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Unified Epoch Project


grave867

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Epoch Build v1.0 "Isengard Mines"

 

I have spent a couple months putting together various dayz epoch server builds and have decided to start making fully configured compilations of my builds. Each release will be including more and more from my other builds that have some of the best mods from the community and myself included within. More information can be found on this build and project on my github linked at the bottom.

 

Project Goals:

  • Help Entry Level Server Hosters Get Started With V1.0
  • End allot of threads where people need mod help
  • Future releases incorporate so much that people become immersed more than ever
  • Releases target Server Load and Network Traffic Usage Optimization
  • Releases contain more and more mods to make the Epoch mod lifespan longer
  • Across the board improve player experience from server to client

 

V1.0 Features:

  • Tow/Lift
  • No Tow/Lift For Locked Cars
  • AGN Safezones
  • Custom Spawn Loadout
  • Nox Admin Tools
  • Auto Restart & Global Messages
  • Cessena's Spawn With M240's Mounted
  • Build Snapping Extented
  • Teammate Radio Communication
  • Evac Choppers
  • Self Bloodbag
  • Custom Actions Menu
    • Dancing 
    • Buildable Vehicles
    • Flip Vehicle
    • Server Rules
    • Suicide
  • Street Lights
  • Building Lights
  • Tower Lights
  • Custom Debug Monitor
  • Drink Water From Any Source
  • Ignite Tents
  • Custom Welcome Credits
  • Take Clothes
  • Auto Refuel
  • Repair & Rearm Stations
  • No Weight
  • Buildable Elevators
  • Zombies Don't Spawn In Plot Area
  • Graphics Color Correction
  • Destructable Bases (It is sad this is a feature)

Download:

 

Epoch Build v1.0 was just released today on my github after it passed testing. So please go there to download the first installment of the Unified Epoch Project. I look forward to hearing your feedback as we approach our release of Build v1.1 "Forest".

 

v1.0 "Isengard Mines" Release

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Am afraid it is true: this is for a good reason as previous collaborations have proven that it is frankly impossible to maintain, especially as the Epoch Mod is updated.

However, see this thread: I have a feeling they would welcome your input ;)

As a side note, releasing others work, or modifications of, does require credits for all developers involved. Permission may be asked, usually commented in their release code. If so, it is good practice and a general courtesy, so contact them in these cases..

Other relevant and useful info:

Github open source licencing: https://help.github.com/articles/open-source-licensing

More importantly : http://www.bistudio.com/english/licenses

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If it is giving a place for upcoming and established developers to add / edit and collaborate on their content, managed on github as a community, then why not start now ? Sounds like a great idea to me..

Pull requests can be issued to the official Epoch Mod, it is 100% open source after all.

Having a central point to concentrate work is always a good thing. Am quietly confident that this kind of project could find it's own place here on the forum..

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yeah totally, but I was talking about the topic's unified project.

 

I'm all for your idea

 

I believe Axeman was making the same point, the difference being there being a central location for anyone to submit changes and updates.

 

With one author releasing a "Epoch Pack", they usually fall behind the updating of it, and then the "Help Me" areas of the forums get flooded with questions about why a certain feature in a pack no longer works. Then because you don't know what the pack contains, you end up having to download the entire pack and tear through it, or turn them away, which is a lot of work.

 

That is why the forum does not offer support for "Packs".

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First off hello all I really appreciate your input.

 

 

 

As a side note, releasing others work, or modifications of, does require credits for all developers involved. Permission may be asked, usually commented in their release code. If so, it is good practice and a general courtesy, so contact them in these cases..

 

I definitely understand giving credit where credit is due and that is why at the bottom of my github in the credits I have said that I take no credit for any of the mods included in the packs and that I would be going through to find each modders name to list in that section. Which is the first thing I will be working on today.

 

 

 

Github open source licencing: https://help.github....ource-licensing

More importantly : http://www.bistudio....nglish/licenses 

 

Thanks for the links I will definitely have to look into this as I am new to the open source community and still trying to find out the proper route to doing things.

 

 

 

Am afraid it is true:  this is for a good reason as previous collaborations have proven that it is frankly impossible to maintain, especially as the Epoch Mod is updated

 

Crap I didn't see this post before

 

So I guess my ultimate question is where should I move my project from here since this forum won't support my project?. I have read the collaboration post before I posted this but I really don't know how thats going to go atm.

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Crap I didn't see this post before

 

So I guess my ultimate question is where should I move my project from here since this forum won't support my project?. I have read the collaboration post before I posted this but I really don't know how thats going to go atm.

 

The reason for that rule was as I stated.

 

However as Axeman said, if you wanted to make it centralized so that anyone could submit possible modifications to it, it would probably be a better pack than any of the others that fall apart as soon as a author falls behind on updating it.

