quility so i think it would be good if all the programers in the LFS comunity have a contest that the devs arange and then the top 5 people in the contest get access to the Editors and then they can make there tracks/cars and make them in good quility. And if we did have a contest we would know its going to be good quility not just poor stuff.

good point, i think it would be better with your idea.

It's time for a ...

Alternate option!

(Modified C and P from another thread about the issue)

EDIT : It goes without saying that content would have to be fictional, but who really cares ...

• The idea is pitched to a number of "gatekeepers" (possibly like beta testers plus maybe a few). They would either approve the concept, reject it for one of three reasons. Stupid idea, too similar to existing, or would require much new coding. These would be logged and if they want to the devs could override. Purpose : to stop people wasting their time
  
• If it is sensible and not similar to existing content it is approved (e.g. 1600cc no downforce single seater).
  
• If the green light is given, work commences on the 3D model in 3dsmax (or app of choice) and textures (physics come later).
  
• They provide reasonably regular updates to the Content Producing Community, and when the car is of an adequate quantity it goes to the next phase.
  
• Once the car is modelled and textured it would be put in to a special development copy of LFS for the modder(s). It would be watermarked, only allowed to be unlocked by one or two LFS licences etc. This would allow them to import vehicle statistics for that car, possibly as a VHPA car file with exceptions.
  
• Another quality check.
  
• Beta testing, followed by inclusion.
  

Similar procedure could be done for tracks, save for the physics part being replaced with "non-model features and driving on it testing".

This procedure would probably need to be continual to stop there being rushes and crunches. What's in the works would not need to be publicised until it is about to be released.

Why not charge people for the editor?

Doesn't 100% guarantee the serious are kept in and the non-serious are kept out. Best to keep them out of the devs editors where possible.

Quote from wheel4hummer :

Why not charge people for the editor?

Would you pay to be able to contribute to the community and have nothing off of it? Except some respect from people you don't know? IF your creation would be that good of course. I know I would pay for the editor.

The tracks can not be released with out Devs consent easy, the track maps are released to the public- Voted on and the devs make a simple version of the best few and then finally the new track is voted on- and the devs finish the track version

or a degraded track so you can run it but it has no objects in the background, just a track map in a golf green or desert.
so we can test. and after 1000 races the track must be re loaded to LFS? so you can't simply release a track, it would get used up to quick and be a hassle?

or the track editor would be available for everyone (registered), devs then could choose for example top 3 tracks and community will select the only one by voting. There are many options how to do it as contest and I agree with others - as I read above, this is the best way.

It is very, very difficult to make a simulation of a car, when you have so much options like in LFS. I really don't know how cars are developed there, but I'm sure there's lot of maths and even more testing. For a person, or small group it would take a long time, much longer to create a car than a track IMHO.

I'm not part of comunity for a long time, but as I'm reading forum, I see that people are waiting for very long time for something new.
Open the LFS for a bit would be good step forward

What about drawing up a design for those who can't create tracks and then the devs could create it?

I'm sick of non real tracks. I really want to see what it's like to drive on a real track. Bathurst is my dream in an FXR or any of the cars really. It's a sublime track.

As for this idea, I'm all for going to an Rfactor style of modding, but it should be open for us to decide. People will decide online pretty quick what is good n not.

I couldn't care less about real tracks, I want new tracks!
What's the hype with real life tracks? Do your god damn penises grow 10 cm or something if you drive on them? Do you become a real RACOOOOR? No, so fawk aff with the damn screaming for real life tracks, fantasy tracks are much more fun too! It's cool to race on something new and fresh, if I wanted real tracks I could watch a race on the telly.

At least that's my opinion. Fantasy tracks > real life tracks + you don't need lisence or big budget for it aswell

Quote from GT Touring :

The tracks can not be released with out Devs consent easy, the track maps are released to the public- Voted on and the devs make a simple version of the best few and then finally the new track is voted on- and the devs finish the track version

Track maps don't sum up altitude etc. And it still means the three-man dev team has to make it. What about community built tracks?

Running things as competitions could not work, aside from forcing people to rush things for deadlines it adds finite limits. I'd rather it were a continuing process.

Quote from Venus :

As for this idea, I'm all for going to an Rfactor style of modding, but it should be open for us to decide. People will decide online pretty quick what is good n not.

The issue is that it won't be included or includable in the LFS download. What would work better is good community produced stuff being added to LFS proper. That would most real content, but it's content and good content. The turd won't get in.

Quote from The Very End :

I couldn't care less about real tracks, I want new tracks!
What's the hype with real life tracks? Do your god damn penises grow 10 cm or something if you drive on them? Do you become a real RACOOOOR? No, so fawk aff with the damn screaming for real life tracks, fantasy tracks are much more fun too! It's cool to race on something new and fresh, if I wanted real tracks I could watch a race on the telly.

I largely agree, although the thought of driving a F1 car around central London (not a real track, but a real city) in LFS sounds rather good to me

Quote :

At least that's my opinion. Fantasy tracks > real life tracks + you don't need lisence or big budget for it aswell

There's that factor as well ... but if people would be able to get permission of the local kart track or whatever, I wouldn't object