Ghoults
Lasse Luisu
For me mods are really important. Back when I started sim racing I used to just drive alone mostly. The base content was kind of enough. But I quickly learned you can download mods online. And I quickly learned there are really bad mods and fewer good mods and even fewer great mods. So I naturally wanted good sites where I could find good quality mods. I think I found some gpl mods just by following links from one site to another. Back then people had to set up their own personal sites to share mods! I had quite of a few of those sites I checked somewhat regularly. Mostly it was texture updates and such minor things but there were cars and tracks too. So even at this stage I was already into mods. I could not even open a text file to edit it but I could at least enjoy the works of others. It made the sim better.
Then I learned how to adjust the setup. I now wanted a site where I could download setups. Then I started racing online. I wanted good servers and then later leagues. Then I learned to make skins. Now I wanted a game that supports car skins. I had always wanted to make a track but couldn't do any 3d. So rfactor came out and then bobs track builder came out and then I could do it too.
I had always thought modding was not for me. I simply could not even dare to think I could make something in 3d. I thought the most I could do was use a crutch like btb. I was still making my own track but I could not do all of it. And I was right I couldn't do it back then. I don't want to spend hours and days and weeks trying to reverse engineer something. I don't get any enjoyment trying to learn a 3d software just so I can hack and fiddle something together that eventually works in a game. I wanted to make content and not solve a modding puzzle. Modding should be 90% content creation and 10% problem solving. Not the other way around. And back then even rf1 was a modding puzzle. Only through crutch I got through with it. I have massive respect to those who back in gpl and n2k3 era actually started from 0 and made car and track mods with no support at all.
Then ac came out and ac documentation and tools were so good I could literally start from 0 and make something. It had a clear set of targets of how to make things. As long as I was willing to learn that 3d software I could make stuff. It wasn't a modding puzzle. I was not trying to reverse engineer a pig though square hole without knowing whether my animal was even the right species and what does square mean. It was about making content and not solving a puzzle. It was doable and it was great. So next thing I wanted was modding forum where I can read more info and share and download mods.
The thing in this is that I drive a lot less than I used to. I mostly do some modding on free time. So naturally I want a sim that supports modding because for me that is the thing I want to spend majority of my time doing. Naturally this makes me hesitant about ams2 for example. I just wonder how well it can hold my interest when chances are even skinning support might be poor. With modding I'd be much more eagerly waiting for it.
Also I'd say I use mods really often. I drive less but I'm far more likely to pick a mod car when I drive my tracks for example. Not to mention the modding discussions adds a whole new dimension to the community aspect of a sim. And for me modding has allowed me to do something I have always wanted. Create my own race track. How cool is that? I remember drawing tracks on paper and then later on computer for at least 20 years. "This could be cool but I can't do 3d so I can probably never do this". With modding it is possible.
I still think racing is super fun and online racing is always better than ai racing but when I don't feel like putting the wheel on my desk I can just start blender and make something for the game. If a game doesn't support that then the chances are I will play it a lot less often. I'll read the forums less often and the game is interesting less often. In ac I can check the forums weekly and have new things to try. And because I don't like gt3 cars, formula cars and prototypes and other super fast modern stuff chances are sim developers generally make very little content that interests me. Only modders can give me my historical race cars dosage. Without modding I'd be stuck with driving very few cars and tracks all over again. There are even whole sims that don't have anything I care about. And without modding that is what they will be forever.
I don't believe that is the case. I'd say it is a good thing to have some time between the products so the older game has sort of slowly died out enough so that there is room on the market for something similar. But like any new product the new one needs to be better and superior. Generally this means that most things should be better. A new sim should be an overall and clear improvement. But firstly and more importantly it needs to be a good game that can stand on its own. Not just being a sequel to something that was good.
Rf2 made the right move that it came out nice time after rf1. It did kind of okay as rf1 successor but it made too many mistakes and failed more as being a good standalone product than it did fail being a sequel to a modding platform. Even though it has clearly failed at that too.
Ac2 can fail as well. Ac did things exceptionally well at being a modding platform. So many things are just great and I won't make along list here. Great documentation, great tools, well written ini files and definitions and a package that "survives" the modding process extremely well. If ac2 comes out like rf2 came out with awful documentation, poor tools and mindset of whatever then it will fail too. Considering how well ac did modding I'd be surprised if ac2 can massively improve. Naturally the successor can look better and drive better but being a better modding platform is really difficult. In that department it set a very high standard.
