Signed Addons???

[Opticalsnare 12]

I just recently started wanting to get back to playing online but its annoying as hell when servers dont borther adding/updating the keys or even allowing addons.

If they sorted their shit out and updated their servers with the correct files and addons then more people would be playing online. As they would be able to use their fave addons without being told to piss off and disable them. I wanted to play online with my particles and tracers mod on a something like a warfare server, but i coundnt find a single server that allows me to connect i had to disable most of my fave mods just so i could join and then i started thinking to myself is it really worth disabling my and other peoples mods which improves the game so much and that i worked so hard on, just to play online? No its not and so i go back to playing by myself with AI so i can and enable. And i think that alot of people are doing this simply because server bods arnt updating their servers with fave addons that people wanna use.

Edited November 15, 2009 by Opticalsnare

[Alex72 1]

Totally agree with you.

Some addons would ofcourse give people advantages etc, but soundmods and some effects plus improving the games performance - those kinds of addons should be updated by servers IMO. I skip going occational MP games just because of this. I just dont want to go total vanilla as i need at least FPS boost ones and its just so much more boring to not have cool effects and sound etc.

So yeah, totally agree.

[Murklor 10]

Sound and effect mods could just as easily give people an advantage.

Have you been in contact with server admins? Talked to them? Worked together to allow the mods?

Or are you just joining servers hoping that they allow your awesome custom cool mod?

[whisper 0]

Sound and effect mods could just as easily give people an advantage.

Have you been in contact with server admins? Talked to them? Worked together to allow the mods?

Or are you just joining servers hoping that they allow your awesome custom cool mod?

Well, server admins could simply regularly check the higher reasons for players kicks due to addon, and change their keys accordingly. When the mod is used by most of the people that get kicked, simply put the key in is rather sensible, isn't it? Or too much to ask?

[das attorney 858]

Totally agree - from what I understand, it's relatively simple to add in the compatibility for mods. All of the ones I use are based around alternative sound mods, extra eye candy (and FPS performance mods) and things like Mando Missiles. I can't see why Server Owners wouldn't want to allow these great add ons that so many people put their time and effort into. They enrich the game experience, but at the moment I'm playing a lot of SP just so I can use them.

I can understand Server Admins being reticent to allow certain mods that might give people an unfair advantage, but not every mod is designed to change the balance of game play.

[Opticalsnare 12]

Not if they are enabled by default on the server, the whole point in making mods *most of the time is to improve and enhance the game from its default form, and to provide basic fixes. Im not asking for every server to have my and other peoples mods its totally up to them if they wanna support peoples hard work which improves the game and enhances it. And im sorry but i anit spending more of my freetime going about begging server hosts to support my and other peoples work, i shoundnt have to.

If they dont wanna support peoples work fine i just wont be playing online, and i think that this is case with other people is well.

Im sorry to sound selfish and all but i spent alot of time in making my mod and i wanted to share that with people online as well offline gameplay. And when i finnaly decide to come out of my hole and start blasting people online i cant cause my mods i like so much arnt supported.

Edited November 15, 2009 by Opticalsnare

[.kju 3245]

Create a system to let server admins easily get the keys and simplify their decision making

if they want to allow key X from person Y.

You don't really believe every server admin scans every release for the presence of

a key and takes the time to decide, if the author is truthworthy and the addon of enough

quality.

To take an example, your addon is not allowed on our server for a reason.

It breaks the ca.pbo. I sent you a fix that made it independent and you dismissed it.

And you are the one to blame others?

Now check the reactions of a concept that would work to a degree:

CSS - Community sign server

[Opticalsnare 12]

First off kju i didnt dissmiss it.

1. I dont understand your method.

2. I dont really have the time anymore to spend hours learning new ways of making a mod.

3. I no longer wanna spend all my free time off work, working hours and hours on something, when i wanna play insted.

And what kinda reply are thinking your gonna get with comments like "and your blaming others" apart from trying to annoy someone ie me its not helping the problem at all but insted making me question if i should i even borther to release anything in the future.

[Murklor 10]

And im sorry but i anit spending more of my freetime going about begging server hosts to support my and other peoples work, i shoundnt have to.

You dont think server admins spend alot of time and in particular money on their servers?

[Opticalsnare 12]

And your saying what exactly? Ive already stated they can do whatever they want with their servers. I just wont be playing on them and others will do the same. Im trying to make things better for people and me. And all your interested in imo is provoking me into a argument.

[galzohar 31]

The problem is that there are way too many mods that people use and want the server to have signed. No matter how many signatures you try to update, you will always have lots of people complaining that their little addon is not approved. Eventually it's all a matter of how much time the admin has and is willing to invest in testing out addons, and considering how difficult of a task that is you can see why most servers allow very few/no addons. I personally wouldn't want to allow any addon on a server under my control if I hadn't thoroughly tested it, both in the realm of bugs and glitches as well as in the realm of unfair advantages it grants, especially if it is a PvP server.

Basically the only way to make all addon-users happy is to allow all addons globally, which will just open the door to cheaters and people with bugged addons that mess up the game.

