Topic: ***Announcing Slave Girls IV: Revenge of the Orion Slave Girls!***

[KBF-Crim]

I'm sure you didnt upset anyone

[Bonk]

Definitely not upset dude, just posting my opinion! (thanks for the long explanation, not done reading it yet, lol). Its good to discuss this stuff. I have not used the Mod chooser yet myself, (so I can't say much) sounds like it helps make the pack work.

edit: PS - I'm thinking I'll run the next SQL test on OP+ and Tracey's missions, since all I'm currently achieving is more stability testing anyway. Putting that shiplist and missions in might help draw a better crowd. So the fact that the enhancement pack is out there is still a help!

[Dizzy]

Well, this is a good side discussion on how future servers need to play nicer with other's mods and installs. I suggest a seperate thread. I totally support Pesty's package. I have D/Led it and it is SUPER excellent.

Here's something to chew on... Films. Most films are sensitive to the special installs, ship/ftrlists, custom model folders, etc., of different servers and having a mod chooser would be the coolest thing to make sure I have it right to watch all that.

And Pesty, since Bonk makes most of the server's installers, couldn't there be a standard by which these installers can be included into a mod swapper?

I prolly dont know what I'm talking about... I just woke up from a nap.

[Hexx]

I prolly dont know what I'm talking about... I just woke up from a nap.

So that excuses THIS time...

[Bonk]

Well, this is a good side discussion on how future servers need to play nicer with other's mods and installs. I suggest a seperate thread. I totally support Pesty's package. I have D/Led it and it is SUPER excellent.

Here's something to chew on... Films. Most films are sensitive to the special installs, ship/ftrlists, custom model folders, etc., of different servers and having a mod chooser would be the coolest thing to make sure I have it right to watch all that.

And Pesty, since Bonk makes most of the server's installers, couldn't there be a standard by which these installers can be included into a mod swapper?

I prolly dont know what I'm talking about... I just woke up from a nap.

Oops, sorry to hijack yer thread there. A point on posted films - putting the mod name as a prefix helps a lot to identify what mod you need to watch the film.

As far as I know, the mod swapper essentially takes snapshots of your OP install, so no special standardisation should be necessary. (as long as all possible affected files are involved) Though I am still unsure how the mod swapper will interact with uninstalls of various mods. The best way to integrate though, might be to have the mod swapper maker handle campaign installers as well.

Anyway, back to SG4 stuff...

[FPF-Wanderer]

Dizzy, considering the smallish nature of the playerbase at present, will multiple accounts be allowed?

[Hexx]

Well I'm planning on flying Lyran and a little Rom (to try and figure out how plasma works, killing kroma in
3 easy steps doesn't teach everything you think it would) so I'd say yes.

[Dizzy]

Absolutely, Wanderer, you can fly Hydran/Mirak Fed or Gorn Thol, whatever, but you have to stay on the Alliance side if that is what you started as. Coalition has to stay Coalition and ISC also can't fly for one of the other sides. There are a select few players I have tagged as 'flying geese' and will switch sides depending on player numbers after the first week. Three or four players won't have much an impact, but they are there to prevent a 'blowout' for one side or the other...

[FPF-Wanderer]

Thanks for the clarification, Dizzy, much appreciated.  Looking forward to the campaign!

[Dizzy]

Map, ISC/Rom special rules have been added to the Server Description post on the 1st page of this thread.

EDIT: I just hit 100 positive karma! Who do i have to thank? Very glad that I didnt hit 100 negative karma 1st, hehe...

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

Map, ISC/Rom special rules have been added to the Server Description post on the 1st page of this thread.

EDIT: I just hit 100 positive karma! Who do i have to thank? Very glad that I didnt hit 100 negative karma 1st, hehe...

That because you are an A$$ Dizzy, just a likable one.....

[Dizzy]

since that post a few minutes ago I got 2 negatives, haha.

[KAT Chuut-Ritt]

Well the +1 came from me 

[762_XC]

WTF?? Dizzy has more positives than negatives?!??

Get busy u slackers!

[FPF-Wanderer]

Thought I'd bump this to the top for anyone just recently hearing about it.

[Age]

The GW4 installer was only 7MB (with modsels and missions). A shiplist and fighterlist only makes a 128KB installer.     What about servers that use models not in the enhancement pack?

