Dear Community,
In the last few days, there have been more and more release discussions in the introduction threads, some of which have gone too far. We would therefore like to briefly inform you here why such discussions are not welcome.
Again and again, users would like to know when their favourite project or add-on, which is currently in development, will be released. Naturally, everyone wants to install the project/add-on as quickly as possible and get started, as the screenshots shown already contribute to great anticipation. It then becomes problematic when numerous enquiries are received daily by the developers and in the forum as to when a project will be published or when, after some time "off the air", people ask whether the project is still alive. On the one hand, it is annoying for the developers to have to answer the same question over and over again; on the other hand, the release discussions often overshadow the discussions about the actual content and users who really want to discuss the content of a project and give feedback are lost.
We can all understand the questions - even we moderators have quite a bit of anticipation for many a project and can hardly wait ;), but the frequency of such questions is currently getting out of hand. However, it is never easy to set a fixed release date, because problems can always arise during development and testing, with small community projects as well as large payware add-ons. In general, problems can arise even shortly before the release that throw the schedule out of whack - for example, if the diligent beta testers have discovered another serious bug or a feature turns out to be more difficult/comprehensive than planned.
Payware-AddOns and DLCs
Payware AddOns are usually large projects (often a map is released together with one or more buses) and offer a wealth of difficulties. On the one hand, such projects are usually developed by several people in a team and there can always be unforeseen breakdowns (e.g. health problems, other projects). On the other hand, in addition to the actual developers, publishers (AEROSOFT and HALYCON) are also involved and sales outlets (STEAM / VALVE). Delays can occur in all these areas. Due to the prescribed communication channels and procedures, e.g. for uploading and patching, delays can always occur. Similar to here in the WebDisk, every uploaded package must be checked and validated, and feedback is given if necessary. With large projects, this can take some time.
All this means that the release dates should be regarded as hypothetical dates that are not one 100% certain. Also, keep in mind that professional payware developers (and the publishing companies as well) are often busy with several projects at the same time - and this has nothing to do with greed or pulling money out of your pocket, but is necessary to make a profit at all. Many payware developers do not develop OMSI add-ons full-time, so they also have another job.
In addition, there are always discussions that revolve around word-of-mouth stories and may be untrue. We ask you to refrain from this as well, since only developers and publishers can give reliable statements.
Freeware-Projects
The situation is similar for community/freeware projects, but there is a decisive difference to payware add-ons: the people behind the add-ons do not receive any financial compensation for their work, so they dedicate themselves to their projects in their free time. They also have a job, a family life or other honorary positions in "real" life. All this may lead to a lack of motivation and/or time sometimes and no progress is visible for weeks. Even repeated enquiries about the current status or further construction do not lead to faster work.
So please note the following when discussing planned / as yet unpublished projects:
- Please refrain from asking about the status of a project and the release date. This includes posts wrapped in phrases like "I know this is not really appreciated, but I wanted to ask ...", conjectures and subliminal comments about the duration of the development.
- Take note of the corresponding posts beforehand, scroll back - perhaps the developer has already published a statement or answered the question beforehand. For freeware projects, please also pay attention to the labels (especially "paused" and "discontinued").
- Only publishers/developers can provide reliable statements about a release date. All payware developers and publishers have a separate coloured label here in the WebDisk and can be recognised as such.
- Pay particular attention to the information in the start post and on the publishers' homepage. You may find information there that goes into more detail about the date shown there, for example, whether it is a placeholder.
- Also, please do not spam the developers/publishers with private messages or emails revolving around this issue.
- Requests for (public) beta tests or similar are also not welcome. Firstly, the developers select their beta testers at their own discretion, and secondly, one of the prerequisites for a tester is to be more than an experienced gamer: he or she must have a sense for details and should know vehicles or maps from the real world. For example, map testers could also be professionally involved in road design in order to give feedback on the placement of traffic signs, etc. Bus testers could also be bus drivers or mechanics and provide information on whether sounds, menu navigation in displays, etc. are correct.
This saves a lot of trouble for everyone involved (both the add-on developers and the users who want to discuss constructively). It's better to take time to have a project that is better made without issues, than a fast-released addon with problems and bugs.
Once again, the principle that every user should have in mind:
Projects always are published when they are published.
Best regards
James
on the name of the OMSI-Webdisk Team.
