Spring RTS Engine

I know there's a lot of resentment about how much AA is getting played as opposed to other quality mods, such as Final Frontier, Star Wars Spring, Expand&Exterminate, Nanoblobs, Gundam Annihilation, and others. (don't be offended if I didn't remember you, I'm typing this fast and off the top of my head)

I'd like to propose that we as modders form a unified mod package which is downloaded once, then auto-updated from then on. All mods would be included, non-negotiable. To short-sighted people, this would take a bit of power away from the player, but it would also improve their experience in the long run I hope.

Since Spring reads from all its subfolders, and probably THEIR subfolders (an easy thing to test, and I'm pretty sure it does), I thought there would be an arrangement something like this:

TASpring
-Subfolders
-Mods (any non-unified mods would go here)
--AbsoluteAnnihilation
--EvoTA
--ExpandExterminate
--FinalFrontier
--GundamAnnihilation
--KuroTA
--Nanoblobs
--StarWarsTA
--TAWorldDomination
--TheLostLegacy
--Uberhack
--XectvsMynn
--XTA (assuming the SYs want to be involved)
-Other subfolders

There would either be regularly-scheduled mod updates, say once every 2 weeks, or I would set up an auto-updater system. This way, when one mod had a minor bugfix, you'd just run ModUpdate.exe or whatever and it'd automatically download the... 3 changed FBIs or whatever... and voila, working-up-to-date mods.

I'm volunteering to try and organize this as well as set up the auto-updater, but I'd need permission and cooperation from the community's other mod-makers. What you get out of this is greater exposure to the playerbase... there'd no longer be a 40 minute long debate trying to get someone to be bothered to get a mod, because they'd already have it.

Eventually it might be integrated into TASClient even, if it worked out well enough.

Good thinking.
It would require some discipline from all mod-makers of course.
Details about how a mod-structure would have to behave must be given etc.

I like the idea, but it's a hell of a job I guess.

Monk.

sounds very good to me. Just tell the other modders, what they have to do and i think you will get the support you need.

sounds good, but it wont work

I think a torrent like system would best be done or at least a p2p like thing, we already have the IP's of clients given to us on a silver platter when we login to server, a simple file transfer system would be easy todo

sounds like a pile of horseshit Caydr. w00t extra space wasted on my HD! w00t wasting my bandwith! w00t! wasting FU's bandwith! seriously...no. this is from a 2Mbit user, not even a 56K user!

Min3mat wrote:sounds like a pile of horseshit Caydr. w00t extra space wasted on my HD! w00t wasting my bandwith! w00t! wasting FU's bandwith! seriously...no. this is from a 2Mbit user, not even a 56K user!

??? I think this will be an ALTERNATIVE to download all single modfiles. So if you are a poor :D 56k user, you still can download your mod the way you did all the time.
Btw: How big is your maps folder Min3? You should have a look at it... i never saw you crying about the mapsizes.

It would work if you don't force everyone to download every mod. Kinda like Steam for Half-Life, but with P2P capabilities
No more "Where can I get *new version for mod x*"

Or to make it short: The map donwload feature of the lobby, but for mods, with P2P capabilities and updater

HAARP wrote:Or to make it short: The map donwload feature of the lobby, but for mods, with P2P capabilities and updater

even better

If someone tries downloading a mod or map, he'll receive it from everyone who has it and is not ingame. This way, we need less of FU's bandwith and you can download at high speeds.
Imagine being in the battleroom with someone not having a particular map. Since everyone else has that map (among others in the lobby) they'll be able to boost his downloading speed so everyone can start sooner! Same for mods. With auto-update capabilities and a nice GUI, this would be the best solution.

sounds neat but after a much heated debate in the main chat we now know why aa is popular.

smoth wrote:sounds neat but after a much heated debate in the main chat we now know why aa is popular.

and that reason is?

#1: People come here to play TA
#2: AA is the popular TA port
#3: AA has Gianormous units

So...ginormus units sell?

back to the original topic: yes I think that's a really good idea, as long as you still have the *option* of downloading single mods like now

Big units are easy eyecandy and fun toys which attracts newbies more easily than something "unimporant" like gameplay.

you're trying to say that AA doesn't have gameplay?

ahem...'I respectfully decline the request to join you in your delusional reality'

RightField wrote:Big units are easy eyecandy and fun toys which attracts newbies more easily than something "unimporant" like gameplay.

It is nice that caydr has it, I like the range of scale It is just that most people online need giant units like chris farley needed a diet.

I also think its a good idea. Means more mods, means less 'clicking' and gets more people playing EE and Gundam. Whitch are both EQUALLY as good as AA!


EQUAL I SAY!

What's wrong with giant units?!?

It sounds like a good idea. It would help more than just mods. A unified downloader utility that can download all taspring packages and updates for them.
It might even not be very complicated to handle the update system (rsync util could work).

Maybe a linux developer can look into setting up whatever they are using for linux flavors like debian, it would work really well I think.
Or the cygwin downloader, which is already ported to windows.