[colecampbell666]

If you've ever played a Source Engine game online, you know that most servers have maps and sounds that automatically get downloaded to your PC. What I'm asking is for this to be possible with FS, perhaps so that one can share a special table needed for their server. (RealFlight, for example). Or perhaps a mission, or a squad logo or ship. Anything. Perhaps have a \data\multiplayer\ folder, with a /<servername> folder within, with the appropriate /tables, /maps etc folders inside. When playing on that server, that folder would be selected as a mod.

Is it possible? Probable?

[Turey]

missions already do this.

Many things are loaded at game start and never again, so I'm not sure if you could do it with tables and the like.

[Shade]

missions already do this.

Same goes for squadron logos and pilot images.

[WMCoolmon]

It might be possible to load modular tables, but - mods tend to be very large when you include the models and textures, and it could cause problems to try and sync everything with the server.

[colecampbell666]

I mean mainly tables, like I said, Velocity Mod or some weapon mod.

And mods too, I'm thinking of dedicated servers down the road.

Would the tables be possible?

Or even textures, Brando's new X-Wings gave me the idea.

[WMCoolmon]

Tables would be possible to apply, but then you'd have to reapply them. I think FS2 is setup to reload the default tables though - I remember seeing the ships.tbl loading function somewhere in the multi code, but that's no guarantee that you could run it after a game and simply have it work. A lot of other things in the code assume that table order doesn't change (For example, the loaded ship classes reference the loaded species and loaded weapons). However, since you'd be loading everything the same way each time, and 'new' code would only reference old code or itself, I think it would sort itself out.

So I'm going to tentatively say that it would be possible. But it would need some doing, and I think that research into ingame joining would be a better idea to work on than this.

[colecampbell666]

Perhaps have a \data\multiplayer\ folder, with a /<servername> folder within, with the appropriate /tables, /maps etc folders inside. When playing on that server, that folder would be selected as a mod.

[WMCoolmon]

Doesn't work. The -mod system is embedded deep within the CFile system hierarchy and there's no way to just change it in the middle of running Freespace without causing untold, unknown amounts of chaos, confusion, and bugs. Goober's sig quote about Python would be appropriate for that kind of solution.

I don't even know if it's possible to add a mod, and then remove a mod.

Taylor can speak more intelligibly about the mod system, but last I heard, he considered doing switching from a separate room (ala the campaign room) a huge undertaking.

[karajorma]

The problem with syncing tables is that more often than not mods don't simply consist of tables only. So the user has now downloaded a table that doesn't work, crashes him out and then further buggers up his game when he tries playing singleplayer in the future until he plays multiplayer with someone who has a standard FS2 build to overwrite his broken tables with the original ones.

Basically what I'm saying is that this could be an absolute support nightmare.

[griffon67]

is it imposible to place modifier files in a mod with the name of the server and then run this mod whenever the player tries to join this server ?
(or even use the name of the mod)

[Reprobator]

it can be a good things but...
the file transfert should not start from the game server himself because of the possible lag result form that...
it can be a sort of tagg in the mod that give a ftp or http link on external server that the game would automaticaly download

[karajorma]

is it imposible to place modifier files in a mod with the name of the server and then run this mod whenever the player tries to join this server ?
(or even use the name of the mod)

The problem then becomes one of non-standard mod names, suppose I have FSPort in a folder called FS1port, the tables would be downloaded by anyone who connected to me.

I suppose using the mod name might work though.

[griffon67]

I was wondering. If you have friends and wants to play a mod of freespace2 online.
Is it possible to personnes who have the same mod activated to play online ?
If this is possible it's already quite a big enhancemement to the game

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Yes you can.  You can even play them over the net as long as both people have the same mod active.  Can't guarantee it won't crash for some other reason like a model or table entry it doesn't like. 

[FUBAR-BDHR]

For some reason I was thinking about this at the bar last night (Yea I go to a boring place).  With all the different mods coming into play and the lobby coming back would it be possible to break the lobby code out as part of a multiplayer launcher?  Basically instead of loading the game then going into the lobby going into a lobby that can see all the games and mods (say one channel for each mod).  When you decide to join a game in a channel it loads FS2 with the appropriate launcher settings for that mod.  There could be default settings for each mod in a config file.  The player could customize those either through the launcher or just editing the config file. 

I know this is probably a major task but for all I know it might not be.  Just putting it out here for something to think about for future versions.  A way of joining any mod running the FS2 engine from one source could be a big plus to multiplayer in the long run.  Jump in for a couple of FS2 games.  No one on right now  hop over to BTRL or TBP for a game or 3, see someone playing FSPort jump over there. 

Why do I have the feeling that this post is going to lead to several links on how to quit drinking.   

[colecampbell666]

That would work, and probably better than what I suggested. Even, at a stretch, have it scan for the files, and say "Get X mod here, if the applicable data was supplied.

[n0s]

this sounds really cool. maybe then more ppl would play fs2 multiplayer.