First of all, people make the dynamics of this way too hard. It boils down to choices. Even as early as 2001 we had choices with MSTS and then Trainz. The question I never quite understood is why some people get so upset at somebody else's choice. Using the same issue do you remember the wars fought over the two games then? It was unreal. And for what? Trainz wasn't even out yet and there were a number of people from that nonexistant community already slamming MSTS based on a couple of videos about Trainz. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen. The Trainz followers made their choice but then felt we had to abide by their choice too.
Often times in the forums you'll see folks rallying around one thing and despairing another. Sure I appreciate there are products that are going to be created better than others, and for all kinds of reasons. But the 'home team' cheering mentality has always been a little bit odd to me especially when folks got their ire up enough that hostilities prevailed.
For some reason, choice just brings our the worst in people. In the earliest days of MSTS things were quite cooperative and friendly. For the most part, I mean. I credit that because most of us became developers as there was no library back then.
The library is the hobby's greatest achievement while also being a hinderment as well. I wrote this long discussion in another forum where I explained why I am developing RS product. Little of it is related to the actual sims and takes on more a payware vendor's approach to the hobby than a user's point of view. But not lost in that diatribe is my point that you can't move MSTS any farther ahead than it already has gone. Yes, you can move laterally, but not forward. Not that any of these discussions were made privy to the general population but the late great Ming Dynasty and the great Jay-marc RocketitNelsonfeller made some interesting observations that summed up what was quickly becoming the unexplainable to me. I'll sum up their concepts like this, "Rich (that's me), it's over." *gulp*
From a payware point of view, there are forces at work which make it impossible to resolve the issues within a reasonable price point. Hence, the status quo is here, is now, and will not and cannot be changed for the better. Hence I say we can move laterally with MSTS, but not forward.
With that understood we still have choice. But once again, there are those who see choice like it's a pennant rather than an option. Currently you have the choice of the main sims. And whichever you prefer, great! But don't step on my choice. Or step on somebody else's choice for that matter. Trust me when I say I realize there are more than a few, with cocked eyebrows, trying to figure out why I am developing for RS. It's very simple to me. Where others misunderstand is twofold in my opinion. First, they aren't privy to my sales numbers. Second, to them I'm just another developer with his own set of opinions and little rationale to back it up. Which obviously means they have no idea why I do what I do. Nor does their assumption makes them right. But we do seem to live in a culture where nowadays the distinction between fact and assumption is meaningless.
Choice can work for you, or against you. Right now I see choice working against the community because instead of working toward a better simulation environment, folks are resting on the labors of old. I see this all the time "our wealth of stuff in the library..." That's true but a lot of it is very old, very obsolete and quite overused. I don't mean to be offensive but so much which is still uploaded today just isn't very good work compared to the standards other games are enjoying. I'm currently playing a lot of Silent Hunter 4. I am not about to load Silent Hunter 2 right beside it. My point being one is obviously much dated than the newer. Sure the one was great in its day, but the newer one is by far better all the way around.
Starting with Cumberland and seeing the same with East Metro Rebuild, to do better than what I was doing then, it began to dawn on me we were quickly nearing the ceiling of what can be done in MSTS. For me, to resolve the passion to do better, it meant moving on. Starting over. Where the community needs to go is realize that we've progressed to the point of time where he have choices to make and those that prefer the status quo as opposed to the do-over, well, that's their choice.
Let me sum all this up this way. Rather than being specifically sim-centrist, remember that ultimately this is about railroading. And the platform that best suits you, isn't necessarily the best or the best for everybody. Each sim has its better points. But none of them do it all. And certainly not for everybody.