[Bobboau]

ok, I'm putting this here because this is the closest thing to a suggestion forum HLP has.

two closely related things, first one easier than the second.

1) why? why is there not a tab at the top of this and every other page that says 'tools'?
this site is supposed to be about supporting FS modding, but it seemingly hosts none of the tools to do so. there really needs to be a readability available concise resource page that has all of the most up to date versions of all modding tools, broken down into category. it'd be nice if there could be a user interface to submit and update content, search content ect, but a simple static HTML document would be better than the nothing the main site currently has.

2) why don't we host an active mod database? right next to the tools tab should be a mods tab, clicking on it should present the user with a plethora, a boundless cornucopia of FS related content. VW had this PFS had this DC had this that was a decade ago, I'm not expecting you to just jump up and do it now but when I stop and think about it how has this managed to not ever get done? and yes I do see the hosted tab, that's not quite what I mean, that is mostly WIP stuff and it's mostly huge team TC type projects, there really should be a way to publish small scale mods, small component type mods, individual ships and weapons, in addition to the huge 57 mission campaigns.

[shiv]

Agreed. Large download section is what I've been waiting on HLP for a years. The only problem might be the bandwitch.

[Goober5000]

Any reason you can't use FreeSpaceMods?  It's linked on the External Sites bar after all...

[Bobboau]

my point was HLP needs it, the fact that there are other sites out there that do it does not change the fact that HLP does not. HLP should be your one stop shop for your every FS modding need, it is not.

I have never understood HLP's seeming aversion to getting into this business.
at the very least we should have the tools section. I mean I'm not even sure where I'd get VPview anymore.

[Goober5000]

I have never understood HLP's seeming aversion to getting into this business.

It's not an aversion.  It's merely a recognition of the fact that very few of the admins have time to manage what we already do.  Especially when there are other sites (FreeSpaceMods, SectorGame, ModDB, etc.) that do it just as well as we could, or even better.

The Tools section is a reasonable suggestion though.  We could add download links to the top navbar.

[Bobboau]

well, like I said, I wasn't expecting it to be done by the time I woke up in the morning, but HLP has been around a WHILE, I really would have thought that it'd have been done at some point, but it just never has.

[Goober5000]

It has, actually.  Styxx coded it into the website as part of HLP 2.0.  It was around for at least two years, but very few things were ever uploaded using it.

[Fury]

If someone wants to step up and actually help doing projects like that, I'm sure it could be arranged by the admins.

A mod database isn't a new idea, it has brought about every now and then for years. The problem is that HLP doesn't have sufficient bandwidth or throughput to offer it, the only way it would be possible is via P2P such as torrents. That was attempted twice in the past but it simply didn't kick off because lack of interest from project teams part. Someone would have to seed those files after all to keep the downloads alive.

Setting up a bittorrent tracker is reasonably easy, but doing that for third time is waste of time unless the community is ready to support it. Even then we might have bandwidth issues and I'm unsure what our hosting company likes of P2P.

Better but pricier alternative is to get a second server for a mod database where bandwidth wouldn't be an issue. Bandwidth and storage space costs a dime though.

However, I don't see much need to set up a mod database because FreeSpaceMods seems to do reasonable job at it. And better yet, it doesn't use our bandwidth and throughput. No reason to have all eggs in the same basket. Still, I guess that several sites could use a little more public exposure on HLP. But I guess that'll get covered when new mainpage gets done.

I agree with Goober about tools, it should be perfectly doable and actually makes me wonder why it has been overlooked all this time. It doesn't help that admins don't have time to mess with the site stuff though,

[Snail]

It has, actually.  Styxx coded it into the website as part of HLP 2.0.  It was around for at least two years, but very few things were ever uploaded using it.

It was pretty weird coding too... Most of the ships appeared several times.

[Angelus]

Wouldn't it be better to upload all tools to Freespacemods ( they don't have all, yet ) and add a tools section tab or drop down thingy which links directly to each tool at FSM?

This would save bandwidth and the amount of work needed would be rather low.

[Bobboau]

what if the HLP mod DB was strictly for non-TC type downloads? things that would be less than five megabites in size? that wouldn't hurt your band width too much would it?

[vyper]

Solution: Buy Acquire new moderators to do this, and other things.

[achtung]

I was actually considering bringing up something recently.

I had this idea a while back.  I was wondering if there was any possible way to actually merge fsmods with hard light.  When I say merge, I mean take on the same theme, and be added as a tab at the top, and possibly be added as a sub-domain of hard-light.net.  I'm not so sure about bridging the forum with e107, that might be too much work.  While fsmods would not exist as fsmods.net anymore, it would exist as a big part of hard-light.net.  That would essentially make HLP the one-stop-shop for everything FS.

Naturally, I would still host all the files on my server.

[Sandwich]

Just saw this now (thanks, Fury!).

In a nutshell: yes. It's technically possible, although I haven't spoken with the other admins on if we would want to (I don't see why not, but I can't speak for them).

Things are afoot in the main site dept; assuming a merger is ok, let's talk details after things are done being afoot.

[Aardwolf]

How would this affect things like, for example, my mod's subdomain of fsmods, rts.fsmods.net ?

Would the name then become something like rts.fsmods.hard-light.net ? *shudder*

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just that issues of that sort may need sorting out

[Blue Lion]

Why can't FSmods just be the collection place of mods and HLP offer a redirect to it?

Make a tab for "Mods" up top and then work on the FSmods site to be a complete (or close to) compilation and/or home base for mods?

Let FSmods work on getting mods, mod tools, "how to"s and all that.

This allows HLP to not only have a place to keep them, but frees up the admins here from having to work on it. It would allow others to handle more of the workload if it is indeed something the community wants. If it falters, well then it wasn't all that needed.

[achtung]

Why can't FSmods just be the collection place of mods and HLP offer a redirect to it?

Make a tab for "Mods" up top and then work on the FSmods site to be a complete (or close to) compilation and/or home base for mods?

Let FSmods work on getting mods, mod tools, "how to"s and all that.

This allows HLP to not only have a place to keep them, but frees up the admins here from having to work on it. It would allow others to handle more of the workload if it is indeed something the community wants. If it falters, well then it wasn't all that needed.

That's more or less what I want to go for.  Just have a redirect that is *.hard-light.net so the affiliation is there, and maybe a theme integration.  It's all just talk right now anyway, so there are no worries.

[colecampbell666]

I think it'd be a great idea. (the FSMods merger)

[Rico]

my point was HLP needs it, the fact that there are other sites out there that do it does not change the fact that HLP does not. HLP should be your one stop shop for your every FS modding need, it is not.

I recall HLP use to have a downloads section, and I found an old cruiser on it back then called the Olympic, or Olympia, damn wish I could find it now if someone has it could they send it to me? Back on topic, point is that it was the 1 stop shop. Also although FSnet has everything what if the site goes down, then everything is lost, it never ever hurts to have multiple sources, as backups per say 
I can see how bandwith could be an issue, how about uploading to filefront in a HLP group and linking to that? 

[castor]

This allows HLP to not only have a place to keep them, but frees up the admins here from having to work on it. It would allow others to handle more of the workload if it is indeed something the community wants

..and avoids having too many eggs in the same basket. Its quite enough that if HLP is down, also FS2Net and GW are down.