Author Topic: Community-run Add-on Archive?  (Read 1489 times)

Ok, to start off, no. I am not thinking about RTB. That stuff's dead as the dead horse that most nostalgics are continually beating on. But I am also not thinking about Steam Workshop, as time and again, it's a bit limiting, according to some users, and obviously, Badspot's most likely not gonna fly for it. Knowing this, most guys like me would've done a flip off the handle, and letting my stuff fall sunny side up.

Thus, I propose a third option; a more hands-on community-run Add-On archive. Specifics? It would be run as a Clan within the clan discussion, controlled by a set amount of higher-ups. Instead of utilizing a dead system like the old RTB archives, this system would function on something more modern, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

I'm not saying to use this to do away systems like Blockland Glass. No, those systems are fine on their own. But there are some ways as those systems can fail. Which is why I propose this idea as a fail-safe; in case the main option fails to provide. However, there would be exceptions to this archive and the newer one. Like RTB, the the archive would house add-ons that are considered memorable to BL. However, it is encouraged to bring mods dating back as far as v1, or even older variations, so as long as they're memorable in a nostalgic case. There would be no fail-bin or bargain bin, as failed addons still have the ability to be fixed or improved, and that seconds for the lack of a bargain bin. Thus, an Add-On can be submitted, then rejected, but overruled by the community themselves.

We should strive to add, never delete.

Who would be interested in running something like this, as just a general interest check?

Nah Blockland Glass is fine this seems pointless. If it was to shut down I'm sure he'd warn us and we could make an archive of it like we have for rtb.

I like Blockland Glass, but this does seem different.

More of a great pile of possibly-useful stuff. Safety and quality not guaranteed. Almost like a scrapyard. Perhaps it's quantity over quality, but that gives everyone who browses it the opportunity to choose for themselves what has quality, or to borrow from old material.

To add the number of add-ons that would be fitting for such an archive to Glass would make it overcrowded and difficult to navigate, especially before it gets better sorting and searching.

Is that what you were thinking, or have I degraded what you intended?

I like Blockland Glass, but this does seem different.

More of a great pile of possibly-useful stuff. Safety and quality not guaranteed. Almost like a scrapyard. Perhaps it's quantity over quality, but that gives everyone who browses it the opportunity to choose for themselves what has quality, or to borrow from old material.

To add the number of add-ons that would be fitting for such an archive to Glass would make it overcrowded and difficult to navigate, especially before it gets better sorting and searching.

Is that what you were thinking, or have I degraded what you intended?

Not badly. For one, since there would be no bargain bin nor a fail bin, thus making add-on expectations slightly higher. Yes, this is a scrapyard-type thing, but with high-quality scrap. Only memorable add-ons would make the cut. This includes any add-ons created since the beginning of Blockland. Any submissions would be reviewed. If the proposal is rejected, it could be put to a vote, or the add on can be improved.  If the former, the veto can be overruled, safeguarding the add-on's place within the archive.

And sorting would be slightly easier too. Since both Google Drive and Dropbox have the ability to create folders for any type of file, and since most add-ons typically weight about 17-30 MB, you can literally store a lot.

You can't have votes on something like that, the average user is stupid and will vote yes for everything that looks cool. If you want to host add-ons you'll need to ensure they are safe to use.

You can't have votes on something like that, the average user is stupid and will vote yes for everything that looks cool. If you want to host add-ons you'll need to ensure they are safe to use.

Well, obviously.
Who would want to have a mod that has a backdoor giving the user full privilege access?
That makes no sense.

Well, obviously.
Who would want to have a mod that has a backdoor giving the user full privilege access?
That makes no sense.
I think he's saying we can't rely on the community noticing backdoors before voting things in.

blockland glass is doing this already

I think he's saying we can't rely on the community noticing backdoors before voting things in.

That's typically why we have people that know code, correct? I'm not saying this is a suggestion in where we create a junkyard from just randomly accepting any old add-on without a second thought. Yes, the community may not be well suited to voting when it comes to backdoors, that's why people test any old add-on the moment it hits the Add-On Section.

Nah Blockland Glass is fine this seems pointless. If it was to shut down I'm sure he'd warn us and we could make an archive of it like we have for rtb.
Glass is also being developed completely open source, all available on GitHub. It would take only a few minutes for someone to turn on a new copy of the site. Worse case scenario, I drop off the face of the earth and all that is lost is the user/addon/board database, but all file would still be available on the CDN until that expires. But that wouldn't happen, if I were to decide to leave the project, I'd pass of the domain and database to someone else to ensure a smooth transition.


I'm working on allowing people to submit add-ons as a "maintainer" so that older add-ons can be submitted. I've also experimented with an in-game browser to list the add-ons board and with a spider to index the add-ons board automatically, but it's nothing more than experimentation at this point.