Unofficial addons in multiplayer

[amos m 0]

Am I correct in assuming that when u connect to a multiplayer game, and the mission uses addons that u don't have, that u don't need to have them on your machine to be able to play?

[Tex -USMC- 0]

You are incorrect. IF the mission requires addons that you do not have, you will be booted/crashed to desktop, along with a message that (usually) tells you what you are missing.

The best advice is to go to websites like ofp.gamezone.cz, fraghaus.com, etc. to get all the better known addons. I do know that most of the established dedicated servers either avoid using addons or they have a addon pack on their site that you can download which will get you taken care of.

Also, in case you didnt already know, all addons go into the Addons folder. Not an addons folder inside the Addons folder, but in the actual Addons folder, all by their lonesome. I didnt totally confuse you did I? I hope not

[FubarGrn 0]

LoL Tex =)

well, he is right... if you try to get onto a server unning addons,and you do not have them you will be booted/crash to desktop automatically...the better servers out there have a header that let's you know if you need addons,adn it usually tells you where toget them.

[swooper 0]

in my map i have put the addons the you need to play and where to get them mind you i went a bit overboard u need about 6 addons for my map but i like it

[amos m 0]

Thanx. I just played some missions that had vehicles I thought must've been addons, but I just didn't recognise them, or hadn't encountered them b4. Like the medical UAZ. I hadn't really looked closely at the support vehicles b4.

I wanted to know as I'm making a king of the hill mission with no heavy weapons to encourage better team play, and using Fishu's kiowa addon, which has a kiowa with a machine gun mounted on the optics turret that can be controlled by the pilot, along with about 12 others. It's only around 1.8 meg, and is available from ofpec. Very good addon, and I recommend it to anyone who likes the oh-58 in ofp. Very handy for providing cover fire for infantry, can carry one extra for insertion/extraction purposes or those who work well in pairs, and is still killable using a simple m16.

Maybe I'll just make a version with a normal oh-58 with the rockets removed.

[Lt_Damage 0]

There needs to be an option where the addon .pbo files are pushed out to the client (the player) during the load of the mission. Now if these addons are 10mb, well thats not going to be very practical. But you can set it so that anything under 5mb will be pushed out to the client, which would enable more support for mod makers to have their fantastic creations actually used in missions. Or simply do not crash the client to the desktop, return them to the player waiting screen where they may enquire as to where addons maybe found.

I do not use addons on our server, as coordinating 30 odd people to make sure they have an addon before starting a mission is tedious to say the least. i will way for updated addon support or official addons.

[Tex -USMC- 0]

good idea. they can send the map to you, why cant they send you the addons too?

[Chris Death 0]

lol - often discussed, still not fixed

Well, i still don't think that BIS is goin to enable

automatic download of unofficial addons.

I'm downloading most of the addons, and i like

them aswell. They add some more atmosphere

to this already very atmospheric game.

But don't forget, that addons can mess up your

whole game, if they aren't created properly.

If you know, which addons you have downloaded,

you have at least the option to scan your mind for

the latest stuff you've put in. If you wouldn't have

controll for adding them, it could get very anoying

to find the addon, which messed up your game.

Especially, if your (let's say) machine gun is messed up,

and you haven't been machine gunner for a month or more.

Try to find this addon, downloaded by the game itself,

in the last months.

Also don't forget, there are people out there, who decided

not to use unofficial stuff, and they could get a grant on

BIS, if they wouldn't be asked wether they want or don't want

to receive an addon.

OK the crash to desktop is a bit rough, but aren't we

all a bit rough sometimes

~S~ CD

[amos m 0]

So maybe BIS need to start publishing user made addons.

I personally think that they need to do something about this. Some of the addon's are very good.

How are addons made. Are they complete remakes of the already existing units? If so, the size could be dramatically be reduced by allowing access to the existing units from addons, much in the same way users have access to the game engines functions via the scripting language. Addon makers could perhaps simply include in their addon code an 'include' clause, or equivelant. Then they could override, or disable remnants of the original that they do not wish to remain the same in their addon.

That, afterall, is the concept of object oriented programming. To reduce size and update/maintenance time, and allow the reproduction and modification of objects with the least possible difficulty.