They still on strike?. They picked a good day for it didn't they.

I'm only fiesty 'cause I'm having a week off and my daughter is having a nap. It's nice to have an adult discussion for a change. (Ok, maybe not adult but at least it's using words of more than two sylables.)

I might have to change my login name for this forum to "matey"...

Yes, thisnameistaken, some say that the articles on the whole could be shorter, personally I think the key is that we need new blood, and for you, more coverage of sims that interest you.

Anyone who is interested should email me, post haste.

I wish everyone woulkd change thier names to matey . . . . Do me.

Quote from Funnybear :

They don't get paid, they do need to be fairly positive most of the time becuase otherwise they get jack shit from the Dev's and the reputation for being spoil sports.

I don't agree with this assumption that's been mentioned before at all. In fact, this is what I think makes a magazine weak and uninteresting. Why not say the truth instead, rather than being polite all the time? Who's gonna learn from reading 'this is great' while in fact it is not? Even a developer must realise that if some feature or functionality of their game is being slaughtered in a review, then there just must be something wrong there and they need to work on that! If a developer would be breaking contact with a magazine for telling the truth about something related to their product, then excuse me, but that developer is just not worth being reviewed anymore.

Why be weak and please the developers? Who are 'you' (generic term) writing for? The public or the developers?

Quote from Victor :

I don't agree with this assumption that's been mentioned before at all. In fact, this is what I think makes a magazine weak and uninteresting. Why not say the truth instead, rather than being polite all the time? Who's gonna learn from reading 'this is great' while in fact it is not? Even a developer must realise that if some feature or functionality of their game is being slaughtered in a review, then there just must be something wrong there and they need to work on that! If a developer would be breaking contact with a magazine for telling the truth about something related to their product, then excuse me, but that developer is just not worth being reviewed anymore.

Why be weak and please the developers? Who are 'you' (generic term) writing for? The public or the developers?

Yep, better to be critical but fair, tell it like it is and gain respect and popularity from the community - then devs will still be knocking on your door for exposure, but instead of you being worried about what they will(or won't) say, they will be worried about what you might say !!

Quote from danowat :

Ok, it ain't never gonna happen, just a thought..........

On to this months ASS, I think I am going to give up at page 19, after a good article about LFS by Magnus Tellbom, I turn to an article about rF, Magnus, quite rightly, stated that LFS netcode is arguably the best around, and having tried various sims, I agree, but according to page 19, and I para-phrase, "Here at autosimsport, though, we were immediately convinced that rFactor's slogan-the future of race simulation-was a pretty accurate way to describe image space incorporated's new product: with a online code unmatched by any other sim (and still by far the market leader to this day).

Total and utter ballplop

You have to realize that the LFS where written by a "freelance" writer, while the other where written by ASS regular staff. Hence the difference

Quote from Victor :

I don't agree with this assumption that's been mentioned before at all. In fact, this is what I think makes a magazine weak and uninteresting. Why not say the truth instead, rather than being polite all the time? Who's gonna learn from reading 'this is great' while in fact it is not? Even a developer must realise that if some feature or functionality of their game is being slaughtered in a review, then there just must be something wrong there and they need to work on that! If a developer would be breaking contact with a magazine for telling the truth about something related to their product, then excuse me, but that developer is just not worth being reviewed anymore.

Why be weak and please the developers? Who are 'you' (generic term) writing for? The public or the developers?

Yea. I can see that. But surely it's political and it depends on the editorial viewpoint. If you are wanting your magazine to be top flight, get all the games first, snappy, glossy and selling like hotcakes you gotta play the game. Your not going to get Devs sending you prerealeases if all your going to do everytime is tell it how it is. Sure, us higher decerning mortals can differenciate good, thoughtful criticism from an out right slagging from the sacarine, sick inducing diatribes of paid off hacks but alot of people out there can't. They take what they see on a page as black and white when all it is is the entire spectrum of greys. If 'Matey' here is serious in his intent to get LFS writers and contributers onto his staff then by god boys, jump at the chance. Change it from the inside. It never happens and 99 out of a 100 of us won't make the grade, but it's what was wanted.

