Addons at ease!

[WhoCares 0]

That's why I asked. So, Addonmakers would have to provide two versions, one AAE with MSI support and another version for installation on Linux servers...Wouldn't it be possible to have one solution supporting both platforms?

[andersgrim 0]

probably, but as many people say they refuse to use installers, and say addonmakers should make one zipversion of the addon, the linux guys can prolly just use this zip...

[-SZ-Vladimir 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Suma @ 18 April 2003,14:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Matthijs @ April 18 2003,13:15)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Jahve @ April 18 2003,12:21)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The question remains: Where to get the MSI stuff?<span id='postcolor'>

A basic version is shipped with Windows2000/XP.

Unless BIS is going to release their own MSI creation app, ...<span id='postcolor'>

We will release this utility once we incorporate some changes that are based on the feedback in this topic. This willl be hopefully within a few weeks.<span id='postcolor'>

A release soon ?

Vladimir

[theavonlady 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote ([sZ]Vladimir @ 13 May 2003,19:07)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">A release soon ?<span id='postcolor'>

/bump

BIS?

[suchey 0]

Hello <echo> hello, hello, hello </echo>

[crashdome 3]

I probably jumped in a bit too late, but from someone who does more work w/ missions and scripts versus add-ons:

All I see is a small group of quality add-on makers getting bruised by this. It sounds odd, but I can imagine there will be a FLOOD of applicants this late in the game all trying to jump on the AAE bandwagon. In turn, AAE will become signature add-ons on many servers while some really good add-ons sit on the side waiting to be included. (If I understand everything correctly)

I say the market has done well for good designers so far. Why potentially burn it out. I say focus on the next piece of software (i.e. OFP2) and design an extrodinary system then. Dont get me wrong,... I would have liked to see standards and "ease" but it's getting a bit late here. For example, focus on something similar to the MP mission cache folder and perhaps include add-ons in that area. That way new-comers can dl'd from the servers as they join up (although I can imagine the wait would be long). This would promote add-ons indirectly also. I join a server just to peek in and "hey!" look! two more add-ons I never would have guessed existed. OR "hey!" look an update to that tank I liked so much. This COULD be a storage nightmare for some people, but it would also encourage servers to keep add-ons to a lower amount/higher quality level. Ok.. I'm crossing Inter-topic Boundries here (probably illegally too!   ) but ultimately I say "Look to the future! don't try and fix the past!"

**This will come back to haunt CrashDome sometime.... he knows it***

[Jahve 0]

bout "descriptive":

There was a description for all weapons un until 1.20 where we got the first new weapons, and since not even BIS could add descriptions for them, i doubt very much that its possible :\

[maruk 80]

Builder for Addon At Ease BETA is available for testing.

How to use it:

- place your addons, missions and mp missions to folders

- write name of your addon to file name.txt

- run msic.exe from the same directory

- a msi file with your addon is created

- run the msi file to install the addon with all missions and addons included

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This is not final release of the tool and you can use it for testing purposes only!

[maruk 80]

At Ease! Compliance Requirements - Proposal

========-=========================

An Operation Flashpoint Add-on should respect following requirements to be At Ease! compliant (it's not final version of the requirements but we believe it's very close to it):

I) It is a single MSI file created using the official AtEase tool. Name of the Addon should start with TAG.

II) It includes at least one single player mission in the package. Name of any mission installed should start with TAG.

III) All included addons should be created in compliance with the TAG system.

IV) The included sample mission(s) should not require any other addons beside of the addons being installed as part of the At Ease package and official BIS content included in Operation Flashpoint version 1.91.

V) If the addons itself requires other addons to work properly, it has to:

i) include such addons in requiredAddons[] list

ii) provide exact insructions where to get the addon in the readme file

iii) the addons in question has to be "At Ease" compliant addons as well

VI) all addons and missions should be compatible with Operation Flashpoint version 1.91

[-SZ-Vladimir 0]

Thanks for this utility !

Vladimir

[Gummi 0]

I have been testing it and i love it

[CoolCarlos2002 2]

I just want to ask Mod teams if they release a demo or the mod to make a Mod folder ie: Modname\Addons

then its up to us to make the shortcut

[Gummi 0]

Questions:

Do you need to download the msi-info.bin file?

And can u explane how the features work when installing?