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However as Axeman said, if you wanted to make it centralized so that anyone could submit possible modifications to it, it would probably be a better pack than any of the others that fall apart as soon as a author falls behind on updating it

That was apart of my intentions to make it centralized so that people could fork my repo and then submit modifications and enhancements as the project goes on. I was trying to make it a community endeavor with me just pushing really hard to get the ball rolling. I didn't want my pack to be just me pushing out updates, I want the community to get behind it too.

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Ok so I have now officially finished updating the credits. However for the life of me I could not find out who wrote the drink water script so if somebody knows please post their name. So now I am moving on to ask all the modders that I have already included and who will be included into the next release to join the Unified Epoch Project to maintain their own mod codes within the project with updates and enhancements. All the while I ask everyone to spread the word for modders to join the project to enhance the epoch mod as a whole. I was originally waiting for the next update of epoch to be release before I started this project but I simply became impatient and we might as well start to collaborate now instead of later.  

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We have always welcomed commits to the gitHub for Dayz Epoch ever since it was released at the end of 2012. I encourage anyone that has made something for DayZ Epoch or using our code to at least attempt to make a commit. You wont know if you don't try.

 

Wouldn't it be possible to have a unified epoch project after the upcoming update, seeing as it is (IIRC) the last update dayz arma 2 epoch will (officially) receive?

 

I don't know how many times I must say this but 1.0.5 will not be our last patch. We have plans to take DayZ Epoch to 1.1 and beyond provided that the community actually keeps committing fixes and features and I will keep assisting in getting them tested and ready for release. Long term I will likely get back into developing for A2 DayZ Epoch when things calm down related to A3 Epoch Mod.

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Well I would commit to the dayz epoch github but I have a couple of reason why I don't and why I wouldn't submit the stuff in this pack

  • I don't feel comfortable or that it is even right to commit other peoples work to the epoch github since they would not receive credit
  • I don't want to commit my own work to epoch github because I feel that I would bite off more than I could chew time wise. Where as I currently work at my own pace and on the issues I personally choose. This may change in the future but I am really on the fence atm.
  • If you want modders to commit their work to the epoch github who are popular in the community to further epoch as whole then reach out to those modders on an individual bases. I know for a fact if you asked people whose work would do well in epoch for the community overall they would do it. I know for a fact if you asked NoxSicarius he would commit to it if you asked. Plus allot of modders don't even have a github since they really aren't coders they just do this in their spare time or have simply just ripped their code from others and have no idea what they are doing. So to bring the community together under the epoch github you or your staff would personally have to do some investigating and a little bit of virtual door knocking.

So in conclusion I am sorry if my post seemed like it was stepping on your territory since that is the impression I am getting. However I love the Epoch Mod and just want the player experience to get better and that starts at the software level.

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Normally I would have simply deleted this thread as we do not allow Server Packs, however this has some good conversation related to modded work of others.

 

I certainly was talking about committing your own work and not the work of others unless given permission. The reason for my post is to not try to make any one commit others code but to simply state that we do entertain code contributions from the community. Everything we do for the DayZ Epoch mod is for everyone and is open source for the sole reason that others may want to do the same.

 

https://github.com/vbawol/DayZ-Epoch/graphs/contributors

 

We have had 43 contributors so far and some have been as simple as fixing one line of code. Should someone want to contrubute but is unable to use GitHub all it would take is them opening an issue and asking if one of the other contributors can add it. https://github.com/vbawol/DayZ-Epoch/issues/new

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Just to get it right: We could release a custom build that is just filled with our code besides the original Epoch/Dayz code, right? So for example taking the latest server and mission files of 1.0.4.2a and just add a bunch of selfmade scripts and providing that as a custom build is allowed? 

 

No offense, but contributing to the Epoch project is not my thing. I just dont like your update schedule and they way you communicate about your updates, further plans and game designs. Besides that, awesome work with that Mod. :D

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If you search back through the forum there are a couple of examples of server 'packs', no doubt started with good intentions but ended up not being supported or ever working correctly, very rarely do the authors of the scripts get involved. The original developers had either moved on and/or were simply satisfied that their addon was working as intended and had finished with it.

 

Taking on a single addon is time consuming enough, taking on a list of them and then trying to merge them to all work together is going to be some undertaking. One of those previous threads ran into over 100 pages, mostly from frustrated server owners trying to get the pack to work.

 

The reason for the way BIS has licenced Arma is to get the community working together, it seems to be working. We're not trying to piss on your parade but, from experience, these server packs have caused more headaches than it is worth. I certainly wouldn't want to take it on on my own.

 

In my honest opinion the best way to go is to collaborate, setup a Github and invite the authors in. I would absolutely put time in to further improve the addons I have made. Trying to trawl through pages and pages on a forum to find a fix is just no fun..

