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Disasters, Designers & Source Files

T

Tango_Romeo

Guest
As the latest developments at AVSIM and NETWINGS illustrate, we are facing a time when mountains of CFS2 resources are being lost...in many cases permanently.

Sites like SOH are fighting to preserve those assets, however, there are other CFS2 assets that are not being preserved. :icon34:

These assets are the source files for aircraft, weapons, ships, vehicles and scenery objects (be they FSDS or Gmax) created by the original designers. These files are traditionally held tightly...understandably so, but they are not being kept safe. The problem comes as inevitably the designers one by one lose these files in computer crashes, or through simple loss of interest in the hobby. :isadizzy:

Since I have no intention of ever leaving CFS2 (short of my own demise, and in that case I will have made suitable arrangements), I have decided to begin an effort to stop this loss in the form of a repository of source files for designers. This will be a storage library for these source files where designers can deposit them for safe-keeping, with the knowledge that the files will not be shared with anyone without the designer's specific permission. In essence, a source file bank. :engel016:

Initially, my intention is to store these files on dedicated hard-drives with periodic backups. :male:

I may simply be pissing up a rope with this idea, but what are your thoughts? :kilroy:
 
I sink that SOH need extra backups, because is a big museum of models and works of many years back.

If any stupid hacker or some dangerous problem, throw down SOH.
exists a great possibility of losing great part of the museum, and not returning to recover the appreciated archives.
:gameon:
 
Hmmm . . .

Well, I would let you have everything I have. Even though I have everything stored on multiple hard drives and back-up copies, I only have one computer now, so it is possible that a lightning strike (or hacker) could theoretically wipe them out for good.

:pop4:
 
I personally believe that some designers hold their source files a little to closely to the chest. True, I appreciate the tedious & eye-strain promoting effort that is needed to produce a good model & I suppose that the possibility exists that certain pirate sites may promote models done with 'adopted' files as their own work & possibly with a profit motive.. A repository for files is a great idea for these, especially if specific instructions for distribution or deletion of the files is provided by the designer in the case of his exit from model building through natural or elective means...
 
I played CFS2 for the first time in a couple of wks and since I had convinced myself the sim is lame....I had to face the truth...even with the AI weaknesses....I love this sim with it's original PTO venue.
If I recall...per rhumbaflappy... it will be mute point in 5-6 yrs cuz new systems won't recognize CFS2 but;;;; I suspect there will be old systems dedicated to the sim for the next ???? yrs.
I think it's a great idea TR!
 
One thing I woud like to see is some place where we could store old CFS2 files.I have many and need a good safe place to store them.Also a place so that I can get to them if needed but a place that others can`t get them with out permission from eather the orginal designer or myself.I would like a place where we can go and atleast talk about things that we are not allowed to mention here.I mean no disrespect to SOH or its admin and I do respect the rules we have that make SOH the best sim sight on the net.
 
That's good...

...enough for me, Folks. :jump:

My plan is to simply purchase a large external hard-drive at my own expense and dedicate it to the storage of the source files and original textures(if any) by designer with a catalog cross-reference of type, nationality, etc. Regular backups of the archive will be saved to a second such hard-drive or DVDs.

Files can simply be emailed to me in ZIPs for storage. The files will not be available to the general public in any way, and will be released only to the designer or to others by his/her specific permission. The archive will serve as a safeguard for designers to protect their source files, as well as a resource that can be left to posterity when one moves on to other sims or leaves the hobby entirely.

Source files are not usually very large when zipped, even if a texture is included, and so transmitting them via email should be no problem.

Should I not be able to carry on the duty for any reason, I will find a successor to whom the archive can be entrusted.

As soon as I'm prepared to begin, I will let everyone know that they can begin sending their files with instructions on how they wish them handled.

Given that there are a fairly limited number of designers active currently, I do not anticipate the traffic being all that heavy initially. As time goes on, and if traffic warrants, I will look into establishing a website for the purpose of allowing designers to safely upload source files directly. :kilroy:
 
Ready, set...

...I'm ready to begin. :engel016:

Initially I will be using an 80GB hard-drive that is not needed elsewhere in my network, but am arranging for a new 640GB drive as the archive's permanent home. :jump:

So, any of you guys who are ready to help me get this thing off the ground, please contact me via email (just click on Tango_Romeo in this post and select Send Email) or PM. :wavey:

We really don't need a lot of coordination. My mailbox has 500MB of free space at this time. All I really need is the ZIP containing the source file, texture(if available) and a file ID) plus your instructions on how the file is to be handled. Of course, feel free to include anything else that you want. I'm going to get the archive setup with all of my source files and all of those that I have collected or been given. :ernae:
 
Also, even if we do lose a lot, that would give an opportunity for us to replace those files with newer and better planes! So designers and builders, this would be a great opportunity for y'all to step up and show your stuff! :jump::applause::engel016:
 
This...

DauntlessDriver546 said:
Also, even if we do lose a lot, that would give an opportunity for us to replace those files with newer and better planes! So designers and builders, this would be a great opportunity for y'all to step up and show your stuff! :jump::applause::engel016:
Click to expand...

...is true, but losing finished models is one thing, losing the source files another altogether. Models can be replaced relatively easily and in great variety from a good source file. Source files, as small as they are, relatively speaking, in size, represent untold hours of labor that are not easily replaced. They, like a beautiful texture, are works of art, not science....and every designer, not matter how prolific, only has so many source files within himself. :kilroy:

That may be a difficult concept to grasp unless you have had the experience of starting a plane or ship from scratch. Or perhaps not. :isadizzy:

Truly, no manner of converting, reworking or extracting model files can equal a fresh model file produced from a source file. And literally every day we lose more of them through crashes, or having them languish away on the forgotten storage media of designers who have moved on. :icon34:
 
Hey Tango Romeo,

I think it's a good idea to create an archive but I have to question the point in doing so without making it available to people to access and learn from. If I could suggest something, maybe you should create a catalogue of the files you obtain and make it available so that whoever would like to make use of a file could contact the author directly and request as much.

That being said, there are already websites that have been set up with the express purpose of being a repository for designers to store and share their files.

Regards,
Stratobat
 
The Intent...

Stratobat said:
If I could suggest something, maybe you should create a catalogue of the files you obtain and make it available so that whoever would like to make use of a file could contact the author directly and request as much.

This is specifically the intent of the archive. However, designers must be guaranteed control...that is why an archive such as this does not exist already. :pop4:

That being said, there are already websites that have been set up with the express purpose of being a repository for designers to store and share their files.

Where? I haven't seen one in the past ten years of simming? Please give me the links. :isadizzy:

Regards,
Stratobat
Click to expand...

I'm looking for a reason NOT to do this and STILL see source files preserved. :icon_lol:
 
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