The online racing simulator
dont flame on me cause iam a demoracer...

but..

i dont think make the demo worse will make the full game better...
The intention behind this wasnt to make the full game better, but to sell more licences, because people dont stay in the demo forever.

I dont agree with the suggestion, though. I vote for keeping it, as it is.
well, i brought the licsense 4 days ago i think and it was simply because i was fed up of driving

1. the slowest car on earth (other than the UF1000 which is actually so slow its fun) around 5 laps swearing at crashers

2. driving a car that no one uses

3. driving a car that when you turn understeers and when you accelerate out powers itself

plus blackwood gets really boring after the 1,000,000,000 lap (exageration)

so altho yeah for a while people are just gonna use the demo version i reckon they shouldnt add/take anything from it, its the worst three cars mixed with a track that gets very boring.... so in a way its enough to drive you to buy a liscense
Quote from SuperMassive :well, i brought the licsense 4 days ago i think and it was simply because i was fed up of driving

1. the slowest car on earth (other than the UF1000 which is actually so slow its fun) around 5 laps swearing at crashers

2. driving a car that no one uses

3. driving a car that when you turn understeers and when you accelerate out powers itself

plus blackwood gets really boring after the 1,000,000,000 lap (exageration)

so altho yeah for a while people are just gonna use the demo version i reckon they shouldnt add/take anything from it, its the worst three cars mixed with a track that gets very boring.... so in a way its enough to drive you to buy a liscense

Wow! At least someone's figured this out.
The generosity of the demo is something which made the game attractive to me in the first place.

Demo's which limit time or amount of plays make you feel like the developers are trying to force you into a quick sale.

LFS on the other hand, they've said "here's a track and a few cars, go for it! - and if you want more, you're welcome to buy"

If LFS had it's time over, I would probably vote the demo should be XFG+XRG only right from the beginning, even those cars alone combined with the track and unlimited use is damn generous in comparison to other demos.

However as it is now, its unfeasible to suddenly take the XRT out, its taking something away which was available before. People wouldn't move to the latest version, instead remaining on the last demo that featured the XRT

People do live full time in the demo, I myself played it for about a year I think, before I suddenly decided to buy a license. I had the money, sure, but somehow it was too difficult, until my parents let me use their credit card.

I guess that brings us back to another problem - if LFS cost 15pounds for S1 and 30pounds for S2 - available boxed in game stores meaning people can buy with cash, I am sure alot more demo users would go out and buy it. It's just the whole "online thing" of using the credit card or money orders, where people put up the stone wall (ie. "I haven't got enough money!!") or just throw it in the "too hard basket"...

.... and then go for another 3lap race at blackwood
Quote from Takumi_Project.d :The generosity of the demo is something which made the game attractive to me in the first place.

Demo's which limit time or amount of plays make you feel like the developers are trying to force you into a quick sale.

LFS on the other hand, they've said "here's a track and a few cars, go for it! - and if you want more, you're welcome to buy"

If LFS had it's time over, I would probably vote the demo should be XFG+XRG only right from the beginning, even those cars alone combined with the track and unlimited use is damn generous in comparison to other demos.

However as it is now, its unfeasible to suddenly take the XRT out, its taking something away which was available before. People wouldn't move to the latest version, instead remaining on the last demo that featured the XRT

People do live full time in the demo, I myself played it for about a year I think, before I suddenly decided to buy a license. I had the money, sure, but somehow it was too difficult, until my parents let me use their credit card.

I guess that brings us back to another problem - if LFS cost 15pounds for S1 and 30pounds for S2 - available boxed in game stores meaning people can buy with cash, I am sure alot more demo users would go out and buy it. It's just the whole "online thing" of using the credit card or money orders, where people put up the stone wall (ie. "I haven't got enough money!!") or just throw it in the "too hard basket"...

.... and then go for another 3lap race at blackwood

Very true. This happens to so many people, especially the younger ones.

Personally, I got the license because the demo was remarkably good and showed the potential of LFS as a sim. The incorporation of both FWDs and RWDs do a great job of demonstrating the potential of the physics.

