Silver Lining..

[AndyM77]

if I was given the option of having IGA and things like the 158 for £7, or the present situation of paying £13 for it, then I'd rather have the adverts, because I could then afford the 158... (This isn't intended to start a discussion on that subject either, and I highly doubt that the difference would be £6)..

Even if IGA gave a hefty discount on 'RSDL' payware, it probably wouldn't have applied to the 158 since it's not actually been developed / constructed by the RSDL software team. They have out of the kindness of their hearts (aww bless them), giving hosting space, DRM protection (Yuck) & a greater audience to the item(s) creator 'SteelixB'.

Without opening the payware vs freeware debate, perhaps if everybody wasn't immedietely releasing thier first ever Rail Sim item as payware then perhaps we'd have a bit more money to spend on other items.

If anything this sim needs an excellent freeware repository to entice the possible MSTS converts over as I'd say that the freeware MSTS stuff with only the "occasional" payware items have kept the original rolling down the tracks for so long.

[Blackpatch]

From a personal prespective, I made the consious decision to put all my eggs in the RS basket. Mainly because of the cost of addons has dictated that I can't sustain two quality simulators. I get the impression that Microsoft, having now cancelled msts 2 twice, have never had enough desire to see the project through and all too quick to pull the plug.

BP

[jbilton]

Without opening the payware vs freeware debate, perhaps if everybody wasn't immedietely releasing thier first ever Rail Sim item as payware then perhaps we'd have a bit more money to spend on other items.

If anything this sim needs an excellent freeware repository to entice the possible MSTS converts over as I'd say that the freeware MSTS stuff with only the "occasional" payware items have kept the original rolling down the tracks for so long.

Hi
I must just say, posting as a non KRS user, I think there has been some outstanding freeware models released.
In fact to me, they've looked better than any payware released to date.
May be it was only how I read the development through these forums, I always thought KRS was designed to be sold cheaply, but then everything had to be 'bolted' on afterwards.
Like a Hornby trainset, where the cost of the set is the cheapest thing.
Cheers
Jon

[stephenholmes]

Hi Jon
Why not make the change and join the many delighted fans of Rail Simulator?
There is plenty of excellent New Content for Rail Simulator still to look forward to
Kind regards Stephen

[jkxx74]

Hi jkxx

I will have a serious try with KRStool in when I get to building up the landscape for The Spa Valley Railway. A good opportunity to try it out properly and save some time filling out the route.

Thanks for the encouraging works! And I will do my best to keep fixing the bugs and so on

I'll agree with what everyone has been saying though, the available freeware is really showing what RS is capable of and is making the sim that much more attractive. I'm glad for all those free (and excellent quality in my opinion) items out there and the people who took the time to create them. We can only 'win' if more join and apply their talent toward the sim as more content just tends to help bring yet more players into the picture.

Cheers,

jkxx

[TheTazman]

I guess in the long run tho we can only hope that things get back to normal in the financial world but this to me still seems a very long way off. Maybe when and if they do get back to normal FS and MSTS2 will start up again.

Its amazing that a company like microsoft who has billions and billions of pounds surely bill is sitting on a pile of cash or has he squandered it all?

[mendes]

If anything this sim needs an excellent freeware repository to entice the possible MSTS converts over as I'd say that the freeware MSTS stuff with only the "occasional" payware items have kept the original rolling down the tracks for so long.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there, that and the production of a "Killer" route for RS, whcih seems to me from reading the forums to be a lot more work than MSTS.

Maybe with the demise of MSTS2 one of the payware companies will have a go.

[jkxx74]

Its amazing that a company like microsoft who has billions and billions of pounds surely bill is sitting on a pile of cash or has he squandered it all?

One of my first posts shortly after joining UKTS was one that praised Kuju for succeeding with the original MSTS and bashed MS for dropping the ball on the project, the first installment from the ill-fated MS-MSTS series. It is really sad that this turned out to be the reality of the day yet again but at least I still have a reason to praise Kuju/RSDL - for their determination and pulling through where MS couldn't. What's worse is that the tsinsider site brags about MS having resources "our competitors can't match". Indeed...

(Not to sound inflammatory so will conclude the subject right there, but I am quite disappointed by the recent turn of events.)

