Auto-Toggle Mods When Switching Between Diff. Saves or MP

[sandonoval]

One of the biggest pains when trying to join different multiplayer games with different mods (or switching between single player saves with different mods) is being forced to go back to the main menu, remember exactly what mods were listed as missing or problematic, and toggling them manually.

It would be a huge quality of life improvement if, when joining an MP game/loading a save, your mods would toggle themselves automatically, for a seamless play experience.

Bonus points if the client auto-updated the mods as necessary!

If you wanted to modify what mods were used in an individual save, there could be a settings icon/UI by the save name that allowed you to toggle stuff manually.

[AileTheAlien]

This usually takes the first 5 minutes of me and a friend starting / resuming a game together - me learning I still have mods on, shutting off all the mods, restarting the game, then finally rehosting the game and actually playing. :)

[dewiniaid]

You can tell Factorio to launch with a different mod folder or configuration file (but not save folder​, oddly enough, unless you override it in the config file). So we're halfway there with the ability to make multiple shortcuts to Factorio that run different sets of mods.

I'd love the ability to create "profiles" each with their own set of mods and saves and change between them directly within the client though, even if it functions essentially as a restart with appropriate command-line options when changing.

Not seeing your multiplayer save because you're on the wrong profile would prevent you from doing half of that accidental 5 minute process. It's not as simple as switching mods on save load, but that has its own complexities (between the required restart and the possibility that you want to add/remove mods from a save), and this would address far more than just your specific issue.

[Optera]

I often get saves with dozens of mods to go bug hunting for my own mods and have to manually download all others. Having the client automatically download the mods according to saves would help a lot.

In MP clients should download mods from the server to make sure they use customized configurations.

For my personal saves I made batch files to create a junction to the different mod folders every start.

Code: Select all

set FactorioPath=D:\Factorio_0.14
RD /S /Q "%FactorioPath%\mods"
mklink /j "%FactorioPath%\mods" "%FactorioPath%\mods - Testbase"
"%FactorioPath%\bin\x64\Factorio.exe"

[boksiora]

i want auto download of mods from the server too

[noliVe]

implemeted in v. 0.15 <---- no its not ;((

[sandonoval]

is it? the only mod related friday facts ive seen is the post abt. starting up in 'minimal mode'

https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-178

and nothing here either:

https://wiki.factorio.com/Upcoming_features

[noliVe]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=678

[Rseding91]

implemeted in v. 0.15

No it's not.

Part of the reason I haven't done it yet is because there are no 0.15 mods to test with. The other reasons are: do you really want to upload all of the mods you have when someone joins? When you have waitex and have to upload half a gig per player?

What if you edit the mods locally - then downloading them off the mod portal doesn't work.

[noliVe]

;( awwwww..

this funktion is needet SO MUCH! its frustrating toggle between savegames to activate and deactivate a nessacary mod!
load all neccacary mods from the server . or if not modified from the portal

why waiting? if the server/client owner changes a mod the user autodownload all the changes.
automatic activation/deactivation for mods you have installed..

[Optera]

implemeted in v. 0.15

No it's not.

Part of the reason I haven't done it yet is because there are no 0.15 mods to test with. The other reasons are: do you really want to upload all of the mods you have when someone joins? When you have waitex and have to upload half a gig per player?

What if you edit the mods locally - then downloading them off the mod portal doesn't work.

My map is ~70MB my mods are ~50kB.
I'd say uploading mods is neglect able.

If you really are that into bandwidth saving make the client run a hash check for every file in a mod between portal hosted version and server version and only get the files differing on a server from it while getting the rest from the portal.

[ssilk]

I though yesterday a lot about this idea.

What we need are the concept of mod-repositories.

Similar idea works well for Linux distributions and other games. That is all known.

I'll try to explain the idea in the sense of Factorio, cause it has the ability to fix all the known issues. But first some defintions:
- The external repositories. That is defined by an URL. The URL can be some resource (Factorio mods-plattform), other repositories (whatever that might be), maybe a github-project and of course "modified mods" on a game-server.
- The local repository. That are all downloaded mods. (all versions on one place)
- A virtual/internal repository, which represents the current mods in a game.
- the modlist, which explains what game-internal mods are linked to what external mod-repository.
Which closes the circle, which is currently open.

