Quote from EQ Worry :

(Because how many demo competitions a year you can run if promising S2 licence to the winner?)

I organize a competition each month now, 2 free S1 vouchers to win.

2x 12 = 24 S1 vouchers a year.

But, nobody seems interested, server stays empty

Not that I care much, but its kinda weird.

Well tbh it would be a bit like iRacing.
I think demo should be free always.
It get's people interested more in the game and eventually will buy the full version.

Quote from cargame.nl :

I organize a competition each month now, 2 free S1 vouchers to win.

2x 12 = 24 S1 vouchers a year.

But, nobody seems interested, server stays empty

Not that I care much, but its kinda weird.

Maybe not enough people know about it?

I haven't seen you post anything about it here yet, and I usually read almost every post (:shy.

I can't really believe that nobody wants a basically "free" license.

Quote from cargame.nl :

I organize a competition each month now, 2 free S1 vouchers to win.

2x 12 = 24 S1 vouchers a year.

But, nobody seems interested, server stays empty

Not that I care much, but its kinda weird.

Zeug is true, something went wrong in the advertising process. You see all those S2 hoppers on the forum? I'm sure most of them would rush in your servers if you actually create a thread on LFSF about it, write up something at LFS News etc.

I do that on purpose, in theory in-server advertising should be enough

(and, I learned some time ago that you must not open positive topics on this forum. Ppl can't handle that here )

Quote from cargame.nl :

I do that on purpose, in theory in-server advertising should be enough

And why should it be? No offense but the demo community doesn't stop at your servers

Had some full server days, you'd expect some people to stay / come back.. But they don't.

Funny thing is that the most dedicated demo server users are in fact already licensed

I try to understand why this happens...

Quote :

3) If point 2 would be accepted, it would be cool to have an option to get real S0 licence. Unlimited demo usage, without time restriction, for something like 3 pounds. Many people would be willing to give this much. And many admins would be willing to organize demo series with S0 licences to the winners, simply because they're cheap. (Because how many demo competitions a year you can run if promising S2 licence to the winner?)

Great point! But S0 should be for free! Only thing Demo racers have to do is to drive good lap times in that testing period and there should be a maximum of allowed bans.

So Demo racers (hopefully) will become good and fair drivers.

Also unused demo accounts should be deleted after a period of not being online. So Victor can tidy up his database.

Im still looking at some posts here and im like "damn wtf" ... making a demo restricted is not forcing them to buy it or neither taking away the fun ... Like dadge said, its just to impress them and that stuff.

Multiplayer: 60 minute restriction
Singleplayer: Unlimited time

That would be the best option ... and i would love the devs if they would apply this. (well, i love them anyway)

Edit: With time restriction, they could add a IP filter (1 account per IP). That would be even more WIN.

Quote from TehPaws3D :

Second... What about the kids with their moms (OK, I'm probably REALLY stretching this out, But meh) Won't buy them any games, I think it would be very sad to see our community say "No.. Sorry.. But you've done your time..

I was just about to mention that.

I think it's safe to assume that a large portion of the LFS community that play the demos aren't old enough to have a credit card or a paypal account anyway, so how can anyone expect them to fork over $37.42 for a game? Even if they had the cash, it's not like they can buy this on store shelves.

The LFS community here in the States is pretty close to being DEAD. all 997Bazillion U.S. servers are empty on an almost consistent basis, and I'm getting sick and tired of having to go on South American and LFS Columbia servers with a ping of about 180, only to lead the **** ing race and then at the VERY LAST LAP my connection cuts out just before the ****** ****ing finnish line!!!!:banghead: :irked:

OK, the reason that I said that is because I really hope there isn't some trial period forced on demo users in the future, because that will just put the final nail in the coffin of the U.S. LFS community over here.

If LFS really wants more players, get this game on store shelves. here in the States, people pick up games just because it has interesting box art. most of the time, they don't care what it is or what its about, If the box looks cool enough, gamers here will pretty much buy anything. Sure, it might be a little different because of the economic crissis, but I bought this game at a time where I just started school and didn't even have a job. 'If you build it, they will come,' basically.

Quote from ATiRAGEPRO :

LFS Columbia servers with a ping of about 180, only to lead the **** ing race and then at the VERY LAST LAP my connection cuts out just before the ****** ****ing finnish line!!!!:banghead: :irked:

I have a West Coast server (Los Angeles) standing by, ready for take off...

But LFS people tend to go the busied server, no matter WHAT.

That is a problem.

I understand the frustration btw.

It should be time or lap limited, in its current state LFS is essentially free because of the generous amount of content given in the demo.

A demo should be a taste of whats to come not the complete meal minus some cars and tracks.


I just have been using the demo to Rise of Flight and its limited to 15 days , great sim and a reasonable price $40.00 US so i bought it . The fact it was time limited did not deter me from a purchase.

I just think its wrong when you see people that have been using the demo for years , if the sim is that good and you have not bought it it cannot be a financial problem because anyone can save forty bucks LFS costs over that time period.

/puts on flame proof suit..

I'm a demo racer. I discovered LFS about 3 or 4 years ago. You think it would be a good time for me to buy a license? But I don't play that often at all. I think the last time I played was in the end of 2009 (checked to the forums today to read some news about VWS... I have no comments about that). I was very active and played for a few weeks. Maybe even for a month. But before that I had a year-long break. And it has been like that for all those years. I play for a few weeks but then I have a half (or even a whole) year break. Every time I started thinking about buying a license I always got tired of LFS and forgot about it completely. And it has always been like this.

