TTW Mod Directory Server and Client

[kindom]

I don't know where to post this, so move this topic if this place is not the best for.

I look over mods, load orders, install instructions and have opinion that community might want to have own client and server to store mods and patches for TTW. So I want to hear all your pros and cons.

Most big mods needs manual installation instructions, while they can be automated with simple script which will generate FOMOD to install in mod manager people use.

Most installations have predefined steps like following or not require user attention: 

• 
  check for nvse version (can be included in target fomod)


• 
  check for nvse plugins and versions (can be included in target fomod)


• 
  check load order


• 
  check TTW version compatibility (I don't know how at the moment, but it should).


• 
  download files from nexus (here we can ask user what to download)


• 
  download TTW patches


• 
  some steps to repack (take folders from one, put replace from other, etc)


• 
  patch XMLs (specially for UI mods)


• 
  add fomod directory with description, links, installation instructions


• 
  Reminder users about these files are forbidden to redistribute, etc.

Also I don't like to download version 1.0, then patch to 1.6, then patch to 4.9 while I try to download plugin first time. Merging can happen automatically on server side.

All this process doesn't require Windows OS as on server side as well on client side. We can read dll headers to have enough information to check nvse and plugins versions.

I can help with programming client and server, but I really need to create roadmap and some technical documentation before I wrote first line of code. 

[kindom]

I have about 93 combined archives and they're counting. For example, I open Skyrim, open Nexus, tap on 100-200 plugin links and they're work *now* (NMM fixes order itself). TTW is not so easy for newcomer.

[kindom]

My

pros are:

• 
  almost all mod lists except several ones have no links to forum pages and there's a bit hard to lookup for mods from them (BlaFooBar.esp is not link to mod and it is not mod name and version)


• 
  You can't update mod and be notified about update even if you want to because there's no links and no version information inside archive/fomod from this site.


• 
   

 

[undead4life]

undead4life, I understand you position, but I don't want to open GECK because it is awful tool. TES5Edit (aka FNVEdit, FO3Edit, TES4Edit etc) is much better.

Merging plugins gives NO information about how game works, install 10 patches instead single one fat application don't works well (and don't even try to uninstall something in between!). It's ok when you update huge mod which weights about 4-5 GB and you change one little texture, but not for new user.

Mac OS X, some Linux and BSD distributions shows well that fat package is better for end user than 10 small updates (except slow network lines and very huge packages like MS Office). It doesn't for OS, but for single end-user applications.

[undead4life]

undead4life, to understand how new toy works you should be plugin developer. Long ago in 2012 I've merged many plugins for FO3 which was without any compatibility between each other.There were FOOK, EVE and some other little good plugins. I have done fix for every single crash, and partially know how my game works.

But I don't want to buy new car S-class and build it by myself from scratch every time even I want simply to drive to work, nearest town or to shop. I don't want to by billions of transistors and combine them together to play game I want.

[sesom]

Kingdom sure would be such a service great. But did you actually thought about who maintains it? You need a team of people who actually know the mods that this service is supporting very well. So modauthors should do it? Sure but it would end up them maintaining this service and not making mods anymore. BOSS, STEP,... (even NMM) and many others are tries to solve these problems but in the end they all fail because of manpower and knowledge of the mods.

[KeltecRFB]

I agree with Sesom, Boss and LOOT have all not been 100% and basically gave up on them because they caused more havoc than good.  It is just better to follow the TTW Team Load Order General Guide and not use a script.

https://taleoftwowastelands.com/content/load-order-general-guide

 

[TJ]

I can see the benefits in such a system. If Therm could set up a mod information kind of thing, ideally in the same box as the TTW Version information it would be trivial to set up a simple program that would do such a thing. These bullet points are more or less copied from the first post, but this is what we'd need:

• 
  mod version information. Preferably limited to just numbers unlike nexus.


• 
  required nvse version, if any


• 
  required nvse plugins, if any


• 
  I don't care about the load order. The end user could figure it out.

Additionally, if the mod were to pack an xml file the program could:

• 
  Check and download required files


• 
  download required patches, if any


• 
  maybe follow simple instructions to repack or create a fomod

These things would be harder to do, the primary function would be basically keeping track of mod versions on the server and informing of updates, as well as making sure you meet the requirements for any mod you want to run. Additionally, the program could be coded to inform users when they're doing stupid things with their game, like running mods that explicitly do not work with TTW.

[undead4life]

undead4life, I've automated part of these tasks already for myself, because I'm lazy and I know that everyone can forgot everything.

Programming is my work and hobby and I see that this project can bring more fun for this community and newcomers as well. I don't bother about resources, because this project today has resources where to place assets (internal or external). It is another way to organize mod publishing and delivery process. I can provide some resources on my server if this project will need them.

[KeltecRFB]

If you get it working 90+%, very cool!  I will test it out with a dedicated MO profile.