Does size matter?
CTP usage questions should be posted here.

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raven280
Posts: 95
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2003 10:31 pm

Does size matter?

Post by raven280 »

After reading the interview today with Banshe on the Bioware Wednesday announcement, I thought wow, 1 gig CTP expansion download.....Thats pretty awsome. I dont know if the majority of NWN community members have high speed internet access (I do), but I don't think I would care how large of a file the CTP ends up being, as long as the quality is top notch. Even if I had dial up, I would still find a way to get the CTP downloaded if the majority of the community was using it for modules and PW's........... like the CEP was adopted after it was released. Perhaps it could be downloaded in parts, for those people who have dial up? My vote is for quality over fear of too large of a expansion....

Guest

Post by Guest »

I too vote quality without a care for size.

Banshe
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2005 7:17 pm

Post by Banshe »

It's a pretty tough break for the dial up guys out there. We'll see if we can find a way to make a chopped up version for them to download. No guarantees but we'll try.

On the whole, regarding the dial-up segment of the NWN community, a majority have been very cool about dealing with large downloads in the past (i.e. CEP).

They understand the deal: it's tilesets so it can't be small.

Guest

Post by Guest »

No matter how big CTP will be, people will download it,
only if it will be highest quality as possible.

Guest

Post by Guest »

As a builder, I am worried about size as well, but mostly a different thing, namely the amount of stuff I can use in one module. A case in point is my current mod which uses the CEP, PRC, PRC Companion and Pasilli's Doors hak, plus a custom hak with content created especially for it. This means that most eventual players will have to download something, and quite a big something, too. I reckon there comes a point when a prospective player says "awww, forget it!"

Banshe
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2005 7:17 pm

Post by Banshe »

[QUOTE=Dradjeel]As a builder, I am worried about size as well, but mostly a different thing, namely the amount of stuff I can use in one module. A case in point is my current mod which uses the CEP, PRC, PRC Companion and Pasilli's Doors hak, plus a custom hak with content created especially for it. This means that most eventual players will have to download something, and quite a big something, too. I reckon there comes a point when a prospective player says "awww, forget it!"[/QUOTE]


Well spoken. However keep in mind that the concept of a univerally used package is the lesser of many evils.

Most players, myself included, skip the worlds that require haks. And by haks, I mean haks, not expansions like the CEP. So, what the CTP will hopefully do (and the CEP has already done) is address the concerns of folks like me who have already said: "awww, forget it!" to module/ pw specific haks.

On the other hand, this trend could well spawn a host of new titles: CSP (Community Sound Pack), CMP (Community Music Pack), COP (Community Other Pack), CUP (Community Uber Pack), CTP (Community Tilese.... uh, scratch that one). Let's just hope it doesn't get taken to extremes. :)

Guest

Post by Guest »

I agree... They are expansions and everyone in the community will have to download them. The size is no problem for high speed users but people on dialup may have a harder time. I have a few suggestions for dail up users. One leave it downloading all night. Two try to get a friend or somewhere with highspeed and burn it to a DVD.

Also... All these people talking about all this other haks and stuff. I say after CTP youll have CEP and CTP whichi about all the stuff in the enitire vault worth getting. (Except maybe PRC)

Kindest Regards,
Camp3rVirus

Guest

Post by Guest »

Dial up users are used to lag, they're used to waiting 20 minutes for an MP3 file, they're used to the delays when authenicating the "premium" modules. It's a fact on dial up, everything is a point, click and . . . . . wait wait wait away!

There were those who said the CEP was too large and they'd never wait 2 days for it to download. Well, those users have either uninstalled NWN or they aren't playing most of the persistent worlds, multiplayer, and singleplayer community made modules. Just about everything uses it. It's standard, which of course the CTP will be achieving as well.

It's not like you'll be downloading something for days only to use it in one module. After release there will be alot of builders scambling to include CTP as a standard hak in addition to any other custom content they might want to have.

The CEP and CTP when combined will have most of the content you could need. There will always be additional content you might want. Hopefully good documentation, like the CEP, will be including so we as builders know what's in the sizeable download. A nice starter module with this content would also be a boon.

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Bannor Bloodfist
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Post by Bannor Bloodfist »

[QUOTE=Rich of forumite]Dial up users are used to lag, they're used to waiting 20 minutes for an MP3 file, they're used to the delays when authenicating the "premium" modules. It's a fact on dial up, everything is a point, click and . . . . . wait wait wait away!

There were those who said the CEP was too large and they'd never wait 2 days for it to download. Well, those users have either uninstalled NWN or they aren't playing most of the persistent worlds, multiplayer, and singleplayer community made modules. Just about everything uses it. It's standard, which of course the CTP will be achieving as well.[/quote]

I know, but I have friends that would NOT have the CEP if it were not for the fact that I burn copies of all updates to CD's and mail them to those friends.

[quote]It's not like you'll be downloading something for days only to use it in one module. After release there will be alot of builders scambling to include CTP as a standard hak in addition to any other custom content they might want to have.

The CEP and CTP when combined will have most of the content you could need. There will always be additional content you might want. Hopefully good documentation, like the CEP, will be including so we as builders know what's in the sizeable download. A nice starter module with this content would also be a boon.[/QUOTE]

Very true. But again, I was only asking that the CTP be packaged in such a way as to allow partial and/or multiple piece downloads.

I do realize that it will mean a little extra work on the CTP team. AND that the CTP team has stated that the 'pieces' are all reguired to be able to get it to work correctly. Just hoping to allow more people access. Especially since NWN Vault doesn't seem to allow renewing downloads.
CTP Team Lead

Guest

Post by Guest »

I too have burned copies of the CEP for members of my staff and a few players. As a server administrator, I consider it my duty to provide the best possible environment for all involved. I'm sure many others out there do the same thing. With CDs only costing a penny, all I ask is that the end user send me a self-addressed stamped 6 x 9 envelope, which I gladly fill with the goodies they requested. I usually include a few of the modules I've built and hosted so they can share and DM these in their own groups as well. The CEP has alot of wasted CD space, so I like to fill it up with some useful stuff.

If the CTP is a Gig or so in size, compressed it should fit nicely on a 700MB CD. I'm quite sure I'll have to send out a few of those to people.

When the CEP was released, each team member, to include Beta Testers received one signature CD, 5 additional CDs to share with our friends, a nice letter of recognition of our dedicated service, etc. This was all done at no expense to the testers or team members and was a reward for all our hard work.

I'm not suggesting CTP does this, but I must say, my signature CEP CD, although quite useless for installing now since it's only got CEP v1.50 on it, is still looked upon by me as an honor to have. By signature CD I mean the CD is burnt in one of those T@2 CD burners where a portion of the burnt side includes an burnt image or text. Quite unique and as I said, it is very special even if it's only about as useful as a coaster now.

Sharing the experience and helping friends out is what has made the Neverwinter Nights communities one of the strongest and largest gaming communities I've ever seen. Splitting up the hakpack into sections, while feasible for such a project as CEP(They've not done this yet), CTP may find it more difficult and find that they will need a separate tech support group for those who are WinRARing the split archives back together. CEP uses several haks. I'm only assuming, but since CTP only uses one type of custom content that nearly all of the custom content will be in an individual hak. This will make splitting easy, but will make joining quite difficult and is very much prone to errors, so the dial up user may find they are spending more time re-downloading corrupt archives.

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