new skins on download page?

[rogerdee]

Skuzzy  i was woundering if it would be beter  to upload  the new skins on to the down load page  and maybe mark them as new instead  of  waiting  to get  a big bundel togeather  and wacking them in the game all at once?

    Do they  need  to come in all at once  or can  a few be added each time the map is reset.
  This would keep most of the guys happy  and celar  the back log quicker?

 maybe  a MOTD  posted  at reset  would anounce there were some skins now avaible?

 just thinking would it be easier  or more odf  a pain for you this way?

[Skuzzy]

It is easier when I can batch them.  However, if the batch gets too big, like the last one, it is painful.  There is a happy place.  I would like to do them once or twice a month.  If I have control over my time, I could scehdule it better.

I have some ideas to help make the entire process a bit easier to accomplish and am still fleshing it out.  Right now, there are too many ways errors can happen and an incredible inconsistency in how the skins are submitted.  Not blaming anyone for that.  It is the nature of allowing everyone to put together thier submission together and email it.

I spend a significant amount of time just putting together the package for Pyro and the artists, along with all the tracking stuff.  The amount of time to do this part is the reason why they get done in batches.  Here a walk through on getting a skin through the system, right now.

1)  Open the email.
2)  Create a directory for the zip file.
3)  Create a folder entry in the email software for keeping track of the skin so I can send the reference number and other notifications.
4)  Create the reference number tracking sheet (it is paper).
5)  Save the zip file.
6)  Send the tracking number to the player.
7)  Move the email submission to the reference folder.
8)  Navigate to the zip file.
9)  Open the zip file and extract the information.
10)  Verify the contents of the folder (info.txt?  No, then I have to create it.  planeID.txt?  No, then I have to create it and so on).  This step is by far and away the most time consuming of all the individual processes.
11)  Edit the info.txt file to add the reference number.  Important as it is the only electronic file with the reference number attached to the skin.
12)  Make sure the bitmap is the proper size, color depth. and is indexed.
13)  Create a folder in the skins directory of the game for the new skin.
14)  Copy the contents of the remote folder to the game skins folder.
15)  Start the game and verify the visual aspects of the skin and make sure it does jnot crash the game.
16)  Assuming all is well.  Now assign an internal skin number to the skin for the artists/Pyro.
17)  Notify Pyro/artists a skin is ready.
18)  They do thier magic and approve or disapprove.
19)  I get it back and then assign an in-game number to the skin.
20)  Send an email to the skinner notifying them of the results.
21)  Remove the internal email tracking folder as it is no longer needed.
22)  Check out all the required files for building the skin(s) for the arena servers.
23)  Create a versioning file for the skin.
24)  Build the resource file for the skin.
25)  Check the contents of the submission into source safe, along with all previously checked out files.
26)  Remove the temporary placeholder folder created initially for the skin.
27)  Upload the skin(s) to the servers.
28)  Reboot the arenas.
29)  Remove all local references to the skin and submission from my system.
30)  File the paper work for the skin.

The above assumes everything goes well.  Different paths are taken if the skin is not accepted, depending on who rejects it.

As you can see, this process is tedious and lengthy.  Doing batches of skins is far more time efficient (and far less mentally debilitating) than doing one at a time.

[rogerdee]

Thanks  for such a quick answer  to my question.

i knew there were  a lot of things  to do  to make it happen  not just  that many things  and you still get time to answer questions a nd help people out.

Man i think you need  a raise  or  a sexy  assistant

beter still both:aok

[Auger]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
1)  Open the email.
2)  Create a directory for the zip file.
3)  Create a folder entry in the email software for keeping track of the skin so I can send the reference number and other notifications.
4)  Create the reference number tracking sheet (it is paper).
5)  Save the zip file.
6)  Send the tracking number to the player.
7)  Move the email submission to the reference folder.
8)  Navigate to the zip file.
9)  Open the zip file and extract the information.
10)  Verify the contents of the folder (info.txt?  No, then I have to create it.  planeID.txt?  No, then I have to create it and so on).  This step is by far and away the most time consuming of all the individual processes.
11)  Edit the info.txt file to add the reference number.  Important as it is the only electronic file with the reference number attached to the skin.
12)  Make sure the bitmap is the proper size, color depth. and is indexed.
13)  Create a folder in the skins directory of the game for the new skin.
14)  Copy the contents of the remote folder to the game skins folder.
15)  Start the game and verify the visual aspects of the skin and make sure it does jnot crash the game.
16)  Assuming all is well.  Now assign an internal skin number to the skin for the artists/Pyro.
17)  Notify Pyro/artists a skin is ready.
18)  They do thier magic and approve or disapprove.
19)  I get it back and then assign an in-game number to the skin.
20)  Send an email to the skinner notifying them of the results.
21)  Remove the internal email tracking folder as it is no longer needed.
22)  Check out all the required files for building the skin(s) for the arena servers.
23)  Create a versioning file for the skin.
24)  Build the resource file for the skin.
25)  Check the contents of the submission into source safe, along with all previously checked out files.
26)  Remove the temporary placeholder folder created initially for the skin.
27)  Upload the skin(s) to the servers.
28)  Reboot the arenas.
29)  Remove all local references to the skin and submission from my system.
30)  File the paper work for the skin.

Sounds like a job for PERL MAN! and his faithful side kick Cron.

[Skuzzy]

If only it was that easy.  And Perl Man can bite my bobo.  PHP, maybe,...C, definately.  No real reason to make it a cron job though.

Not much can be automated about the process itself.  Almost all of it requires a human eyeball, but HT and I was talking about creating a Word template to be used for all the info.txt, plane.txt. and reference number information.

Skinner would fill out the fields, send it with the skin and that would shave a high number of steps off the process.

Still thinking about it.

[FTJR]

But Skuzzy, if you created the template, everyone would know what was expected of them !!!