Train Simulator - Pirating Content Survey

[Peter C]

Hello all,

Having watched the video on piracy for TS (2015 back then) from a Maverick Hunter Daniel on YouTube, I decided I would put together a survey with a larger sample size focusing around piracy in TS2019.
Please follow the link at the bottom of this post to find the form.

Please note: In no way am I trying to say that anyone on here pirates TS2019 content, or that Maverick Hunter Daniel's practices are incorrect. Please note that the Google Forms survey which I have put together will only take in the information which you input.

Thank you for taking your time to fill in this survey.

Thanks,

-Peter

Google Forms link:
https://forms.gle/cUmebxndJxPNeaeS7

 

[whhistle]

Will you be publishing the results?

 

[Peter C]

Will you be publishing the results?

The results will eventually be published on here, yes, but this will be in a few weeks' time, when I have a larger sample size.
We have currently had 12 responses (last time I checked).

-Peter

 

[GB]

I am aware online piracy is quite a big thing...but does it really exist in TS that much?

 

[Darandio]

I am aware online piracy is quite a big thing...but does it really exist in TS that much?

Very much so.

 

[NoMorePacers]

May I ask why the email address question is required, just out of curiosity?

 

[gazthomas]

Asking for an email address is asking for personal details. GDPR policy please

 

[Peter C]

I am aware online piracy is quite a big thing...but does it really exist in TS that much?

It is very prevalent in TS.

May I ask why the email address question is required, just out of curiosity?

The email address is required to ensure that we can send the results to those who have answered the survey (when we publish the results). People who filled in the survey before I included this won't receive the survey results.

Asking for an email address is asking for personal details. GDPR policy please

I wouldn't necessarily classify an email address is "personal details" - I'd say personal details are more birthdays, ages, phone numbers, and addresses. What does GDPR stand for here?

-Peter

 

[gazthomas]

W

It is very prevalent in TS.

I wouldn't necessarily classify an email address is "personal details" - I'd say personal details are more birthdays, ages, phone numbers, and addresses. What does GDPR stand for here?

-Peter

Well Peter, you may wish to familiarise yourself with the law: "Under GDPR, email addresses are considered confidential and must be used and stored within strict privacy and security guidelines."

 

[Peter C]

W

Well Peter, you may wish to familiarise yourself with the law: "Under GDPR, email addresses are considered confidential and must be used and stored within strict privacy and security guidelines."

I apologise. I was not aware of this. I did not know that email addresses were considered "confidential" and I will remove this part of the survey.

Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will ensure that none of the email addresses which were entered (including one rude one) are not stored anywhere they shouldn't be.

-Peter

EDIT: The link at the top of the thread has been changed and will take you to a new form which does not collect any information bar the information which you enter into the survey. Thank you.

 

[gazthomas]

Thanks Peter, I didn't want you to get into trouble. Survey websites often have a "only allow a single post" option so that should mitigate your concern.

As a former software engineer I appreciate what you're doing here. With "virtual" things such as software, music, books or art people don't seem to value them as much as physical things which is a real shame and undervalues the work done by the creators. All the best

 

[Peter C]

Update:
The results of the survey will be published on this thread when I receive enough responses. The current "goal" is ~30/40.
I am appreciative that 16 people have already answered the survey in what appears to be a truthful manner.

The results of this survey will be used to try and help stop piracy in the Train Simulator community. This may involve sending the results to people who run TS content-hosting websites or those who produce content for TS. Please note that, as email addresses are not being collected, no personal information will be sent about you and you will remain anonymous. Please note that if you add in personal information into a text box in the survey that is your choice and the entering of personal information such as names renders your anonymity non-existent.

Thanks once again to all those who have filled the survey in. Please note any rude answers are not appreciated.

-Peter

 

[Peter C]

Thanks Peter, I didn't want you to get into trouble. Survey websites often have a "only allow a single post" option so that should mitigate your concern.

As a former software engineer I appreciate what you're doing here. With "virtual" things such as software, music, books or art people don't seem to value them as much as physical things which is a real shame and undervalues the work done by the creators. All the best

It's alright. Google were holding the email addresses, not me, so I think I could have been alright. But I'm not willing to chance it!
Thanks for the support - I simply made this to see if the results of Maverick Hunter Daniel in his video were accurate representations of the 2019 community. He produced his results in 2015 and I wanted to see how much had changed.
I agree with what you have said about virtual items being valued at less than physical items - a couple of people have even gone as far to answer my survey and say "I don't think piracy is theft", despite it being so! Hmm....!

-Peter

 

[Darandio]

The results of this survey will be used to try and help stop piracy in the Train Simulator community. This may involve sending the results to people who run TS content-hosting websites or those who produce content for TS.

What exactly do you think it will achieve above and beyond what is already done?

 

[Peter C]

What exactly do you think it will achieve above and beyond what is already done?

I have already contacted Alan Thomson of AlanThomsonSim and he has said that he can use the results. I understand that a lot is already being done to stop Train Simulator piracy, but I hope that this survey will help those battling it as it will provide information as to what the community thinks of piracy in TS and which items those who pirate content pirate the most. Having information about how the community and those pirating view TS piracy can hopefully help those combating it.
I should not have worded my sentences in that way - I should have said "The results of this survey will be used to try and provide more information about piracy in TS to help those combating it" and not what I actually wrote. Poor phrasing on my part - I am not trying to say that those stopping piracy are doing a rubbish job.

-Peter

 

[Peter C]

I have produced a small document which contains some information about the survey. Please note that the information which is listed at the start of the document is necessary reading for anyone wishing to get any sort of understanding about the information provided in the document.

Link to the document (Google Drive):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/161g3hnuqph0Zj08Z_THj5y1H2W08RlZ2/view?usp=sharing

Please note the information provided in this document is the only information which will be made available to the public until the final document, the document which will be produced when the survey ends, is released.