You are suggesting two installers? One with missions and one without? Or no installer at all and the old "How to use windows explorer" discussions on TS instead? (recall I had to make a stock installer to get people to be able to login on a stock server, which should tell you something) Mods should be installed one at a time by the user who must be aware of whether or not they will conflict with other installed mods. (common sense - if it has a different shiplist, it conflicts..) You know how I feel about this. Multiple concurrently installed mods make making an installer, that will uninstall to a state the user is happy with, ever more difficult (which mod will they uninstall first? which one will they reinstall that has no over-installation protection?). The enhancement package only compounds this situation (thanks for finally giving up on nightsoft tho). I have had to make ever more complicated installers to try and account for this. You know how I feel about trying to compile the continually changing works of others.

I suggest if you are going to continue the enhancement package, that all modders submit the raw files to you and you assemble a single installer yourself that will allow them all to be used concurrently, there is no other way. (you can move model folders and edit the shiplists to make them all work together?)  This would result in a smaller enhancement package as well, as you could use lzma compression (NSIS) on the works! Mods are meant to be used one at a time. If you want people to be able to install all of them at once then only one person can create the installer (or a team in tight communications), otherwise confilcts are inevitable.

If I make an installer it will contain everything the user needs to login, so I only have to make one, if you have already downloaded the enhancement package and you already have the missions then the installer will back up your current missions and install its own (to ensure you have the actual version of the scripts on the server).

Its up to the admin of course anyway.

Bonk....

The OP Enhancement Pakcage v2.1 is self uninstalling using the uninstaller.. it uninstalls in reverse order of install.. the only things it dows not uninstall is Shipedit, Mini-Updater, Sector Assault and the 2 folders that Mod Chooser creates...

Now which the mod Chooser installed along with v2.1, this gives more freedom to Modders..

what I mean is during the install of the v2.1, it will create a default point for the Stock OP game.. this way if a modder chooses to make their own shiplist without having OP + involved.. all the player has to do is open Mod Chooser, select Original and click OK.. bam they are in Default Config.. now what happens is that the player downloads the shiplist and ftrlist and then opens Mod Chooser.. it will tell them that the file config has changed and it will ask them to save it to another spot in the program....


on, same goes for the OP +.. if a modder wishes to build a mod off the OP+, then the player opens Mod Chooser, selects OP + and then DL's the Server Shiplist and ftrlist.. opens Mod Chooser again and it repeats the same process of files different do you want to save???? ...

Now if a server is using Custom Models, then so long as they make their models different file names than stock models, then Mod Chooser should back up the Model.siz file for other modes... as such, the installer only needs the models, shiplist ftrlist and the model.siz file.. launch Mod Chooser.. and wha-la.. they can save it to another slot....

to Uninstall the Mod with Models.. all one has to do is convert Mod Chooser to the current Mod (if they have changed modes), then run the uninstaller for the mod and the models are gone and the game is most probably reverted back to the state it was before the Mod was added...

Now the good thing about Mod Chooser is that even if the Uninstaller doesn't restore the shiplist it replaced, the mod Chooser can restore the files itself.. such as GW4 files installed, people's shiplist for OP + was lost.. instead of uninstalling and reinstalling OP +.. all one has to do is open Mod Chooser, select their OP + config and hit OK... bam game fixed...

If someone is playing on a custom server and goes to GSA, all they have to do is open Mod Chooser and select OP + and bam.. they are ready for GSA without having to uninstall the mod... to go back to the server.. just choose the server config in Mod Chooser and bam, they can log in...

this eliminates installing scripts over and over when people could already have them. It also backs up different game modes and so forth...

the OP Enhancement Pack uninstalls easily with very little in the way of premament game file changes.. such as to uninstall OP Enhancement, just click on the OP Enhancement Pack Uninstaller in the SFC OP game directory and follow the instructions.. each piece uninstalls in sequence.. and as such, what is left can 90% be uninstalled in Add/Remove Programs..

To remove the Mod Chooser files, all you need to do is delete the PreSetup and Mod Chooser directories out of the SFC OP game directory....

the only things needing uninstall in Add/Remove Programs is ShipEdit and SectorAssault. the Mini-Updater fixes the EGS sound loop and the Directory files and is not removable.. neither is patch v2552 nor are the fixes to the game files for the metamap.gf and metamap.war files..

if you really need to uninstall these fixes, then you really need to reinstall the game...

See.. I took into consideration all aspects for OP and the Enhancement Package.. it allows for more freedom and it provides all the files that anyone possibly needs for GSA, Single Player and Dynaverse unless you are going to use a really off the wall script..

It is not meant to be an end all be all, but it allows for server admins to have more freedom in creating their installers without having to hassle with adding scripts to the installers... thus making the DL that much smaller...

I know OP Enhancement Pack is big, and I'm not saying it is for everyone.. what I am saying is that it is a utility for everyone to have their game in a state which is very user friendly and very easy to add mods too... plus it also eliminates wear and tear on the HDD frum the install / Uninstall of a server installer.. now it is just a simple file swap of 2 to 3 files by the user with only 3 click of the mouse...

