Well, with the controversial Patch Y (which is one of the best patches in a long time IMHO) there was spawned a huge flock of demo racers who are pissed off that they can't drift with the XRT anymore.
Now I think that they haven't contributed anything to LfS, unless they buy a license, and thus I don't think they have any say in the matter of what should be in the demo. Honestly, the new demo (which has not less but different content) is far more than they get from most other demos out there.

Now for my proposal, which I think could make both parties happy: the demo players and Scavier:

Add another demo mode: the Ad-based demo. To use it, the demo user would have to register here with a valid e-mail adress. This ad-based demo would have more content, like for example the TBO cars and a track like SO, so people would use it, and can still drift for free, and possibly limited LfS World access with low res skins, for example.
Now you ask in how the devs, and possibly the demo community, would profit from it? Firstly, scavier could simply sell the registered demo e-mails and contact data (not s2 ones, mind you ) so the'd get spammed with ad-mails. Also, he could introduce commercial splash screens (about 20 seconds length) when you'd start up your Ad-demo, end it and when you start a race (thus making people stare at an add for at least 60 seconds when starting up lfs...)

The demo community would profit, because due to registered accounts, wreckers and other scum could be permanently banned.

So, while I really dislike ads in games, especially in such an annoying manner as described above, I think that especially the long toime demo users have deserved no less.

sounds like you put a lot of thought into this post

I think that it's good idea. Mind you, you'd still get people saying 'ahhh, i hate these ads, get rid of them', and people spamming the forums.

I dont really think they would profit sure they would get more content but i reckon the idea is kind of slipshod though you've thought it through i just think if they want to benefit they pay for it.

Quote from J@tko :

Mind you, you'd still get people saying 'ahhh, i hate these ads, get rid of them', and people spamming the forums.

Exactly.
For some people it's just never enough. All they want is take, take, take, complain, complain, complain.

Besides that, it would harm LFS reputation, be called spyware and stuff like that.
So no, not a very well thought out plan.

Why would it be spyware? No collecting of data for "personalized" ads, just simple displaying of general ads, like most websites do. So no spyware involved.

Quote from ColeusRattus :

Why would it be spyware? No collecting of data for "personalized" ads, just simple displaying of general ads, like most websites do. So no spyware involved.

I'm not saying it would be spyware, I meant people will perceive it as spyware and people will be put off by it. Trust me, I see it all the time when I read about programs which for instance have a free version with ads in it, then it's often called spyware by people even though it's not.

honest oppinion ? the day the devs decide to go down that slippery slope of in game adds and selling emails ill abandon the game and feel ashamed for all the times i recommended this sim to anyone

Quote from ColeusRattus :

[ snip bullshit ]

You forgot to add your closing </sarcasm> tag, as I assume the OP was nothing but a poor attempt at humour? (if it's not, then I feel very, very sorry for you).

If you really are trying to be serious, then:

Quote :

Firstly, scavier could simply sell the registered demo e-mails and contact data

will land the devs in a whole heap of shit as this is illegal.

Please.. the preferred order of operation is:

• Engage Brain
  
• Engage fingers / mouth

You got things back to front I'm afraid, on the off chance you were serious.



Regards,

Ian

Well, with my suggestion, people could freely chose to recieve mails or not. Also, I honestly don't think that scawen would put time in "such" a feature.
That doesn't alter the fact that people who play LfS for free complain quite a lot without benefitting it.

EDIT: and if people would have to accept that their adresses are being used that way, I think it wouldn't be outright illegal
And I was basically just taking shots at the long time demo players.

-1

I'm very strongly against any company that puts ads into their products, specially when ads are used to fund activity. There is nothing wrong with JPG on side of track, but when it comes to systems that leech ads from net, I sense red.

Every single ad company should be closed, imo. Previously part of my job was to clean up client computers from results of such ad companies actions so I might be bit over sensitive about it, but I'm pretty sure that never ever I could not support such activity.

Quote from ColeusRattus :

Well, with my suggestion, people could freely chose to recieve mails or not. Also, I honestly don't think that scawen would put time in "such" a feature.
That doesn't alter the fact that people who play LfS for free complain quite a lot without benefitting it.

