The reason they don't say these things is because then they hear nothing but "when is <track> getting released?" from everyone.

Somewhere, hidden in a hard drive somewhere in England, there is a plan. And probably some porn. But the plan is the important bit. Hidden in that plan is a schedule of release dates for LFS. And I imagine some scribbled rantings about dumb forum topics.

Now as the developers get asked to add things like the FBM or the VWS (I'm speculating here), these dates get pushed back while the new content gets made and tested and updated and tested and tested and played with and updated and tested again.

So if, for example, Scawen had said "the first phase of S3 goes live in December", people would be hyped. If he then said "no wait, January. Maybe February" then people would be disappointed and there'd be a forum outcry with pitchforks and torches. But the integration of the new Scirocco is obviously going to hold other things up.

So it's far safer to just accept things as they happen. He will never give you a date, because he might miss it and that would annoy people more than not hearing anything. And the surprise is far better when something is announced

Isn't the Scirroco already intergrated, since they were using it at that games convention? Looked pretty good from the videos IMO...

Quote from GrandlHuber :

If it´s true that no one is actually workin on trackdesign,

Dunno where you get that from.
All I know is that Eric is doing things like that (modelling cars and tracks, gfx stuff)
He is not working exclusively as just a trackdesigner but still does all the graphical stuff.

Anyway to your original question:

Scawen explained why they usually don't say anything about the things to come:
http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?p=860722#post860722

but

Quote from ORION :

The reason why the scirocco will be in LFS is mostly because of vic really wanted this car in LFS and thus he did anything to make this happen. A while back he asked me to help with modelling but apparently Eric made it all alone already

If Victor is asking someone else to do the modelling.
Then Eric must be doing something else that eats up all of his working time apart from refurbishing the interior of some cars ( as this can't take up all of his time for such a long period).

Together with this statement from Scawen (03.07.2008) where he also talked about a track:

Quote from Scawen :

but there are some things on Eric's hard drive awaiting completion, and you'll get them when they are done. It's easier to release a half-baked code feature that works, but you can't release a track with some hills you can see under and cars with holes in them.

That makes me believe that Eric is still working on the tracks and on a new one.
Sooner or later we'll all see it

THX BBO@BSR!

These were exactly that statements, i was searching for!

Quote :

The reason why the scirocco will be in LFS is mostly because of vic really wanted this car in LFS and thus he did anything to make this happen. A while back he asked me to help with modelling but apparently Eric made it all alone already

lolz...

I've seen Vic's car, I actually almost fell over it (but fell over Bob Smith's instead), and it isn't a V-dub. And yeah, i'm clumsy. Besides i'm not sure computers can render red quite as red as Victors car... Hmm, it'd help if I could remember what it was wouldnt it, I think a Toyota something, it looked a bit sporty and like LFS is doing reasonably well financially.

Don't get your hopes up for a Toyota in LFS any time soon though, it's going to take Scawen a long time to code all the mechanical failures in for the VW first, and a whole new damage system is needed for car park bumps and LFS doesn't yet support shopping bags in the boot.

Doesn't Vic have a red MR2?

I'm sure Eric has a Saxo, and Scawen a Bike / BMW, too...

aye that's the one, I wasnt 100% sure - except about the colour ! I guess my girly side beat my petrol head side on this ocassion.

I thought Vic drove a Nissan 350Z?

Quote from BBO@BSR :

That makes me believe that Eric is still working on the tracks and on a new one.

^^Seems more like an issue about not seeing the difference between an example and actual info

If you want to see some kind of signs you should look through all of Scawen's posts really. You could get really excited when he happens to mention words like rally, pack, formula, rwd, track and new. I'm sure he has mentioned those. Whoohoo! We get a Ferrari F40!

It's no wonder really why they devs seem to avoid all kind of talk about future updates simply because people seem to think that maybe=defenately.

Or is it some kind of desperation, to seek confirmation that LFS is still going forward, to make yourself believe that this is just a slight lull in the huge scheme of things?

Quote from Bob Smith :

I thought Vic drove a Nissan 350Z?

he does

oh yeah.

But it was definitely red.

Women drivers, eh?







I love you really Becky...

Quote from Becky Rose :

But it was definitely red.

Nah, that was just the glow from your suit tinting your vision.

Quote from Hyperactive :

^^Seems more like an issue about not seeing the difference between an example and actual info

If you want to see some kind of signs you should look through all of Scawen's posts really. You could get really excited when he happens to mention words like rally, pack, formula, rwd, track and new. I'm sure he has mentioned those. Whoohoo! We get a Ferrari F40!

It's no wonder really why they devs seem to avoid all kind of talk about future updates simply because people seem to think that maybe=defenately.

Or is it some kind of desperation, to seek confirmation that LFS is still going forward, to make yourself believe that this is just a slight lull in the huge scheme of things?

Your reply to my post doesn't make any sense it
seems more like you have not read my post properly.

