posted 03-04- 11:45 AM
When I used to fly Fighters Anthology years ago, there was a fella by the name of Greg Pierson with the 714th VFS. He made .lib files for the game, that added tons and tons of new aircraft, flight modeling tweaks, and weapons variations.Greg liked to tinker daily, and would often change the .lib file frequently. We'd get online, and someone would ask if we had the new lib file. The date was always part of the file name, so you'd know what was what.
If you didn't have it, it wasn't that much of a hassle. You'd simply go to the 714th VFS's web page that you had bookmarked, and everyone knew right where the latest .lib file would be posted.
You didn't even need to delete the old one. After downloading, the new one unzipped right over it.
In this way we were able to keep current, or quickly update in a hassle-free manner our files so everyone was always flying the latest file.
The file would show up on the main screen just like 5.3 does now.
The other day trying to get the Corsair, at one point, Jedi had the latest on his page, but the Hangar had the old version. I think that's what caused a lot of the confusion. Also the Zero had changed a time or two, and that caused the other half of all that fun.
So basically, I think everyone needs to know where to go for this stuff. CONSISTENTLY. It sure would be easy to point people to the FSIC from the lobbies if we knew that the latest planepack, patches, etc. were going to be here. Seems like a logical place to me.
It really isn't a problem to update a game if you know right where to go for something, and it is consistently going to be available, and you know exactly how to load it.
Part of the problem with the "a" patch was that the readme said to install it to the FS directory, not the media folder where it should have gone. Not to knock the person who made the patch. Thank you a thousand times. I can see how it would be quite easy to overlook when trying to do all the other stuff invovled with making it, leading a life of sorts other than with us guys, etc.
Since I was online and very suspicious, I asked around. Someone said, "No, unzip it to media." I went, "Oh, Ok, Cool..." and was back in action in just a moment.
If you're not online all the time, or not naturally paranoid like me, it wouldn't be quite that easy. Add-in the Zero/F4U excitement, and I can see where people would be driven crazier than shithouse rats by all this stuff.
So I'm not really that smart or that capable of doing anything REAL around this place, so I thought I might try to help out by explaining how some people might feel about all this stuff.
I think if we started having the needed update file in ONE PLACE it would help. Hell, make the date part of the name if possible. Then you could say, "Hey, are you flying 030400?" If not, you'd know RIGHT where to go to get it. And have simple, basic procedures available on how to install it and get it running.
How many times have you give links to people who are new, only to have them come back in 5 mins. unable to find it? Hell, how many times have you given links to people who've been around FOREVER, only to find they're no good? The links, not the people! LOL
Anyhoo, that's my 37 cents. We just need to streamline all this stuff, and BE CONSISTENT in the place where we put all this crap, and how it is installed. Really, this can be a fairly pain-free procedure.
The only reason I know this can work, is that my knowledge of software, and computers in general is probably about 6th grade level, and even I was able to figure out how to use those old .lib files with ease. Hey folks, if I can do it, ANYBODY can do it! Hee-hee!
And another tip of the 'ol Tophat-in-the-ring to all the folks who DO work hard on this stuff, and who make this game so enjoyable for idiots like me.
S!
Mk10=225th=
FSIC Messageboard
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! 
posted 03-03- 05:41 PM
posted 03-03- 05:45 PM
posted 03-04- 01:41 PM
Thanks MK10, I hope to see you soon!
posted 03-06- 04:22 PM
