On Tuesday 23 January 2001 16:19, you wrote:
> I was thinking... It would not be good it there is a VERSION
> number? Version of the package (not the game).
That is probably a good idea.
If we want a version number for the package, we also need a way to identify
the package. There can be two people who make a .msx file for Penguin
Adventure, version 4 of person A may be less advanced than version 2 of
person B. To identify the package, we could use an ID that refers to the
package author. Something like a full name, a URL or an e-mail address.
> The version may be added as something like
>
> GameID=penadv.0.1
The GameID is used to identify the game itself, the package version doesn't
belong here. Two different packages of Penguin Adventure contain one and the
same game. The package version should have a separate keyword.
By the way, we could use a date as the package version identifier. It removes
the burden of keeping a version administration from the author, he just has
to look at the bottom of the screen, his watch, the newspaper etc to know the
current version number.
Example:
GameID=penadv
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
PackageVersion=2001-01-23
Having the date of the last modification in the package may be a good idea
anyhow. It gives the reader an idea of what to expect. For example, if it's
2003 and you see a date from 2001, you know what the info file doesn't use
the extensions to the standard introduced in 2002.
It also makes it easier to compare versions from different authors. Ofcourse
the most recent is not guaranteed to be the best, but there probably was a
reason to release a package for a game that was already packaged by someone
else, so you know it's interesting to look at the differences.
> If the version is BELOW, the program will ask if the user wants to UPLOAD
> the game on the "databaseincoming" so the manager of the database can
> verify if the new (probably made by user) version is worth of implementing
> on the default distribution.
I don't think it's a good idea to store actual .msx files in such a database.
I think the database should only provide URLs for info related to a certain
GameID. For example, I could query "GameID=snatch Type=music" for Snatcher
game music or "GameID=penadv Type=cover" for Penguin Adventure cover scans.
Some reasons not to store actual .msx files in the database:
- bandwidth problems: you can get small amounts of bandwidth for free or for
a low price, but huge amounts will cost a lot of money (MEP had this problem)
- storage problems: storing URLs in a database takes a lot less space than
complete games
- legal problems: there may be a company that doesn't like their games spread
and we shouldn't run the risk that the entire database is taken down because
of that
Also, I don't think an upload function belongs in an emulator. Uploading
doesn't belong in the "playing the game" phase, it belongs in the package
creation phase.
Bye,
Maarten
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