In the long run, a good demo does a better job of getting loyal customers and fans than any coercive means.
I changed my idea, demo time should be cut down for a certain amount of time a day
Quote from imthebestracerthereis :I changed my idea, demo time should be cut down for a certain amount of time a day

which would still give the option to make the game become addictive and then they would look into ways of being able to use it all the time so they go and buy s2 good idea
#34 - Davo
Taking the XRT out would do nothing as it's mainly driven by the drifters and it's 1 in a million to find a race server using XRT or XRG. Plus no one in S2 really uuses XRT since theres FXO and RB4 and bunch of better cars. XRT is really the drift king not much more.

I say let the demo have the XRT so the drifters can do laps around BLR and then wreck in the XFG and leave us alone in S2 land.
#35 - lyd
Quote from Becky Rose :The LFS business model is the concern of the LFS devs. They put the content in they feel is best, and they have all the statistics and data from sales order tracking and LFS World access to know what's best to earn them a bigger Turkey at Christmas. I don't have that information, so I wont pretend to know what is best.

This is right on the money, imo.

Besides, does anyone really bother with the demo if they don't have to? After finding LFS and telling a friend about it, that friend downloaded the demo and used it for about two days before getting a license. I had to build a new PC in order to run LFS (all mac and *nix around here for the last several years) but once I got that sorted, I had a license before I'd installed the software. I've never used the demo at all.

It seems to me that anyone using the demo for any extended period of time is either forced to by whatever their circumstances might be, or just isn't terribly interested in serious racing sims. It would be a shame to alienate the former while trying to weed out the latter.

lyd
#36 - CSU1
Quote from lyd :This is right on the money, imo.

Besides, does anyone really bother with the demo if they don't have to? After finding LFS and telling a friend about it, that friend downloaded the demo and used it for about two days before getting a license. I had to build a new PC in order to run LFS (all mac and *nix around here for the last several years) but once I got that sorted, I had a license before I'd installed the software. I've never used the demo at all.

It seems to me that anyone using the demo for any extended period of time is either forced to by whatever their circumstances might be, or just isn't terribly interested in serious racing sims. It would be a shame to alienate the former while trying to weed out the latter.

lyd

I have to disagree with you on that one lyd! Does anyone bother with the demo??
Well 30% of my LFS time is spent on demo servers because unless you are blind you will see that it's more often than not an excellent place to race XFG_BL!
There are always good,honest competative drivers on the more popular demo servers.
Long live the ol' forest
Edit: Oo 999 post count
#37 - lyd
Quote from CSU1 :I have to disagree with you on that one lyd! Does anyone bother with the demo??
Well 30% of my LFS time is spent on demo servers because unless you are blind you will see that it's more often than not an excellent place to race XFG_BL!
There are always good,honest competative drivers on the more popular demo servers.

I didn't ask if anyone bothered with the demo at all, I asked if anyone bothered with the demo if they didn't have to. I am casting no aspersions upon demo users as a group, just theorizing that if they are serious and it is within their means to be licensed, then they will be.

Witness your own propensity to race on demo servers, yet you are licensed.

What do I know, though, I haven't been here very long. ;-) I probably don't have enough data points to make any reasonable assumptions.

lyd
Beats me why any of you S2-licenced players have concerns about the content of the demo. it sounds to me like empty whining, you've all paid your money so lets restrict teh enjoyment of those who haven't. What difference can it possibly make to you as s2-players, exactly how much demo content is seen as 'appropriate'? Pointless argument and thread. Hmmm.
#39 - CSU1
Quote from al heeley :Beats me why any of you S2-licenced players have concerns about the content of the demo. it sounds to me like empty whining, you've all paid your money so lets restrict teh enjoyment of those who haven't. What difference can it possibly make to you as s2-players, exactly how much demo content is seen as 'appropriate'? Pointless argument and thread. Hmmm.

Don't be silly Al! Of course it concerns us whats going on in the demo as the demo is the "gateway" to S2 for most players who play the demo!
So yes it should be A VERY important part of marketing/development! I'm not going on about content/extra's for the demo, just pointing out your oversight Al.
I drive on demo servers, against demo drivers almost daily. It does concern me
#41 - CSU1
Quote from NotAnIllusion :I drive on demo servers, against demo drivers almost daily. It does concern me

What concerns you?
The content, or demo servers in general?
#42 - SamH
It's an old topic, revisited countless times. I agree with lyd, Al Heeley, Becky and others pursuant to the same message.

