While I can certainly feel the pain you have regarding the Online Playing and the Community and prevention of a cheap dollar, I still can only wonder. Wouldn't it not be very beneficial anyway to introduce IL2-Mod specific security algorithms ? For instance, a Server-Client version validation checker which is provided as a .dll by the Community Hosts ? With these YOU could effectively control exactly what happens in the Online-area of yours ! The same could apply for specific MOD flavors.
I still have the silly feel that there are still other motives in play to guard the patch one owns. A phenomenon present all through IL-2's long career.
And let's be certain, IL-2 today would be absolutely DEAD if not someone breached it, exaclty in the right moment ! May he be blessed to eternity !
I myself are now working on a quite substantial single Player only Mod myself for the last three years, and found it extremly annoying that I have no access to the CODs, or even more so the core.dll source ,so I abolished COD completly and do it my own way now. The same will be the case for the SFS enconding. It's silly !
If the core.dll would be open we could remedy the silly stars at high alt, the lo-res sky, the weather (Cloud, fog etc.), of course this would open the whole thing to be ported to 64-Bit theoretically (needing around 100 mandays minimum, or 60'000 $). So could it be in the end that still Oleg's ghost (in the form of it's Zombie like existence in C3 Maddox) is having his magic spell on this ? Ridicolous ! The Flightsim market is extremly narrow and will ONLY survive if their is an open community.
I would have paid 1000$ for an open IL-2 at any time.
The IL-2 modding community created a unique piece of art investing hundred thousands of manhours and clearly evident devotion, therefore I immensly love it !
We should invite code modders ! Deep coding is nothing for the fast hack in no percievable way, instead we do the opposite, why ??!!!
Anyone having a coding question regarding IL-2 can contact me under hdaniel_sch@bluewin.ch (And no I don't have the COD secrets and neither the SFS packager !).
May IL-2 live on ! The possibilities are endless !