Then I learned how to adjust the setup. I now wanted a site where I could download setups. Then I started racing online. I wanted good servers and then later leagues. Then I learned to make skins. Now I wanted a game that supports car skins. I had always wanted to make a track but couldn't do any 3d. So rfactor came out and then bobs track builder came out and then I could do it too.
I had always thought modding was not for me. I simply could not even dare to think I could make something in 3d. I thought the most I could do was use a crutch like btb. I was still making my own track but I could not do all of it. And I was right I couldn't do it back then. I don't want to spend hours and days and weeks trying to reverse engineer something. I don't get any enjoyment trying to learn a 3d software just so I can hack and fiddle something together that eventually works in a game. I wanted to make content and not solve a modding puzzle. Modding should be 90% content creation and 10% problem solving. Not the other way around. And back then even rf1 was a modding puzzle. Only through crutch I got through with it. I have massive respect to those who back in gpl and n2k3 era actually started from 0 and made car and track mods with no support at all.
Then ac came out and ac documentation and tools were so good I could literally start from 0 and make something. It had a clear set of targets of how to make things. As long as I was willing to learn that 3d software I could make stuff. It wasn't a modding puzzle. I was not trying to reverse engineer a pig though square hole without knowing whether my animal was even the right species and what does square mean. It was about making content and not solving a puzzle. It was doable and it was great. So next thing I wanted was modding forum where I can read more info and share and download mods.
The thing in this is that I drive a lot less than I used to. I mostly do some modding on free time. So naturally I want a sim that supports modding because for me that is the thing I want to spend majority of my time doing. Naturally this makes me hesitant about ams2 for example. I just wonder how well it can hold my interest when chances are even skinning support might be poor. With modding I'd be much more eagerly waiting for it.
Also I'd say I use mods really often. I drive less but I'm far more likely to pick a mod car when I drive my tracks for example. Not to mention the modding discussions adds a whole new dimension to the community aspect of a sim. And for me modding has allowed me to do something I have always wanted. Create my own race track. How cool is that? I remember drawing tracks on paper and then later on computer for at least 20 years. "This could be cool but I can't do 3d so I can probably never do this". With modding it is possible.
I still think racing is super fun and online racing is always better than ai racing but when I don't feel like putting the wheel on my desk I can just start blender and make something for the game. If a game doesn't support that then the chances are I will play it a lot less often. I'll read the forums less often and the game is interesting less often. In ac I can check the forums weekly and have new things to try. And because I don't like gt3 cars, formula cars and prototypes and other super fast modern stuff chances are sim developers generally make very little content that interests me. Only modders can give me my historical race cars dosage. Without modding I'd be stuck with driving very few cars and tracks all over again. There are even whole sims that don't have anything I care about. And without modding that is what they will be forever.
The other-side of the coin is that releasing a modifiable platform to compete with your previous modifiable platform is likely to fail as all the mods (and the user base) are already on the old platform.
As a prime example I believe RF1 continued to outsell RF2 for a long period, and I doubt RF2 even now has reached the success of Rf1.
An AC2 wouldn't have done much at this time unless it bought something revolutionary to the platform rather then just being a base for mods.
Just my opinion, But devs need to allow a modifiable platform to live out its lifespan before attempting to replace it.
I don't believe that is the case. I'd say it is a good thing to have some time between the products so the older game has sort of slowly died out enough so that there is room on the market for something similar. But like any new product the new one needs to be better and superior. Generally this means that most things should be better. A new sim should be an overall and clear improvement. But firstly and more importantly it needs to be a good game that can stand on its own. Not just being a sequel to something that was good.
Rf2 made the right move that it came out nice time after rf1. It did kind of okay as rf1 successor but it made too many mistakes and failed more as being a good standalone product than it did fail being a sequel to a modding platform. Even though it has clearly failed at that too.
Ac2 can fail as well. Ac did things exceptionally well at being a modding platform. So many things are just great and I won't make along list here. Great documentation, great tools, well written ini files and definitions and a package that "survives" the modding process extremely well. If ac2 comes out like rf2 came out with awful documentation, poor tools and mindset of whatever then it will fail too. Considering how well ac did modding I'd be surprised if ac2 can massively improve. Naturally the successor can look better and drive better but being a better modding platform is really difficult. In that department it set a very high standard.