Message-ID: <36B40DA9.DE0A7CD5@comcen.com.au>
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 19:00:41 +1100
From: Byron Forbes <hosh@comcen.com.au>
Organization: HOSHUMUNGUS ENTERPRIZES
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Subject: Re: Hidden Cheat Code GPL?
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F1GP was simply not used for online racing. Online racing on the international stage has
just begun - well, being pioneered more like it. What has been ok in the past may not
necessarily be ok in the future. I'd say that in the not too distant future that if a sim
cannot be raced online, and properly at that, then it won't get a 2nd look by most and
will hopefully be trashed by the reviewers. So anything that threatens the appeal in the
online racing dept, like rampant cheating, would kill a sim title. Sim companies would be
left with no choice but to issue warnings on the box and on their sites, that any
utilities released that compromise the "fairness for all" factor of a sim can and will be
prosecuted.

Jonathon Green wrote:

> But to what extent does/did the popularity of, say, F1GP depend on the
> availability of car and track editors?
> 
> And, given the size of the "serious" online sim-racing community
> compared with total sales of (again), say, F1GP what is the commercial
> benfit to the creators and publishers of titles in suppressing third
> party utilities from the likes of Paul Hoad? You could argue that it
> makes it difficult for publishers to economically produce add-on track
> an car sets, but since they've never shown any real interest in such
> products (apparently preferring to produce a complete new game rather
> than, say an F1GP '98 team/car/driver/track pack) that's a
> hypothetical...
>
