GJK
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Posts posted by GJK
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You should of (should still) get CMBB, best of the bunch in my book - and I'm no eastfront fan myself. Those tank duels are awesome though.
In fact, my next poll* at TPG will be "Which is your favorite CM game?". I'm sure it will be CMBB, but not sure by what margin.
*can I say that word here?
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Yeah, I was going to say - he's feeling under appreciated for all the work that he's done for the CMx1 series and now (though he may not admit it) feels threatened by the unknown and upcoming CMx2. To be honest, I can relate almost entirely with him (see sigline
).But eichenbaum, you've got to step back, as I recently did, and realize that all that work that you did was for what is really the greatest community, a bunch of fellow wargamers and for a great series of games, CMx1 that aren't going to die by any means when CMx2 is released.
I don't know what the future of TPG will be when CMx2 comes out. I know it wont go away, but will it support CMx2 scenarios? Possibly if I make adjustments to handle those scenarios, but more likely not. And I'm in the middle of coding for the new Scenario Depot. Dunno how CMx2 will interact with it either. Will it even get used once CMx2 comes out? I'm sure it will, but maybe not to the extent that it will be used beforehand.
But go back in your mind and remember why you built that great campaign layer in the first place: because you knew this community would enjoy it, because you enjoy the CMx1 games and because you could.
So cheer up mate, as long as someone is playing CMBO, CMBB or CMAK, there will be a need and want for eichenbaum's OSF, whether or not you get the official "pat on the back" from the game company or not. Just like all of those original Quake modders and Duke3d map makers (those were the days!) that did it for the love of those games, "unofficially" and without support.
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I believe Sergei is in a state of confusion from the beating that I'm giving him in an unbalanced (in my favor) pbem game. Sweet revenge is mine finally!!! :mad: :mad:
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I can respect that Philippe and I had a feeling that you might eluding to something like that (type of scenario or rather, who is involved in the scenarios). I can make the storing of the cookie optional, no problem at all. I'll put that on the list of proposed ideas thread that's located in this forum.
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Well, I wasn't thinking of an "opponent finder" per se, as we do have that at TPG already and there are other clubs - I was thinking on a "per scenario" basis. Just a simple message board that is linked off of each scenario; as a way to advertise your request to play a particular scenario vs somebody else.
That may get lost on the site though - obscure little post under a single scenario, so perhaps a link to view "all game requests" that is sortable in some ways.
Just thinking out loud - this obviously wouldn't be a top priority feature, maybe something for down the road even.
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Here's a quick list that I just put together:
<h3>TSD II proposed functionality</h3>
Individual accounts
• Transfer of accounts from TPG to TSD for existing members (new members will need to sign up at both once the site is launched unless I can figure out a way to share that information across domains)
• Option to remain obscure - decide if you wish to receive email notifications from others (or not)
• Possibly add a "seeking opponent" feature
• Optional "remember me" that stores cookie and log in information
Scenario categorization
Searching on any/all of the following fields will be available:
• Battle Name
• CM Version
• Scenario Version
• Battle or Operation
• Game Length
• Size / Points
• Date/Month
• Year
• Battle Location
• Region
• Allies
-Troop Type
-Fitness
-FOW FOW
• Axis
-Troop Type
-Fitness
-FOW
• Brief Description
• Ground Conditions
• Temperature
• Defender Dig In?
