So, want to join a server, you click "get mod", then you get the list of components for the mod showing the ones that you have and are missing. You click "get missing components", and it says "downloading from..." repeatedly and always ends up failing. Is this currently supposed to work? If not, is there an ETA on when this feature will be working? What is the reason that someone needs all of the tracks for a vmod, rather than just the current one. Couldn't the server simply boot the person with an error message if the session changes to a track/car that the person doesn't have?
works for me in the few servers I've tried. The whole vmod argument has been done to death (do a search!), server admins need to take more responsibility when creating them...thats one of the many points previously made!
Is the download location coming from vmods MarcG ? I thought they were coming from the component, not the vmod (which I would love to see implemented if not already and I'm just missing something)..
great feature if it works and if it does maybe more on it so admin's of servers can implement it ASAP
It is fully implemented but only if the rfcmp is packaged correctly. As of now only ISI's content supports it. Anyone is welcome to implement it in their own rfcmp's though. I built a simple web service that makes it easy for people to implement it in their own rfcmp's. I made some very rough documentation on how it works and how you can use my service to take advantage of it. Read up here: http://rfcmpredir.site90.net/help.htm
Wow, finally it looks like someone correctly registered an rfcmp in this database I created. The link works perfect and the rfcmp appears to be built correctly. Their component should fully support GetMod now. Also, if their are any admins out there that know a little PHP I am willing to share the code I have written so you can host my GetMod.php on your own host. I have no intentions of taking mine down, it is on a free webhost, but I know some people like to keep everything inhouse. Anyways, it is good to see people making attempts to learn about GetMod. It will be nice when everyone releases rfcmp's with GetMod support. Worst case leagues could repackage components to add GetMod support and host on their own servers.
That is the worst part as we have mentioned in a previous post Noel as you know.. Having mulitple versions of the same component all for the sake of GetMod working on servers is duplicating the content. It's defeating the purpose of trying to stop duplication where now we will have the same tracks or cars but with different URLs.. Lets say I host a server and one of those tracks has an alternate URL that happens to be broken, now that person can't join the server and the GetMod function takes us back to trying to find 'that' version just to join the server. I'd really like to see ISI look at a way to improve the GetMod feature. It's a great feature and if it can be done from the vmod rather than from the component file, then what we have is one version of the track, a vmod that has been created by the hosting server who can then direct the URL to either in-house or using your services Noel or others. In theory it can work, the player downloads the vMod from the server, there is no massive load given vmods are only small, it reads the URL in the vmod and grabs the components from that URL. 90% of the time, the hoster will be hosting the components also especially leagues via their own FTP etc. Hoping ISI can improve the GetMod and the additional work required (although small) and avoid the 'where do I get this component from? the link is dead and I can't join this server'..
The submit ID wouldn't change so it doesn't really duplicate anything. If you only modify the URL in the rfcmp then the Submit ID stays the same so people that join will be able to auto download but if they already have that mod, even the original mod before you repackaged, then it will use the one you already have.
It's never worked for me since I got RF2 a month ago. BTW, Noel, your kid looks a lot like you. Cute kid. I got 5 of them myself. What a blessing.
