Quote from Calvinaquino :

So i think everyboddy nocited that Scawen has been updating the game again (till X6) so i wonder... is that the beggining of the Y beta? or am i just dreaming?
Im not here to cause false spectations but... well maybe i AM having false spectations?

when did we change from alpha to beta?

Quote from mrodgers :

Patch X isn't all that old. Yes, I indeed think it is possible that patch Y is on the way. Infact, patch Z as whatever the following patch will be is on the way as well. S2 final is on the way. Why do threads like this start up (going on the first post and the title) all the time? Of course the next patch is on the way. When has a patch failed to not come yet?

You will know when the next patch is no longer on the way as there won't be anymore master server to log onto. The patches will stop if LFS developement ever stops. As long as developement is ongoing, the next patch will always be on the way.

because people are bored. If you think lfs forums are bad, you should see gtplanet.net

Quote from AK-Chester :

Bah, :lfs: just keeps getting better with each and every patch/update, and I for one couldn't care less if the next one is called "Y" or "X12345" or "S3" or whatever.

I wish I could see more people post words like this, instead of gripe, especially when it comes to graphics.

I think alot of people, and I get a little annoyed when I keep mentioning this, forget that one human with a life outside of LFS is has done all the graphics, and that Eric is not content to just design and leave alone.

The next time you tear around Aston Historic or Kyoto Long, think about all the little details Eric has kindly done for the benefit of you, the player. Especially the ones who feel that their S2 licence also gives them the right to, and let's be blunt, annoy the three people who have made this game what it is today.


/rant

The X test patches include fixes and improvements which will be present in patch Y. So yes, they're partially X-fixes and 100% pre-Y development. (obviously, as Y hasn't been released yet...)

Ok, the point is that development in the X test-patches are focused on features present in version X.
X test patches do not concern features that patch Y will bring. You'll see those features at the earliest in Y test patches. That period preceding the release of version Y would be what I mean by "pre-Y" development.

Any guns or missiles? Could come in handy!

As I haven't read up on all rumours around here, so I can't contribute to anything what future patches may bring. But I would be glad to see the "road car" interior go in GTR cars (if it's true they get updated). Always found it odd to look at an "standard" car radio in an racing car.

I find it and sad to see all that spam about "cigarette lighters" and crap.. get f'ing serious dudes! Crap posts like that aren't usefull and as you may think, not funny. Keep it professional here and dump the crap in the off-topic section.

Quote from Breizh :

Ok, the point is that development in the X test-patches are focused on features present in version X.
X test patches do not concern features that patch Y will bring. You'll see those features at the earliest in Y test patches. That period preceding the release of version Y would be what I mean by "pre-Y" development.

Breizh, these pre-Y developments will be brought out in patch X test patches, just as patch X development was brought out in patch W test patches. W17(?) and beyond was multiplayer incompatible with increased race grid which was a future feature of patch X. Once we get beyond the bug fixes in the early X test patches, they future Y features should be implemented in the X test patches. Though, since it is going to be completely incompatible, it's possible that they won't release the incompatible tests to the mainstream public, much like they did with the 2006 incompatible patch . But then again, there was quite a surprise with patch P/Q with the BF1 (not that it mattered to me).

Quote from Sponge :

I find it and sad to see all that spam about "cigarette lighters" and crap.. get f'ing serious dudes! Crap posts like that aren't usefull and as you may think, not funny. Keep it professional here and dump the crap in the off-topic section.

Lighten up dude. The whole thread is speculation and rumour anyway.

I think X7 (or above) patch will change to Y on release, but then all the cool things Scawen has mentioned for Y will really be in patch Z. (Because the X7/etc patches are backwards compatible)

Quote from ste_ :

I think X7 (or above) patch will change to Y on release, but then all the cool things Scawen has mentioned for Y will really be in patch Z. (Because the X7/etc patches are backwards compatible)

I wouldn't be too sure on that... Afterall, we raced quite some time on P2, remember?

I said it with certainty because it was both my own impression and what I remember Scawen saying - that he was doing some post-release fixes for LFS version X before taking a break / starting on Y (now I can't remember precisely what he said anymore).
Anyway, semantics! He may just do whatever he feels like, e.g. infuse X test patches with Y stuff, or not; who knows..

Quote from Breizh :

I said it with certainty because it was both my own impression and what I remember Scawen saying - that he was doing some post-release fixes for LFS version X before taking a break / starting on Y (now I can't remember precisely what he said anymore).
Anyway, semantics! He may just do whatever he feels like, e.g. infuse X test patches with Y stuff, or not; who knows..

Ideally, you want to be finished with one thing before you start another... New test patches not only mean new versions for us, but for Scawen too, where he has to base all the new programming on... Copy & paste alone can be a big source of error, so most programmers avoid complicating their life maintaining two seperate parallel versions of the same thing...

Let's just wait and see.

Test patches have been released as official before, no reason it couldn't happen again. At the moment, the changes aren't really large enough to warrant a new letter, as that kind of implies a certain level of updates. Having said that, I think T to U was mostly bug fixes but there may have been more to it.

Ultimately, we'll get these compatible updates officially now, either labelled as X9 or Y, and incompatible updates a bit later (either labelled as Y or Z). I'm sure there are better things to worry about than naming conventions.