Thanks,

-Peter

 

[SquireBev]

That's some very... emotive language used in the responses to the questions. Hardly a fair and unbiased survey.

 

[malc-c]

I think I read on a website that if you were to download the "official" downloadable add-on packs it would cost $6400 - Now I don't know if that includes all the 3rd party content that Alan reviews ion his channel, or if it's just the content Dovetail games provide, but that's still a lot of money in anyone's book. So I can see why pirating the DLC is so common.

I don't play the game as often as I used to, mainly because I got bored with the basic offerings that came as standard. I have purchased two DLC items, a class 66 and a deltic pack, the latter costing me £25. The cost and frequency of use would prevent me from paying any more for an item.

The guys over on the Transport Fever section of Steam have the right idea. A high percentage of the mods and dlc are free... Both the official dlc and 3rd parties, and I bet that somewhere the developers could see a increase in game purchased based on the fact that people can download extra content for free.

Thing is you will never stop piracy or warez. I've seen $10 applications (good ones mind you) that have been cracked or have had serials publicised, so often it's not a money thing, it a popularity thing. This $10 app was extremely popular in the sector it was aimed at with 1000's of copies per month being purchased and registered. But not many people used the copied serial as they supported the developer and $10 was more than worth it for the application, and people didn't see it as an expense. Now if he was charging $50..... may have been a different story.

Back in the 90's I knew a chap that was very much involved in obtaining cracked software and distributing it via CDs - He had one CD containing nearly every 3D software application available at the time (Lightwave, Maya, Bryce 3D, 3DS Max, plus a few more) - retail value of the disk - £32,000 !! - Because it was all done behind computer screens and keyboards he couldn't see it as a crime. He got a kick out of sourcing a particular bit of software and finding the fix to circumvent the protection.....

I think you need to expand the survey. 100 - 1000 participants would give you a better cross section of users

 

[Darandio]

I think I read on a website that if you were to download the "official" downloadable add-on packs it would cost $6400 - Now I don't know if that includes all the 3rd party content that Alan reviews ion his channel, or if it's just the content Dovetail games provide, but that's still a lot of money in anyone's book. So I can see why pirating the DLC is so common.

There is probably an equal amount of available content available from third parties, covering an even greater geographical area.

But I always find it a bit silly quoting a figure for all of the stuff. Think of it like a collection, a digital version of model railways. If you went on the website of a leading model railway retailer it would be a damn sight more than $6400 to buy everything and you wouldn't dream of doing so, the same goes for Train Simulator where you only buy what interests you.

 

[Peter C]

I think I read on a website that if you were to download the "official" downloadable add-on packs it would cost $6400 - Now I don't know if that includes all the 3rd party content that Alan reviews ion his channel, or if it's just the content Dovetail games provide, but that's still a lot of money in anyone's book. So I can see why pirating the DLC is so common.

I don't play the game as often as I used to, mainly because I got bored with the basic offerings that came as standard. I have purchased two DLC items, a class 66 and a deltic pack, the latter costing me £25. The cost and frequency of use would prevent me from paying any more for an item.

The guys over on the Transport Fever section of Steam have the right idea. A high percentage of the mods and dlc are free... Both the official dlc and 3rd parties, and I bet that somewhere the developers could see a increase in game purchased based on the fact that people can download extra content for free.

Thing is you will never stop piracy or warez. I've seen $10 applications (good ones mind you) that have been cracked or have had serials publicised, so often it's not a money thing, it a popularity thing. This $10 app was extremely popular in the sector it was aimed at with 1000's of copies per month being purchased and registered. But not many people used the copied serial as they supported the developer and $10 was more than worth it for the application, and people didn't see it as an expense. Now if he was charging $50..... may have been a different story.

Back in the 90's I knew a chap that was very much involved in obtaining cracked software and distributing it via CDs - He had one CD containing nearly every 3D software application available at the time (Lightwave, Maya, Bryce 3D, 3DS Max, plus a few more) - retail value of the disk - £32,000 !! - Because it was all done behind computer screens and keyboards he couldn't see it as a crime. He got a kick out of sourcing a particular bit of software and finding the fix to circumvent the protection.....

I think you need to expand the survey. 100 - 1000 participants would give you a better cross section of users

Thanks very much for your comments. I have to agree with the point that $6400 for all of the DTG-released DLCs is expensive, but I agree with @Darandio here in the fact that you should only buy what you want, and not everything. Unless you really want to buy everything. The $6400 price tag you mentioned does not include 3rd party content, but a lot of 3rd party content is either freeware or has a small price tag. Websites which claim that TS is overpriced because of the $6400 thing very rarely, if ever, look at the 3rd party and freeware side of things!

I know we will never stop piracy - but hopefully by knowing what the community thinks of piracy in TS at least we can try and mitigate it.

I will close the survey when I deem a suitable sample size to be gathered - I like the 100-1000 mark. Thanks!

-Peter

 

[Peter C]

That's some very... emotive language used in the responses to the questions. Hardly a fair and unbiased survey.

I don't understand - I tried to make the survey as unbiased as possible and any "emotive language" used was not intended. I believe that the survey is unbiased.
Please note that any user-submitted content in the answers to the survey are not under my control.

Thanks,

-Peter

EDIT: If you are referring to the following question:

If you pirate content for Train Simulator, why do you pirate this content?
4 responses:
-75% said “I think that Train Simulator content is overpriced”
-25% said “I think that I shouldn’t have to work for things”

Then I apologise if you believe the answers use "emotive language", but that is not the intention of the questions. Some people on this earth do believe that they shouldn't have to work for things, and they are vocal about that. If I didn't include the option, people would complain!