As for scripts, I understand about having correct version for the scripts.. as such, I keep the latest and newest version of the scripts in the Enhancement Package.. as such, if there is an error with the scripts, it should be a sign that the server admin hasn't kept up to date with the scripts he is wishing to use for the server.. or if the admin is intentionally running the old version of a set of scripts, it would be good to inform the community as to why the old outdated scripts are being used... but I digress.. I'm just saying that with the OP Enhancement Package v2.1, all I had to get was the shiplist and ftr list for all servers except those running the custom models required for the server... servers running mods without adding models I was able to join them easily and without incident.. and so far I have registered on 5 servers in the last 2 weeks.. played in GSA in both Stock and OP + and played Single Player in all 3 shiplists.. so far without any error (except remembering to delete saved games when using different shiplist)... and I have not had to uninstall 1 thing or add anything except the shiplist and ftrlist...

but to each their own.. I'm just saying that someone's mod will not interfere with OP Enhancement Pack in it's ability to operate correctly unless they have a file that overwortes the OP Enhancement pack's installer files or batch files or uninstall files, and that is pretty unlikely.. except for the Scripts.. for some reason everyone likes using Scripts_Uninstall.exe for the script uninstaller.. which is the same I use... but that can be avoided...

anyhow.. as I said, it is a tool to help the entire community making Orion Pirates more user and Mod friendly and to attempt to help admins reduce the files they have to gather to get the server going and to also help the casual players who use GSA and Single Player quite often..

My appologies to everyone who I may have upset... but when people start asking about what can or can it not do , then it is obvious that they have not used the latest version(s) (v2.0 and v2.1).... anyhow... just trying to help and I did my best.. I have OP Enhancement pack install in a correct order of install and uninstall in a correct order of uninstall to preserve the stock game while taking in consideration that several things needed fixing.. Firesoul did a lot, frey did a lot and I fixed 2 single player Campaign files.. as such, those fixes are required in one fashion or another (even if it is to fix annoyance [esg loop]) but the fixes work with the Stock v2552 game without anything else added... everything else is removable and easy to do so.... plus if people like they can remove individual components without having to worry about losing Original Content from the game, which is what i intended...

so again, i did my best to help... and I'll keep the package up to date... sorry if I upset any of you and I'lll no longer make comments on how the package can save admins time and sweat getting the players ready to go live...

I just downloaded GW4 installer on top of OP+ 3.4 and when all was fineshed just unistalled and had no problems.Why not do this agian intall on to of OP+ 3.4?When is this going to be starting hopefully in the new year as I will be over my Flu ?

[Brezgonne]

Given what I've been hearing about changes to ships, I don't think I'll be playing on SG4 even if the router issue is fixed.

There sounds like there is to much of changing a given ship to make it more like X or Y ship. If there is even that much of a reason.

Now before someone bitches about SFB vs SFC, I don't care. Problems between the two are basicly universal across the races. I refuse to change ships for what amounts to "because we felt like it". If you are going to change a ship, you better sure as hell have a damn good reason beyond "But...but... they have more AMDs than I do!"

[FPF-DieHard]

If you are going to change a ship, you better sure as hell have a damn good reason beyond "But...but... they have more AMDs than I do!"

See Dizzy,  I told you ading 4 AMD12 to the I-CCZ would not go oer well!   

[Hexx]

If you are going to change a ship, you better sure as hell have a damn good reason beyond "But...but... they have more AMDs than I do!"

See Dizzy,  I told you ading 4 AMD12 to the I-CCZ would not go oer well!   

!!!!
You told me only the Lyrans were getting AMD!

[Dizzy]

Given what I've been hearing about changes to ships, I don't think I'll be playing on SG4 even if the router issue is fixed.

There sounds like there is to much of changing a given ship to make it more like X or Y ship. If there is even that much of a reason.

Now before someone bitches about SFB vs SFC, I don't care. Problems between the two are basicly universal across the races. I refuse to change ships for what amounts to "because we felt like it". If you are going to change a ship, you better sure as hell have a damn good reason beyond "But...but... they have more AMDs than I do!"

lol, well that's positive thinking brez... Don't knock it till you try it. In SG4's defense, I think there are less changes this go around than we have seen in past servers. The ones that have changed are so few and so slight we pondered, why bother? You might want to with hold jusdgement till you see it all.

Besides, this is coming from a guy that that raved up and down about the legality and merit of flying 3x MDC+ fleets... Fortunately, brez, the game has arguably gotten better...

Don't make me take the gloves off.