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Taking on a single addon is time consuming enough, taking on a list of them and then trying to merge them to all work together is going to be some undertaking. One of those previous threads ran into over 100 pages, mostly from frustrated server owners trying to get the pack to work.

I definitely understand where you are coming from as a moderators perspective trying to keep the forum nice and calm, I can respect that. However just putting this mod pack together wasn't really that hard it was rather basic stuff, I mean I built this pack in a day and a half then took barely 4 days to have a hand full of testers test all the scripts for errors and balancing conflicts. My next big fix to make it idiot proof for installers was to make an install wizard exe that simply goes through a dialog and sets it up all for them. All they would then have to do is run xamp and the newly created install .bat file that starts all the rest, to uninstall just delete the directory and get the new release install.

 

 

 

In my honest opinion the best way to go is to collaborate, setup a Github and invite the authors in. I would absolutely put time in to further improve the addons I have made. Trying to trawl through pages and pages on a forum to find a fix is just no fun..

I completely agree with this and was one of the reasons I made my pack and tried to start this project. However I really don't see that happening with the current epoch github unless they make some changes socially and in practice, simple as that.

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Correct me if I am wrong or if I forgot something, but the basic arguments against it are:

  • Could be that you as the pack creator lose interested in maintaining it at some point and the pack wouldn't receive any update.
  • Take care of the copyright. (Which is really important!)
  • Could be/will be that this will creates more work for the creator
  • Could be that this pack needs some love after Epoch reveives an update (which doesn't happen that often)

All of that could also happen if you just release a script for something. And this stuff is happening quite often. Cause the script is shit or because the one who want to implement it has no clue what he is doing (more likely). So I dont really see the problem. Yes, a pack could introduce problems, but they are manageable and if not, the pack will die like all the addons that are just shite. Take one of the million safezone scripts. I don't know one that is working 100% correct.

 

What I would love is branching off a stable build of Epoch. Which is something you guys do in your git hub every day I guess. Yes, you as the creator of Epoch lose control since this could introduce more "Sub"-Mods of the Mod (limited to the server and mission files). Everyone should be able to do his own mistakes. Putting an untested/unstable pack on his hive could be one of these mistakes. Welcome to the free world. :D Yes, you probably learned a lot by doing it.

 

Don't get me wrong. At the end of the day its your forum and your Mod. So its your call, but I don't get your arguments and I don't see the problem as long as the copyright is cool. For me, all of that sounds like you wanna protect the people from something by controlling it. Sounds just wrong for me.

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For me, all of that sounds like you wanna protect the people from something by controlling it. Sounds just wrong for me.

 

You would struggle to get much further from the truth..

 

Am very interested to see the populated server this is currently being tested on.. What's the IP ?

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You would struggle to get much further from the truth..

 

Am very interested to see the populated server this is currently being tested on.. What's the IP ?

 

I guess I am far from the truth since I would expect it. It just seems like it by the facts I got so far. That why I asked for a better explanation. You guys didn't decide on not allowing it for no reason. I think there is a reason and I believe its a good one, I just didn't hear it so far. I am just politly asking if you could explain it better to me. I'm not even expecting to change your opinion on that topic. Just enlight me pls.

 

And... I dont get your second line. Your referring to what exactly? You wanna see a populated server that is using a custom script pack? Pick a random one that is not running on Epoch vanilla.

 

Edit: I think the only thing grave867 wants to provide is collection of some of most common custom scripts. Already installed and jsut ready to use. You might have noticed the guys around here who have struggle to get some custom scripts running. You could even prepare a underlying system that gives the server owner the possibility of activating some of the custom scripts and keep others deactivated by just changing a bool.

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No-one is stopping you from putting them together and using / advertising them. As a forum rule, server packs where you copy and paste files into your server, are no longer allowed to be posted here. They will be deleted, along with other thread breaking the forum rules.

 

What you are suggesting clearly sounds more in depth, the reason the thread is still going. I wish you luck with it.

 

The reasons have been clearly stated, have another read through the thread, we can't tell you what to do and not to do, your life is open source,  We aren't the Arma Police :) The only 'rules' here are to keep this forum a place where people can come for information and help. I, personally, moderate and contribute whenever I can between keeping my other half and 3 kids fed and homed, dayZ is not going to pay the bills or allow me to climb a mountain on my days off..

 

Bear in mind, while I am writing this I am looking at my player sitting on my dev server waiting for me to send him into the Epoch 3 affray.. When you get your pack up and running let me know the IP of the server, like I said, would love to see it working.. Prove the previous pretenders wrong, please do..

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Ok will do. Once my 1.1 release comes out my dedicated server will go public and I will post it here as living proof and hopefully by then I will also have a couple of mod creatures on board with my idea. Thanks for clearing things up and clarifying your intensions.

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