A potential Blow to many folk.... Wrapped Up in a Sale

[lrc2]

I also want to add that I am very sympathetic to the quandry faced by people who have repaints of these products for community sharing that are now going to be discontinued.

As someone who has repainted content for flight simulator and train simulator I am well familiar with things like others taking content and credit for themselves, and the frustrations when a product is discontinued. I also have Streamlines purchases being discontinued by this move and I hope they will reappear for OR with updated physics.

Ultimately though, I trust the Trainsimulations team/direction to do what is best long term for their business that I hope will be around developing new products well into the future!

[lateagain]

I think it's quite ironic that people are expecting that a small company like Trainsimulation should as part of its business model, include indefinite support for software products for a platform that has not been supported for what, 16-17 years now.

I can't imagine in any business telling a client looking for a new product oh here's something that we made 10 years ago you only have to download it and make changes to it yourself manually on your end using information that you're going to find in a forum in order to use it on open rails properly.

That's not what I said. READ the original post.

[MsSheare]

Hi Michelle,
I don't know if this'll be of any help, but there was a GP15 in the "UP on the GREEN RIVER ROUTE" add-on.. I noticed that this add-on is included as a bonus within the D&RGW Green River route. There's no information as to whether it's the full add-on, or just a subset.

Cheers,
Ged

I have the BNSF GP 15 but if others do not then using this as a base to repaint is no longer going to work. And will leave people unhappy. I understand why TS is going this way cause OR is the way to go forward but I also understand people like the old MSTS
still. I could never get mine running again so I switched over to OR and I never looked back.

I just wish we could have had the option for either ACE or DDS. But after seeing the Mullan Route it's amazing and worth it.

[michelouim]

A potential Blow to many folk.... Wrapped Up in a 50% Sale offer.

Many of you will have received an e-mail from Trainsimulations with an extended 50% OFF Offer lasting into October.

In the past, I have bought some items, MSTS and OR, but up to now, i dont have that e-mail yet. I went to the products page and saw no details on a rebate. Is it like a promo code to put when you add to the cart?

Thanks

Michel

[bandorr2000]

On the home page it explains it. Use MSTRAINS at checkout to get 50% off.

[michelouim]

On the home page it explains it. Use MSTRAINS at checkout to get 50% off.

Thanks...I think i am going blind or !!!, took me 3 times to register the yellow notice...was only reading the white stuff...

Michel

[wwhall]

I look at this a bit differently. Most of the SLI models that are being discontinued are older models that are just not up to current standards any longer. I know that a lot of repainters continue to use those models because most of them are "single piece" models that are easy to repaint. A few repainters are now catching on, and are (often privately) repainting SLI's newer models that contain FA's. Good for them. The .ace vs. .dds issue is a red herring in my opinion. There are several programs out there (including freeware) that will convert .dds files to .ace and vice versa. It's about a 10-second process to convert a file.

I know that MSTS hangers-on decry that the sim is basically dead, and has been for years. I gave up on MSTS as anything but a file repository back in 2013. I don't miss it at all. People act like OR is some massive complex mystery program. In fact, it is, in many ways, easier to use than MSTS, and will do literally hundreds of things that MSTS won't. TrainSimulations made it clear some time ago that they were moving away from MSTS--this is just the latest step in that direction. Personally, I don't really need more repaints of outdated stock with Fred Flintstone wheels and lack of detail. Considering that people like Paul Fowler, Grant Culbert, and Ted Curphey (among others) were producing superbly detailed models 15 years ago, I think that moving away from "primitive" models is long overdue.

[MsSheare]

I have the program I just don't understand how to change DDS to ACE. could we at least see more GP9 or SD9, please.

I understand the company's reason for going this way and I support that. BUT in the same mindset, I know many who have rebuilt some of your earlier models from the ground up and totally rebuilt them. I know I have some of these outstanding rebuilds. such as the F45 and the SD45 and SD40 from the BN set. I have a Rock Island GP38 that was overhauled so extensively I would have never understood how it was done unless showed to me and even then I don't understand. There is really not a good selection of SLI GP35 GP38 SD35 SD38 DDX 35 or even a correct SD40 for the B&O. Let's not forget U-boats which I see more people looking for. I was looking for a 4 bay PS2 car but there isn't one and CSX made a few of these into test and weight cars.

I love the work you all do and I know you all put so much work and effort into each product and we are all thankful for your generous repaint policy. all I really want is some classic GE u boats from you.

[lrc2]

That's not what I said. READ the original post.

I assure you I have read and re-read the original post as well as the subsequent ones. Fair point, you aren't suggesting endless support. I respectfully withdraw that element. What caught me initially was this comment you made a bit later:

On the contrary I feel they DO owe it to the folk who gave hours of their time for no personal gain but who in so doing boosted their income? If you read what I posted again I suggested that they upload as freeware only the content that THEY no longer wanted to sell or support.

I don't dispute the logic that community repaints probably did help sales, but how much or how little is hard to measure. I dont feel it translates into any obligation on their part to release old retired payware as freeware.

Something I have not seen so far that needs to happen is to acknowledge this from their business perspective. In lieu of retiring products, they make them freeware as you suggest. I can think of a few questions it raises regarding their business model:

• Is there a risk of damage to their reputation as a commercial provider?
• Will it lead to a mentality in the community of "Wait a few years and it comes out for free?"
• How will it devalue their other products?
• Is this a common business practice?

How much or how little this could impact future sales is hard to measure, but at face value, I don't see any upshot for Trainsimulations bottom line in doing it.

In actuality, this attempt to leverage the fact that they allow community repaints at all, to uphold an argument to get old products released as freeware instead of discontinued has another possible unintentional consequence that is far less desirable and so far completely ignored: going forward Trainsimulations could entirely eliminate their friendly repaint policy precisely to avoid the backdraft that is being thrown their way today.


Best regards,
James

[USASpiritlineTrains]

I can think of a few questions it raises regarding their business model:

• Is there a risk of damage to their reputation as a commercial provider?
• Will it lead to a mentality in the community of "Wait a few years and it comes out for free?"
• How will it devalue their other products?
• Is this a common business practice?

How much or how little this could impact future sales is hard to measure, but at face value, I don't see any upshot for Trainsimulations bottom line in doing it.

In actuality, this attempt to leverage the fact that they allow community repaints at all, to uphold an argument to get old products released as freeware instead of discontinued has another possible unintentional consequence that is far less desirable and so far completely ignored: going forward Trainsimulations could entirely eliminate their friendly repaint policy precisely to avoid the backdraft that is being thrown their way today.


Best regards,
James

In that case, should this thread even EXIST?
Because if we're not careful SLI might do EXACTLY as you predict.

EDIT 1:
Now that SLI has decided to discontinue products that are only available in some places, they've WRECKED their reputation.