I realise they are part of the vmod when you build it, but it's still attached to the rfcmp file, not the vmod on it's own.. Thank you for clarifying this, it does make things a little easier.. Still though, it doesn't rule out the possiblilty of dead links (not via your wonderful service no) and the little extra work involed for someone just to change a URL for downloading.. I'd still like to see more responsiblity for the hosters of servers, after all, they are the ones hosting the package, they should be resposible to ensure that whoever joins their server 'can' download all content available, not having to check every URL for a rfcmp file to ensure it works, even for noob hosters it would be a simple task to direct to their URL through the vmod, not something that is connected within.. As I said, the GetMod feature is a great feature, a must and I fully support the service that you are providing Noel but I am also looking at the bigger picture here. We can't expect yourself to be providing us with this service in say 5-10 years time and some 1000, 2000+ component files. Lets face it, we will face deadlinks down the track, I for one will not be releasing my tracks with my FTP URL, so for me I will end up with 2 rfcmp files, one for public, and one for community, whats the point in doing this for the xx number of tracks that I will release in the years to come, and what if I did provide the URL in the tracks, and I decide to shut it down in say 5 years time then I am affectively in the care factor attitude and will expect others to update my URL for the tracks I release. Why should others be responsible for updating my URL or others for that matter.. I appologise Noel in advance if you read my posts as 'tone' or 'frustration' it's not at all, reading a post can come of the wrong way. I'm just wanting us to look at the next 5 years when we have the same, or more of the mods / tracks available for rF2 as we do for rF1 and the likelihood of dead links will only increase leaving the task to others to update when this could be avoided now by some changes to how we 'GetMod' from the vmod rather than reading it from the rfcmp within. EDIT.. To add a further spanner in the works.. We can't assume everyone in the years to come will read these forums and these posts and will use a service that one provides. I will however assume that many components released will be released without a URL leaving it to others to re-release or to add a URL, or many URLs based on instructions that may circulate the net with their own URL, which again increases the likelihood of dead URLs.
I could see your request becoming a reality one day. As it works the URLs are stored in the rfmod at the time of packaging. So the ability to override the URLs to differ from the ones it gets from the rfcmp's shouldn't be that big of a task and wouldn't require any changes at all to the underlying system. I can also see the packaging system getting easier and easier as the tools improve. Perhaps they will give us a tool that will quickly let us modify the URL in a rfcmp and then also let us do some sort of refresh of the vmod so it grabs all the updated URLs. Regardless of how you attack the problem there will always be a need to maintain download links. The beauty of the way my GetMod.php (and ISI's) is that the link in the rfcmp simply points to a dynamic page that then redirects. So changing the URL doesn't involve repackaging and everyone that is already hosting servers with that rfcmp will automatically get the new URL. Sure my service may go away one day which would cause a problem. Maybe one day ISI will open up their GetMod.php to the public. I am sure they could be trusted to keep the system. The system I created will generate very little traffic and take very little storage, even with thousands of registered rfmods. It is also on a free host so it isn't costing me a dime. It requires no upkeep at all. The only way it would go away is if the hosting provider goes out of biz. Which vary well could happen. I don't think the core of the current system is flawed at all. The more I play with it the more I realize they put a lot of thought into it. I think the packaging tools just need to be improved a little and add the ability to overwrite URLs in the vmod if needed.
Try uninstalling one of ISI's tracks and then move the rfcmp out of your packages folder and then join a server that is running that track and you should see the auto download stuff work. There is no progress bar so you really don't know if it is working, you just have to trust that it is. A few minutes later it will complete the download and join the server. The auto download stuff will attempt to download all components though, even if they weren't packaged to support it, those will fail every time. I joined a server today which was using two components that were configured to use my service along with several ISI tracks and as a test I removed "all" of my content and then joined the server. It downloaded about 5 different tracks with no problem at all. Took forever though. The only way to see the progress is to open your packages folder and watch the files sizes grow. Thanks for the complement on my kid! He is such a cool kid. I race in an endurance league and he will spend the whole day with me following my team mates progress and cheers us on. He remembers everyone's names and knows exactly what place everyone is in and will pop in every now and then to check on me during my stint. It's so funny. "Daddy Daddy, did you pass John yet?" Hahahaha.
Totally agree with you, it is a great system and slight improvements will make it better again.. And yes, your GetMod.php is a great little redirect. Thank you for providing this to the open community.
Thanx. I'll give that a try when I get a chance. I can't keep my kids still long enough to race. So I have to wait until everyone is in bed.
Hey Noel, Would love to have a look at your code, I have sent you a PM. thanks for the redirect.....Grat Work. Pete
Found a file hosting site that will work with rF2 and allow this feature to work. Free account has only small data allowances though. http://www.fileden.com
