Mods loadable from main menu

[gandalf the white 0]

visualise yourself this:

In the main menu you have a "mods" option, once clicked, you get a small screen where all mods are listed, there is a button to search for modfolders (any folder with "@" as first character gets listed?) , from there on you can select the mods you want to use (once a mod with it's own config is selected other "config mods" get inselectable).

Happy with the mods you selected? press ok, and Game2 loads / unloads / restarts / does whatever it takes to get the correct addons so you can play without modifying one of your 204754 shortcuts .

This would also help with online play. If a server requires a config mod, and you happen to have that mod (not loaded in though) a popup appears asking if you want to modify the mods you are running . This wouln't apply to non-config mods, simply because there's a large chance they're just used to organise the server's addons .

[funnyguy1 0]

Well, It proves just one thing gandalf, not everything has been mentioned yet

nice idea!

[NeMeSiS 11]

i love it, and some other games already have a modmenuthingy, but well, they dont need it as there arent that many mods for them

[jankyballs 0]

Sounds good! I hope they incorporate this into OFP2!

[pong2cs 0]

It sounds nice, but if the mod-launcher was in-game, I would prefer for the mods to be loaded on the fly, and not have the game restart. If the game should need to restart, I'd rather use a pre-game launcher to select mods before going in-game.

[DBR_ONIX 0]

Remeber mod folders don't need to start with @.. A mod-info file (Suggested in another thread) would solve this though

Maybe two versions

mod-info.txt v1 :

Random Bunch Of Addons

mod-info.txt v2

name:Finnish Defence Forces Mod

short:FDFMod

desc:Mod based on F....

So you could quickly shove together a mod info with no work at all, or do a comprehensive one (One for shoving addons in a folder, one for a mod release)

Then the game would just check if the forst word is setWord:text (Setword = things like name, short, desc)

*Shrugs*

- Ben

[txalin 2]

Good idea, but in my case i need an extra feature , i have my personal mod folder on this way, i have a folder called @armys, and inside of them i have lots of addons from different "studios" like bas, orcs, rhs, etc... in diferent subfolders, like this:

@armys->bas

@armys->orcs

@armys->rhs

etc....

and on the main folder of flashpoint i have another folders form ecp, boh, fdf, csla, etc.... so, when i want to play with ecp + bas i have to modify one shorcut with -mod=@ecp -mod=@armys\@bas, actually there is only one application that allow me to load the mods on this way, with subfolders, so could be nice that armed assault support this kind of mod structure, only a search with subfolders is necessary, and when this search locate one folder called "addons" the up folder is the one that must appear as a mod.

If possible of course , also could be nice that u can modify the name of the mod shown in the main screen of armed assault

[gandalf the white 0]

Good idea, but in my case i need an extra feature , i have my personal mod folder on this way, i have a folder called @armys, and inside of them i have lots of addons from different "studios" like bas, orcs, rhs, etc... in diferent subfolders, like this:

@armys->bas

@armys->orcs

@armys->rhs

etc....

and on the main folder of flashpoint i have another folders form ecp, boh, fdf, csla, etc.... so, when i want to play with ecp + bas i have to modify one shorcut with -mod=@ecp -mod=@armys\@bas, actually there is only one application that allow me to load the mods on this way, with subfolders, so could be nice that armed assault support this kind of mod structure, only a search with subfolders is necessary, and when this search locate one folder called "addons" the up folder is the one that must appear as a mod.

If possible of course , also could be nice that u can modify the name of the mod shown in the main screen of armed assault

Yeeeees, Bis supplies a "mods" folder, in wich all our mods go .

It would make listing all mods allot easier for the game too....

[Commando84 0]

i like this idea alot i always wanted this feature since the first addons started popping out on the streets

[Balschoiw 0]

Hmmm...

I guess it would be even better to have a launch interface with a mod selector before the engine/main menu is loaded.

That´s because of the changes and additions some mods do to the original engine. Loading them at the point where the engine has already been started would be impossible unless OFP2 had a static main menu that doesn´t call the engine.

[zyklone 1]

mod/addon loading should be decided by the server for multiplayer.

It should not be possible to have any code loaded other than what the server says. Preferably addons/islands you don't have should be automatically downloaded also.

[DBR_ONIX 0]

That could be very very annoying at times..

A better idea would be to give (a copy/pastable) link to them, either an HTTP/FTP server, a special program seperate from the game that does the same as the auto-download (Have an option to auto-download needed addons, and have a size limiter option), or an info file in the PBO (or whatever game2 uses..), that has among other stuff : a download link (to ofp.info or filefront.com type site), a home-page, a mod/addon description, a version number

It'd be optional, if the info file isn't there, it could use an md5-hash of the file to check for correct versions, and if not, give the file-name/any other avalible info, and DON'T JUST BOOT THEM OUT THE SERVER LIKE IN OFP

- Ben

Note : This was typed hours ago, but I forgot to submit it so it's a bit late, and I expect some other people have posted since then.....

[armandobronca 0]

A p2p addon download system, so every player in the server with the addon send a portion of the addon file.

For example a map only need a new island addon (3mb/5mb), then a player connect to the server and need the addon, now all the players with the addon send him a portion each one, he will download the addon in very few time.

Not hard to code, and very suitable

[gandalf the white 0]

A p2p addon download system, so every player in the server with the addon send a portion of the addon file.

For example a map only need a new island addon (3mb/5mb), then a player connect to the server and need the addon, now all the players with the addon send him a portion each one, he will download the addon in very few time.

Not hard to code, and very suitable

Ah yes!

downside of this is that the process will need both approval from the downloader , download managar (is this file a virus known to bis?) , and your normal antivirus software, as it would be relatively easy to send other kinds of data trough it.

[armandobronca 0]

well addons are never exe, scr (screen protector), or any of the other possible virus file formats, so it must not be a really problem.

anyway coders can do file filters so only addons files can be automatic downloaded.

well u make me think about cheaters breaking server protection and uploading modified addons so ppl download addons with cheats, but most of the servers have enought protection against unauthorized access.

only homemade servers can be hacked and used to spread addons with cheats...

if developers read this and think is a good idea, they will know how to block virus/cheats being downloaded by this system

PD: excuse my bad english

edit: forgot a thing about this system, a player get in the server so he download the addon/s from all the other players, he will be a source for other new players to download the addon/s too