If the ultimate intention is to release the files, why not do it now?
You say you'll fix them first to make them more user-friendly, but that doesn't make much sense.
The more people have access to the files, the better it will be for overall development, especially since each developer has their own way of working.
**Releasing the files doesn't mean you have to stop what you're doing.**
***Release the files and continue working on your more user-friendly version.***
Sorry if I came across as rude, but it seems to me that your real intention is not to share the files.
Saying you'll release them only gives hope to many developers who dream of having their own ToS project for the love of the game... and that makes developers "hostages" to that hope, which is very sad. :\
That said, I hope you can share the files and tools as they are, and free the devs from this agony. :S
Edit
"Uninformed people won't be able to." That's okay; they can wait for an improved version—there's no problem with that.
Furthermore, you're removing files that you and your team consider unnecessary, which will go into the "final user-friendly version."
However, what is unnecessary for you might not be unnecessary for other people.
Once again, I’m sorry if I came across as rude—that’s not my intention. I just really wanted the original files to create my own version, even if other versions come out before mine or if my version takes years and years to complete.
I fully understand your points, no offense taken in any way either, but at the end of the day...
We got scammed once and then still spent money to get those files and went through a very long and tedious process to get it. It wasn't a week or two either.
It may sound selfish, but at the end of the day, we decided this way.
The money were spent not to share it for public in a broken state, if you cannot even load it up properly on any VS (and I mean it, this is not an exaggeration). Our initial goal was to make it working ourselves, start a server and then, at some point share it, but the sheer scale of work needed is not feasible for 1 person or even 3 people.
Another thing was that the missing stuff, some of it, was also paid libraries and there would be more to this, but I'm simply respecting the effort and time of the people who been in this since day one and the agreement we made between us.
The files, once it's in user friendly way, will be released as it was leaked and the fixed version, for those who will find anything useful, but this still sounds to me, that albeit people want to get their hands on, build their own versions and everything, but no one wants to contribute towards it and doesn't reach us out.
We need help on it, we need people on it, but it sounds that those who want to profit most out of it, are most vocal as well, while we were more than willingly taking in people with experience and motivation, but if there is no initiative to benefit the community - files shouldn't be shared for the community, right?
And it's just a historical ragezone fact that whenever any kind of a source leaked - private groups made it working for themselves, multiple cash grab servers started, which lasted until first major issue occured and community never got anything working decent, while projects like DBO (which has its own story and such) or Mir4 are the ones to be made for the community and simply in need of people to help in any way possible.
In this message, I don't try to offend anyone, call anyone out or justify anything, I'm simply explaining why were going this way and we will be continuing to go like that until we feel comfortable releasing it for the public, to make sure that competition can be fierce and players can have multiple choices, not those who got their hands on something, made it somewhat working and then profited to the maximum.
Will we open a server? Not sure yet, but even if we do, it will happen once we make this source public.