[CF-Devel] combining multipart images

[Todd Mitchell]

Ya I was being a pain on purpose.  I actually have no problem personally running the linux client, but I do know 3 people who currently play a lot who would not, and 3 
more people who have played a bit  who also would not use linux. That is 6 to 1.  I also know at least 20 other people who would probably take a look (I'm working on 
them) but again only if it was a) windows client, and b) easy to install. 26 to 1 then. These people are great gamers with not much interest in operating systems or in figuring out how to install software - they just like to play games.  One of my friends who is playing asked me about the Java MapEditor...you see where this goes. This is why I think that it would be a very great boon to the game to have a windows compatible client.
 
I also think it would not be worthwhile to maintain a separate windows client - so I agree that the best thing would be a single cross-platform client (GTK, SDL whatever).  I agree so much that I think private windows clients would probably be a bad thing (I see the effort that Michael Toennies is putting into C:D that could be going into CF - not that that is wrong - that's the system, but it is still split effort).  Having a separate development for other platform clients almost guarantees that they 
will always be either behind the main development stream and always be 
holding things up, or they will go off somewhere, mutate or die.  There have been three win clients I know of, all out of date now, and this indicates to me that this approach does not work.
 
I certainly don't want progress on the server to halt to support old clients, but this tough beans attitude towards a windows client is troublesome since it is alienating to a whole segment of players who have no alternative. (is there any idea how many people are using DX client?, MIDs poll shows it is 26% of their players, but I have no way to make an accurate prediction from that - is there a way to report on this from the metaserver?) The feeling I get from reading these forums is that a windows client is something people maybe don't want to have (or possibly have to deal with anyway).  It probably isn't planned that way, but it amounts to the same thing.  I know CF was a unix game, and if that is what it is to be then that's fine, but currently it isn't a unix only game.  I was, in my snarky way, making the point that you will loose these people to other games if they cannot play - likely they will not return.

I certainly don't expect you to do this - develop or maintain other
clients. I have not yet contributed a speck of code to CF (although I am trying to work on some stuff),  I wouldn't tell anyone what they should contribute.   Somebody should do it however, and the only way it will get done is to make mention of it- often, maybe even make it an priority item. The fact is that if it is made a priority it has a better chance ofgetting done (If people want it to be done...) I can understand wanting to have concrete evidence that work was being done on a windows client before delaying updates to the server code, but if you are proposing changes that will cut off a third of your players (again extrapolating from the MIDs poll - really should get more info on this...), it should be highlighted in the proposal - contingency plans made for it (a server for windows client?).  I wanted to flush this out into the open, since I think the client is the most important part of the game, and players are the life blood.  I also think it is a great game or I wouldn't be bothering sticking my nose into this.

Anyway hope I didn't offend.  I know it was just a proposal - I was responding to the proposal.  (I would like to get away from multipart monsters too...)
-TM
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