However, just to really post something inflammatory, I would ask everyone to consider the following: There is no way Peter would have the time, and possibly even the ability, to create something as user-friendly as Workshop. TSR are paying professional programmers to make their tool and it is being worked on as a full-time job. This means that some of subscription money they took from us is going back into making something that is free for the community, and better and easier to use than anything the community is willing or able to make for itself at this time. Like it or not, I think you'll find that the majority of creators both pay and free will switch to using Workshop once the version is out that has all these new features I am testing (NB many of them added at my direct suggestion). Now I wonder how many anti-TSR players will refuse to download objects made with Workshop, on principle? You're gonna have to think about boycotting those, if you want to put pressure on people not to support anything TSR does.
*Sigh* This upsets me very much. Where to begin? Well I guess first a couple viewpoints from the "political side."
1. Even if TSR are paying professional programmers to code for their tool, it still doesn't make it alright. I just want to point out that even if it's the tool that is free, it was the community that paid for that tool. He better damn well release it for free. Not to mention, this just goes to show, yet again, that the subscription money taken from TSR doesn't just fund the website. To me it's wrong to take peoples money the way TSR does. You get ripped off for shit items that fuck up your game, and your funding some peoples way of living. Is it my job to provide the extra cash for Sue so she doesn't have to work? No it's not.
Which reminds me of a conversation I read over at Simscave. One of the FA's posted over there about how she did not like TSR, but became a FA to help support her children. I completely understand that as a mother you want to do what you believe is best for your children, and I completely understand that sometimes you have to do things you don't like/want to do, BUT is it really my duty to pay for her children? No. Is it my duty to pay of Openhousejacks porn? No. It's fucked up that that's where the money goes. Not to just maintain TSR and TSR alone.
And to mention that they are paying the programmers implies that I should be "grateful." Well I'm not. I'm grateful when people like Delphy, and Peter, and Jfade spend their spare time to create for this game and make it possible for me to create. Out of the kindness of their hearts. I am not grateful when a company that receives it's money in a foul way, takes it's blood money, and tries to play it off that it's doing something good for the community.
2. By suggesting that the tool is "better and easier to use than anything the community is willing or able to make for itself at this time" to me is a huge slap in the face for anyone who has made any tool. I personally find all the tools I have found to be extremely easy to use. Let's not forget that the free community provided TSR with bits of code to make certain things in their workshop possible. Without those bits of code, TSR's workshop tool would still be light years behind anything the community has to offer, and would be boasting that the only thing they have over those tools is a 3d viewer.
3.
Like it or not, I think you'll find that the majority of creators both pay and free will switch to using Workshop once the version is out
Personally, I will believe it when I see it. I have seen enough big name creators refuse the service of TSR's workshop to know that at least some creators won't switch over. At the same time, what would stop TSR from say... making the tool pay? After a couple years, if the workshop was the only tool being up kept, what would stop them from charging a measly 3 dollars for it? Then 5 dollars? Then 10 dollars? Next thing you know, in 5 years your paying $29.95 just to create for your hobby. And there wouldn't be a damn thing anyone could do... except make their own tools. Then we are back to square one.
Not to mention, as a creator, I do not like the fact of only being able to choose one program. When I was doing a majority of my creating for sims 2, the only thing I could not chose on whether or not to use was bodyshop. There was a vast pool of different tools to choose from. I do not like the fact that it would be one tool and one tool alone. What if the tool just doesn't work? Let's say an EP comes out. What am I to do if it takes TSR 6 months to update their workshop when the free community could have had it done in 2? It will impose many implications on many people if there wasn't the freedom of choice.
Having done my research, I can now reveal that Coconut has correctly identified some smoke that belongs to a fire, but she has misidentified the details of the fire in quite a big way.
By what you edited your post with, I do not see how coconut has misidentified the details. To refresh you this is what Coconut predicted:
As ‘lol’ correctly predicted, the new announcement from TSR will be about Wes H. TSR plan to announce that they are adding Wes H ( as staff ) to the development team for Merlin. Tom hopes that this will ‘rock the free community’ in some way.
And to answer your question, the plugins will NOT carry a TOU preventing their use on payfiles.
Merlin is their install tool. Which even then, I do not like the fact that there's the workshop, and now Merlin. What is to stop them from trying to "bribe" other people, such as Delphy, into letting their tools die. I do now like the fact that at this stage in the game, it is very easy for TSR to monopolize the CC corner. I know I would duly appreciate it, but if you happen to know something about the situation that does in fact change what Coconut has said, I would like it to be brought out.
I also would like to let people know, TSR made an announcement yesterday:
http://www.thesimsresource.com/news/view-post/post/13442Phew, we've finally reached a level with Sims 3 where we have a steady flow of content coming from our Select and Featured Artists (and much more to come as objects are fully released!). So, now the time has come to do a refresh regarding Sims 2. This means we are going to go through and retire and recruit and handful of Artists from the Sims 2 teams.
This also means we are looking for a few good men/women. There are currently 4 Sims 2 FA positions and as many SA positions as we deem necessary available. If you are interested please let us know by contacting me with a private message (or if I contact and invite you). It could be that you have a Sims 2 site you wish to close or whatever the reason, we'd like to hear about it! The FA positions are incentive based and allows you to make some money from your "hobby" - read more about the Select and Featured Artist benefits here.
By this message, it means that either Thomas is wanting to turn as many as his current FA's over to sims 3, and is severly lacking in the creator department for sims 2, or he is just wanting to grab some more creators that see $$ for their content. Of course he has to advertise that the FA's make extra money because the information is already out there, with screenshots to prove it, and it will help grab those that are little bit more than "just greedy."
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