another suggestion

[Commando]

This has been brought up before.  GSH said, if my memory is correct, the feature would be too difficult to implement and could pose a security concern especially if the map uses its own dll.

[Nielk1]

Really, for something like that to would would require it to be a part of the game's base design.

A temporary location for downloaded files, a standardization for map files and scripts, and tons of other strange things would be needed.

[Feared_1]

Ohh, I didn't see the "download" part. My bad.

GSH said that PB4a is NOT to add new fun things to twist around in our slimy, green fingers, but to correct some AVs and resyncs that were missed before release of PB4.

Its not going to happen, at least not within the foreseeable future.

[OvermindDL1]

Because Blizzard's Battle Net STORES ALL MAPS EVER PLAYED INTO THEIR INTERNAL SERVERS..... and then pulls them out from there.....

Wrong, wrong, and wrong.  When two Starcract (or Warcraft 2 BNE, or Warcraft 3) games connect, whether direct or through BNet, the map is downloaded from the host, hence why the speed is directly related to his upload.  If another person joins that also has the map, and there are two or more people that do not have the map, then he will also try to upload the map to the other, if not firewalled or what-not.

Probably a good method would be like Spring's CADownloader.
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[Warfreak]

Really....... oh, i feel stupid now..... *fixed*

[GSH]

Automagic map downloads have been requested for years. I've been patching BZ2 for years, too. If auto map downloads were easy, I would have done them by now. The problem is that BZ2's filesystem code is fundamentally designed around a *boatload* of loose files. (There's something like 4000+ files in patch13.pak). Any of those files can refer to a dozen others -- ODFs, wavs, mshs, textures, etc. There's no easy way to figure out what file(s) are used short of loading the map. Plus, with things like mpvehicles.txt or autoreg files, the host can require another pile of files be loaded, independent of the map.

Other games have done a better job organizing things from the beginning. It's a fundamental shift in the way all file access is done. It's not something you can easily patch in later.

-- GSH

[Steeveeo]

There's something like 4000+ files in patch13.pak). Any of those files can refer to a dozen others -- ODFs, wavs, mshs, textures, etc

At last count, there were 3612 files.

[Feared_1]

At last count, there were 3612 files.

Wow, Steeveeo. That must have taken days

The point is there's a lot in there.

[Commando]

Even if autodownloading was added you would have to restart bz2 for the new map to show up.

[Steeveeo]

Wow, Steeveeo. That must have taken days

um...actually it took less than a minute (not counting extraction times).

I just extracted the entirety of the patch13.pak into a folder recently to test for asset collisions, and when I highlighted all of them to move them around, Windows Explorer told me the file count. Simple as that.

[Feared_1]

um...actually it took less than a minute (not counting extraction times).

I just extracted the entirety of the patch13.pak into a folder recently to test for asset collisions, and when I highlighted all of them to move them around, Windows Explorer told me the file count. Simple as that.

Actually, I was joking.

[Steeveeo]

Actually, I was joking.

k

[GSH]

I see 4018 files in addon in the 'raw assets' folder for pb4a's installer. That's before the installer pulls some files off to the maps13 folder -- which is only a figment of the installer's imagination.

Before compressing for the installer, there are 4198 total files, 275MB on disk. Modder data is a separate 488 files, 48MB on disk. Compression does a heck of a job.

-- GSH

[Steeveeo]

I see 4018 files in addon in the 'raw assets' folder for pb4a's installer. That's before the installer pulls some files off to the maps13 folder -- which is only a figment of the installer's imagination.

Before compressing for the installer, there are 4198 total files, 275MB on disk. Modder data is a separate 488 files, 48MB on disk. Compression does a heck of a job.

-- GSH

I was citing what was in the patch13.pak (as you referenced having 4k+), not the installer.

[TheJamsh]

was the PAK Explorer made by someone on this community? it probably has one of the best compression capabilities ive seen...

theres also one called PakScape (but this wont open BZII pak files), it will open some PAK files on playstation discs though .

sorry thats not relevant, but a nice little nougat of information...