• Map Contours
• Allow Sewer Movement
• Fanaticism
• Time
• Weather Conditions
• Wind
• Battle Type
• Axis Bonus
• Map Edge Friendly To
• Map Edge For Exit Points
• Flag Type
• Flag Qty
• Best Played As
• Play Next As
• Computer Bonus's
• Scenario Author
• Author Comments
• Date Uploaded
• Last Modified
Export playtested scenarios from TPG to TSD with just a couple of clicks
Map categorization
• Map Name
• CM Version
• Map Version
• Size (width x height)
• Type
• Predominant Terrain
• Weather
• Tree Coverage
• Large Flag Quantity
• Small Flag Quantity
• Best Used For
• Map Location (historical or fictional)
• Region
• Brief Description
• Ground Conditions
• Map Contours
• Map Author
• Email This Author
• Author Comments
• Date Uploaded
• Last Modified
Message board on homepage (similar to what is at TPG now - for "quickposts" and general chatting)
AAR section for <u>each</u> uploaded scenario (images must be linked to offsite though)
Reviews and rating of scenarios (proposed rating system sample located HERE (the number of "scores" to enter on this sample is just to give a sample rating of multiple reviews) - this area needs a bit of further tweaking (sub-category ratings)
Authors administration area
• Reporting for your scenarios to include:
• Who downloaded what
• Email notification of a review being posted
• Ability to modify or delete your scenario(s)
• Quick view of your current ratings
• Hot link to email a downloader (if they provide that option)
Lists
Recent uploads
Others? I want to be careful about putting up a "most downloaded" and/or "highest rated" type of lists as it only encourages further downloads of those scenarios and possibly causing other similar scenarios to be overlooked. Lets debate these though!
Debating on adding something similar to www.boardgamegeek.com "geeklist". This would be a list that someone could put together for others to view - a list of a theme of the list creators choice. For example, "My list of favorite N. Africa scenarios". Others may find this list useful when it comes to searching for similar items.
Other ideas?
I'd like to set up some sort of "incentive" program for posting new scenarios and just as importantly, posting reviews/AAR's. Perhaps something similar to boardgamegeek.com "geekgold" (info HERE)
I'm sure there's other things that I've forgotten and/or already have plans for, but this is a start.
[ September 07, 2005, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: GJK ]
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Thanks GaJ - good stuff and you're right.
I hadn't seen nor heard of that poll; very supportive, thanks for posting the link. For those interested, I'll try and put together a list of "features" that I have in mind. I'll start a new thread with it and then if there's some requests that others have that I have not thought of I'll see about adding those in as well.
Philippe, sorry about the "leech" comment yesterday, but really, I think it's stretching it a bit to call it an invasion of your privacy if the authors of the scenarios that you download have your name in a list amongst others that have done the same. And since you've already registered at TPG, the new TSD will already recognize you as a member, so there will be no new sign-up for you or 2500 other CM players.
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So download your scenarios from CMMODS, SZO or any number of other resources - no big deal. I can respect your privacy, and if you don't want the authors to know that you're taking a look at their work, that's cool. Be anonymous, leave no feedback, and don't support the authors, just do your leeching elsewhere.Originally posted by Philippe:The invasion of privacy does not come from the act of downloading. It comes from the act of collecting information about a third party and disseminating it against their will. And the point is that your personal habits are being monitored and tabulated and then distributed to others without your knowledge.
Sorry to sound harsh, but this is just ridiculous. This is one of the reasons why I was hesitant about taking on this project - I can't satisfy everybody. I know that the logging in is going to be an issue (obviously) and so is the rating system, how scenarios are displayed, what's displayed in the "lists", etc, etc, etc. I should of really thought hard before I so readily accepted. But, I did say I would do it, so I'm going to do it as best I can, the best that I know how.
P.S. If you didn't use IE, you wouldn't have to tighten the screws so hard on your browser and you'd have a much more enjoyable (and still safer) surfing experience. My opinion of course.
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Not if there is a disclaimer in advance. GJK you may want to do that - IF you are providing download lists to scenario authors (which I would love to see). </font>Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Philippe:
Knowing who downloads their scenarios is actually something of an invasion of privacy.
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How so? I have 2 ways to register at TPG. If you want to be put in the player registry, you fill out the long form. If you just want to download scenarios, you fill out the short form. The short form includes 3 difficult fields: 1) provide a username (handle), 2) provide a password, 3) provide your email addressOriginally posted by Philippe:The registration mechanic at SDP I, while annoying, was much less of a problem than at TPG. CMMODS, by the way, has the easiest system to work with.
Nope, it does have to do with registration. How else do you prevent someone from giving a crap review and then signing somebody else's name because they want a little payback for a bad review that one of their scenarios got?Reviews should certainly be signed and not anonymous, because knowing who the reviewer is is often the only way you can tell whether to take the review seriously or not. But that has nothing to do with registration.
