end of the road

[LEXX]

Agreed!

And...Newbies to the sim, going Online for the first time, don't usually start out in private servers or squads (offliner guessing here). So the first thing they see is concern over mod cheats in anonymous public servers.

But, we get what we have paid Oleg for.

Four at least five years running, the Offline and many Online players have asked Oleg for deeper customization options and modding to some degree or another -- the singleplayer/server option of using functional trim controls for example -- and were accused by hostile behaving anonymous public server gamers of the diabolical crime "wanting to cheat online."

Rather than joining these Offline and Online play customers and helping them convince Oleg to offer OFFICIAL "approved" 1C:Maddox options/modding ability that Oleg would have kept out of the anonymous public servers (say, a Patch with CRT=2.5), we trashed these people at the western publisher's game forum, all while the Offliners asking for these features were paying for our "free" cheat free anonymous public server gameplay.

Now, since these Offline and Online play customers are today going somewhere other than Oleg for their gameplay options and modding, we are getting exactly what we asked for -- and paid for. We had our chance to help Oleg's other customers, but instead we acted like tightwad snotty little computer gamers and we blew it.

If we all are really LUCKY, Oleg will fix the hack hole in 4.09 for the anonymous public server players, while leaving modding open for the other players.

[Rama]

What are you talking about?

Every player (whithout distinction Offliner/Onliner) paid for the sim, and it was clear from the start that one of the offered feature was a "cheat free" strong online capability whith limited (but real) modding capabilities.... that was clear during the last 6 years, and every player who bought the sim got what was promised.
During all these time, modding was possible. freely for skins, missions, campaign... and many other things. And under control of M:1C for new planes/cockpits/vehicle/ships/ objects/maps.
The choice of limitted "free" modding capability can be discussed. It was a dev choice that can be criticized, and we allready know that for SoW:BoB the choice will be different (the limit between possible "free modding" and modding under M:1C control will be placed differently and probably satisfy more "free" modders"). But as it was, it worked pretty well during the last 6 years, as can bee seen with a player community still very strong and active... something very uncommon in computer games.
... So probably the dev choice, even if not perfect... wasn't so bad afterall...

Now... nobody paid Qtim to develop the tools that now everybody can use, either to mod "freely" (without any control from M:1C), or.... to cheat.

So yes, the situation is different. With Qtim tools, free modding is available to everybody... and that's not going to change. It's a fact. This is not what we paid for, but this is what we have, and what we have to deal with if we want to continue to play.

I'm not whining against modders/hackers or worse insulting them (some do, and like to flame... which is totally useless and don't help anybody)... and many onliners don't do also... they know it's something they will have now to deal with.
BUT... they do have some legitimated concern about integrity of the online play. It's plain normal they speak about their concern on appropriate forums.
Having peoples bashing them, calling for thread to be locked and so on, don't help more than "hack whining" and insults.

[robtek]

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