Okay guys, we need to resolve this. Somehow, we have to get together ONE main site where everyone can upload their mods, and everyone else can download them. I can't seem to contact SWKnights to get hosted, so we need to work this out. Let's get a little comittee together and plan out a great site that's purpose is to provide files from all modders of KOTOR. For know, we'll call this project Prject Knight. Here're our objectives:
1. Build a website
2. Get hosted
a. By SwKnights.com
b. Or by a site with lots of space & bandwidth available
3. Get a file database and files to fill it
4. Integrate the site into the community as the place to get and send files
Will anyone else help out? You should know some HTML at least, and some other coding maybe, be a modder probably, and just have the motive to get this site done. This should be a top priority thing here, so we can get everything in one place. Volunteers please post!
I'd be glad to help, although if we could contact Maximus, Rick Blair, and co. that would help us quite a bit, heh.
Shimaon
Yeah, that'd be good. We'll have to keep waiting until we get a response about hosting, too.... maybe we can get theforce.net to host us? Well, let's also get a basic site design going, so just draw out rough drafts,and I'll try to make them in HTML from that. Something unique and creative is what we're looking for. :D
I can host files because I have all space.
How much space have you got?
I'd be willing to help out. The main roadblock of course is a host with reasonable space and bandwidth. Not going to do us a lot of good to have the thing if we wind up with like 20 meg or something.
But... assuming we find a decent host, I'm not exactly a guru, but I can manage my way around HTML pretty well.. and I've even tinkered around here and there (with eventual success) with CSS, Jscript, VBscript and some 'add on' type applets.
On top of that, I'm competent with things like Homesite and FTP programs, which tends to help a lot when trying to create/edit/maintain a site from a remote locale. ;)
Anyways... if I can be of assistance as this idea takes shape, just let me know.. PMs.. email.. posts.. whateva =)
-Kitty
I got up to 4 gb on my hard drive free. So that's plenty of space
i have about 60 gb free....perhaps 5-10 for these type of files
Ok, I think I could help you out.
My friend has a website TTO (
http://theo-tonline.com) And he says he'll let me Put a KOTOR mods/downloads site there.
I've already started on a site Called MOTOR(Modders Of The Old Republic) and I'll upload it to the sub-domain he's given me
http://motor.theo-tonline.com).
I've got up to 150MB ow webspace to use for it.I'd think that's plenty as most mods so far have been really small file sizes. Will that be of any use?
If it is then IM me at Celladur_shadow@hotmail.com
EDIT: I've now been told that if I need it I can have more webspace.
If someone has space and bandwidth, it's pretty easy (and free) to set up a phpBB/MySQL and apply the Attachments Mod in order to upload/download files. It essentially becomes another forum. (see
http://www.phpbb.com) for info).
Another simple method is just provide an FTP host and allow modders to upload. No HTML required.
I don't think it's necessary at this point to require the site to be unique and creative -- just functional.
Dude, I know Theo! :p Tell him hello, he knows me a as Corran. And people talking about your hard drives... we need webspace.... I have a blank 20 Gb hard drive in this computer right now, but I can't use that.... I don't think...
And I'd like to make a good site, anyway. I think I can do plenty good, especially with the help of others (like Kitty).
UPDATE! Eets just PMed me, and we'll be getting files.starwarsknights.com! Now we move on to the web design! :D
How about my site? (
http://raj.jediknight.net/site/index.php) It really wouldn't take much more than ten minutes to re-do for your purpose (maybe a bit longer if I completly remake the banner, which I've been thinking about), and I have no use for the site since we canned the other project... Oh, if the site is loading slow, that's because I havn't optimized it yet (plus some of the photo's aren't 'optimized' either)... What do you say?:)
Nice site. nothing much there, But nice site :)
In terms of layout, please no giant images on every page except for one header... It makes everything take forever to load, and I have Cable...
As long as the site serves its purpose, cool looking images for the layout don't matter.
some things on your website aren't working.
Like I said, it's not optimized yet, plus the server is quite slow, so the transfer rate for the site might be A LOT slower than it really would be... I'll optimize some stuff tommorow and try another webhost to give you an idea of how it is in terms of loading times...
Oh, and which things weren't working? Everything on the site works perfectly for me, might be the server messing up stuff...
We should stick with files.starwarsknights.com, I think, since it's KOTOR and starwarsknights.com is the Lucasgames KOTOR site, while jediknight.net is the Jedi Knight one, and they may not approve of us using your hosting for KOTOR things. Thus, I'll get started on some layout, keeping images down, of course, but we should make a decision here:
What to call the site? Here're a few ideas, add your own, too:
Project Knight
Ossus Archives
Czerka Outpost
Yavin Station
The Dxun Moon
The Holocron
Cinnagar Palace
Genoharadan Hideout
http://mojo.fragism.com/knights/)
Click that for a rough draft. I like the buttons, the banner could be highly improved.
