Skin Admin Site ready to test

[Greebo]

I successfully uploaded a couple of skins with a blank white alpha file added, bar the reference image file that I accidentally misnamed. It took about 2-3 minutes for the 1024 res skin and 7-8 for the 2048 res one.

Many of the GVs still have some track files incorrectly listed as required, these are the files:

Firefly: a, e, p
Hetzer: e, p
M16: e, p
LVTA4: e, p
M18: e, p
M4A3 75: e, p
Panzer IV H: e, p
Panther: p
T34 1943: a, e, p
Tiger I: e, p
Tiger II: p

[Skuzzy]

You did?  New skins?  Updated?  Today? Nothing showed up in submissions for today.  I wiped whatever was in there from the weekend.

I knew the vehicles were a bit of a mess.  I'll need some help with those, but not right now.

[Greebo]

OK, I guess the incorrectly named reference images prevented the skins updating. I assumed they had been uploaded because the message said the other files had been verified. I'll try again now I have renamed the reference files.

BTW I have found another issue:

On the A-20G the "marking" files are missing from the page's list. These are patches with alpha maps that display the US markings on only top left and bottom right of the mirrored wings. The FM-2 has a similar arrangement but the "fmstr" files are present on this plane, although the diffuse and specular files are not marked as required.

[Skuzzy]

There is multiple levels of verification now.

1)  Verify the files actually belong to the submission.
2)  Verify the names of the files match the names of the file list.
3)  Verify the size (pixels).
4)  Verify the bit count and type of file.

If any one of those fail, for any given file, then nothing is uploaded.  Although, I was not intending the optional files to be that critical.  I'll review that.

I suspect we will find more files missing as we move along.  I had to build that entire list by hand.

[Greebo]

I submitted a new TBM skin and updated an old Brewster skin successfully and they showing as such on the main page. I think the page should reject the submission if the reference file is wrong since there is no way of adding it later, maybe just make the submission failed message a bit clearer.

[oboe]

That is due to your game account not being associated with the skinner account.  It looks like you deleted the game account associated with the skinner account, so the system cannot recognize you.

When/If you delete your game account, the skinner account is no longer accessible.  To get them back you have to contact us with the new login ID for the active account.

Be aware, after six months, or so, of no game account at all, the skins will migrate to "Orphan" status and will be available to be adopted by another skinner.  We have not implemented that formally, but it is coming.

In the meantime, I have reattached the skinner account to your current game account.

This is your browser doing that.  We cannot do anything about that.  You have your browser configured to auto-login and it is using the data it is keeping.  As to why you cannot reset that data, you would have to check with whoever made the browser.

The _A and _P maps are mutually exclusive.  If you submit a _P map, the _A map will be ignored.  Right now, I am asking for all the maps to be submitted so I can make sure that all get downloaded.  In reality, you will only be able to submit either the _P or the _A.  When we go live the submission screen will reflect that.

That is also a browser error.  It sounds like the browser is tossing out the information.  What browser are you using?

Thanks for reattaching my skinner account to my current game account.  I still see no skins for Oboe though - the page says

oboe's Updated Skins
Total Skins: 0

I was using the Opera web browser - just started recently and it seems fast and I like the design of it, but I'm not tied to it.  I found the password management section and it apparently stores one login/password per website, so that's why its always pre-filling my BB ID and password.

I just tried it with Internet Explorer, and when I use the back button from the Skins Update page I get a "Webpage has expired" page.  If I refresh this page as it suggests and click the "Retry" button on the message window that pops up, I get taken back to the Skins Admin main page. 

EDIT:  Just tried the same thing in MS Edge, and when use the Back button from the Updates page, I get this page:
Hmm, we can't reach this page.
Try this
Make sure you’ve got the right web address: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com
Refresh the page
Search for what you want

I refreshed the page and was taken back to the Login page.  At this point I have to re-login; the Forward browser arrow is greyed out.

[oboe]

I tried again this morning on the outside chance that a database or something needed to be bounced overnight to recognize the changes, but I get the same thing - oboe's skin list is empty.

btw, on the main Skins Administration page, in the Skinner Information page, it is showing
"oboe" as my Game ID.  This is my game handle and my BB id, but NOT the "Aces High Game login id" that I must enter in the Skins Admin login, and not the ID I use to login to the game. 

