Can the baton be passed to the community now?
 

Haven't been here for a while but I saw the news that the beta for the last clod patch is out and the devs are moving onto to hopefully greener pastures for the next title. The picture I'm getting is that the code base was never good enough for the game to get the attention it deserved so it's all being redone for a fresh start with bom.
I'm wondering if there's a possibility for the community to start doing modding of the clod code to give it the chance to be fixed. Sim fans have historically been a great source of free dev work. I bet there's people out there that'll spend weeks messing with the AI code or making new planes just because that's what passionate sim fans do!

I thought that luthier said no way in the answers thread...maybe I read it wrong.

The way I understood it is that the new sim will have all the CLOD content, and whatever improvements are done for BoM, just as Forgotten Battles replaced original IL2, BoM will replace CLOD. Once the new sim is out I will simply uninstall CLOD and never look back. Just like we all did with IL2.

only time I have seen a dev 'pass on' something to the community is when the dev has no plans for 'it' anymore.. Which was the case with 1C passing IL-2 to TB.. What with CoD being 1C's newly developed 'game engine' with plans for the future I don't see 1C passing it on at this time.

Admittedly it's too unstable and buggy of an engine to base anything solid on it, but still considered a "sandbox" by Luthier, so go figure...

I think it might be a good idea to start contributing with 3d models up to CoD standards, and with time things will improve just like mods improved the life of IL-2 1946.

It's to be probably considered like a rough diamond that we're supposed to cut ourselves..

not going to happen until they have got every ruble possible from anyone who wants the sdk (is that what you call it...access to GUI code) and is willing to pay. they will have some guy who in his spare time just tries to lisense the code to playstation developers, other pc game makers, or break it up and lisense small parts like they did with the 1946 flight models, selling them to Gaijin for wings of prey (and now they are using them for War Thunder is that ironic or what...)

So, don't hold the breath

I had to read it three time... go figure !

Frankly you'r serious ?

Tenfold. For a GB player like me, the mods did wonders: introduced a channel map, the Spitfire mark 1, realistic tracer loadouts for RAF planes, better smoke effects, damage effects....

Need I continue?

I'm pretty sure they won't give out an sdk or engine secrets but smaller stuff like:
the opportunity for the community to work on isolated parts of the code that are not working well and are time consuming to fix like the ai and clod flight models.

Salute

+1 to Flanker's question.

The game needs to have its aircraft FM as well as AI and other sections opened to allow the community to get in and fix the problems.

I suppose some work could be done by the community now, but it would have to be selective, as easily portable to the Sequel. If the game engine is fixed and the Sequel is successful, most people will moved on to fly the Channel map with the improved features, most important of which is the improved AI. The Sequel should also include the SDK.

Anyway it will probably be a year or two to make these improvements before the Sequel has to be released.

So far they've rewritten the sound and graphic engine, and are currently working on a new GUI, SDK, and improved AI etc. These will be critical to the success of the Sequel and necessary for further improvements to the Channel Map by the devs and community.

.

*SNORT*!

Yeah, like when? In the year 3518 when all the flamefests, personal feuds and FM-related slugging matches between the descendants of current FM-board inhabitants end because noone wants to bother anymore? This community couldn't decide on the actual shade of a colour in one of the textures, let alone on FM issues. Not that I'd want some people to have any influence on FM matters because I can't see them as objective and unbiased. Naw, if "the community" got its hands on the FM part we'd end up like in EAW - three to four "FM packs" whose fans fight each other tooth and nail with the intensity of religious fanatics fighting other religious fanatics. Thanks, I'll pass.

Might happen but in a choice between a poor final version FM and 3 better ones being constantly tweaked I know which one I'd choose.

well if it's frustration you're looking for then CoD is your Mecca.

If it's LOADS of new maps, aircraft, effects. sounds, improved textures and much more that you like, pay a visit to sas1946.

S!

Maybe they could open up things like effects, maps, objects and such but keep the FM/DM closed for now to prevent whatever versions as making a FM is damn hard and making it unbiased next to impossible. But for tweaking stuff outside FM/FM with some tools would be nice.

the risk will that is that it will kill online compatibility. I think they'll just follow the same approach they had with IL-2.

S!

Very true as there would be a dozen of different packs that are not compatible with eachoter etc. That is the only downside of modding I can think of, too many diverse packs and hard to keep track on them.

+1000