I can take a shot at a banner, but is it really called Ossus Archives or what?
Also, try changing the buttons so the mouseover is the same size as the regular one, other wise the bar "expands" when you mouseover things.
Alright, I'll do that. No idea what the name is, I'll make a poll soon.
I like it. I got some great pics for that website from my other name on knightsoftheoldrepublic.com. Darth Revan. If you need some one to modderate I can help you on that.
how about darth mod's or darth mod archives
May i suggest something for a banner?
Perhaps a pic of Revan in his battle ready position with the lightsabre in hand (on his flagship) and to the left, the name, i could dig out my old programs and do this myself oh and btw i could could moderate.
i have several other ideas in mind as well, but i like the revan one the most.
As for a name -The Lower city Cantina- " Share a drink, play some pazaak, and modify KOTOR any way you like"
Also i think this pic (
http://raj.jediknight.net/site/galleries/ingameshots/4.jpg) from titos site would do a nice banner if you could get it a bit cleaner or just get a new shot of it
Uhm, just so you know, I wasn't going to host it on JediKnight.Net's servers... I just put up the site there so you could see it; the host we were going to use was up to you guys...
But if you're not going to use it, maybe I can help with something else on that new site you're making? I could make a banner if you like?
I'll get back to you about the banner. I was watching that KOTOR scene with Malak looking out the other day, and thought the same thing. How about if we call it The Leviathon, use that for a banner, and then theme the rest of the site to look like metallic and starship-like?
that's a great idea. You should have like the imperial theme song in the background or the emperor's song. Just a suggestion.
Its nice but its Admiral Karath's flagship, it could work for me though i have no problem with it, except for what i have already stated.
Also, i would dig out photoshop and give it a go but its been so long since ive done it
Perhaps you could have Revan in his fighting position and fade into an fleet of ships also how about "the Star Forge Cantina" im just spitting out what i can think of
OR Keep it simple, "The Star Forge Modification Station" or "The Modification Station"
I could moderate.
Plus, for a name, how about
The Mod Forge
A KotOR Modification Resource
I've also got some funny KotOR pics that could someone could modify to be a good banner.
Give me your E-mail and I'll send you the pics.
I don't know how to upload them to the internet yet.
BTW
The imperial march would be great. Lucasarts has a remix of it on their website that would be perfect. Go to:
http://www.lucasarts.com/products/forcecommander/downloads.htm)
Look for Imperial March Leviathan. The other Imperial March rocks too!
:deathii: :holosid: :emperor: :holosid: :deathii:
My email is archangel@bresnan.net.
Here's a new version, Crunchy and I really like it:
http://mojo.fragism.com/lev)
I Still likethe name: The Modification Station, anyone else agree with me?
The site looks great, except for a few things: First off, the text that says: "News"! Looks kind of funky and has jagged edges (only the text itself)... Oh, and you have some small gray spots here and there around the menu you might want to remove... Plus the line that runs down the right side of the left bar on the menu suddenly stops in both ends, I think it would look better if it continued by following the line that goes up/down to the right and ended at the corners of those... Oh, and you might cut a bit down on the blue on the sides of the big metal "box" (the one that has the news in it), there's a bit too much blue on the sides (the top is perfect)! Or maybe it's just a wrong shade of gray you're using on the right side! And that's all the critique I have...
Anyway, looks great!:) I think it should be called something with Leviathan, like: "The Leviathan ModShip" (lol, ModShip, what kind of word is that?!:p)... You get the idea...:)
Great work! the design is a big improvement over your original - I really like the banner - my suggestion is to keep it clean - without any text/clutter
Ofcourse I will be available to moderate etc if such services are needed - you all seem to have everything in order but it there is anything you guys need help with feel free to PM me!
Not sure about a name .... names are so difficult.... though any of the current suggestions would work
The imperial march would be great. Lucasarts has a remix of it on their website that would be perfect
though this could be sorta cool - I think everyones heard this enough and I personally dislike sites that have sound - usually I listen to my own music while browsing - also it could slow things down unnecessarily
anyway - good work people
I am also working on a site, its not all as fancy but im not good with html btw Sun said yesterday that he will get 5 people to help with the site, i dont remember if he included himself in this five or not
Anyway if you guys wanna help i suggest you email him or i guess PM (dont know how often he checks his PMs) and he has AIM which i suggest you get.
Btw i think he said we are getting hosted by SWknight.com, i have AIM also btw ( Name: CrunchyandChewie )
I think a few of the jobs he said the "staff" would have was updateing pages moderateing the site and whatnot and the news.