The best thing you can do to have your addon allowed on servers is contact the server admins, but based on what I just said above I wouldn't expect much.

Giving up on a huge portion of a great game just because you can't use a little addon you like in there doesn't sound like a very good decision.

Edited November 15, 2009 by galzohar

[Yoma 0]

Hmm just get the server admin to use my tool.

It will save him and players time, frustration and will keep some hairs from falling out. The day admin x wants to put up addon y on the server, all the clients just need to click a button to sync.

This way the server admin can decide what addons to allow, and clients can see/download the stuff they need.

Server admins should not allow gung-ho freestyling of addons, if they want a more or less stable game.

I also do not believe in a central key's repo for admins, who will check if addon x does not conflict with addon y? Other then that it kind of bypasses the entire benifit of keys...

I strongly believe in custom server signing (it's the only true safe way to go i think). This means the server signs every addon it uses itself.

Support for automating the singing process and the repository building process allready exists in AddonSync.

Anyway, every admin and gamer can make their own decisions. Personally as a user I like to spend more time gaming, then looking for addons that work on server x, hence the birth of my tool.

[Alex72 1]

100% or nothing talk again... So tiring.

That some dont follow the progress of addons when playing a game like ARMA baffles me. Addons enhance and make the game better & more immersive. BIS lets us make addons because of this reason. But to each and own i guess. One thing to do is to start your own server, slap up a simple website with easy links and info to all the addons allowed on the server and you shall be one of the servers people will like big time (seen it before). If there is a server that runs some of the better addons in the community (most people know what addons they are), and you have good teamplay on that particular server - it will be highly visited. Highly visited as it keeps up with the latest. Such as effects, performance, sounds and other addons that are here to make the game better, funnier and more immersive to play. This is what the addons are for. If its a PvP server - use some PvP enhancing addons. If its coop - let addons bringing more immersion to coop be used. Thats all. Cant be that hard to throw an eye on Armaholics site and go through some of the most popular addons, and seek out some real good ones to be ok to use on the server. If the addon been out for a little while you know if its ok in MP or not. Most times they are even MP tested before release as well.

Me and most people i know (probably everyone i know) skips public play for 2 reasons. Random fools and addon-dry games. Going editor with addons gives a more mighty experience due to the more powerful sounds, effects, better performance, new units, vehicles and all the rest.

Addons that give special advantages is ofcourse a no no (dynamic view distance, remove grass etc). The server owner add keys so those are blocked easily while some others are ok. But its in the description of the addon. How hard can it be?

Anyway, i dont understand the galozar view of that its so "hard", "unfair" and bla bla bla. Ive had servers in the past (ArmA1) and we had some specific addons allowed. Server was packed and people loved that they could play an updated game. Updated through the community. And since there isn't tons of addons you allow it isnt hard to be updated on them. Armaholic's (among other news sites) first page show every addon made within the hour. People will tell you if there is a new version out etc.

It just isnt that hard.

EDIT:

All respect to people wanting to play clean though. Im not saying everyone should do it. Just that i dont understand the view of that its so "hard", "unfair" and all that.

EDIT2:

Oh almost forgot. It should get a bit funnier when ACE2 reach our shores. Remember it was running on EVERY server in ArmA1. ;)

My 2 cents.

Edited November 15, 2009 by Alex72

[das attorney 858]

Hmm. This is all very interesting...

I'm going to do a bit of reading and see if it's feasible to set up a server. I could easily do without my computer for a night or two per week. I've no past experience of this, but am reading the "Kellys Heroes" server guide at the moment. There's a lot to take in but I'll keep reading...

One thing I was wondering is, most servers I hear about are quad core, whereas I've only got a dual core 2.4Ghz. I'm not sure mine would be up to the job. My internet connection should be okay, but the hardware is a concern...

[An Fiach 10]

The simple fact is that the game is quite playable as vanilla and there aren't a ton of addons that substantially add to game play. Not everyone likes those addons either so you come to a situation regarding public servers, obviously the owner of the server wants to keep it open and available to the public. Addons, restrict access to those that don't want them.

Alex, you don't know what zohar is saying about unfair because you aren't thinking. Even a sound mod can give an unfair advantage over other players depending on how they differ from vanilla.

As far as ACE 2 is concerned, that isn't even remotely the same thing. ACE is a single mod (though I do recall them saying portions would be modular) that fundamentally transforms the game, something a simple sound mod (sound is the loudest complaint I've heard abut no mod servers).

[galzohar 31]

You have to remember that even if an admin takes extreme effort to keep it up to date, there will most likely still be addons people want to use and are not allowed on the server. And that's if he doesn't actually keep the list down to "only addons that are known to work properly when loaded together".

Addon makers *could* be more helpful by making a list of addons for which they designed their addon to work with - without any conflicts. Otherwise I simply wouldn't trust the addons to work together.

It's not an "all or nothing" thing, it's just that you have to understand that even an admin that does his best will not be able to be anywhere near keeping up with what addon-users want. Compromises are simply required if you want to play online without cheats/glitches.