Now don't get me wrong. I am all for truthfulness and constructive criticism but if you want big Development houses to take a fairly inocouse E-zine seriously they need to 'suck up' a bit. I'm sure they won't appreaciate me saying that and value thier journalistic individuality but I'm sure an element of that is still present. Either from an editorial standpoint or individual contributors.

But hey. I'm the worst of them. Taking a moral highground I have no right have. Maybe I'll have a look at this E-zine and see if I can take the bull by the horns and become a contributor. Then prehaps I can wax lyrical from firmer footing.

Quote from Funnybear :

if you want big Development houses to take a fairly inocouse E-zine seriously they need to 'suck up' a bit.

Y'see, this is where we differ, because I think that's bollocks. Yeah you can smarm the corporates for scoops if you want, but do you really want a scoop you can't do anything with? And yeah it's a little niche webzine, but that's because it caters to a little niche gaming market. The game developers surely know this as well as (if not better than) the editors, and they're surely aware that their core market is likely to be paying attention. Cheap/free coverage in a targeted pub for a low-margin game won't be ignored.

Ultimately if you're serving the industry more than you're serving the consumer then your rag isn't going to go anywhere. There's no choice - you have to be honest. When Paxman rips a high-profile interviewee to bits, don't you sometimes find yourself thinking that it was at least sporting of the interviewee to turn up?

Telling the truth is quite subjective when you are talking about racing sims

What is the truth? Is LFS the holy grail of sim racing or is the competition just not really trying? Or other way around? I guess I am one of the few that still read ASS (and I still hate that stupid ASS three-letter name). I just read all GPL, LFS and hardware related articles.

Imho, what an LFS magazine needs is constant flow of interesting articles. Big or small, doesn't matter, just something people are interested about LFS. As finnish my english isn't really good enough for a magazine (without a lot proof reading ) but I'm still willing to offer my time to do something. I have few ideas about best skin of the week/month, screenis competitions, edited background pics, stuff like that just requires to be on the forum and see stuff happening. I spend too much time here anyway

I have some ideas about possible subjects for articles and I don't really mind sharing them:
- "setup corner", how to set up the FZ50 for endurance event, for example
- "tech talk", how do differentials work and how you want to set them up. What limitations does LFS have and what the limitations are
- "thoughts on something", why no one races the LRF cars online. Is the line between drifting and racing a concrete wall or something else.
- "leagues of the moment", a list of active leagues with short descriptions of entry requarements, web addresses.
- "team talk", how to get sponsors, how to get a team running smoothly. tips for setting up a forum, webspace, skins etc.
- tips for racing. What to do before races to get best out of yourself? Pit strategies. Line through T1...
- How to set up LFS for screenshots/videos/good gaming experience
- Jokes about LFS. Not too serious ones: How many cows can you stuff into UF1? Not one, no cows are modelled in LFS
- updating LFS: unofficial addons, what are the best ones. Just take a look what is offerend and where to get. Screenies and small review...

Just stuff like this. Some of these are one-off articles, others are more of series of articles. Just need to make sure that there aren't long periods without new articles. The steady flow of articles is important as no one wants to check any website if the website doesn't get updated

Quote from Hyperactive :

I have some ideas about possible subjects for articles and I don't really mind sharing them:
- "setup corner", how to set up the FZ50 for endurance event, for example
- "tech talk", how do differentials work and how you want to set them up. What limitations does LFS have and what the limitations are
- "thoughts on something", why no one races the LRF cars online. Is the line between drifting and racing a concrete wall or something else.
- "leagues of the moment", a list of active leagues with short descriptions of entry requarements, web addresses.
- "team talk", how to get sponsors, how to get a team running smoothly. tips for setting up a forum, webspace, skins etc.
- tips for racing. What to do before races to get best out of yourself? Pit strategies. Line through T1...
- How to set up LFS for screenshots/videos/good gaming experience
- Jokes about LFS. Not too serious ones: How many cows can you stuff into UF1? Not one, no cows are modelled in LFS
- updating LFS: unofficial addons, what are the best ones. Just take a look what is offerend and where to get. Screenies and small review...