Perhaps I could assist with graphics, however for some reason the shading seems to look terrible (no offense, might be my settings), the mod forge sounds like a cool name, the banner is a bit, dull, something from one of the cutscenes with revan fighting would look better. Anyways I could try to help by making small graphics, I don't have too much time however I might be able to help. I could provide some simple mods if needed, and would gladly help the forums as a moderator: simple suggestion, file reveiws
i could second chemix's opinions about the site layout/look in a very consturctive way..... lets get a few ppl to make the design a little better
How about the Emperor theme in the background. That would be tight.
Anybody who wants to improve the graphics, just save the three images off the site and touch them up all you want, then email them to me, and I'll take looks. I'm a bit mediocre with graphics, I only learned how to do some basic stuff so I could supplement my web design without needing a graphics artist to help me. I think I'll replace the sidebar with either text or a different Java one, and also, can someone test it out in multiple resoltuions and tell me if the site looks right in all of them?
How is this site going to work exactly? How do modders can benefit from this? How about users?
I was wondering the same thing. Will modders be able to upload to the site or would we have to email submitt our mods. What type of data base doohickey are you gonna use to keep it all organized. Will there be an option to submit screenshot when applicable or is it gonna be text only.
We will have pics on the downloads (i hope, i wanna know what i download) and as for the sumitting mods, i think we are just gonna have yall send it to us by email (maybe im wrong)
Also i (includeing others probably) will be going to others and asking if they want to host on our site, Sun feels (and i agree) that its much easier in one place, it will take awhile for us but thats ok, and if people have their own site we could give links and/or post their downloads on our site as well.
That sounds like a good plan just to start with - dont want to get bogged down with too many ambitious ideas - however as the site grows we may want to consider (and now even if people are willing) to set up a more advanced "database" type thing that could automatically handle user submissions etc. Just a thought I'm not sure what kind of servers the site will be running on - Windows, Linux .... does anyone know?? its worth some thought anyway. If its Unix/Linux I know there are plenty of scripts out there that could be "plugged in" with minimal effort + I've done a little Perl so it wouldnt be too much of a problem - but if we are dealing with Windows servers, ASP etc. then who knows - though I suspect the same kind of resources are freely available
Something else to consider...
If you allow for automated uploads, that is, a scripted server app that lets anyone send in a mod and automatically posts it available for DL, you open yourself up to about the highest possible risk of viruses etc.
Now... the people who've been in these forums generally don't strike me as the sort that we'd have to worry about, but once you open up a mod site of this nature, it's almost a guarantee that sooner or later, some little punk will upload virii and trojans just to see if s/he can get away with it and because they think it's amusing.
Therefore, while I would love to see a method by which the community could directly upload files, I'd also like to see the system set up so that nothing is available for download before one or more admins have a chance to look at and scan the files and approve it for the public.
I've serverd as a moderator on several sites over the years, and this usually wound up the best way to go. If you depend on email-in submissions, you face the problem that not everyone is always going to have immediate available time to check and then post those submissions, which causes a bit of an annoyance to the community which is waiting for those mods. If you set up an FTP repository on the site somewhere instead, any/all admins can check it daily when they have time and get the mods posted a lot faster most of the time.
Anyways.. Just my 2 bits on the matter.
In addition, it would be pretty simple to include optional fields when anyone submits a mod for a screenshot as well as a description field which could then be attached to the mod along with the name (user ID) of the person who sent it in.
This would allow for a nice layout on the downloads section whereby each mod would have a short description, alongside an image for those mods which would benefit from one.
Well.. that's about all for now I guess. Sorry if I rambled a bit. Just woke up ;)
-Kitty
There are upload filters for that sort of thing.
indeed - and you can easily set up filters to allow only files of a certain type ... say .zip/.rar etc - you might even be able to put someting together to varify that the file was indeed what its labeled as - still the risk of viruses is still prevalent - Kitty's suggestion sounds good - after all viruses aside - i'd be nice for users to have each new 'serious' mod reviewed before its put up for download - I'm not sure exactly how neverwinter vault works but they seem to have a good system in place - purhaps it would be worthy to check up on that ?
I would like to help out with the site....
Homepages i have done:
www.unkown-x.com)
www.holy-politics.de) ( images currently not working due to server change )
Gfx and html done by myself. I have php knowledge aswell.
Gfx i've done:
http://www.unkown-x.com/img/CD%20Cover.jpg)
http://www.unkown-x.com/img/gazing%20crystal.jpg)
http://www.unkown-x.com/img/gazing%20crystal2.jpg)
http://www.unkown-x.com/img/organicnightmares-thumb.jpg)
I can do community pages aswell.
And i can sponsor the de, com, net, org domain for you, i would pay it.
I have allready started a page, when im finished i'll tell you and you can have a look at it.
Your help will be great, but keep in mind, we are not looking for something as "unique" and wild as that, something simple
Btw who all would like to help with this site? as "staff"