Getting 3rd party content into LFS would only work (
= LFS stays being the best sim for pick-up racing and keeping its easy accessibility) if the new stuff is included into LFS download, that people don't have to download separate packages from forums / different websites. This means that the devs would have to spend time on integrating the new content into LFS, which would take time.
If the devs would like to get paid for their efforts, then the added content should be charged for. Depending on the amount of added content, the cost could be spread into 2 or 3 different packages like rallycross license, gtp license, stock car license or whatever.. So that people wouldn't have to pay for each and every car & track separately but in simple, genre oriented bits so they can get what they want and live in the know that there's not gonna be version mismatch or missing content in the racing genre the user likes.
But.
If the devs charge for the added content, then all the stuff would have to be fantasy. There are tons of mods for rFactor (some of them are very good), because most of the content is from real world, either converted from a commercial product or scratch made. There's no design to be done. There's always blueprints or photos or something to go by. Fantasy content, like most of LFS currently is, would be much harder to produce in numbers.
I don't know if it's "ok" to just copy whatever is in real world and just call it something else, some games of the past did this but are there any legal issues, I just don't know (
Hoellsen, where are you BTW?!). We know there's a MacGyver F1 up for grabs if this is OK
Paying whatever licensing fees should need to be done before any LFS user licenses for the content could be sold. This would mean either an existing capital to be spent to several licenses or an investor to back up the sim. I don't know if this is possible at all.
Pricing the content could be hard as well, should it be a set figure of say £12 to get one of the genre packages. That would mean let's say 6-9 cars and 2-3 tracks. How many people need to be working on a package to produce that content in x time? How long will it take if x number of people work on the content as a hobby, of their spare time?
Food for thought, :twocents: etc..
I'm not sure if it's modding that could rejuvenate LFS, but something needs to be done. At the moment this sim is almost dead to me, and to many others.
Luckily iRacing doesn't allow pick-up racing as such and is quite expensive, otherwise LFS would be :expressio