let community help out question.

[raptorengineer]

hi
ok I gotta ask this I don't think it been ask befor so here it gose. I seening a lot of new content coming out for this game even same content as old ones but with the new featurs lights,rain, cupler slack fix. but what about old content. old content like sd40-2 bn and santa fe, sd70ace-m2 vol1&2 gp9s sw1200 big boy set etc... all this was made by dovetail. and I was hoping they get around updating but nope. they kinda left it in the dark. now I see some have updated few by them selfs but I think it the lights. as for the rain drops on window I think you have to go in to the 3d program to do that. so why dosen't dovetail let community help out. what I mean is community that know how to add lights and I think there few can add raindrop on windows can do that to older models then give dovetail the patch then dovetail can release the patchs on steam that way it automatic and stuff. heck maybe improve sound and add few scenarios as well. is that good idea or what?

[arizonachris]

I think that the system we have now is probably the best, where sites like this one, UKTS, Train Sim, etc. host the fixes for various issues made by third parties. Reason I say this is because, in the past, RSC/ DTG (hereafter known as "they") has said they will not provide support for any third party items, because they didn't create them. They don't want folks mad if the patch doesn't work, if a third party made that patch, and they don't want to have to fix stuff they didn't create. (up until lately they haven't been that good at patching their own stuff anyways)

The Partner Programme that they have going now does allow them to run Q/C on what's being created, so that stuff passes.

[Chacal]

Consider these two statements:
- the set of features for RW engines and cars is growing up constantly; and
- the fleet of available engines and cars is growing up constantly.

If RSC/DTG had to go back to each engine and patch it for each new feature, they wouldn't have time to do anything else.
They have done so for a few popular engines once in a while, but there is a limit, as this is not a revenue-generating activity.

Asking 3rd-party developers to do the patching up is no less effort for RSC/DTG, because
- they would still have to do the QA, which is as much effort as doing the changes; and
- for certain features like raindrops or working windows, they would have to provide the source model, which is not an option.

At some point it is easier for everyone to just publish new engines for the new features and accept that old engines are outdated.

For years, I had a Ford Gran Torino 1973. It had no electric windows, cd player, cup holders, ABS brakes, fuel injectors or airbags.
I still enjoyed driving it from time to time, and never asked Ford to retro-fit it with those features.