But I just can't understand S2 racers who want the demo to be limited. I mean, how does it affect you? It could only mean that less experienced racers go to S2 servers (who can (and probably will) give S2 racers a proper headache). Or are you just embittered by the fact that there are people who didn't pay for LFS and are still having fun?

it affects S2 licence holders in no way at all. but it's a demo, demonstration. a sample of the full content. a taster of a game.
go into 1 car dealership everyday and ask them for a demo. how long do you think it will take the salesman to start questioning your motives?

Quote from s01id :

I mean, how does it affect you? It could only mean that less experienced racers go to S2 servers (who can (and probably will) give S2 racers a proper headache). Or are you just embittered by the fact that there are people who didn't pay for LFS and are still having fun?

I think its more a frustration that the active licensed population stays on a low level. LFS can be so much better and more fun with a doubled active userbase.

Quote from dadge :

it affects S2 licence holders in no way at all. but it's a demo, demonstration. a sample of the full content. a taster of a game.
go into 1 car dealership everyday and ask them for a demo. how long do you think it will take the salesman to start questioning your motives?

Spot on.

After months of use you know you enjoy it please pay the guys that made it , its not the fact that i paid and you didnt its the fact that you should support the guys that have worked hard to make the thing.

you'll also find that with an S2 license, wreckers are alot lower than the demo. wrecking in S2 has a much higher consequence and so happens less. also, you have hold better leagues instead of blackwood 12 times. you can drive mor cars and have bigger grids. "newbie" or "newcomers" to S2 will be treated quite good on (dare i say it) all servers. help and setups are offered regularly too. if LFS were to be repriced imoo it would be alot more expensive considering what you get. so if you think about it that way, buy it now before the price is put up
i played most driving games/sims but LFS is the one i always come back to. so for me, it's worth alot more than £24.
take dirt 2 for example. i have that, i have the world record in the impreza at mali-allen pass. i am bord of it within 1 month. when dirt3 comes out, i'll buy that, play it for a month and get bored again. only to realise i have just spent in total (for dirt2 and dirt3) £75 for about 2 months game time on the dirt titles.
so, do the math,
£75 for 2 months of the dirt titles / £24 for 6 years of LFS racing.

Quote from John Hilton :

this isn't a demo flame war at all

I understand your intentions perfectly

Quote from John Hilton :

... sorry your offended.

I am not offended

Quote from John Hilton :

this isn't a demo flame war at all

Maybe not yet, but commments like "its the fact that you should support" are designed to make demo users feel guilty about using the demo for too long. Predictably, demo users will respond to this attack on their morality and presto, here's your flame war. Its almost inevitable.

nope, no flame war here. only licensed and demo users sharing their views on the demo side of LFS.
demo users might find your signiture more of a flame than Mr Hiltons comments.

Quote from dadge :

... your signiture ...

Haha, good spotting...

Well, lets be "patient" then, won't we...

My view is you can apply limitations and restrictions only when usage is on the rise. Limiting demo now would have disastrous consequences. LFS stands on two legs, demo and licence. By removing BL1R and especially BL2R it shot itself into one leg, and never fully recovered. By applying 60 minutes online gaming or something even more restrictive, it would cut that leg completely... and die of the consequences a few months later.

My view is that in fact it needs to recover, it needs to get more meat, to heal. And that could be (maybe) achieved not by restricting demo, but by allowing more content there. The obvious change is allowing reversed Blackwood tracks again. Demo accounts could be time-limited, but it should be at least 3 months, preferably 6, and this only so that the LFSW database is under control. I would consider even adding one more powerful car to Demo, maybe RB4 or even FXR, but I know some people would be outraged by that, so I'm not proposing it.

I see one interesting problem concerning demo racing. More and more people get specialized - they do only one combo, indefinitely, thousands, even tens of thousands of laps. They are not interested in doing anything else. They do cool lap times on BL1+FBM or BL1+XFG or BL1+XGR or BL2+XFG or BL2+XRG and they are not really interested in trying anything new. They will never buy S2, because instead of gods they'll be newbies again. By opening BL1R and BL2R tracks I would also hope to change this approach, to break this specialization.

If you were to limit the demo account I think you would just start seeing more torrents for LFS that have full cars along with tracks but just wouldnt be able to play online. Let the demo users keep it. Not everyone has an extra 40 dollars to spend or 20 even. They could even be running it on a computer from 2001 that has xp and probably an 1/8th of the RAM you guys have in your computers. I couldnt afford S2 for a while so the demo had its days of fun (well before I bought s1 )

my 2c

Enough to pay for the computer and internet costs and who knows most likely a wheel? Come on that old horse shit about not enough funds doesn't stand up , even if were talking about really young kids .

I buy my kids the games they like for there birthday and Christmas , i just think the monetary argument is not applicable anymore as its not a lot of cash.

If you can't save in the time it takes to do 1000s of laps your not trying..

Quote from richo :

Spot on.

After months of use you know you enjoy it please pay the guys that made it , its not the fact that i paid and you didnt its the fact that you should support the guys that have worked hard to make the thing.

Quote from dadge :

it affects S2 licence holders in no way at all. but it's a demo, demonstration. a sample of the full content. a taster of a game.
go into 1 car dealership everyday and ask them for a demo. how long do you think it will take the salesman to start questioning your motives?

When talking about demo, S2 users always mention that "demo" means "demonstration". Alright, so the problem seems to be in that word ("demo"). If the demo was named e.g. "S0", would it still be a problem? Because it wouldn't be a demonstration anymore. It would just be free content.