How you feel about Demo may or may not be important to you as an individual, but the thread is intended to refer to how the DEVS feel about the demo, and the action they take accordingly. On that, at the end of the day, Becky's post probably stands tallest. It's simply none of our beeswax.
Quote from CSU1 :What concerns you?
The content, or demo servers in general?

Both, really. Any changes to demo content could have me grumbling in anguish there as any other activity on servers. Personally I think the demo is just fine as it is. Yes, lots of people spend a *long* time in demo before buying a license, but the ones that do buy it usually aren't complete twats, which could be the case if content was further restricted
Quote from NotAnIllusion :I drive on demo servers, against demo drivers almost daily. It does concern me

What most fail to appreciate when they say limit demo, is that there is quite a few S2 licenced people who love the XFG GTi and LOVE the fact, that one can count on, at any time of the day or night, in finding a descent race on the XFG BLGP combo. Yes it is true, but even on the rare occasions its not possible, there is always someone around wanting to learn

If you think the very high numbers of people on demo are all none licensed users, you are wrong In many demo servers where good racing happens 40% or more have S2 licenses but just happen to like the XFG and I would have an educated guess that at any time 20% or more of the demo population are S2 licensed

This is all good news of course because those of us that are cracked enough in the head to still find driving the XFG around BLGP enjoyable are also having an influence on potential new LFS customers

Limiting the time playable in demo is a real bad idea imho because people spend alot of time with a game for many reasons... I love LFS for its physics, for its online playablity but most of all for its community and the last by a country mile As the demo stands at the moment new people can come and try LFS and get a feel for all aspects of it, including getting to know some of the LFS regulars like Pringles
Alot of you seem to have alot of ideas on how to get more people to buy S2 and leave demo. There are a few ways to achieve this and im not quite sure which is best, but just do what any half smart sales team would do.

Lure people in with snazzy trailers and images of what they're missing out, not what they currently have! Yes they will enevitably get bored of the demo content and buy S2 (well most of them) but you could speed the process up.

The only reason i went and got myself a licence was because some random bloke by the name of MrRodgers and a few very well made movies from the community convinced me to.
#46 - SamH
Yep, it was a movie that lured me in to buying S2. I loved Demo because I got a sense of the physics of the thing, but seeing a very simple movie with GTRs definitely broke out the wallet. It was in-car, centre view, coming out of a pitstop and doing 2 laps. That's all it took, for me.

The community cranks out some brilliant videos, and the love of the sim is infectious. If you want more people to buy S2, make a cool movie
Quote from Rooble :The only reason i went and got myself a licence was because some random bloke by the name of MrRodgers and a few very well made movies from the community convinced me to.

Oh, come on now, it wasn't just me. It was the whole gaggle of S2 CRC guys running night after night with ya on the CRC demo server. Great times back then. How do you know it was me anyways. With how much we were changing our names, LOL. I remember the time we had all 11 ATC Stoneys in the server, hehehe.

And it's MRodgers, as in Mike last name Rodgers . I laugh every time someone calls me MrRodgers or Mr Odgers, LOL.
True true Mr Rodgers, you might be called Mike but you're still a bloke (i hope ) So that would make you Mr Rodgers(MrRodgers) so i win.


Yes the whole CRC gang, bunch of bloody nutters Dead funny running on the demo servers though.

So yes back to the point, we need a few decent video creators/directors and i guess some content to fill it to get these demo folk to see the light.
i dont agree with you. demo dont need cut,its just ok. i played demo for a while and get bored with one same track,so i bought s2,its just sooooo goood and addictive!
Putting it in stores will alter the perception of the software from the buyer's perspective. I wouldn't be surprised if more people bought it, but then complained that the software "wasn't finished", "wasn't good enough", etc.

I think the current (purchase) system is fine while it's a WIP. The people that pay for it will have used it long enough to know what they're getting, and as it makes you download the demo first you can't say you didn't know what you were buying, thus cutting down on the refund requests that someone will have to deal with. When it's ready for a full release then it would make sense to have a boxed product as an option.

My only suggestion for the demo would be to keep certain features for the full game as they're developed. Things like the more detailed map markers, perhaps the highest gfx detail settings, that kind of thing.

FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG