TDM-ModPack 3.30 BETA

Tenryu · #1 February 9th, 2003, 02:16 AM

Awesome, thanks you guys. I love this Mod.

Mephisto · #2 February 9th, 2003, 12:59 PM

Hi Oleg, Imperator Fyron,
please post about the TDM here, not in the New Scenario/Mod Forum. You were just lucky I found your Posts over there.
As I have explained many times, I will not offer an zip-file. I had enough people asking for help because they could not handle the zip files. All this has vanished with the installer. What�s the problem with the installer anyway? You can disable icon installation, it won't write a single line into your registry, it is simple to use and allows you to install wherever you want.
Finally, the installer is in fact smaller then the zip file: The Installer is 9.576 kb, the zip file is 10.478 with maximum compression.

Fyron · #3 February 9th, 2003, 01:33 PM

Sorry, I didn't feel like searching for this thread.

You can delete my post over there if you want to.

You can't view any files in it without installing the whole thing, for one. It offers nothing that WinZip doesn't offer. It forces me to reinstall the Mod Launcher, which is pointless. What would be worse is if a new Version of the Mod Launcher comes out, and then the TDM installer installs and obselete Version.

[edit]
Actually, it is even worse than that. The TDM installer includes a Launcher.ini file! This is extremely bad, as it will overwrite the Launcher.ini file that people already have, which will cause them to lose all stored password.

Luckily I didn't install it straight to the SE4 folder.
[/edit]

Zip files are extremely easy to use. Anyone that is downloading files from the internet needs to learn how to use them. The instructions necessary to explain how to install the TDM mod from a zip file would not be very long at all.

[ February 09, 2003, 11:35: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Mephisto · #4 February 9th, 2003, 04:02 PM

I cannot delete any files in the Mod Forum, no moderator can.
You can install the ModPack anywhere you like so you are really not forced to override any files like the ModLauncher. I think the need to watch or extract only one single file from the pack isn�t very widespread and even if you want to do it, you can simply install the TDM in another folder and get the file from there.
I agree with you that anybody on the internet should be able to handle Winzip. But that�s a �should�. Many people are not able to use Winzip. Many people haven�t the slightest idea what a folder is. Many more don�t know what files need to be in what directory with what settings to be able to run TDM. Others are unable to find the folder SE4 is installed in let alone the ModLauncher without an icon. The people unable to overcome these obstacles are many more then the number of people able to work with a zip file as intended. And no, a good documentation won�t help. We had a detailed �how to install� winzip documentation in the readme but to follow this you need to understand your explorer, folder structure and � the biggest problem � find and read the readme carefully before you try something silly.
Your wishes as the TDM-Team is to bring the best possible AIs to as many SE4 Customers as possible as easy as possible and as small on the download as possible.
You may ask why there aren�t to Versions of the ModPack, one zip and one exe. Besides that the exe is smaller then the zip, it is because people who are unable to use the zip tend to download just zips and not the installer. Don�t ask me why, it some of Murphy�s laws, obviously. Finally, it is a quite a bit of work to maintain the TDM and offer support for people, especially with two different install methods. And telling them to once again download the easier install is quite annoying for the modem Users.
I see why some people would like a Winzip as they are expert Users but the majority of Users is not and I just don�t have the time for all the double work so there will be only the installer Version as the official Version. Feel free to post and maintain a unofficial Winzip Version. You are free to do so as long as no file are modified, added or deleted.

Captain Kwok · #5 February 9th, 2003, 06:24 PM

I hate to agree with Fyron, but I also prefer the .zip file Version for flexibility, if I had the bandwidth I wouldn't mind hosting a .zip verson, but unfortunately I do not.

It kind of boggles the mind to know that Users who can play a complex game like Space Empires can't use a simple program like winzip! Again hating to agree with Fyron, but this should be a must for any computer user!

Fyron · #6 February 9th, 2003, 11:55 PM

Is something wrong with agreeing with me?

Fyron · #7 February 10th, 2003, 12:30 AM

For those of you that would much rather have a Zip file of TDM 3.30 instead of an exe installer, I have decided to upload one for you. If you do not know how to use a Zip file, DO NOT download this. Get the installer Mephisto has uploaded.

The contents of this file are exactly the same as those of the installer. For some strange reason, this file is a bit larger than the exe, but whatever. Here it is:

TDM-Modpack.zip -- 10,477 KB
TDM-Modpack.rar -- 9,641 KB -- requires Winrar or Unrar. WILL NOT OPEN IN WINZIP

Mephisto, RAR files compress to about the same size your installer is.

Too bad people are hooked on ZIP and can't learn better methods.

[ February 10, 2003, 08:29: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]