Just stuff like this. Some of these are one-off articles, others are more of series of articles. Just need to make sure that there aren't long periods without new articles. The steady flow of articles is important as no one wants to check any website if the website doesn't get updated

Those would be pretty good articles man , and yeah lot of news make people interested in something.

And if it's a slow month we could always make things up . . . Like . .. . .

Scawens Baby eats Cat!!

Or.

Becky Rose to Wed Platinum License Holder Shock!

Or.

Finally. A Working Clutch Pack.

. . . . Naa, gone a bit silly now ain't I.

I think a mag dedicated to LFS would be a bit of overkill quite frankly. This forum, right here, has almost all the information on Hyper's list available at a click - most of those items would already have had at least one thread about them already. The best part about this forum is, if you don't know something or need advice you can ask someone here and often get a reply within minutes. No need to wait for someone to publish something :up:

Not being a regular ASS fan (:tilt I can't really comment on their reportage (last thing I read was about the GPL 1969 Mod). However, when I read any review on anything I want a complete critique, good stuff, bad stuff, warts and all. If CAR magazine or Zzap 64 or Rolling Stone were always complimentary I'd very quickly start reading something else. I think prospective buyers of anything, be it an album, a car or a game, would respect a publication a lot more if the reviewer was up-front with their opinions on a product. After all, the reader can decide for themselves whether to agree with someone else's opinion (purely technical issues are another matter but still don't always affect everyone in the same way). In the case of nK Pro I didn't read the ASS article, rather I bought it as I had been following Stefano's progress reports over at RSC and was anticipating rather good things, having been an nK fan since the namie was released. But I think, had I read the ASS article (which sounds like it portrayed nKP unrealistically), I think my dissappointment would have been magnified, having had my hopes raised by a glowing review in a trusted publication. That trust (and respect) would then have been reduced somewhat. If all you do is praise, people will eventually stop listening to you and may lose significant numbers of readers. I think most simracers are mature enough to take good reviews with bad, make their own decisions and come to their own conclusions about what they like to play.

Game reviewers are in a somewhat privileged position. They get access to products before their release and are able to test them thoroughly, to see what works, what doesn't and what could be tweaked. Because of this I think they have a responsibility, not just to the developers (who require, and probably appreciate, honest feedback about their product) but also, and possibly more importantly, to their readers (who in the end will be the buyers of the game and are the main reason for a magazine to exist in the first place) to accurately portray the game, bugs and all. Again, noone's going to respect you if all you do is print compliments. Imagine if the Top Gear crew never said anything rude about a crap car! Ratings would slide downwards faster than a greased pole-dancer.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

I don't really see the point of publishing to PDF when web documents are a lot less bloated, and if you're going to use your browser to download the thing why not just view it instead?

Or of course you could publish to XHTML and then if anyone wants a PDF they can do the transformation to PostScript and republish it themselves.

just because a good magazine needs good layout and typography. which is much easier in a layout program then in html. same with typography. you have only web-standard fonts (if you are not going the flashy way).

so any magazine which is going to be a "magazine" should be printable which is only possible in reasonable quality with PDF.

everything else is just another news/blog webpage.

The key here is the difference between a "review" and a "preview".

A preview is all about bigging a piece of software up, and about letting people know what they can expect from it. If something is rubbish then the chances are you won't be previewing it anyway, and in some cases the dev won't want any extra publicity.

Reviews, however, are where honesty comes in, and this is where AutoSimSport don't pay any lip service to developers. What this does not mean is that the reviewer is not allowed to like something, and giving a high score to, say, GTR2 is a reflection of the reviewer's opinion of the product. He likes it, full stop. That doesn't mean you will.

Our review of RACE, for example, would not gain us any friends at Simbin, but had we previewed it, chances are it would have been positive. Previews are for positivity!

If every article or review managed to tally with the opinion of everyone in the world, then the universe would be fantastic.