Cheers,

jkxx

[wmghobbs]

If RDSL had been hesitant about entering the US market from fear of soon being crushed by MSTSX, they should re-evaluate the risk at this time. They clearly do have limited resources, but without MSTSX in the wings, their potential for market-share certainly increases. I know a couple of route and model builders who have been hesitant to work with RS until now who might be reconsidering things at this point. One has done some very good looking locos intended for MSTSX and it would be a real shame for that work to be lost.
Bill Hobbs

[andygale]

Things seem to have gone a little quiet at RSDL. Hope there isn't more bad news to come...

Andy

[CaptScarlet]

If RDSL had been hesitant about entering the US market from fear of soon being crushed by MSTSX, they should re-evaluate the risk at this time. They clearly do have limited resources, but without MSTSX in the wings, their potential for market-share certainly increases. I know a couple of route and model builders who have been hesitant to work with RS until now who might be reconsidering things at this point. One has done some very good looking locos intended for MSTSX and it would be a real shame for that work to be lost.
Bill Hobbs

I feel this is a fair assessment of the situation but RSDL at the same time need to continue working through the list of improvements / upgrades that they want to make so it is a better sim in the eyes of the MSTS 1 and Trainz users ( though that may be difficult ). Part of that will be the hopefully the MK3 upgrade which we only vaguely know at the moment will include some dispatcher improvements / fixes. Then it is a issue of getting those users who looked at RS prior to the MK2 upgrade but dropped it, this is where getting some more content that the users want might help.

John

[CaptScarlet]

Things seem to have gone a little quiet at RSDL. Hope there isn't more bad news to come...

Andy

I think them being quite is by design. Recently in another forum post about MK3 wishes RSderek said that while they haven't commented on the list they were monitoring it and were busy working on things at RSDL HQ.

John

[Acorncomputer]

The silver lining cannot be that RSDL may do better out of the demise of ACES.
Silver linings are not found at the expense of others and I am sure that the team at RSDL have nothing but sympathy with their US counterparts.

Perhaps silver linings have to be created and not found.

Perhaps (more wishful thinking than reality), but with so many people in the UK and the US working for large Corporations, there is no ambition to create and develop small businesses any more and probably many people do not even consider this. But rather than sitting around waiting for something to happen (such a waste of talent), I would say that this is a golden opportunity for the broken up ACES team to get together and seriously consider setting up their own studio managed by themselves. This recession is a good time to consider this as things can only get better and well managed small businesses will be able to ride out the storm and be ready for the upturn when it arrives. Small businesses are usually more adaptable to change and are not so prone to knee jerk reactions and less so when the staff, owners and managers are all the same people.

Perhaps just wishful thinking, but is this the silver lining that just has to be created?

(I have to admit that I am not a fan of large corporations).

[M1ckran]

Don't forget that when big, powerful companies discard their staff, they usually make their ex-employees sign an agreement that prohibits them from using their knowledge and skills in the same field elsewhere for a period of time. This effectively stifles competition in areas that the company no longer wishes to compete in, and might be illegal in some countries, but how many unemployed people would have the financial resources to contest it through the courts?

It must gall Microsoft to see MSTS1 flourishing in spite of their efforts to kill it off. Customer Power sometimes can work! I wonder how much this might have influenced the decision to cancel MSTS2. I don't expect to see MSTS2 reincarnated any time soon, but I wouldn't be surprised to see MSTS1 improve over the next few months, as the more technical enthusiasts create enhanced functionality through addon binaries.

Similarly, Rail Simulator is steadily improving and I hope to see more here. It looks as though more and more people are getting to grips with the inner workings of RS and the customer community appears to be driving it forward. Credit must be given here to RSDL who seem to be very willing to help, in stark contrast to Microsoft.

Microsoft's latest statements suggest, to me, that they plan to make simulators online games. I can only think of two good reasons for this: maximum revenue for minimum investment and total control over content. Customer-driven products like MSTS1 and RS will probably benefit.

Let's hope that doors open for the unfortunate people who've lost their livelihoods, and let's not worry too much about the loss of a simulator that never made it to market anyway. Instead, let's concentrate on supporting and encouraging the development of the existing simulators that give so much pleasure to so many.

Silver Lining? Sounds like a good name for a shunting engine...

[Neptune50006]

Let's hope that doors open for the unfortunate people who've lost their livelihoods, and let's not worry too much about the loss of a simulator that never made it to market anyway. Instead, let's concentrate on supporting and encouraging the development of the existing simulators that give so much pleasure to so many.

Hear, hear