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Author Topic: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot  (Read 3481 times)

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klavan

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Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« on: 27 May 2006, 09:35:36 »
Maybe i'm early, anyway.......
What about giving to the possibility to the mission makers who have their missions rewieved to update D/L URLs for the needed addons even after their missions are rewieved?
Thinking about what happened during the past months, both to OFPEC and ofp.info, this could help to limit the uneasiness caused by such happenings.
Just a thought......
Klavan
   

Offline The-Architect

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #1 on: 27 May 2006, 11:35:07 »
We'll consider that and get back to you. We're busy right now but I'm sure we'll give it some thought when we get an opportunity.
James Andrew Wilkinson 1977 - 2005 R.I.P.
"If it ain't the friggin' incoming it's the friggin' outgoing. Only difference is who gets the friggin' grease, and that ain't no friggin' difference at all."

Offline Sui

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #2 on: 27 May 2006, 13:03:48 »
Not a bad idea...

One issue is that it would have to be updated properly... ie. we may get the situation where some authors keep their links up to date and some don't.

Anyway, worth looking into... ;)

klavan

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #3 on: 27 May 2006, 13:44:44 »
@Sui
Naturally is up to who posted the missions to ensure all works properly, you can't force anyone doing that, but a "report dead link" button may help, with a mail/message sent to the admin who may redirect it to the mission owner. Or something similar.
Klavan
 

Offline rado1265

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #4 on: 27 May 2006, 16:18:14 »
A really good idea to make an even better Missions Depot, worthed of some consideration, when the time for it comes.

It also happens quite often, that the authors also modify-improve their missions, even when they're 'finished'(and reviewed) product, which can be another argument to leave the author the possibility to update the file after it's been rewieved.

Offline Pilot

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #5 on: 27 May 2006, 16:32:30 »
Yeah, I have improved my only released mission with voices, and was hoping there was an easy way to update it.

-Pilot

Offline The-Architect

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #6 on: 27 May 2006, 16:34:54 »
No I don't think so. Once the mission is reviewed you can't update the mission because the review wouldn't apply to it. You'd have to resubmit the new version for a brand new review. Remember the mission you submit should be final. That means you shuldn't need to update it. Small changes like what Pilot has highlighted are possible but that would mean the reviewer having to modify the review. Possible I suppose but time consuming. It's worth discussing.
James Andrew Wilkinson 1977 - 2005 R.I.P.
"If it ain't the friggin' incoming it's the friggin' outgoing. Only difference is who gets the friggin' grease, and that ain't no friggin' difference at all."

klavan

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #7 on: 27 May 2006, 17:00:33 »
I'm with The-Architect.
It's a matter of responsibility for the mission maker to submit a final and ready to be played stuff.
A rock band can't change their last LP only because the reviews are negative once released (althought i realized that such posssibility would be very helpfull for me  ;D).
Klavan

Offline rado1265

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #8 on: 27 May 2006, 17:10:06 »
Those updates are usually even a smaller ones as Pilot's (in my eyes that change is quite significant -or not-, but certainly not forthed of another submission and review); they're almost always just some small esthetical changes and-or some newely founded bug fixed. So in my eyes this are no some big changes, wothed of another submission and review. And it can't be differently; no half-missions (all of them are 'final' versions, aren't they?) have been yet reviewed on this site (neather it will be I hope), so there's not much of possibility, that later the missions can be dramatically changed by the author e.g. not to some extend be consistent with the review.

The point is; why don't offer this option to the mission's author, to modify the whole package, not only addons links; on the end it's best for the author, and above all it'll improve the quality of the Missions Depot's 'content'.

Offline Artak

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #9 on: 27 May 2006, 21:13:05 »
Updating the mission by author was already possible in the old OFPEC (including links to addons). I don't see why it shouldn't in the new one too.
The way I see it could work is to have field where the reviewer states the version on which the review is based on. Then add two mandatory fields to the new and improved 'author modify' interface - 'current version' and 'version history'. People dowloading the mission would understand that changes have been made and they don't show in the review.

Not all is lost.

Offline rado1265

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #10 on: 27 May 2006, 21:48:32 »
Updating the mission by author was already possible in the old OFPEC (including links to addons). I don't see why it shouldn't in the new one too.

Even when it was reviewed? Well, then I must forgotted about it. OK then.

Quote
The way I see it could work is to have field where the reviewer states the version on which the review is based on. Then add two mandatory fields to the new and improved 'author modify' interface - 'current version' and 'version history'. People dowloading the mission would understand that changes have been made and they don't show in the review.

A very good idea, I'm totally for it.

Offline The-Architect

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #11 on: 27 May 2006, 23:07:45 »
I don't like it. What's the point of us writing reviews if the author changes the mission a week later and makes the review obsolete to a large degree? You know that we'll get like a 50-75% amount of people updating their missions. That would mean that number of obsolete reviews.

The only way I can think of right now as a workaround would be if once the author changes something, the reviewer gets sent an IM automatically saying it's been done.
Perhaps on the resubmit page there can be a field where the author can list the changes and then the reviewer can go back through the mission and focus on those points, and then edit his review to keep it up to date with the author's version.

All in all though it's more work for the reviewer. Artak, you know as well as I do that the missions depot backlog can get pretty large. This would confound the problem in my opionion. Still, as I said before, the idea has promise if we can think of an efficient solution.
James Andrew Wilkinson 1977 - 2005 R.I.P.
"If it ain't the friggin' incoming it's the friggin' outgoing. Only difference is who gets the friggin' grease, and that ain't no friggin' difference at all."

Offline rado1265

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #12 on: 28 May 2006, 00:56:38 »
Only I can add for now on this subject is, that on the Missions Depot every time and in every aspect the 'well being' of the missions should-must have a priority over the 'well being' of the reviews.

Offline Wolfsbane

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #13 on: 06 Jun 2006, 11:38:44 »
Another idea for updating Missons after review would be:

- Reviewer takes the mission, reviews, posts and marks as 'Final Review'
- Author a week down the line, alters something in his mission
- Author then uploads the new mission, over-writing the last one
- Author fills out an 'Updates List' field, which shows in the bottom of the Review, that it has been modified since, adding, "xxx"

So it could read, for example, at the top of every updated Review:

|| Final Submission Updated ||

You can click on that link, to be taken to the bottom of the review where the updates have been listed.
These missions are also marked on the overview listings, with a red sign to state the Final Submission has been updated, so that you can skim through and quickly note the new updated ones to try out.

That way, there needs be no new review, because the old review still stands, and is still valid to the version it was submitted under, you could even retain the old version, in the case where some alterations and updates are so drastic as to conflict with the review.

This saves manpower from having to re-review new missions with minor updates, and for a fail-safe, there could be a necessity to have updated missions checked briefly and approved before being made public, just to ensure it is the same mission, and not just some crap.

:)

[ Basically, it's like 'This post has been notified'. Where that notified bit is, is where the updates listed would be, in a nice, clear fashion. ]
The greatest days, with the greatest people.. OFPEC.. The friends are never forgot.

Offline Sui

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Re: Idea for the (upcoming) missions depot
« Reply #14 on: 06 Jun 2006, 11:55:03 »
Actually that's a good way of doing it... it takes away the scenario where the review would be in danger of 'mis-representing' the mission...

We could also possibly use the displaying of multiple versions in the beta testing system we plan to get going...

* Sui runs away to plot cunning plots with the coding team...