Also, the concept that continually slating a developer's products in PRE-RELEASE previews makes us in some way more honourable and will help the continuation of our publication is a bizarre one. As I said before, try to find a preview in PC Gamer that is not positive and tell me all about it.

@Hyperactive: If you are interested in contributing some articles, by all means email me and we can work something out: [email protected]

Jon.

Quote from Fischfix :

just because a good magazine needs good layout and typography. which is much easier in a layout program then in html. same with typography. you have only web-standard fonts (if you are not going the flashy way).

so any magazine which is going to be a "magazine" should be printable which is only possible in reasonable quality with PDF.

But it doesn't have to always be a PDF - that was my point. The issue becomes the fact that you've got an electronic document which is difficult to read unless you print it out. And in the case of ASS it's not that print-friendly either, because they've landscaped it to make it more sensible to view on a 4:3 monitor. It's a hybrid not-very-good-anywhere document.

My suggestion was to publish to an XML format (XHTML would be ideal because it can conveniently be read on the web), use CSS to make it look good on the screen, then you can write a set of transformations to convert those same documents to PostScript for printing and have it look just as good there too.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

But it doesn't have to always be a PDF - that was my point. The issue becomes the fact that you've got an electronic document which is difficult to read unless you print it out. And in the case of ASS it's not that print-friendly either, because they've landscaped it to make it more sensible to view on a 4:3 monitor. It's a hybrid not-very-good-anywhere document.

My suggestion was to publish to an XML format (XHTML would be ideal because it can conveniently be read on the web), use CSS to make it look good on the screen, then you can write a set of transformations to convert those same documents to PostScript for printing and have it look just as good there too.

okay if you can do that, i am only good in layouting not good in programing. thats why i am designer not programer, i don't like to cope with that programing stuff that much...

Quote from shrapnel :

...

What was to be expected from something so obviously unfinished as nK?

Previews always reflect the reality, no matter what... And I don't care how somebody else is doing it, or would you follow close if PC Gamer jumps off a skyscraper? Thought so... Previews give the benefit of the doubt, but nothing is excused because of that... If a preview version is utter cr*p, I can't praise it to be the new benchmark... That's called objectivity, you know?

Quote from bbman :

If a preview version is utter cr*p, I can't praise it to be the new benchmark... That's called objectivity, you know?

I have to agree - why bother previewing anything if all you're always going to be 100% guaranteed to hype it when you do? You might as well not bother looking at the product at all, just write your preview. You could write them years before the product comes out and save yourself a lot of bother.

rFactor 16 Review.

Release: Not Available Yet
Age Rating: 16+

This is latest installment of the amazing rFactor series, utilising the very best that the GMotor20 engine has to offer. Over the years we've seen this platform expand from simply being the best simulation of car racing to last years smash hit rFactor15 which included every form of racing, motored or otherwise, that Mankind has even undertaken.

So, what's new this time around? Well, the usual little tweaks - the animation for the drivers blinking can now be interrupted in real time, meaning no more waiting for the animation to finish before the 'scared' face animation is played, thus allowing a more seamless transition from nonchalant to sphincter-tightening. The game environments are more varied than ever, now allowing up to 13 different species of daisy in the trackside greenery, and well over 80 combinations of sand type. Physicswise it's been nothing but pure progress. Flatspotting is now implemented flawlessly, and each molecule of rubber has been modelled to give unparalleled realism in the slide. We'll never pretend something is perfect when it isn't, but in this case the hype really IS justified. The cars look and handle just like real cars (using our XBox720 controller we were unable to notice the difference between our EvoMXV and the Fordson Tractor in game (now one of 18000 licenced cars, all reproduced to the exact last nut and bolt).

The stats from the driving part of the game are now relayed in real time to anyone you've ever met, even if they are not at a computer at the time, although this functionality has yet to find it's way into the rim design software or the 'paint your NOS bottle a metallic colour' subgame - maybe next year.

We whole heartedly recommend this game. It's never crashed, there isn't a single bug, and even Keith Button (son to the late great Jenson) claims there is no difference between his MP4/242 and the micromachine modelled in game - it's THAT real!!!!

