Next big thing

[dogscoff]

I suggested a SE4 spin off game (ie space invaders using images from the pictures/race directory=-) to kill time between turns but everyone hated the idea and it sank w/out a trace=-(

There's a thread about it somewhere but I'll be damnd if I can find it...

<sulk>

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SE4 Code:
L GdY $ Fr- C- Sd T!+ Sf-- Tcp-- A% M>M+ MpD! RV Pw Fq+ Nd- Rp+ G-
/SE4 Code
Go to my meagre SEIV pages to generate your own code.

[Kadste]

I think it was MATRYX that put out the SE4 Mod launcher. If I am wrong, please forgive me. At that time I saw a picture about a component modder using the same design style.

I would like to see more tools like these.

COMPONETN MODDER
AI DESIGN TYPES
AI RESEARCH
AI CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES
AI FLEETS

As long as these tools will also create and/or modify the text files.



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Never Give up, Never Surrender!

[Lemmy]

i think there already is something for AI research, i think it was called a tech queue modder, it should be somewhere in the archive.

this weekend i made a tech-tree browser, maybe i'll expand it to a full tech mod tool, but i don't think i'll have the time to do it anytime soon.

[dogscoff]

How about an update client gizmo that looks through your game directories & works out what Version of each mod / race you are using by looking at the readme files (or Matryx's modinfo file format, or a specially designed new file format).

It then goes Online (using the URLs listed in the readme / modinfo file) and checks to see if there are more up to date Versions available for download. A big "Automatically Download & Install" button would be handy at this point.

It would probably require that racemakers / modders put a special file in their zips which points to another special file on their website, which in turn details Version numbers and file locations for the update client program.

Or is this just sad?

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SE4 Code:
L GdY $ Fr- C- Sd T!+ Sf-- Tcp-- A% M>M+ MpD! RV Pw Fq+ Nd- Rp+ G-
/SE4 Code
Go to my meagre SEIV pages to generate your own code.

[This message has been edited by dogscoff (edited 18 September 2001).]

[Lemmy]

i like that idea dogscoff, but it will only work if you have the modmakers cooperation, and you need someone to make the program, but i don't think that will be a big problem.

[dogscoff]

I think most (some?) modmakers now use Matryx's modinfo format in order to make full use of the mod picker.

I imagine the procedure for my suggestion would be something like:

-Launch program.
-Program searches through directories and finds (for example) Vikings directory.
-Program looks in Vikings directory for updateinfo.txt
-Program finds Vikings/updateinfo.txt and gets the following data:
Current Version: 0.92
URL: http://www.sandman43.fsnet.co.uk/fil...ate_viking.txt

-Program goes to specified URL and finds another text file. That text file gives the following information:
Latest Version: 0.93
File location: http://www.sandman43.fsnet.co.uk/files/viking0_93.zip
Size: 0.61meg

-Program has all the data it neds: Reports back to user.
"There is a more recent Version of the
Viking race style.
Current : 0.92
Latest : 0.93
Filesize : 0.61meg
Location : http://www.sandman43.fsnet.co.uk/files/viking0_93.zip

Do you want to update it now? [Yes] [No]"

- User clicks "yes", and the program downloads the file and unzips it to the correct location. Bosh, job done.

Obviously the program would search for more than one update at a time, and the interface would be a bit more sophisticated, but you get the idea.

The racemaker / modder would be responsible for putting an accurate updateinfo.txt
in their zip file, and for maintaining the update_XXXXXX.txt file on their website. Just a couple of text files.

It all sounds plausible to me (but then I'm not a programmer=-)

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SE4 Code:
L GdY $ Fr- C- Sd T!+ Sf-- Tcp-- A% M>M+ MpD! RV Pw Fq+ Nd- Rp+ G-
/SE4 Code
Go to my meagre SEIV pages to generate your own code.

[dogscoff]

Suggested non-critical features (Gimmicks) for update client:
- stored settings for each download, ie always update / never update this mod/ race.
- Ability to display a few images from the race styles (So you can see what you're updating.)
- Ability to update from local file locations (networks etc)
- support for "backup" URLs in the local txt file (in case the first one in the list is out of date/ unavailable.)
- Predefined list of popular SE4 URLs/ servers which may have updates for "unknown" downloads. (Shrapnel, USy, Kuat etc)
- Ability to locate ordinary readme files and display them to the user (so the user can try to find a URL in it)
- Ability to accept a URL directly from the user and reverse-engineer a local txt file
- If no local txt file is found, ability to locate and search through ordinary readme files for probable URLs.
- If no local txt file is found, ability to locate and search through modinfo files for probable URLs.
- Ability to search probable URLs for probable downloads.

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SE4 Code:
L GdY $ Fr- C- Sd T!+ Sf-- Tcp-- A% M>M+ MpD! RV Pw Fq+ Nd- Rp+ G-
/SE4 Code
Go to my meagre SEIV pages to generate your own code.