RimWorld Manager (Mods+Modpacks)

Started by onenonlynova, May 20, 2015, 04:16:34 PM

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Would you use the RW-Manager?

Yes (Player)
Yes (Modder)
No (Player)
No (Modder)
I don't care

onenonlynova

Hey everyone,

i've asked a couple of mod/modpack authors if they would like some kind
of Mod-Manager and i'm currently thinking of making a rimworld instance manager.

The Manager would allow you to create instances. Each instance could have a different
Mod set or could be using Modpacks. You could also update indivudual instances Mods.

In addition to the manager which is aimed at playing users there would be a webinterface
for modders. A modder could create his Mod/Modpack there and supply needed infos, pictures
and upload mod files. After review that Mod/Modpack would be pushed to all client lists for use.

as pictures do say more than thousend words,
preview:

this is just a sample preview and does not contain actual data and functions.

As i'm going to spend a lot of time and resources on this project i'd like to know first:
if a) you players and b) Mod authors would be happy to use this tool.

i would have created a poll for this but it seems like i'm unable to create polls here

If you have any more suggestions or questions feel free to ask.

Kind regards,

Alex

[UPDATE] you can preview the web-backend which will also serve as a mod/modpack database for everyone here
Mod/Modpack authors can request a login - just PM me!

Ninefinger

This is a great idea and would love to try it out when its available.

zoranjoza

Perfect idea.
I like some mods, and i dont like some mods. There are modpacks that are good, but have things that i dont want. So with this tool i could remove/disable them.

onenonlynova

#3
[UPDATE] you can preview the web-backend which will also serve as a mod/modpack database for everyone here
Mod/Modpack authors can request a login - just PM me!

mipen

This looks like a great idea! Would definitely be interested in using this, the update download part sounds like a godsend! And instances would be useful for switching between development and actually playing the game

onenonlynova

hey everyone, client alpha version is almost done, next up is downloading + updating mods/modpacks
therefore i would like some of the mod author's to pm me so i can setup a user for them to enter+upload the mod data.

regards,

alex

nmid

hell yes!

How will you resolve conflicts though?
I like how this game can result in quotes that would be quite unnerving when said in public, out of context. StorymasterQ

onenonlynova

conflicts? are u refering to conflicts between different mods? that's not the goal of the tool.
you still need to know which mods you can put together and which not.
i'm planning to include some kind of blacklist so a mod author can select other mods he knows that are not compatible and those
will not be able to be selected than but that's just a planned feature and won't resolve all problems

this tool's main purpose is to give you multiple instances of rimworld with different mods/configs and a database to choose/download mods/modpacks from and even update single or all installed mods of a specific instance

Sam_

It looks very interesting indeed. I can't help but be reminded of the ATLauncher from Minecraft when you mention instances. I did vote No as a Modder simply because I like to install mods manually, especially my own, for portabilities sake. So, don't be disheartened :P

It looks like you have put a lot of effort and thought into what you have so far, but I'll probably only get involved once it is done. It looks like it adds a bit more information to the mod on the list, so PM the details to set all that up once it's done and I'll support the manager on my mod pages.
Lastly if you need mods to test on it, feel free to use mine :P



Alistaire

If you plan for the tool to autonomously download mods, I, for one, would like download statistics.

I'm not sure how you're gonna handle different mod versions + different game versions without having some kind of mod download server either. Some mod authors might completely remove old mod versions from the download locations.



Of course I like the idea of a blacklist, but it also means compatibility is going to be more of an issue. If your weapons mod doesn't have patches for seven different mods and combinations of those mods, that's going to make for a pretty complicated blacklist;

<!--Some Weaponmod Unpatched blacklist-->
<list type="blacklist">
<li>Weapon Rebalance Mod #1</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #1</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #2</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #3</li>
</list>


<!--Some Weaponmod WRM#1 Patch blacklist-->
<list type="blacklist">
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #1</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #2</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #3</li>
</list>

<!--Some Weaponmod WRM#1 Patch requirelist-->
<list type="required">
<li>Weapon Rebalance Mod #1</li>
</list>


<!--Some Weaponmod WRM#1+WCM#1 Patch blacklist-->
<list type="blacklist">
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #2</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #3</li>
</list>

<!--Some Weaponmod WRM#1+WCM#1 Patch requirelist-->
<list type="required">
<li>Weapon Rebalance Mod #1</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #1</li>
</list>


<!--Some Weaponmod WRM#1+WCM#2 Patch blacklist-->
<list type="blacklist">
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #1</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #3</li>
</list>

<!--Some Weaponmod WRM#1+WCM#2 Patch requirelist-->
<list type="required">
<li>Weapon Rebalance Mod #1</li>
<li>Weapon Crafting Mod #2</li>
</list>


Etc etc etc

onenonlynova

Quote from: Sam_ on May 26, 2015, 05:11:44 AM
It looks very interesting indeed. I can't help but be reminded of the ATLauncher from Minecraft when you mention instances.

i was on the atlauncher dev team back when it started but had to leave due to lack of time.
that is what you guessed correctly the origin of the whole "instances" thing.
regardless, atlauncher did not invent this system as there are many tools for many different games using this technique.


Quote from: Alistaire on May 26, 2015, 05:51:52 AM
If you plan for the tool to autonomously download mods, I, for one, would like download statistics.

I'm not sure how you're gonna handle different mod versions + different game versions without having some kind of mod download server either. Some mod authors might completely remove old mod versions from the download locations.

there will be download statistics and there will be a dedicated file server handling all files.
i'm currently on reworking my database so that each mod/modpacks version is preserved on update (for backwards compatibility)

also i'm thinking of letting people share their mod compositions by a simple "hash-key" other users can enter
in the tool to get a new instance with the exact same mods + order


akiceabear

Just voicing that I really like this idea. Would be great if it also included usage stats and ratings - makes it much easier to sift through the big list of established mods.

RemingtonRyder

Any plans to add support for mod settings like RWLauncher?

Leucetius

Wow how could I possibly missed this thread???

There I am, thinking about writing a mod manager and here you are doing one :)

May I add the ideas I had for my own? Do with these as you like

- for modpacks the manager reads special config files. In these the modpack author writes a download link to one or as many files as he likes (the order in the file is the download and install order to ensure overwriting is correct). This is especially great for these packs with multiple configurations. You no longer have to download 4+ infividual files, merge them manually and choose the correct modconfig - as the numerous posts in the release area shows this is to error prone. You load one config, fire up the manager and load this config. Done.
- version checking. Mods which supply a modconfig - easy. For those who don't - yeah. Either config file (point 1) or filename or ... bad luck maybe ...
- high goal: read the xml's for added stuff and do a compatibility check
- high goal: modpack creator. Throw mods (and modpacks) together and create a new modpack. When the point above is realized check for compatibilty beforehand
- updater. self explanatory

And for me the example was the Kerbal Mod Manager. Never played Minecraft. The one of the X-series is very well done, too.

Vas

If I were to use such a system, it would need to be open source so other developers and coders can check it for malware.  Malware is such a problem these days in mod managers and other tools provided a lot.  Doesn't hurt to be too cautious.
Click to see my steam. I'm a lazy modder who takes long breaks and everyone seems to hate.