[CF-Devel] Plea

[dnh]

Certainly I don't mind any of these things. I never suggest merging, yuck
no =). No any way to find a list of images and use them would be alright,
but someone has to do it. It has been discussed but no one has done it =(

dnh

On Sat, 8 Sep 2001, Chachkoff Yann wrote:

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      Le Vendredi 7 Septembre 2001 07:44, vous avez écrit :
     
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      > Well, I am around again (somewhat). I have a plea, is someone interested
     
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      > in merging the alternate and standard sets properly? What this entails is
     
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      > redoing the arch handler so that like xpm and png images, either standard
     
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      > or alternate can be requested. How to do it, well it will require some
     
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      > client adding (although it isn't actually necessary, the change can be
     
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      > made and client authors can modify their clients when they have time).
     
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      I think merging both sets is a bad idea. They have completely different 
     
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      drawing styles, and mixing them would not be good.
     
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      However, I agree that easier picture selection (on the client side) would be 
     
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      a very good thing.
     
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      > I was disappointed to find there are no longer any servers using the
     
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      > Alternate set, and as I know PM, BT and I put ALOT of effort into creating
     
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      > a coherant and pleasing set it was very down heartening to find no one
     
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      > even uses it. Peterm is away, and his server is no longer active, every
     
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      > other server is running the standard set. Whether this is because:
     
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      >
     
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      > Admins don't know how to install the alternate set
     
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      > Admins can't be bothered
     
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      > Admins don't like it
     
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      > Admins wouldn't mind supporting both but are preferenced towards standard
     
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      > Admins don't use CVS (see the first point)
     
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      > Admins have tried it, but got an overall response to change to standard
     
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      > again.
     
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      That's one of the reasons I thought pictures should be a complete client-side 
     
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      matter (but I already expressed this before, so I don't restart discussing it 
     
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      here). Else you are somewhat dependent on what the server admin decides to do.
     
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      Of course, on some clients, you can use the "cache images" facility to avoid 
     
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      the problem - simply fill the cache dir with custom pictures and you are on. 
     
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      But I do not think it is a good idea to do so because:
     
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      1-Most people don't know how to do this;
     
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      2-Some clients may manage the cache in a different way so that such trick 
     
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      would not function properly on them;
     
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      3-If this is the suggested solution to display an alternate gfx set, why 
     
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      isn't it THE solution to handle ANY set ? using two different systems to 
     
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      supply pictures (from server or from gfx cache subdir) seems quite confusing 
     
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      and redundant for me.
     
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      > I can't say. None the less I know I prefered the alternate set, and this
     
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      > leads me to believe other players may enjoy the crossfire experience more
     
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      > if they were able to use these images. I ask if anyone on the dev team is
     
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      > interested in finally releasing the alternate set, which (after looking at
     
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      > the standard set) is in much more coherant form. I wish I were able to do
     
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      > this, but I don't have the time nor skill to do so effectively.
     
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      Since the alternate set is available easily from CVS, I don't see where the 
     
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      problem is. If you want to make a "compiled" archive, simply make one and put 
     
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      it on your personal page.
     
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      Anyway, can't we imagine a simple picture-handling client program (maybe 
     
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      included into the client itself) ? It connects to a central server, checks 
     
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      the content of a "picture-set" folder, and displays a list of all available 
     
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      sets. Then you choose which one to use/update, and the required pictures are 
     
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      downloaded. Such server would contain a "picture core" common to all servers.
     
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      All sets in it would have to be complete. Each game server could be also 
     
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      associated with a smaller picture provider sending only pictures specific to 
     
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      that server.
     
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      I see some advantages to this:
     
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      1) Server admins would not anymore have to bother about how 
     
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      installing/updating a picture set - they simply provide pictures if they want 
     
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      to add a custom object.
     
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      2) GFX makers would not anymore have to wait admins to install/try their 
     
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      sets. They simply put them on the central picture repository (much like what 
     
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      is done now with CVS).
     
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      3) Players would not anymore have to find how to install alternate sets on 
     
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      their system - they could simply select the required set from a clear list 
     
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      with clear comments.
     
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      I want to know: is there anyone opposed to that general scheme and why ?
     
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      Chachkoff Y.
     
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