If it's not in the game, God hasn't invented it yet. 11/5!

Quote from thisnameistaken :

I have to agree - why bother previewing anything if all you're always going to be 100% guaranteed to hype it when you do? You might as well not bother looking at the product at all, just write your preview. You could write them years before the product comes out and save yourself a lot of bother.

Okay, let's take a preview version, maybe a beta or basically a piece of software that is NOT FINISHED because it is not a released piece of software....

Now, there will be bugs and problems with every piece of pre-release software, and the developer will tell you that those problems will not exist in the release version.

So, in the interests of not upsetting that developer, and eventually every developer, and eventually not having a magazine because you have no content, do you believe them? Or do you slate their unfinished code that you are previewing as.... Erm, unfinished code?

If you, as a reader, cannot ascertain that this is the case with previews in any type of media coverage of any type of software or digital media, then I feel great sadness for you.

Finished products are different story. Of course, isolating one article against a background of 23 issues as a definitive example of the style of writing and making an absolute ruling on the opinions of all of the staff writers is also something that causes me great, great, sadness.

Anyway, regardless of all this swingball, one thing still stands. We need more LFS coverage, and it seems we need hard-hitting, forthright, erudite people who pull no punches. We are happy to welcome new staff on board and I look forward to reading some of your articles.

Quote from shrapnel :

Or do you slate their unfinished code that you are previewing as.... Erm, unfinished code?

There is no reason to slate, or hype, or make assumptions and deliver them as facts, or glorify, or condem, or opinionate or even speculate. That goes for a finished product as well.

Quote from Gunn :

There is no reason to slate, or hype, or make assumptions and deliver them as facts, or glorify, or condem, or opinionate or even speculate. That goes for a finished product as well.

Yes, well, what you are talking about is not a preview/review or article, it is a "feature list".

A magazine that simply provides feature lists and general information that can be obtained from product websites is largely unnecessary.

Should film or theatre critics not provide opinion also, simply state the likes of "Well, some things happen, then the film ends" or should restaurant critics write reviews that state "I ate some deep fried cheese, followed by a burger with chips, then left."

???

Quote from shrapnel :

Yes, well, what you are talking about is not a preview/review or article, it is a "feature list".

No, that isn't what I'm talking about at all. Find someone with an imagination to help you along with this one and let me know when you are ready to discuss it with an open mind.

Quote from shrapnel :

Okay, let's take a preview version, maybe a beta or basically a piece of software that is NOT FINISHED because it is not a released piece of software....

Now, there will be bugs and problems with every piece of pre-release software, and the developer will tell you that those problems will not exist in the release version.

So, in the interests of not upsetting that developer, and eventually every developer, and eventually not having a magazine because you have no content, do you believe them? Or do you slate their unfinished code that you are previewing as.... Erm, unfinished code?

If it's in beta, and you declare that you're looking at beta software, and the developer is happy for you to look at their beta software, then I don't see any issues with mentioning the problems inherent in that beta. If the developer has promised that those issues will be resolved then you can mention that too - but at least you're giving the reader a conditional caveat rather than unconditional praise.

I still maintain that unless you're going to look at the product objectively then the preview is a waste of everybody's time. With the notable exception of the developer's marketing department.

Quote from shrapnel :

Finished products are different story. Of course, isolating one article against a background of 23 issues as a definitive example of the style of writing and making an absolute ruling on the opinions of all of the staff writers is also something that causes me great, great, sadness.

In all honesty, I haven't paid particular attention to the writer of the articles I especially don't like (although one name springs to mind) - it may well be the same person every time. I had a similar experience in the past when I thought all disco bass players were totally badass, but they all turned out to be Bernard Edwards from Chic. I'll take a better look at some recent issues with my critic's hat on.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

I still maintain that unless you're going to look at the product objectively then the preview is a waste of everybody's time. With the notable exception of the developer's marketing department.

There is, of course, an argument to say that all previews are pointless and a waste of everyone's time.

Personally, I don't tend to read previews, but if I do I filter out the authors opinion from useful product information.