Don't get me wrong, I have to smile when I see demo users bitching about not having this or wanting that. While I think some demo users get a rough time here, like the tag on the makes 's2 licensed' some kind of godly resemblance compared to the 'demo user' jester's tag, I don't agree with them wanting more.

Quote :

EDIT: and if people would have to accept that their adresses are being used that way, I think it wouldn't be outright illegal

I suggest you start reading on how the laws work (IANAL) and then reconsider your above statement. Don't be fooled by the (I-)CAN-SPAM act either.

Quote :

And I was basically just taking shots at the long time demo players.

So you did forget the </sarcasm> tag


Regards,

Ian

Quote from JTbo :

[ snip ]

Every single ad company should be closed, imo. Previously part of my job was to clean up client computers from results of such ad companies actions so I might be bit over sensitive about it, but I'm pretty sure that never ever I could not support such activity.

Heh.. you're not alone there. Having run a mailserver for 6 years and hosting multiple user's mail accounts, spam / ads in general have become a real pet peeve of mine too.. I despise all advertising now, be it on TV, on web sites or in mails. It's also the very reason I didn't bother to try RACE due to the IGA. _If_ LFS ever became the same (and I seriously highly doubt it).. I'd drop it like a hot spud.

The thing that makes me laugh and cry at the same time is people who bitch about the amount of spam they get and how they hate advertising, and then say that it's ok in a game and go ahead and buy it anyway. They obviously can't be that pissed off about it afterall



Regards,

Ian

Quote from Shotglass :

honest oppinion ? the day the devs decide to go down that slippery slope of in game adds and selling emails ill abandon the game and feel ashamed for all the times i recommended this sim to anyone

I don't disagree with you

the point is not to punish demo drivers for being demo drivers, it is to entice themto buy S2.

+1
i have a spam folder anyway, and id like to drive south city.

Quote from ColeusRattus :

Add another demo mode: the Ad-based demo.

How about introducing the Ab-based Demo? Where they have to do a certain amount of crunches per day. I can already see it - "stay fit with LFS" advertised by some not-so-eloquent and totally unknown body-builder on TV.

Make the demo players have their own section on the forum so they dont spam all the other sections?

They could just buy the bloody game, stick with an old version or play something else.

I`m not gonna get another free level of the crysis demo by going on the forums and moaning at anyone.

Quote from Stefani24 :

+1
i have a spam folder anyway, and id like to drive south city.

Maybe you should fu*kin buy the game!? How the hell do you think you have the right to ASK for anything for FREE is beyond me, this goes for all other people that do the same! How aren't you ashamed of yourselfs?

It would propably not be that easy to get an advertiser to agree for such, if you'd give them S1 content for example that would be "worth" a 16 euro S1 license. No way you'd get the advertiser to pay you anywhere near 16 euros for every user that watches the ads, and I doubt you would get anything near that with a click-based system either. Add to that the fact that the ads would propably be easy to remove, and such system being available would propably mean less regular paying customers too, I doubt it would go that well in the end...

And there's ads in the game already from which (I hope) the devs get something out of

Quote from Kegetys :

And there's ads in the game already from which (I hope) the devs get something out of

No they are not, only from licences and lfs shop (which is far from making profit), that is what Scawen wrote earlier to some other thread.

Quote from Shotglass :

honest oppinion ? the day the devs decide to go down that slippery slope of in game adds and selling emails ill abandon the game and feel ashamed for all the times i recommended this sim to anyone

I am the same here. Before firefox was out I looked at Opera but when I found it had adverts/monitoring until you purchased I avoided. Problem is the spyware is always there.

Big -1.

They can purchase S1, I jusst dont get the problem. Are people so poor that they can't spend £12 even though they have a PC that can run LFS.

I think they have wayyyy to much anyway now, they dont need to get a half version of S2 really.

Quote from Woz :

I jusst dont get the problem. Are people so poor that they can't spend £12 even though they have a PC that can run LFS.

Heh, doesn't "pocket money" exist anymore? wash the parents car, empty the dishwasher & mow the lawn only a few times and Bingo! Easy money. (The rest of this post isn't directed at Woz's post)


Secondly, why do S2 users continue to feed this subject anyway? The people that wont purchase S2... well, just never will.

Much like the multitude of silly repeated topics, why do you people continue to post. feeding the issues over and over? Wouldn't it much easier for all, if only a Moderator replied with a link to a original Topic & then lock the thread?