I'm sure that I will have just the "short form" as described above. If you could provide an example of the "clunkiness" of the sign-up process at TPG, I'd be happy to look into that and make any changes needed for TSD2.The mechanical issue is not about being bothered with registration. What I am saying is that if you create a step that is mechanically clunky and that isn't strictly necessary, you will discourage people from downloading your scenarios. That is cliquish and contrary to the whole spirit of posting mods or scenarios in a public forum.
I think other scenario hosting sites will disagree with the premise of TSD being the "only" place to download scenarios, but I agree that it must be easy to navigate, easy to use, functional for both the scenario authors and the visitors and provide a simple interface for providing reviews for the scenarios that are both accurate to the reviewers opions and useful to the scenario author.The Scenario Depot is supposed to be the only place where anyone would go to get their scenarios, and since it will be a near-monopolistic provider it is essential that it be held to a higher standard: the people who will be coming there will be a captive audience, and that mustn't be abused. The Scenario Depot has to look after the interest of the community as a whole, and not just a particular segment of it. It needs to be open and set up in a way that doesn't smack of exclusivity or a closed club. And it must be very easy to use.
TPG uses cookies so that you don't have to log in ever again after you initially sign-up if you so choose. You must have cookies disabled or you've only been to TPG one time.There is really no reason to burden people with having to remember one more screen name and one more password.
That is telling CMMODS to put the cookie on your computer - he gives you the option, I just intrude and put a cookie. So, since you do save cookies, I assume you're not a frequent visitor to TPG. I'd like to invite you back to the site and have a look around, maybe download a couple of scenarios and most importantly, provide a playtest review for the author of the scenario(s) that you download. You'll like the AAR screen in the discussions area I think.It's not so bad at CMMODS because at least there you can set the log-in screen to always remember your password, so logging in doesn't interefere with the process.
If the mods were reviewed, where a downloader was asked to leave his name, you'd want to make sure that who said what about your mod was really who they say they are. Only way to do this - have them log in and authenticate it before they can leave a review or download the mod. But mods and scenarios are different as you suggest; knowing how many downloads seems to be enough to satisfy the modders. Not so for scenario authors, the really want/need that feedback to help them either improve the scenario or help them with their next project. Hopefully though, the scenario has been playtested thoroughly via sites such as TPG and thus it will gain mostly positive reviews, but whether or not the author decides to go that route will be impossible to control.I would dearly love to know who downloads my mods, but I don't need to know. In fact, I shouldn't be allowed to know. Merely knowing how many have attempted to download is enough to satisfy prurient curiosity. And the designer's need to know doesn't wash: when I play a new scenario I often send e-mails with lists of any glitches I've found to the designer because I'm a compulsive editor. I rarely get a response back. I've taken to simply correcting the file and sending the corrections back with a note explaining what they were. That doesn't get a positive response very often either. What I'm beginning to suspect is that many designers really want adulation rather than feedback or proofreading.
I think I've outlined the reasons why registration is needed. Basically, it's identity theft control as far as the reviews go.So if the rationale behind registration is not standing on as firm grounds as it pretends to, and is somewhat invasive to begin with, do away with it or water it down to the point that the unscrupulous wouln't eventually be able to use the information collected for their own nefarious commercial ends.
Now, I invited you back to TPG, I also invite you to ask anyone of the 2000+ members if I've EVER spammed them with email or commercials or pop-ups or any other commercial information in the 3 years that the site has been running. I'm so anal about this NOT happening that I've taken the precaution to not broadcast a persons email address on the site at any time. You can even DISABLE all notifications from others by deactivating your account (but you can STILL download scenarios - cool, ain't it?).
Phillipe, I can understand the headaches of registering for yet another site - but check this out, if you've already registered at TPG - you wont have to do it again at TSD! Rockin'! And, if you've never signed up at TPG, then the sign-up at TSD will be as painless as I can make it, believe me. 3 little boxes to fill in, that's it. I don't even verify your email address, though I really should.
Suggestions, comments, opinions, bitches, gripes and praise; always welcomed.
