I've searched the forums a bit and haven't found anything on that topic. After an intensive week or 2 of LFS, I went back to rFactor to race with my brothers this week-end and it hit me :

Why hasn't any company bought the LFS game engine to produce a game based on a real racing series?

I know LFS is still in beta stages but it feels a lot more polished than rFactor but yet, ISI sold their engine for a WTCC and a GTR game. Will there be some day a DTM or BTCC (one can dream ) game with real cars and real tracks using the LFS simulation engine?

Any links to previous discussions would also be appreciated, I only found threads about people asking for more real cars in LFS, not another game based on the engine...

Some other games based on this engine would be cool. D1GP games, Forumla D, a Gran Turismo knockoff, a Ricer Street Racer like NFS with crazy physics. Like you said its still in beta, and if anyone offered they would probably say its incomplete.

It's totally against the current LFS development plan, to produce a finished simulation and unique selling point, to produce one simple product offering instant online play that actually works with no mis-matches/mods to confuse matters.

Maybe when the devs are completely finished. S3 is years old, just before lfs goes open source (I wish)

Quote from stevewhite :

Maybe when the devs are completely finished. S3 is years old, just before lfs goes open source (I wish)

LFS... open source. You got to be kidding me.

That's like saying here you go ISI, heres the solution to all your problems without having to pay a penny for our 6+ years of work.

Yeah, basically the LFS engine is not for sale. At least, not right now. Whether or not it ever will be, only the devs can possibly know, and I don't think they've ever publicly breathed a word on that subject.

I forget now, who it was.. but one top guy from SimBin* or ISI.. really can't remember who, or which, said in an interview that the LFS guys weren't interested in entertaining his offers, and were quite happy doing their thing.. and he said something along the lines of that "they're doing quite fine alone, tyvm".

*I think it was SimBin.

Quote from SamH :

I forget now, who it was.. but one top guy from SimBin* or ISI.. really can't remember who, or which, said in an interview that the LFS guys weren't interested in entertaining his offers, and were quite happy doing their thing.. and he said something along the lines of that "they're doing quite fine alone, tyvm".

*I think it was SimBin.

I remember "we could be interested but he's doing so well" line or something like that when Vykos (!?) had asked about hiring Scawen from some SimBin dev.

And LFS is not really a complete package, to sell engine you need all the dev tools and stuff.

I think too much work has been put into LFS for its game engine to be sold. Independant people that have made something amazing should keep it in the house for a long time. its like a family owned buissness. If LFS was sold then it would have one release and bee put to waise. like Papyrus's nascar 2003. it was great in the day and still is, but the deveolopers don't care about it anymore. not more updates. maybe patches but no new cars and tracks from the developer. I'd liek to see LFS run by independant people untill they die.

Quote from Zachary Zoomy :

I'd liek to see LFS run by independant people untill they die.

Uhh, that's kinda morbid.. but I suppose that's what I agree too.

LFS is just too.. I dunno special to see it sell out and become like all of the other games that have sold their engines for some money. While I'm sure many developers would love to get their hands on the engine because it's so good as a customer/consumer I would like to see this game just be in the hands of the original LFS developers.

unless the devs go broke I don't want to see the LFS game engine sold.

Ok, thanks for the answers guys. I guess I must agree with the strategy the devs have in place. They've been doing this for a couple of years, are still in business and have been producing some great stuff :-D

See ya on the track!

Simbin was looking at the engine for their first real game but when it was not avalable they went with ISI to build GTR.

Ha! That's classic if true. Even with all the GTR fanboys bashing LFS, the ISI engine was the second choice.

It's usually the other way around anyway, computer game companies have to pay the rea world series to mimmick their league. Which is why most 'real' leagues are covered by companies that produce the most shallow games, like EA.

Now I just need to find away to sell STCC to the devs, lol ( Simbin wouldn't pay enough ).

eh.... test drive unlimited with LFS's game play would be THE BEST game on the planet hands down. no if, ands, or, buts about it! XD

Quote from DownShift :

eh.... test drive unlimited with LFS's game play would be THE BEST game on the planet hands down. no if, ands, or, buts about it! XD

Indeed it would.

It always makes me wonder how software houses can get away with writing such bad software, LFS is a testiment of what independent developers can do, I dont know how much TDU cost to write but once you scratch the surface of the pretty cars, you discover a clunky slow game thats not even really realistic.

LFS dynamics, TDU concept and GTA gameplay would be my perfect game lol.

I would really like a NFSU with LFS physics. It may sound weird and awful, but it would be interesting. There would be no market for it though as people who usually like NFSU-like games don't like non-arcade physics, and people who like realistic physics usually don't like fancy car-tuning games.

Quote from MaKaKaZo :

I would really like a NFSU with LFS physics. It may sound weird and awful, but it would be interesting. There would be no market for it though as people who usually like NFSU-like games don't like non-arcade physics, and people who like realistic physics usually don't like fancy car-tuning games.

-1
i already see all that grafics noobs on the track

Quote from radweld :

It always makes me wonder how software houses can get away with writing such bad software, LFS is a testiment of what independent developers can do, I dont know how much TDU cost to write but once you scratch the surface of the pretty cars, you discover a clunky slow game thats not even really realistic.

LFS dynamics, TDU concept and GTA gameplay would be my perfect game lol.

It´s pretty simple really, the average Joe just doesn´t care about realistic physics. Sim racers aren´t exactly a target audience for the big software houses, so they just don´t bother.
Besides that, even if developers would care about quality there´s always the guys in suits that care more about deadlines than quality.
The mainstream games market is really competitive so speed is high on the priority list.

Quote from deggis :

I remember "we could be interested but he's doing so well" line or something like that when Vykos (!?) had asked about hiring Scawen from some SimBin dev.

And LFS is not really a complete package, to sell engine you need all the dev tools and stuff.

Just to clear some stuff up: When Ian Bell was at simbin, released GTR1, I met him twice and we also talked about LFS. And all he said was: He wanted to hire the "guys" but they werent interested, neither in working with/for him nor in selling their engine. And IMHO that's just great to know

Come on rebels keep on rockin'.

Quote from Becky Rose :

It's usually the other way around anyway, computer game companies have to pay the rea world series to mimmick their league. Which is why most 'real' leagues are covered by companies that produce the most shallow games, like EA.

Now I just need to find away to sell STCC to the devs, lol ( Simbin wouldn't pay enough ).

Hehe =) give it time =)

Quote from Vykos69 :

Just to clear some stuff up: When Ian Bell was at simbin, released GTR1, I met him twice and we also talked about LFS. And all he said was: He wanted to hire the "guys" but they werent interested, neither in working with/for him nor in selling their engine. And IMHO that's just great to know

Haha that's Awesome =) I didn't realize they were approached by simbin =)

Quote from Gimpster :

Simbin was looking at the engine for their first real game but when it was not avalable they went with ISI to build GTR.

I didn't realize this either. Would have been awesome to see GTR with LFS physics =) Give it a couple more years and we will have something much better though =)

While it can be argued the LFS isn't the greatest racing sim that could ever exist, it's certainly the best that does exist, by a long shot.

The Dev's take a lot of crap, which I suppose is unavoidable when you are
dealing with a forum such as this - anyway, it's good when they can get
some recognition. They do what the believe in, which is pretty rare.

id love a gran turismo knock off definatly DROOL