Automatic Mod Downloading

[-=Borz=-]

If making mods work would only be "dropping them in a folder", this thread would not exist.
Many mods require much more than dropping stuff in folders.

I have been reading forums for months and momths, something I do everyday, however, there are plenty of mods i still do not know how to install, and even having got feedback from the authors in forums.

I appreciate their effort and help, however many of us do not have enough IT skills to make the addons work properly, even following the instructions from the read me file, where often authors tend to assume everyone understands all concepts; i.e. "open the note pad and type...." (what the hell is that


I do not know if there a possibility to put everything together in a folder and the game organizes all automatically, and when you connect to a server the game activates or inactivates the adequate mods, and if not there downloads and intals them automatically) An automatic system like that would be greatly appreciated and the best improvement Arma could have IMHO. I do not care about amazing graphics, ragdolls, or these crappy stuff. I just want to be able toplay the game without constant barriers.

It might sound sad, but I have never been able to really enjoy 100% a MP game from BI . I wish I could, however I am still here because I believe BI games are amazing, and with the hope that one day they will realize about the problems many customers are experiencing and offer us a solution.

You will have thousands of new players guaranteed, starting by several dozens of my friends who find the arma series unaccesible and never want to play with me

As mentioned in another thread, I do not want the game to change to attract the COD players like a magnet, but just to be able to play with my friends.

Anyways, hope at least this thread gets read
thanks

[metalcraze]

People complaining about "omg no mod downloader in ArmA" forget that it isn't some game where mods are about modifying soldier skins. There are dozens of mods that change everything coming out all the time, keeping track of all of them even using "central repository" will be impossible.

Not mentioning funds needed to run the central repository.


Don't be lazy, installing mods for ArmA is piss easy. You have Armaholic, you have Six-Updater - what more can you wish for?
In OFP you actually had to edit main game's config written in C to make many work and work together and looking for mods was hard.

[PuFu]

People complaining about "omg no mod downloader in ArmA" forget that it isn't some game where mods are about modifying soldier skins.

Right, so? were's the difference? All mods/addons (small or big) are installed and work in the same way from an engine perspective

There are dozens of mods that change everything coming out all the time, keeping track of all of them even using "central repository" will be impossible.

Why? Because the an addon maker would then be able to upload directly to this sort of central repository instead of the average fileshare or alike?

Not mentioning funds needed to run the central repository.

Don't be lazy, installing mods for ArmA is piss easy. You have Armaholic, you have Six-Updater

Oh, now is a money problem? Do you think hosting armaholic type of servers or mirrors for six updater are free? Really? Just because YOU are not paying for it, it doesn't mean others don't. How about you send me your IP so i can stick it in the "favourite list" on some of SIX mirrors for a change?

what more can you wish for?

How about a built in addon synk, that would make A3 easier to work with, and synk up my mods with servers/mission without needing to actually do it myself manually or via some 3rd party software?
I thought that was what the thread was all about, not hearing you fucking rants all over again

In OFP you actually had to edit main game's config written in C to make many work and work together and looking for mods was hard.

Yeah, so, what's your point?
I know how things works for OFP. Mind you OFP was released 10 years ago, when bandwidth and internet connection weren't even a 10th of what they are today. hell, i know i had to work with dial-up back in 2001 when OFP was born, and getting big mods meant i had to go to my father's office for some lame ass DSL...

[ProfTournesol]

If making mods work would only be "dropping them in a folder", this thread would not exist.
Many mods require much more than dropping stuff in folders.

Well, basically all mods are installed like this, unless using some updaters. Then mod makers may allow player to twick their mods with some more complicated stuff, but it has nothing to do with mod handling by the game. Nothing BIS can do about it.

Making things easier (ie auto-downloading in MP) is always welcomed, of course.

[-=Borz=-]

Well, basically all mods are installed like this, unless using some updaters. Then mod makers may allow player to twick their mods with some more complicated stuff, but it has nothing to do with mod handling by the game. Nothing BIS can do about it.

Making things easier (ie auto-downloading in MP) is always welcomed, of course.

Fair enough. I do not understand about different types of mods or how they work. I just mentioned that in addition to dropping files in a folder, some of them require other things, like typing stuff in different places, and that is not easy.

If there is nothing BIS can do about syncronising mods etc, at least we would appreciate some video tutorials about how to install different types of mods, where to write the different stuff, where to add different types of files, etc.

And perhaps BI can consider a system to auto-download in MP and update their own patches, etc automatically.

I think that would facilitate stuff greatly.


Regards

[sbsmac]

What features would a decent mod-management solution have ?

* It should provide strong versioning capability. (ie, prevent the client and server using different releases of the mod).
* It should force the same load-order for both client and server
* It should allow 'dynamic', ie 'per-mission' mod selection as well as 'static' (per-server) mods. Ie, mission-makers should be able to specify a requirement for a particular version of a mod.
* It should allow clients to automatically fetch and install required mods, either from the server or from a URL supplied by the mod.
* It should allow fetching of mods to be 'queued' to a later time.
* The user should be given some indication of how much data and time the download should take.
* As far as possible, the scheme should be transparent to the user - ie they just join a server and play the mission.

None of the above is technically complicated. The most difficult part from BIS's perspective is probably the idea of rebuilding the configuration dynamically for each mission.

[Scubbo]

IMO, just bring back mod packs was far easier for server admins and players alike to be in sync and the mod would actually get played... (not the rar'd versions of 100 other mods either) I mean 1 mod running at once, such as ACE2 1.0

Trickling updates out sure, it caters to those hardcore players and organized clans, and gets the community bug testing --- but at the huge expense of making it difficult to find a server running your version and making it difficult for the general user to just play the game

(yes I know sixupdater is a sweet program which makes this easier, but still thats not part of the game, people have to know what to search for to find it etc etc)

the modular approach to MODS themselves is a huge step backwards for the actual playing of the mod IMO...

you can all rage now.

[tacticalnuggets]

It weeds out the idiots and people with an attention span of a potato. (read: dedicated CoD/Battlefield players)

This is the most ridiculous thought process I continue to encounter here. Not to mention extremely disrespectful.

[Uberduderofdoomer]

The sad fact is that mods rarely contribute to a game's popularity. It tends to be a games popularity of the game x it's hardcore factor that = mod popularity.

Whenever I discuss the advatages of the PC version of games over their console counterparts, I always mention mods, and I always recieve one of two responses: either "Oh, but I don't play mods" (as if that were a good reason but I digress) or "even if I play mods, most people don't because they dont know how to install them".

I agree, for a company that almost entirely depends on it's mod popularity, they should take more steps making it easier to implement mods, not just easier to mod. Not that I wish to complain, they are relatively amazing on the modding side, so props to them for that. It's just that they should take it further.

[whisper]

People complaining about "omg no mod downloader in ArmA" forget that it isn't some game where mods are about modifying soldier skins. There are dozens of mods that change everything coming out all the time, keeping track of all of them even using "central repository" will be impossible.

Not mentioning funds needed to run the central repository.


Don't be lazy, installing mods for ArmA is piss easy. You have Armaholic, you have Six-Updater - what more can you wish for?
In OFP you actually had to edit main game's config written in C to make many work and work together and looking for mods was hard.

And FYI in plenty of other games, mods ALSO modify everything.... Your point being?

You don't need a central repos for this kind of system. It's sure not needed for IDTech mods, and it works fine, go figure