alistair404

Hehe, it would probably be pretty great, especially since Albo is much more talented than I am.
 
Regarding an ELS release, I know the long wait has disappointed and frustrated many. For this, I apologize. Please keep in mind, however, that there is nothing more discouraging in this context than to work on a modification for so long and yet still not get to share it with others. After all, the purpose of taking on such a large endeavor, is in many ways to watch others explore, enjoy and benefit from it.
That said, why have we not been forthcoming with information regarding ELS? This has been a point of frustration for several members of the community, and understandably so. However unintentional the consequences may have been, the reason for this strategy was simple: nothing in ELS was--or is--set in stone. Throughout the development process, things have evolved, features have come and gone or been completely rethought. Even flash patterns have been redone about three to four times (that's hundreds of patterns!). Because ELS was--and is--constantly changing, an accurate picture of the mod could not really be conveyed to the public. We also wanted to strike a balance between reassuring the community that the mod was indeed in development, while not creating the type of hype that would result in people becoming impatient and ultimately frustrated. Perhaps that hasn't been entirely successful, in which case, I apologize.
At this point, most of the core ELS features are complete. However, a release is not yet possible for several reasons: a few core features still remain to be coded (takedowns, for instance); several features are being polished; and, I am constantly on the lookout for more ways to squeeze things out of the game in order to provide ELS users and vehicle modelers with more options and a better experience.
Furthermore, the recent developments regarding default siren ("carcols") configuration have provided a new avenue to explore for ELS. For instance, the entire "extra" method may be discarded and replaced with a new method using the "siren" parts. This is being explored, but is far from guaranteed. If it can be done, it would provide ELS with 20 individual lights as opposed to only 12, in addition to freeing up the extras to be used as random vehicle components--which, no doubt would be greatly appreciated. It would also mean more complex--and fun--flash patterns. However, this would also inevitably increase development time.
Were ELS a mod like most others, it might have already been released. However, the issue in this particular case is that ELS requires vehicle models configured to a particular standard. The fear is that were ELS to change dramatically due to a new development after an initial release, that players and websites would be cluttered with a plethora of obsolete vehicle models and ELS vehicle configuration files. Not to mention the confusion this would cause, which has materialized in the past. Therefore, the idea is to build ELS to a point where subsequent releases will feature only minor updates that won't disturb the community. And hopefully that won't take too much longer.
I hope this clears things up for most people interested in the development of ELS for V. I know it's been a very long wait, but I ask you for just a little more--just a little more time so that I can at least try to make it live up to your standards and expectations and prevent the need for huge messy overhauls down the road.
 
For those wondering about the damage issue, you may rest assured that it is fixed, but LMS is working on a solution that will make it portable and capable of withstanding GTA V game patches/updates. As for stability, there really is no comparison to be made to GTA IV. ELS V is extremely stable, and not a single crash has yet been reported outside of routine testing/development, even with AI vehicles enabled.