[ September 06, 2005, 07:45 AM: Message edited by: GJK ]
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Was it a problem at TSD I, which had registration as well? Hey, it doesn't matter to me - in fact, if there's no registration it's easier for me to code the thing. ****, guess we'll have to start a discussion to see if we want it at TSD or not.
Thanks Phillipe.
G.
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Registration is so that it can be recorded who has downloaded what - one of the major requests that scenario authors had.Originally posted by Philippe:Perhaps you should consider doing away with the registration step altogether. After all, why do you really need it? (Unless it prevents bandwidth piracy).
As for the loading of the pages - I'm curious about what OS and browser you're using. I assume you're on dial-up as well?
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FYI: I started the poll out of my own curiosity. It's not meant to be influencial or as an "in your face, you were wrong BFC" type of thing at all.
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It will be www.the-scenario-depot.com once it's ready.Originally posted by General Colt:Looks good.
What's the bookmark for this page?
Someone at TPG suggested adding a "2" (or "II") to the title "The Scenario Depot" out of respect for the original, which I will do later today.
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I just put "good guys vs bad guys" for my OOB's.
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1. No doubt its been mentioned, but fix the LOS/LOF bug; being unable to fire/area target upper level of a building if the lower level is out of the LOS.
2. Add more building levels
3. Buildings that can span more than one tile without being a warehouse (user defined shapes, both wooden and stone)
4. Bypass movement
Er, skip #4, wrong game.
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For those interested, I have a screenshot of the template that I've worked up thus far for the new TSD:
Suggestions, requests, opinions, ideas, complaints, whatever; welcomed.
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Well, not to start YADACMx2D* but if you read Steve's post on page 1 of this thread, he alludes to it being a "technical issue" which might preclude pbem capabilities. I read that as filesize may not be 100% of the total problem here. And yes, I can see Steve and the gang rolling their eyes saying "here they go on a wild guess again....".
* Yet Another Debate About CMx2 Development
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Then you're asking BFC to run servers to hold/support all this data or to outsource that at a cost to a 3rd party. And when the server crashes and turns are lost, who is everyone going to start yelling at? Yes, you GaJ.Originally posted by GreenAsJade:Other methods: async game server is one.
Your game connects to the server when you want to play and finds out the state at that time.
I wonder if some sort of a bit torrent thingie might be possible. Everyone playing and currently online helps push small packets of data (pieces of people's turns) behind the scenes. Lots of variables here too though, obviously.
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Thanks!
By the way, is there a new version of CM in the works?
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I did "GJK's Beefy Sounds" for CMBB some time ago. It should be up at CMMODs - I'm pretty sure that I reloaded it after the great crash of Oh-whatever year it was. If not, I can re-up that if someone wants it.
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unless there is enemy infantry or sharpshooters in the immediate area (relative to the range of their weapons that is).
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[REVIEW]I'm 3/4 in Inferno CMAK and just started Inferno CMBB. Highly recommended. [/REVIEW]Originally posted by General Colt:</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Soddball:
Ideally, when someone downloads a scenario, I'd like them to receive a reminder in their email box to get them to review it, say a month after they downloaded it.
Some of my scenarios at the depot had 2,000 downloads and only 1 or 2 reviews. Perhaps they sucked, but I'll never know because they weren't reviewed.
I think just a reminder would be enough to get some people to review. Maybe the email could include a form which they can fill in and email straight back?
I sure hope SDX2 is ready in time for me to submit real reviews on these. </font>
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bah! Just a typo. I meant 2-30.Originally posted by GreenAsJade:Yeah, it says "must be between 1-30", but then tells you off if you say "1"
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unless there is enemy infantry or sharpshooters in the immediate area (relative to the range of their weapons that is).
Proposed ideas for TSD 2 (aka TSD Ausf. B)
in Combat Mission - Scenario Talk
Posted
Actually no, nothing specifically linking a "pack" of scenarios other than the name and then of course you could directly link to others in the series within the comments section. I know that Kingfish and a few others have zipped up their pack and submitted them all at once over at TPG - so that's an option as well.