When I updated Fuji and Topeka to v1.01 each I didn't spend much thought on how it would affect vmods. Since I created another full version it requires 1.00 to be uninstalled which in turn seems to mess up the vmods. For Fuji so much changed an update-only version would not have made much sense and I dislike to have people download v1.00, then v1.01, then v1.02, then v1.10 etc. and rather provide them with one full download. I seem to have misread the packaging tutorial though and overestimated the size of the potential update so I might try the update version next time around. Questions: - if I had instead used an update version that does not require an uninstallation of v1.00 before installing v1.01, would that allow the vmods to keep functioning after installing v1.01? - if the answer is negative, what does that mean for track updates? Each time we update we mess up the vmods. That will get quite frustrating for those maintaining vmod collections of popular mods. Or can this be explained by rfmods being used differently than what it was supposed to be - namely they're currently used as a stopgap measure to somewhat recreate the rF1 multiplayer environment when they are meant to be league/event/server-specific - what does updating tracks mean for the automatic downloads? If someone wants to join a server running Fuji v1.01 I suppose his Fuji will automatically be updated to v1.01. What happens if the same person then tries to join a server running Fuji v1.00? Is his track getting backdated to v1.00?
For a track update, the actual content (gmt, dds) are not currently being automatically downloaded although this is currently being worked on. However, I think the way you view vmods should be different. Instead of finding ways for clients (drivers, racers, people who join) to maintain vmods, instead they should get the components (or rfmod) they are interested in and head to the matchmaker to see whats being races. Someone hosting a race however does need to worry about vmods. If you want to race v1.1 of Fuji with the Meganes, you can create this vmod (server list) with all virtual components and when people come to race, if they have the content installed they will get in. You dont need to first give them the vmod or worry they have a similar one or outdated one. Your question about joining a v1.0 component after getting v1.1 is a good one and still needs some refinement.
I ran into the problem that 'ethones' talks about. When I went to un-install version 1.0 before installing 1.01, I could not as I had 7 vMods pointing to that track. At first I thought that this was a bad thing by not being able to un-install old version, but that same night I joined 2 servers, one running the old v1.00 and 1 running the new v1.01 version. I could join them both without mismatches. If this was rFactor 1 then it would have been mismatch city for one of the servers. Not a bad thing . Ok, the bad side is it's using 2x disc space but I can live with that. What I would like Sir. Gjon , for the game to paste in the corner of the tracks loading screen the version number. (maybe on the server list too?) Also!, would not mind the game flagging up saying something like "1.00 is loading but you have a newer version installed (v1.01) please inform server admin to update Mods." Or something alike, if that makes sense. This more or less just tells you you are not on the updated track. Also same idea offline too. I could have loaded an out of date vMod by mistake that points to an out of date version of track. I would like the game to tell me I have a newer track if the game sees a newer track version. Thanks for all your work so far. DJ
Some good suggestions above. The component and mod version numbers use to be on the selector page, not sure what happened to them. You said you wanted to uninstall v1.0, isn't the v1.01 an update and requires v1.0? If so there is no extra disk space used. In the case of a FULL v1.01 then yea, basically you would have two versions and you would only want to keep v1.0 around for joining races that havent upgraded. Of course updates versus full new versions is up to the mod makers, but in general a couple smaller updates is better than 3 incremental full updates.
v1.01 is a full version again. I had to update all the .mas except the small _Main one and I was under the impression that any .mas that was to be updated had to be included in full again so I thought it wouldn't pay off to create a 50MB update for a 58MB track, requiring anyone wanting to get v1.01 now to download 108 instead of 58MB. As mianiak posted elsewhere, it's probably a good time for modders to try and test the update mechanism and I'll do so the next time around. That old and new versions can coexist peacefully is good news to me.
Yes you are right an update greater than 10-20% in size of the original is a good candidate for a full version.
Dude c'mon! (laffs) If rF is religion, then it can only be.. Gjod. Dunno why I have to keep reminding you guys ^i^ Bwahahaha
