OFPEC Addon Depot

[Noon416]

The Addon Depot.

The third most popular place in OFPEC.
Our largest consumer of bandwidth by a long shot.
A valuable resource for the community.

As you're all aware by now, we have had to shut it down as it's bandwidth usage has been costing a lot of money. More than we can sustain in the long term.

But OFPEC (and the community) doesn't want to lose this resource, so we have been looking at different options to accomodate this bandwidth-monster and make it available to the community again.
So far, a couple of previous idea's haven't provided an answer, so we now move to the next step:
- Moving the Depot away from OFPEC onto it's own hosted server.

So here's what we're asking:

Is there anyone out there in the community that can offer hosting for the Addon Depot?

Requirements would be:
 - 2GB of drive space
 - up to 150GB of bandwidth per month
 - T1 connection or better

Obviously we would be willing to offer recompense, but we will discuss that as required.

The Addon Depot is a valued community resource, and we don't want to have to shut it down.
So if you can offer us something, we want to hear from you!

Contact either:
 - Noon416 via PM or email r998560@hotmail.com
 - Sefe via PM or email sefeofp@hotmail.com
 - HuBBa via PM or email HuBBa@docuwild.com

[Homefry31464]

Hope this can be up and running soon..

[veston pants]

Could a solution to the problem be as simple as cutting down on the amount of units in the addon dept.?

For instance, only top quality addons such as weapons with all the relative parameters etc.

Just a thought as most the addons I've seen I'll never really use to enhance the game overall.

[Artak]

The best and most popular addons are the ones that are downloaded the most and thus taking the most of the bandwidth. I would assume that the less popular ones aren't the problem as they just gather moss on the server harddrive so to speak.

[veston pants]

you seem to know what your talkin about, so I won't argue..
It's just that there will be peeps out there who will DL any new addon just to try it out, cutting down on choice should naturally cut down on amount of usage, and once you've DL'd all the good addons, you won't be DL'in 'em again.

Personally, I'd like to see an elitist addon list for the game hosted somewhere, which would save time searching thru the endless amounts of addons on other sites. It may also improve the designers work trying to get it on to such a list.

Just a thought innit.

[Homefry31464]

Well, we don't want to show elitism here, everyone starts somewhere.... and that wouldn't really work to well.

[granQ]

why not make it peer to peer.

Like start a Direct connect hub, where you only should share ofp addons, missions.

or a torrnet thing.

like on the addons depot you only write reviews, credits and stuff and you say the file name.

then you copy the file name and put into search window and you start download it from one of all ofpec fans.

[Uldics]

I think the torrent thing would be the best, because then you would not have to use a good connection or a whole new server to the task. It is widely used to distribute some Linux CDs completely legally. It is also the fastest download cause the downloader uses whole of his downstream capacity for download and his upstream capacity (which is why you dont need a server for that) to upload to other users seamlessly. The only thing you would need is to post the link and start the first share. After that there will be other users who will continue. Depends of course of popularity. If nobody wants the files, no future in it.

[Pathy]

I hope it comes up soon.....i just want to see my addons reviewed  ;D

[veston pants]

Well, we don't want to show elitism here, everyone starts somewhere.... and that wouldn't really work to well.

Of course everyone starts somewhere, but from what i can gather there are numerous sources on the web where you can download addons, but those sites aren't having probs with bandwith, unfortunately you are.

The thing is i've checked out a few of the sites where addons are available and they just seem to be all lumped together without any real description of what the addon includes i.e. if it's a weapon it has all the specs and parameters so it looks professional when used in a mission. If there was a place to DL all the best addons with full descriptions of what the addon entails i'm sure it would help all those peeps out in search of the best and most useful addons available.

It was just a thought anyway.

[Pathy]

OFPEC already have what is probably the best addon rating system there is (IMO)...infact OFPEC is one of the only sites that actually presents a complete review of addons rahter than just a link with a small comment  ....but thats not really the issue here...its lack of bandwidth.....and given that it would be the addons rated 7 or 8 or 9 or even 10/10 that are the majority of the downloads, it wouldnt really make any difference to bandwidth if you removed the dregs......they dont consume it as much as the better addons do.....why not remove them and save space? Well, as Homefry said, OFPEC are not elitist...

[veston pants]

I thought that OFPEC may have a rating system, it's a pretty cool site thats relatively well laid out. I've only been playing OFP for about a month now and luv the game, and have found this place to be invaluable in helping to create missions.

One question tho', whilst in the editors depot the expand topic for tutorials on creating missions, sound and music etc on the left side of the screen doesn't seem to work for me and I have to search for tutes using the search bar. Does anyone know if it's busted at the the mo', or it's summat I aint doing right?

Cheers.

[Planck]

Some people have trouble expanding the menus and some people don't.

I think it may be more to do with their browsers and their settings than anything else.

One way you might try to access the menus in the expanded form is to log out from OFPEC.

The menus are expanded by default when you are logged out.


Getting slightly off-topic now though.

Planck

[macguba]

Questions or problems with the site should be posted in the OFPEC Comments board.    Use the forum search function before posting, the same things come up regularly.    There is at least one thread about the non-expanding menus, IIRC its a browser/firewall issue, not a site issue.

OFPEC does rate addons.      We are also the home of the OFP tag initiative, officially adopted by BIS, which helps prevent addon conflicts.   Links on the OFPEC homepage.

[Noon416]

Alrighty, this phase has pretty much done it's dash so we'll lock this up.

We're moving closer to the Depot being up again and you'll hear from us again within the next few days with the next (and hopefully last) step in the process.

Regards,
Noon