The URL to the external can include also the version/checksum, so that you can point not only to the newest version. That might be handled of course only from those repositories that are able to do that (I mean factorio-mods or game-servers, for github this might be not possible).
- The list of mods, the modlist.json (including all the urls), must be editable somehow. For example by optionally saving it separated to the game. So each game-save can have it's own modlist.
- Before the game starts, the modlist is walked through: Unkown mods are downloaded from the given repository into your local mod-repository. If all mods are then present they are linked together for this save. So each game has truly it's own mod-representation. ("link" could be represented just game-internally).

Some more If you know what you do you can change that by hand of course, for example change the modlist-urls for modified mods to your own game-server, but keep the big mods on factorio-mods. Or a modder can change it to local files. Or someone can say "Here is my alpha mod on github, that is the repository URL, test it and gimme feedback.".

Well. I think that are just the very, very basics, there are still many open questions. But I think the idea of repositories is the right way.

[noliVe]

im sorry i dont get it ;D .. my understanding tells me

- you speak about different locations for downloading a mod!?

if so, why care about that in the first place. i dont understand.
we have the mod-portal and the game itself is able to check on changes in the mod itself
so while checking it could compare the mod like someone else told us already.

so if the modification was manipulated by the hoster, the system loads this specific mod from the hosting computer. downloading the map already works fine.
just adding the missing mod and voila. even so the map is prepared for each new connection on players. that why i think its possible to add the mod to the savegamefile. if not tell me where i am wrong at thinking.

but my opinion still is :
- Automaticly activate and deactivate nessasary mods you already have to join a game is very Important!

[ssilk]

im sorry i dont get it ;D .. my understanding tells me
- you speak about different locations for downloading a mod!?

Generally yes. But that is only one aspect.
First I think you need to understand, what a software repository is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_repository

if so, why care about that in the first place. i dont understand.
we have the mod-portal and the game itself is able to check on changes in the mod itself
so while checking it could compare the mod like someone else told us already.

I take a simple example, that should be understood by everybody:
You just upgraded the mods in your mods-folder (automatic function in Factorio) and now you want to play on your favorite game-server.
But that's not working: The game-server uses an old version of the mod.
Now, normally, it is easy: Tell the admin of the server, there is a newer version, he updates it and restarts the game. Finished.
But he tells you: This older version of X is incompatible with mod Y, the newer X not. They wait for an update of X, but until then they keep it. And now?
Well, you need to downgrade by hand or do something stupid.

What instead, if you just could say: Ok, download and install the version of X, that is on that server and use that?
Currently not working: Both mod-versions are saved with the same name. You (or the game) would just overwrite the newer mod version with the older. That bugs you of course, cause in your personal game you use that mod too, and cause you don't use incompatible mod Y you would like to use the newer features of X.

Ok, you can unpack the mods and rename them.
Also not working currently: Factorio will say "Oh, you have two mods with the same name".
You need to tell Factorio somehow, which version of the mod you want to use, BEFORE you want to play. But how should you know that in that moment of starting Factorio, which version is the right? Perhaps mod X is already updated and now again compatible with Y and you can forget about all that stupid stuff?

Ufff, I think I can continue this for a long while.

But I think you understood now a bit better: This isn't that easy, if you want to do it right.

And what I scratched here is the top of the iceberg of such issues, that comes out, when you need to use different versions of the same piece of software from different locations.

Successfully the most problems, that are involved with this, are more or less solved. And here we are at the (fanfare sound: tatatataaaaa, some blinking starlight effects) repositories (*).

so if the modification was manipulated by the hoster, the system loads this specific mod from the hosting computer. downloading the map already works fine
just adding the missing mod and voila. even so the map is prepared for each new connection on players. that why i think its possible to add the mod to the savegamefile. if not tell me where i am wrong at thinking.

It is not always a good idea to include the mod with the savegame. For some super simple mod with no graphics: Yes, but not for 1 GiB mod. For that you want to have such an reporitory-url and in the best case this url will let download you (or better: the game will download) automatically from the nearest/fastest free download-server.

(*) I mean repository here as a concept, not as an implementation idea!

