Thagmar
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN 2
Joined: 26 Apr 2002
From: nowhere |
 Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 04:22PM |
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i was wondering why we always have to use popular haks for our mods, why cant bioware just make a hak pack downloader. and if viruses are a problem then just do something with norton or mcaffee. they would probly do it |
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Beerfish
Moderator
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
Jade Empire:SE
NWN 2
NWN 2: MotB
NWN 2: SoZ
Mass Effect
Joined: 17 Oct 2001
From: Edmonton |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 04:25PM |
Don't they sort of already have this with the custom content installer? It packages pretty well everything together in one bundle. I haven't used it but waqs reading the turorial the other day.
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Ratbert_CP
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
Joined: 17 Oct 2001 |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 04:32PM |
BioWare doesn't care *that* much about it's customers getting viruses. Just see one of the many threads on the Custom Content Installer...
Aside from that, while there is no official Hak Pak updater, there is a third-party system that looks really nice. It's called (surprise!) Hak Pak Updater. It's very nice in that it handles the Hak Paks in a fairly granular way, keeping a cache of the individual elements of the Hak Pak, and updating/combining them as needed for any specific Hak Pak.
_________________
Ratbert #CP#
For FUN and HONOR!
Neverwinter Nexus |
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AlanC9
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
NWN 2: MotB
NWN 2: SoZ
Mass Effect PC
Joined: 09 Oct 2002 |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 07:59PM |
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The problem with an auto-downloader is that BioWare isn't in the server business. To have an auto-downloard you'd have to know where the stuff you're downloading is, and BioWare is simply not involved in that end of things. |
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LdyShayna
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR Xbox
SW: KotOR PC
Jade Empire
Jade Empire:SE
NWN 2
NWN 2: MotB
NWN 2: SoZ
Mass Effect PC
Sonic DS
Joined: 18 Oct 2001
From: Colorado |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 08:24PM |
Yes and no. I can see a system wherein if you connect to a particular server that is running a module that requires a hakpak, that the server involved could provide it. In this case, the person running the server should be sure of his throughput ability, and players involved would need to be OK with new logins sucking all of this bandwidth for a bit. 
Also, it's possible that a particular module could have a URL for the hakpak. This could be abused, however, in some ways.
Anyway, I wouldn't count it totally out of the realm of possibility that BioWare could come up with some mechanism for doin gthis in the near to short term future.
- Lady Shayna
_________________
"True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read; and in so living as to make the world happier for our living in it." - Pliny the Elder |
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Derek French
Technical Producer
Joined: 16 Oct 2001
From: Euphoria |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 08:58PM |
Because we haven't put it in yet...
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Derek French
Technical Producer
Live Team |
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Netherscourge
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 13 Jun 2002
From: Pennsauken, NJ |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 09:18PM |
Quote: ...and if viruses are a problem then just do something with norton or mcaffee.
Hmm... Me thinks a lite-version of some AV program would be Biowares responsibility to implement.
_________________
"I crap bigger then Billy Crystal." - Jack Palance, Oscar Speech |
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Ratbert_CP
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
Joined: 17 Oct 2001 |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 09:25PM |
Quote: Posted 12/12/02 20:58:17 (GMT) by Derek French
Because we haven't put it in yet...
While this sounds promising, I won't be holding my breath. As I mentioned earlier in the thread (or at least in threads referenced by my previous post), BioWare hasn't done the best job (IMO) of promoting security on the Internet.
_________________
Ratbert #CP#
For FUN and HONOR!
Neverwinter Nexus |
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MysterX
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
NWN 2: MotB
Joined: 22 Oct 2001
From: The Savage Frontier |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 09:27PM |
A lot of games have an 'auto-download' switch. If both the server and the client have it turned on, and the client tries to connect to a server running with custom content, the files get automatically sent to the client.
This works well for small files like new skins and models, but when there are large custom maps, lots of unique sounds, and so forth, it becomes a bit of a problem because when a client connects and starts downloading 80megs of updated content, it lags everybody else who's already playing. I'll often look for empty servers with auto-download enabled if I know I need a certain update but don't want to get kicked by the other players during the download.
