Installer: Shortcuts and lobbies

[AF]

We're moving towards a multilobby system, and we need to reflect that.

So I propose we change the "Spring Multiplayer" start menu shortcut to "TASClient" and then move that link into a Multiplayer folder. This way there's a logical place to put lobbies, and some confusion for new people not knowing what TADClient is is cleared up. Links to download pages for other lobbies can be put in there, and then removed by their installers.

It also further highlights that spring and the lobby client are not the same thing, aswell as eradicating bias by promoting a fairer view of lobby development.

[LordMatt]

-1

I think the default lobby is fine. Maybe springlobby could be bundled with Linux though.

[Forboding Angel]

have you tried aflobby? It is awesome. Spring lobby is multiplatform as well, and it is really good.

[AF]

If the default lobby was fine then we can assume the following things:

• There would be no windows users of lobbies save for tasclient who do not develop
• Windows users have never found fault with tasclient
• TASClient does everything we could ever want of it and has the ability to be extended using firefox style extensions or lua UI style widgets for anything not natively supported.
• There have been no calls for tasclients replacement by anybody in the community.

All the above points are moot. There are windows users of tasclients rivals, and an active core or people who want to move away from tasclient. Ontop of that developer sponsored monopolies are unhealthy and have stifled innovation. We should be encouraging friendly competition and innovation in order to see our lobby development scene grow and become more robust so that the end user benefits.

Ontop of that the current setup is actually confusing new users. New users call tasclient spring which makes bug reports and questions in #main very confusing as it could mean so many different things. Users are lead to believe that spring is just the fullscreen component of a larger program and that the lobby is just the initial GUI component.

There's little to show the user that tasclient != spring and most users in the lobby dont even know what tasclient is, nm who made it, who develops it, or that its a seperate system entirely from the spring engine.

Ontop of that most users are unaware that there are alternatives, how could they know that there are other lobbies when they cant distinguish between spring and the lobby?


So once again why should we do this? What are the benefits?

• A fairer representation of our lobby scene
• A logical place to put start menu shortcuts for other lobby programs.
• Greater recognition of TASClients identity as a program in its own right.
• Decoupling of the spring name from TASClient, helping new users make clearer reports and get help quicker rather than giving ambiguous error reports that could mean hundreds of things because you cant tell if its the engine or the lobby at fault.
• Credit for TASClients development goes to TASClient developers not the Spring developers.
• Responsibility for tasclient issues are seen to be that of the tasclient developers not the spring developers.
• A longstanding arguement over wether the tasclient splash logo should say tasclient or spring multiplayer is resolved.
• It helps to change thinking of TASServer towards thinking of it as a lobby platform, giving betalord greater recognition and helping to clear up a confusion between TASServer as a lobby server and a standalone spring server.

Once again, what am I asking we do?

• Rename the Spring Multiplayer shortcut to TASClient
• Move the TASClient shortcut into a subfolder called Multiplayer clients or just Multiplayer

And What am I not asking for

Wether tasclient should remain bundled with the installer however is not within the scope of this thread. This thread is not about asking for a replacement lobby to be bundled or for anything to be removed. This thread is about correcting some misleading parts of our installer to help new users.

[LordMatt]

have you tried aflobby? It is awesome. Spring lobby is multiplatform as well, and it is really good.

I don't really care to. Satirik has added features when I have requested them, and I'm otherwise happy with TASClient as it is. The number of people who run TASClient on wine when there are native lobbies is evidence that it is a very good client.

[AF]

Lordmatt, whether tasclient is a good client is irrelevant and is derailing my thread. If you wish to discuss this please start a new thread or stop posting about it.

As for wether tasclient is indeed good or not, I prefer to look in my PC Zone magazine to find the answer. Afterall when Britains most widespread PC gaming magazine labels your program as hard to use and rough around the edges your doing something good right?

[Tobi]

+1

Ideally the installer would be cleaned up a bit so lobby devs can just reuse the framework and only install their lobby and respective shortcuts.