Blockland Forums > Suggestions & Requests
Better folder structure
Ephialtes:
--- Quote from: Richard Robertson on January 06, 2010, 04:26:03 PM ---~faceplam~
Windows XP and newer versions have a Saved Games folder either in My Documents (XP) or directly on the user (Vista/7). That's where the game addons and saved builds would go.
Programs should never be installed to the root of the drive. Not only is it disorganized, it's tacky.
Programs should be easy to back up. When everything is stored in the user's folder, copying the entire folder can be considered a complete OS backup. All the programs can be reinstalled and then the user's folder is just pasted back in place. Blockland can't be backed up like that, while everything else I use, can be.
Also, the registry is rather abused at this point. Originally it was only used to store file extension associations. This was as early as Windows 3.1.
--- End quote ---
~facepram~
I don't think you're getting the point here. This is a change that would require totally breaking the way the game file structure works at the moment. This game engine is not meant to access files outside of it's base folder and that is absolutely the way it should stay when the game is so open to modding like it is. The dev time would be better spent on something people can actually enjoy.
Unfortunately for you, being a "programmer" does not make you right. :panda:
Richard Robertson:
--- Quote from: Destiny/Zack0Wack0 on January 06, 2010, 04:37:18 PM ---You can argue all you like, Badspot is not going to change the file structure just because one person says it's messy. The fact that you want the game split into 3 parts, is even more messy then the current system.
If you don't want to install the game directly on your main drive, make a Games sub folder.
--- End quote ---
How do you have any idea what Badspot will or won't do? I've actually got a handful of other programmers that agree with me on the subject.
--- Quote from: rkynick on January 06, 2010, 04:46:24 PM ---Try to understand how complicated the change you suggest is comparatively to you moving the folder.
Beyond that, splitting the program and the data is a stupid move, in my personal opinion.
--- End quote ---
It's not complicated at all. It requires minimal code change. Paths are easy to change.
--- Quote from: Ephialtes on January 06, 2010, 04:48:32 PM ---~facepram~
I don't think you're getting the point here. This is a change that would require totally breaking the way the game file structure works at the moment. This game engine is not meant to access files outside of it's base folder and that is absolutely the way it should stay when the game is so open to modding like it is. The dev time would be better spent on something people can actually enjoy.
--- End quote ---
It wouldn't break anything. Paths are not hard to change. End of story. If you've ever written a program that uses files and folders, you'd know how stupidly easy it is to change a single string value.
Ephialtes:
--- Quote from: Richard Robertson on January 06, 2010, 04:53:06 PM ---It wouldn't break anything. Paths are not hard to change. End of story. If you've ever written a program that uses files and folders, you'd know how stupidly easy it is to change a single string value.
--- End quote ---
Maybe your awesome visual basic notepad you made with live action saving and loading works using a single string value, but the Torque Game Engine is a different ball game. I suggest you go and learn about that before you go telling a bunch of people with years of experience how to use it.
Richard Robertson:
--- Quote from: Ephialtes on January 06, 2010, 04:55:46 PM ---Maybe your awesome visual basic notepad you made with live action saving and loading works using a single string value, but the Torque Game Engine is a different ball game. I suggest you go and learn about that before you go telling a bunch of people with years of experience how to use it.
--- End quote ---
It's called a base path. You set it to whatever you want and tack the relative path on the end of it. So instead of the program reading the file ".\Add-Ons\Map_bedroom.zip" it would read base + "\Add-Ons\Map_bedroom.zip".
base would be a single string variable. I don't know why you think it would be any more complex than that.
Ephialtes:
--- Quote from: Richard Robertson on January 06, 2010, 04:59:22 PM ---It's called a base path. You set it to whatever you want and tack the relative path on the end of it. So instead of the program reading the file ".\Add-Ons\Map_bedroom.zip" it would read base + "\Add-Ons\Map_bedroom.zip".
base would be a single string variable. I don't know why you think it would be any more complex than that.
--- End quote ---
Because you're doing to have to define a "base path" for the config files to go in AppData and the add-ons and saves to go in the User folder or wherever. You're then going to have to go and find every reference to these file paths and add this "base path" to it. You're then going to have to go and modify how the Resource Manager works which is a nightmare to change anyway, so that the engine knows the files exist. You then have to hack up the existing security that prevents external folder access and allow it only access to the two base paths you defined.
Sounds like a mess to me. Do you even have any experience with game engines, or is the visual basic notepad the extent of your "abilities" ?