And how are you, BIS, going to make sure people follow the rules about AAE? like the tags and missions included, will we need to send them to you first for review and then you make a list of all AAE reviewed addons?

[Guest]

I just want to ask Mod teams if they release a demo or the mod to make a Mod folder ie: Modname\Addons

then its up to us to make the shortcut  

Are you talking about when they use AAE or any mod installation?

[CoolCarlos2002 2]

I just want to ask Mod teams if they release a demo or the mod to make a Mod folder ie: Modname\Addons

then its up to us to make the shortcut  

Are you talking about when they use AAE or any mod installation?

well both

[silent_64 0]

Do you need to download the msi-info.bin file?

Yeah I would like to know that to!

[Guest]

We got sooooooo many posts/PMs/Emails about shortcuts that we decided when the full version of our mod comes out that the installer would create a shortcut. Believe it or not there are a lot of people out there who don't know how to make a -mod shortcut for OFP (or any game for that matter). So in the interests of making it easier for people to play, I think a good mod should make it's own shortcut. Afterall, if you know how to make/edit a shortcut, you can just change it if you need to, but if you don't know how to, then you are stuffed.

$0.02 has been credited to your account.

[CoolCarlos2002 2]

We got sooooooo many posts/PMs/Emails about shortcuts that we decided when the full version of our mod comes out that the installer would create a shortcut. Believe it or not there are a lot of people out there who don't know how to make a -mod shortcut for OFP (or any game for that matter). So in the interests of making it easier for people to play, I think a good mod should make it's own shortcut. Afterall, if you know how to make/edit a shortcut, you can just change it if you need to, but if you don't know how to, then you are stuffed.

$0.02 has been credited to your account.

not everyone installs ofp in C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Operation Flashpoint

my $0.01

[theavonlady 2]

not everyone installs ofp in C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Operation Flashpoint

Any reasonable installer can extract OFP's install path from the Windows Registry. Key:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Codemasters\Operation Flashpoint\MAIN

[Major Fubar 0]

The mod that released the rapier missile addon couldn't get it right - my OFP is installed in C:\Games\Operation Flashpoint, and their damn extractor kept putting the addons in C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Operation Flashpoint

[Guest]

We got sooooooo many posts/PMs/Emails about shortcuts that we decided when the full version of our mod comes out that the installer would create a shortcut. Believe it or not there are a lot of people out there who don't know how to make a -mod shortcut for OFP (or any game for that matter). So in the interests of making it easier for people to play, I think a good mod should make it's own shortcut. Afterall, if you know how to make/edit a shortcut, you can just change it if you need to, but if you don't know how to, then you are stuffed.

$0.02 has been credited to your account.

not everyone installs ofp in C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Operation Flashpoint

my $0.01  

Errr yes, I know that sunshine. I'm talking about a future release, not any previous releases

[suma 8]

Questions:

Do you need to download the msi-info.bin file?

What is this file and why would you download it?

Quote[/b] ]And can u explane how the features work when installing?

Addon is considered to contain one feature and can be therefore installed completely or not at all.

[maruk 80]

And how are you, BIS, going to make sure people follow the rules about AAE? like the tags and missions included, will we need to send them to you first for review and then you make a list of all AAE reviewed addons?

We can't make sure that people will do everything properly for every addon released using the installer (we will make the installer limited by the eula that says the conditions of use containing the rules but it doesn't block anyone from not doing it properly). This is a kind of open standard and we believe it's on behalf of the entire community.

What we offer is to promote the best At Ease compliant addons at our official website to give more recognition to such high quality work and it's creators.

We don't aim to try to change the way how are addons released and used in the modding community. Our main goal is to make the best addons much more accessible to general public.

Also, the entire initiative is not only for Operation Flashopint but it is also a test how to do improve it for Operation Flashpoint 2.

[maruk 80]

The mod that released the rapier missile addon couldn't get it right - my OFP is installed in C:\Games\Operation Flashpoint, and their damn extractor kept putting the addons in C:\Program Files\Codemasters\Operation Flashpoint  

1) Why don't you have it in registery properly? If you would install the game and set the path to what you want, it will work straight ahead.

2) There's a screen where you can change the directory manually to anything you want in our "damn" installer.

[Gummi 0]

Questions:

Do you need to download the msi-info.bin file?

What is this file and why would you download it?

When i create the msi file the tool also creates a msi-info.bin file with it... just wondering if it does do anything

ok thanks for the info