The Death of Payware?
By Robert Murphy (19 May 2007)
When Microsoft Train Simulator was first released, a number of
talented individuals struck out to create new content for MSTS with
very little understanding of how it worked and its limitations. The
first contributions to the file library were engine files to make
some of the AI trains drivable and a few repaints. At the time, the
only viable software to create new content for the sim was 3D Studio
Max, a $3000 program. Abacus' Train Simulator Modeler was still a
year away, 3D Canvas hadn't been adapted to MSTS, and it would be
almost 3 years before Gmax was added to the lineup.
At first, an announcement of a new locomotive or car in the forums
was greeted with anticipation and it was impossible to get into the
file library the first day it was released. The first North American
prototypes started to appear, and the cry in the forums was for a
North American steam locomotive. A group of modelers calling
themselves Train Artisans released a set called the Empire State
Express that included a J3A Hudson, and a passenger train set with a
passenger view! It was available, at first, here in the file library
and TrainSim.Com, and was probably one of the most popular downloads
of all time.
About the same time, some of the first routes were released in the
TrainSim.Com library, mostly based on fictional themes, or reworks
of the original Northeast Corridor or Marias Pass routes. At the
time, no one had down the groundwork to find another way to extract
terrain, and the method used by Kuju to extract the original routes
was prohibitively expensive and unavailable to the MSTS community.
Then several new developments occurred: The Empire State Express was
withdrawn from the file library, and it was announced an updated
version would be available for sale, Abacus released a set of payware
locomotives, with a free route download, and a new concept known as
payware add-ons for MSTS was born. There were several groups of
modelers that banded together to produce high quality add-ons for the
sim, including locomotives, routes, and new detailed cars.
At first, there was discussion on the forums, both pro and con, but
in general, the consensus was that it was a good thing for the
community. Since the add-ons were generally higher quality, included
installers, and the makers included support, they were well received.
There were also individual modelers, and groups of modelers that
formed, that provided freeware add-ons that were just as high
quality, included installers, and provided support, usually through
the TrainSim.Com forums. We had the best of both worlds.
Since MSTS was literally the only game in town, everything focused on
MSTS. When Trainz came along, with easier content creation, there
was little migration to the new "model railroad simulator" from the
MSTS ranks, and it had little effect on the community of add-on
developers. Then several new train simulators were announced, and
people began to question whether the death of MSTS was near. Even
Microsoft announce MSTS 2, which was eventually cancelled. Other
than a few videos and screen shots in the forums, and a lot of
anticipation, none of them ever saw the light of day. Life went on as
usual, with updates in the file library daily, and more payware
announced, and released.
Recently, several things have occurred that threaten the MSTS
community in general and payware developers in particular. Both
KUJU, maker of the original MSTS announce a new rail simulator, but
Microsoft, publisher of the original MSTS announced a new rail
simulator. Both of these are very well established software
developers, and it is likely we'll actually see the release of these
two simulators. Although, given the track record of previous train
simulator announcements, many are still skeptical, and work on
improving and adding on to MSTS continues. But neither one of those
are a serious threat to either the community or payware developers.
New train sims are an opportunity for both freeware developers and
payware developers to move to the next level. I'm sure we'll see a
lot of new models and I have no doubt that someone will figure out a
way to upgrade models from the old simulator to one or both of the
new ones.
The threat that I'm referring to is quite simply, piracy. A lot of
freeware modelers take a great deal of pride in their work, and feel
that as creators, they have a right to control what happens with
their models. As a creator of freeware content myself, albeit small
time compared to some of the wonderful developers in the community, I
can certainly sympathize with their point. Payware creators have an
even greater investment in time and effort, and feel that they have a
right to be paid for their creative work.
I recall after releasing my beer-can tank cars, that I received a
very polite email from an individual who wanted to repaint them in
beer company schemes, and expressed that he understood if I didn't
want that done. I replied that it was perfectly OK with me, and I
mentioned I didn't quite understand why he thought I would object.
He replied that another modeler of boxcars objected vehemently to
having beer company logos on his cars since he didn't drink.
As a community, the consensus was very strong that we should respect
people's copyrights, and the community became self policing. Any
objection to a repaint, or any doubt about the source of a model was
taken very seriously, and was removed from the TrainSim.Com file
library until its source and legitimacy could be determined. But,
like any community, not everyone was in complete agreement. Many
discussions on the matter of copyrights and legality of payware
occurred in the forums. Occasionally, it was reported that other web
sites had uploaded content without permission, and there were
occasions where individuals would request that someone email a
particular item in spite of the creator's desire that it only be
distributed in a certain manner.
Things have changed. Just about every single payware release is
available somewhere eon the web for downloading. Web sites and
forums have been established where members can download payware.
Since most payware creators are just hobbyists creating content on
the side, and aren't making a living at it, they can't afford lengthy
lawsuits and expensive attorneys to try to enforce complex copyright
laws. It's a losing battle.
Unfortunately, the losers are the community. If two new simulators
come on line this year, we will be back to square one. After five
years, the complexities and faults of MSTS are well known, and
work-arounds easy to find. Tutorials on content creation, tools,
instructions, tips, and tricks are abundant. It is easier than ever
to create great looking, high quality models in less time. The tools
and easier and cheaper to obtain, and content creation is more
accessible to more people than ever. If both freeware and payware
developers decide to quit and withdraw from the market place because
of piracy, that means that a lot of the talented individuals that
brought us to this level in MSTS will not be contributing to the next
generation of train simulator content.
In addition, with the end of the appeal of MSTS as the only software
available, current content will become pretty much worthless. Will
payware - and freeware - makers want to start all over again? I hope
they share my enthusiasm and that of others in the idea of having an
all new graphics engine, and the ability to make even better, more
visually appealing and detailed models. My fear is that the
combination of the complete change in content creation methods and
the problem of piracy will contribute to a lot of people leaving the
community. We have seen this in the past, with some very talented
individuals and modeler groups withdrawing their content from
distribution and walking away from the MSTS community.
The fight against software, music, and movie payware by large
corporations has become more and more aggressive. Unfortunately,
piracy has become more widespread, and more acceptable in the minds
of many people. It is unlikely to change in the near future, as the
only solution would be an end to the demand for pirated software,
music, movies, and MSTS content. Continued self-policing of the
community is helpful, and has proven to be effective. But the worse
piracy becomes, the more suspicious people become, the more likely
there will be false and unfair accusations against innocent people.
It would be a shame if piracy destroyed the community that has taken
5 years to create and the highly anticipated release of two new train
simulators is greeted with indifference.
Robert Murphy
rdamurphy@hotmail.com
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