I would like to see an NWN auto-downloader, but I still think for very large hakpaks (maybe it should have some sort of adjustable server-side filesize limit), the download should be done elsewhere so it won't affect the players already in the game.
_________________
MysterX, Chosen of Dagaider
High Pope of the Holy Church of the Party Waiting to Happen |
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k_e_n_s_a_i
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
Joined: 19 Jun 2002 |
Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2002 09:31PM |
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mmhmm... the downloader would have to be able to accept a URL, so it didn't have to pull data directly from the game server. |
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Ratbert_CP
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
Joined: 17 Oct 2001 |
Posted: Friday, 13 December 2002 12:16AM |
Quote: Posted 12/12/02 16:32:32 (GMT) by Ratbert_CP BioWare doesn't care *that* much about it's customers getting viruses. Just see one of the many threads on the Custom Content Installer...
That's not really fair. I may still believe there's a security flaw there, but saying BioWare doesn't care about the community is incorrect. If they didn't care, we wouldn't see the responses on the forums and the continued support of the Live Team.
I would expect BioWare would persue due dilligence in making sure that any auto-downloader they might release would have no unneeded negative impact on the security or stability of the end users systems.
_________________
Ratbert #CP#
For FUN and HONOR!
Neverwinter Nexus |
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highplainsdrifter
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
NWN 2: MotB
Joined: 31 Jul 2002
From: The wrong side of the Uncanny Valley |
Posted: Friday, 13 December 2002 01:29AM |
Quote: Posted 12/12/02 21:31:28 (GMT) by k_e_n_s_a_i
mmhmm... the downloader would have to be able to accept a URL, so it didn't have to pull data directly from the game server.
This can be done. Unreal Tournament has a very powerful "redirected downloads" ability for custom content.
A game server admin can set up his game server to use any type of custom content: levels, sounds, player models. When the client connects to the game server, they check to see if the client has the custom content or not.
If the client doesn't have the content, then the game server tells the client the url of the content server. The client then downloads whatever it needs from the content server without taking any bandwidth away from the game server.
This allows faster downloads of the content automatically.
Generous people with access to bandwidth set up some content servers for public use. Others are reserved for private use only.
The system is fast, efficient, and seamless from the point of view of the game player. I haven't heard of any virus being transmitted through this system. |
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Dregur
Moderator
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
Jade Empire
Jade Empire:SE
NWN 2
Mass Effect
Joined: 17 Oct 2001
From: Washington State |
Posted: Friday, 13 December 2002 01:33AM |
Quote: Posted 12/13/02 00:16:23 (GMT) by Ratbert_CP Quote: Posted 12/12/02 16:32:32 (GMT) by Ratbert_CP BioWare doesn't care *that* much about it's customers getting viruses. Just see one of the many threads on the Custom Content Installer...
That's not really fair. I may still believe there's a security flaw there, but saying BioWare doesn't care about the community is incorrect. If they didn't care, we wouldn't see the responses on the forums and the continued support of the Live Team. I would expect BioWare would persue due dilligence in making sure that any auto-downloader they might release would have no unneeded negative impact on the security or stability of the end users systems.
*scratches his head*
Talking to your self again, Ratbert?
-The Grinman 
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Unabashed Utada Hikaru Fan.
Also, an Apple iPod sellout. |
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Ratbert_CP
Game Owner
NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN: HotU
SW: KotOR PC
NWN 2
Joined: 17 Oct 2001 |
Posted: Friday, 13 December 2002 01:43AM |
Quote: Posted 12/13/02 01:33:23 (GMT) by Dregur *scratches his head* Talking to your self again, Ratbert? -The Grinman
Heh... Mainly just recanting a bit of a rant that was undeserved...
_________________
Ratbert #CP#
For FUN and HONOR!
Neverwinter Nexus |
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Borderswine
Game Owner
 NWN
NWN: SoU
NWN 2
Joined: 17 May 2002 |
Posted: Friday, 13 December 2002 07:26AM |
no, Ratbert, i think we heard you. your point is valid and all, and a lot of is are thinking about it.
on the other hand...
overall it is our responsibility to protect ourselves, but bioware will assist us eventually. its not like they are trying to sabatoge our hard drives, lol. i think highplainsdrifter is completely right on with his thought. |
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