Ideas to mitigate leeching effectively

[Cristian Luis]

Here I share some ideas. Some are mine, others not:

1. For each downloaded resource, have an automatic window advertising that EVERY mod in RaceDepartment can be downloaded for free. That advice must be part of the webpage and programmed properly, of course. The design of that box should be minimalist and simple to attract the attention of the reader. Also, you should have a post explaining what is a legal mod on your standards, having that (along with the rules of the forum) as part of the signature of any user by default (which can be changed).

2. Have a public blacklist (a sort of hall of shame) of leechers (to point people and especially modding groups). This can be done through a suggestion box where users can report who are leechers in a respective sim (excluding the "Others" section), proving it linking the proofs. Then raise awareness accordingly to anyone who have a look on the list.

3. Make sure you only host mods developed from scratch or under permission. If a mod has been done under permission of another content creator (for example, doing 1987 mod based on Carrera4's 1988 mod), the modder who uploads should prove that he got permission through photos. This rule can be applied from a specific day onwards. If an original author can prove its ownership on a download, the leecher can be warned or banned.

I hope these helps. Especially the first one.

Regards.

Cristian.

 

[McGherkin]

So your solution is to make mods that look crappy?

 

[Cristian Luis]

So your solution is to make mods that look crappy?

No.

Read again, and much more carefully. To being with, I have exposed three proposals. A different story is to tell some stuff that worked in F1C, which are outside the proposals.

In good games, standard quality (with much-improved art) ≠ crappy.

Another thing is this: Mitigate ≠ Solve.

The solution (non-practical) would be eradicating all kinds of payware mods altogether.

Also, does this look crappy to you?
Or this?
Or this.

Not to me at least. But if it is... well, ok. But If you don't mind, have a look here to see here what one of those crappy mods did.

 

[McGherkin]

No.

Read again, and much more carefully. To being with, I have exposed three proposals. A different story is to tell some stuff that worked in F1C, which are outside the proposals.

In good games, standard quality (with much-improved art) ≠ crappy.

Another thing is this: Mitigate ≠ Solve.

The solution (non-practical) would be eradicating all kinds of payware mods altogether.

Also, does this look crappy to you?
Or this?
Or this.

Not to me at least. But if it is... well, ok. But If you don't mind, have a look here to see here what one of those crappy mods did.

I don’t have much issue with your other points other than maybe the notice when you download every mod doesn’t need to be quite so big.

But deliberately making mods low poly with small textures so people don’t want to steal them just penalises honest users. And no offence, but I’m playing Assetto at 4k120 with everything cranked and RSS’s cars and even they would benefit from more detail so yes, those videos do look low quality to me. If the sim engine and peoples’ computers can handle it then I’m all for getting as much detail as possible and pushing the limits of what can be done.

 

[Cristian Luis]

I don’t have much issue with your other points other than maybe the notice when you download every mod doesn’t need to be quite so big.

But deliberately making mods low poly with small textures so people don’t want to steal them just penalises honest users. And no offence, but I’m playing Assetto at 4k120 with everything cranked and RSS’s cars and even they would benefit from more detail so yes, those videos do look low quality to me. If the sim engine and peoples’ computers can handle it then I’m all for getting as much detail as possible and pushing the limits of what can be done.

Again, you are misunderstanding.

Standard ≠ Small

Neither:

Standard ≠ Low poly

Besides, the topic you are focusing on... is NOT a proposal, but a declaration of what worked in F1C. The proposals are the three main points.

I think you get the point with the first one. Is just notifying. I haven't measured the size of the advertising.

Spoiler

Of course, quality depends on the game. In F1C it doesn't penalize. In fact, is quite the opposite. F1C's FFB is rated with FPS, which means the sense of realism is higher the higher are the FPS rate. One way to achieve that is to lower polygon and graphics quality. In other words, the more light is the number of polygons of the cars and tracks, the better will be the feeling. The quality of modeling is generally achieved by having the best possible model using a minimum number of polygons, with a quality that is consistent with the contents of the original video game. (I wish I would reach 2000 polygon cars instead of using 8000).

Your statement doesn't offend me since I have good equipment too. I am not a guy who plays 2000's sims because of limited equipment, don't worry. I can play rFactor2, ACC, and F1 2020 without problems. I have also a friend with +6000 € equipment, and play F1C and GPL with it as well, along with ACC. The guy also modded those "low quality" stuff (which is objectively standard since it uses similar resolutions and more polygons to the original game) originally in 4K resolution (reduced to 1024x1024). Vehicle textures were originally 8K too. Regardless, I am sticky to F1C because I am a hardcore player and modder of it. What's more, I have even received a job offer from one of the big sim racing companies, but I rejected it. That would force me to use a simulator that neither suits me nor comes to me and I don't like working modeling and then doing the same thing again in a different simulator as a hobby. Having a little job that I like and that allows me to develop projects and dreams as a hobby is fine by me. On it since 2007.

I decide the quality, it is not imposed on me. Personally, I put the most appropriate for F1C: the standard one. I doubt current vehicle textures in the most popular sims have 1024x1024 as standard resolution textures for its vehicles.

I could forget about everything that happened to SimRacing604 and what happened in RaceDepartment regarding illegal payware mods since payware leeching problems does not concern F1C or GPL; leeching in both games is almost non-existent. Instead, I show solidarity, proposals, and help that I believe are for the benefit of this community because I think it is correct to do so. In F1C and GPL we are forewarned. We don't make noise, and eventually what one or the other creates then is converted to Assetto Corsa or any of the current simulators. And vice-versa.

The perceived low quality for some is the treasure for many others. The simulators many others play (perhaps you too) were once the ones I play currently. And a lot of content is created, then converted from them, which are what most people currently play (sometimes) in one way or another.

Low quality? High quality? Who knows... Is ok if is it low for you. Probably you are one of many who thinks it.

IMHO, of all the communities I have been part of, none of them have been as excellent as the GPL one in Sim Racing Mirror Zone. In quality. In ethics. In unity. In empathy. In solidarity...

Thanks for your comments! To avoid confusion I am going to delete those parts that benefited F1C. Cheers.