[danielsamuels]

I have some minor suggestions for the mod system:

• It would be nice to be able to "favourite" mods, or add them to your account in some way. This would allow you to browse mods.factorio.com for mods you're interested in, then when you load up the game it would sync your mod choices with your account and download any new mods.
• Make the mod system a little smarter (I think ssilk's post alludes to this a little). It seems weird to join a server and told you have mods installed which aren't on the server, or the server has mods installed which you don't have. If you have mods which the server doesn't have, then those mods should just be disabled and the connection continued. If you are missing mods which the server has then it should simply download them and then continue to connect to the server. At the moment mod management just seems to be a bit of a hassle. Synchronising mods across multiple players is a pain.

[Engimage]

I will try to summarize my ideas on this.

1. Mod portal should provide mod repository functionality (providing not only most recent version but a certain version history).
2. The game has to be able to store as many mods as you wish as well as multiple versions of the same mod.
3. You should be able to manually select (via dropboxes containing Disabled/Version# /Latest) which mods are currently active for the purpose of starting new game. This can even be a separate page that would appear when you click new game.
4. You should (optionally) have several named presets for mod sets. This can be a separate dropdown on top of mod list.
5. Saved game should contain mod names and their versions.
6. Upon loading game the game should ask if you wanna run it with saved mods/versions or upgrade those to the latest versions. Maybe it would make sense to save mod profile name and if that profile has the "Latest" selected it would use that instead of saved version.
7. Upon joining MP game required mods should download from repository automaticly. As an option for a server you could enable mod downloading directly from the server.

[redlabel]

The game really, really, needs auto mod downloading in my opinion.

Other games download automatically the files you need when connecting to a custom server.. This is very similar.

At least make it an option for server owners. Also owners can select the mods they want to support. Many map files are over 30mb, I don't see the problem of downloading a few modpacks.. Particularly considering once you download them once you don't need to download them again. And if you have a dedi server it is not that big of a deal.

This will be revolutionary because right now I try to avoid playing modded games or mods in general because it is so hard to activate and deactivate mods. Say what you want, but this should NOT be such a hassle.

I would even suggest of some sort of interface for mods in/game where you can browse most popular vetted mods out there and download them and install them directly.

But for now, being able to auto-download mods when you connect to a server should be a must.

[noliVe]

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and as always i am trying to be friendly, sometimes my bad english translation seams to be aggressiv i am sorry for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Still i dont get whats not working on this easy setup
we already have this system

Code: Select all

[*]  CLIENT JOINS -> Game check mod versions|modifications  "TRUE" connection > download MAP-Tempfile
[*]WRONG - Error MESSAGE:  these mods are different  - disconnection

NOW the new system !

Code: Select all

[*]-  CLIENT JOINS -> Game check mod versions|modifications  "TRUE connection > download MAP-Tempfile
[*]WRONG - Error MESSAGE:  these mods are different  Message : Download all from Host-Server? yes-no > download all nessacary files from host > Activate/deactivate not needed files > Restart game > autoconnect to the last server > download MAP-Tempfile

SO Please EXPLAIN ME why this is NOT possible?!
downloading the Multiplayer TempFile already is working.
downloading via MOD-Database already working
Upgrading via MOD-Portal already working
deactivation / activation already working
connection to a server via CONSOLE working
the only thing is missing

" after" Error MESSAGE: these mods are different or Not on the Server : ... etc....
- download DIRECTLY from the HOST/Dedicated Server
- Activate /deacticate those in the Error message

and still siilk i love your explaination! i still dont get it why thats a complicated thing. only 2 true !facts!
MOD = Version correct TRUE or FALSE
IF FALSE Download from the server
IF TRUE Connect to the server

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and as always i am trying to be friendly, sometimes my bad english translation seams to be aggressiv i am sorry for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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[Rseding91]

SO Please EXPLAIN ME why this is NOT possible?!

Because we haven't programmed it yet.

[mophydeen]

One off the reasons I'm using autodownload mods / savefile mods

the other main reason being the bad mod portal.

edit:
repository is a nice idea. But who will host it?

The server should be able to host the game on it's own without external interactions.
If you want to be listed in the public browser list. You will need a connection to official game servers.
connections between a third party(clients[1] and the server host[2]) should always be optional.