EDIT:  I was just able to successfully submit the default P-38L skin as a new submit (for testing purposes).  I had to create the missing _A, _E, and _P files by copying and renaming the _S file.  I understand the _A and _P files are supposed to be mutually exclusive, and if you submit one it will ignore the other, but on my first try I received an error for missing the _A file even though I was submitting a _P file.  I had to submit both _A and _P files to get through the verification.

Still no skins listed for oboe on the update page however.
 

[Skuzzy]

The problems started when you signed in before I had a chance to manually link your skins to your new game account.  The system simply created a new entry for you as a new skinner.  Then I came along and modified your previous account to link to the skins, which meant you had two entries for the same login ID.

This created many issues as I had not prepared the code for this circumstance.

I cleaned it all up now and you should see everything.

Now, as to using the "back" button.  The system is deliberately designed to make this difficult, and in some cases, impossible to do.  It is a security feature to keep would-be hackers from directly accessing any of the pages in the system.

Properly used, you should never have to use the "back" button of the browser.  Now, if there are circumstances I have missed, then I need to know about it, but I am not going to sweat the "back" button not working, when it is not supposed to.

Yes, the system shows your game ID.  I am never going to display your login ID, for security reasons.

I see oboe has submitted a skin and Greebo has submitted an update to a skin, in the last 24 hours.  Correct?

[Greebo]

I should have two skins showing, a new TBM and an updated Brewster.

[Skuzzy]

I should have two skins showing, a new TBM and an updated Brewster.

Oops, you are correct.  I missed it earlier (more coffee needed).

[oboe]

The problems started when you signed in before I had a chance to manually link your skins to your new game account.  The system simply created a new entry for you as a new skinner.  Then I came along and modified your previous account to link to the skins, which meant you had two entries for the same login ID.

This created many issues as I had not prepared the code for this circumstance.

I cleaned it all up now and you should see everything.

Now, as to using the "back" button.  The system is deliberately designed to make this difficult, and in some cases, impossible to do.  It is a security feature to keep would-be hackers from directly accessing any of the pages in the system.

Properly used, you should never have to use the "back" button of the browser.  Now, if there are circumstances I have missed, then I need to know about it, but I am not going to sweat the "back" button not working, when it is not supposed to.

Yes, the system shows your game ID.  I am never going to display your login ID, for security reasons.

I see oboe has submitted a skin and Greebo has submitted an update to a skin, in the last 24 hours.  Correct?

I see all of Oboe's skins listed now on the Update page.

It's also correct that I have submitted a new P-38L skin this morning (however its a dummy skin for testing only - its just a copy of the default P-38L skin).   I note though, that system required both the _A and the _P files to pass the submit verification - my understanding is that they are mutually exclusive and if you submit one, the system will not require the other.

[Skuzzy]

Correct, and I am working through that along with some other items Greebo brought up.

[Skuzzy]

<snip>I think the page should reject the submission if the reference file is wrong since there is no way of adding it later, maybe just make the submission failed message a bit clearer.

I am a bit confused about this one.  Could you clarify?

[Greebo]

I am a bit confused about this one.  Could you clarify?

You said you were reviewing if the optional files needing to be that critical and I was just saying I think the skin should not be passed if the reference files are incorrectly formatted.

All skins get the AH3 treatment, even the AH1 skins.  HiTech wrote a conversion to convert those.  They may only use a generic bitmap, but they are all (_A,_P,_N,_E,_S) being applied where applicable.

Based on this I have just finished creating all the normal, power and environment files for a Boston skin I have done, but when I went to view them they had no effect, only the diffuse and specular files work. The default files I just downloaded for the Boston only include diffuse and specular files, same with the Ju-88. So either you are wrong about the other files working with AH1 shapes or these effects are not working as they should on AH1 shapes.

[Skuzzy]

According to HiTech, the normal maps should work for every skin.  Now, has it been tested is the real question.  The intent is there, for certain.

Go ahead and submit that Boston skin, and I will get the files to HiTech so he can track down what is going on.


Yes, the optional files are also checked for proper size and type.  If I implied they were not, that was my error.