When Scawen writes 1 day after we got the latest stuff:
(The quote I used from Scawen was from the 3rd of July.
Car interiors with patch Z came on the 2nd of July )

Quote :

"You've got most of what I have done but there are some things on Eric's hard drive awaiting completion,"

Then I think you don't see the difference between an example and actual info.

But I never said it's a fact that we get a new track.
I said "That makes me believe" (together with a bit common sense)

What do you think is Eric doing all day since we got that?
Does he really only do some interiors all months since Dec. 2007 when we got the FBM and the rebfurbished South City and Blackwood track.

Victor also asked someone else to work on the scirocco modell at first which implies Eric has much other things to do. That can't be just car interior updates.

Quote from BBO@BSR :

Your reply to my post doesn't make any sense it
seems more like you have not read my post properly.

When Scawen writes 1 day after we got the latest stuff:
(The quote I used from Scawen was from the 3rd of July.
Car interiors with patch Z came on the 2nd of July )


Then I think you don't see the difference between an example and actual info.

But I never said it's a fact that we get a new track.
I said "That makes me believe" (together with a bit common sense)

Common sense does not equal a good guess though. Of course you did not say it as a fact that there was a new track coming but you still were quite certain about it. The fact is that there is no mention or hints of any kind new tracks coming. Naturally that doesn't exclude the possibility...o oh there you go . (I have no idea what you mean by those scawen quotes, the zzz patch or the 2nd of july...?)

Quote from BBO@BSR :

What do you think is Eric doing all day since we got that?
Does he really only do some interiors all months since Dec. 2007 when we got the FBM and the rebfurbished South City and Blackwood track.

Victor also asked someone else to work on the scirocco modell at first which implies Eric has much other things to do. That can't be just car interior updates.

Well, the interiors are still not ready so maybe he is finishing them? As for the Scirocco model, well, it is just another pit of guessing and speculation. How much work was actually needed to get the 3d model part working in LFS, did the devs get some 3d models from VW... etc. Why can't it be just car interior updates?

It's all a conspiracy.

Quote from Hyperactive :

Common sense does not equal a good guess though. Of course you did not say it as a fact that there was a new track coming but you still were quite certain about it.

And I still be certain about it (see the last 2 paragraphs of this post)

Quote from Hyperactive :

(I have no idea what you mean by those scawen quotes, the zzz patch or the 2nd of july...?)

( You quoted my post from page one it was all in there)
The last work we all got from Eric was released with "Patch Z" on the 2nd of July 2008.
1 Day later on the 3rd of July 2008 Scawen wrote:

Quote from Scawen :

...
The standard keeps getting higher, many new unplanned features are added, and that is why things take longer than planned. You've got most of what I have done but there are some things on Eric's hard drive awaiting completion, and you'll get them when they are done. It's easier to release a half-baked code feature that works, but you can't release a track with some hills you can see under and cars with holes in them...

About the half-baked code sentence:
For me that means Scawen can release code with a test patch that doesn't work 100% as he can fix it easily with the next (small) test patch .exe and often the game does then not even get incompatible.

But things like a new cars and tracks take way more time then a few months and have to be (almost) perfect before they can be released, as it makes no sense to force the users to download real big updates again just because there have been fixed some small graphical glitches in the model. And then the whole game will get incompatible to the version before ect.

In the end he said that there are still things on Eric's harddisk
Ok you are right Scawen could mean anything with it:
- Finish and release Westhill updates
- RB4 / UF1 / UFR interiors
As he wrote a few words about the progress and future updates of LFS before Patch Z was released ->: http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=44905

BUT
Eric is still the (3D/GFX) artist of the devs. and usually do the tracks and the car modells and most of the GFX stuff. But what makes anyone think that Eric has stopped with his usual work? (Which includes also track updates and working on new cars and tracks)

So if he has not stopped being the artist of the LFS Devs team then it would be logic that he is still working on track updates, new cars and tracks as that's part of his job in the team. That's for me common sense

Wasn't a new neighborhood for South City being developed?

At least the roads are there.

Oh yay, another city layout, I can't wait to drive on SO Ghetto. :|

Quote from Bob Smith :

Oh yay, another city layout, I can't wait to drive on SO Ghetto. :|

ROLF, I'm not very excited about it too.

Quote from Bob Smith :

Oh yay, another city layout, I can't wait to drive on SO Ghetto. :|

SO Ghetto :chairfall

Quote from Becky Rose :

it's going to take Scawen a long time to code all the mechanical failures in for the VW first

Uhmmmm.... What?

Quote from Kosmo :

Uhmmmm.... What?

Just a joke about the fabbled reliability of German cars being a long way from the reality, although VW aren't too bad, didn't meen to touch a nerve!

Quote from BBO@BSR :

[collection of informative posts from the devs]

Perhaps this could be put in a stickied thread, so anyone who asks a question about this can be referred to the thread. (Much like the "I was banned" thread.)

Quote from Bob Smith :

SO Ghetto. :|

SO Ghetto, i can just see it now. everyone stuck in pits when your tyres are stolen