The biggest problem we are having after this move is plain and simply that everything is written in PHP and PHP sucks on Windows - not Windows fault I stress to add, the PHP developers are simply only really interested in the Linux world and any bugs raised on the Windows side of things are brashly brushed off as "oh thats a windows problem" and ignored, when it could be fixed by them for their code.
Still, bitching aside...
Since I got in to .NET and C# it's been my plan to get all of UKTS over to it as it's a much smarter and more stable environment, not to mention shed loads quicker.
I've also been thinking that the new site should fix a number of other issues in the 'wider' picture, and some recent brainstorms are what bring me to the reason for this post. Now that I am the only person at Atomic doing development and UKTS is the only main site that we do I can focus all my efforts on that - and with the system running so poorly as it is right now, it's time to get my butt in gear and get UKTS 2 on the rails.
There are a number of significant issues that I can see, so let's work them through.
These are not a statement of how it WILL work, these are my thoughts, I have very clear ideas as to how to achieve these things but since it is in some cases quite a radical change to the way things work (particular from the uploaders perspective) I want to get buy-in from you guys first before I spend weeks writing this
Problem: The not-so computer literate
People who are new to computers and train sim find it hard or impossible to install add-ons downloaded unless they are a self extracting EXE file but even then they are usually in a ZIP (which I prefer btw so I'm not complaining about that) and as a result they don't necessarily know what to do to get inside the ZIP. When add-ons are eventually installed, they usually have the worst cab or sounds (usually default because the author can't rely on things being installed unless they package it with the add-on you download) and often don't appear because a consist is needed.
Solution:
Make it so that UKTS integrates with MSTS. Downloading a loco is the same as installing it, expert users can stop the installation process from happening if they wish, but by default it should just go ahead and get it installed for the user when it is downloaded. It should also find the best cab and sounds that are on the system and perhaps recommend cab and sounds that the user might want to download, at the end of the day, it should all be auto configured and the user should not need to know what 'eng' or 'cvf' means ever again. In the name of smaller downloads, none of these will be self installing EXE files.
Problem Part A: Uploading files is a bitch.
FTP sideload is one way, it's easy except for that bloody awful text file you have to make with everything in it correctly or else it just fails to do anything at all. Web based upload is ok, but often has problems with uploads aborting part way through and no good reason as to why except me blaming it on ISP's and timeout's or upload limits (which I stand by!)
.Problem Part B: No two files are alike, or very few
One file has a flat directory full of files and a readme saying where they go. Another has a directory structure but you have to know what folder to put it in and make the loco folder for example. Another has the loco folder but you still have to copy it all. Another has a cab too, another has a couple of sound files, another is self installing. It's a nightmare for end users.
Solution to both: Automate it.
One wizard that will allow you to package everything up in a uniform way every time. The packaged file will work 100% with the download mechanism detailed above.
How about when you want to have a file that is just a reskin of another, why make people download the whole thing? Or maybe you have a new horn but it needs the rest of the Kiha (or something else) sounds to actually function completely - tell the packager that and when the user installs it, it can do the pre-copying bits first and then overlay your file on the top. It can get dependant files before hand too such as the original loco that was reskinned, automatically.
Problem Part A: Even 'trusted' users screw it up sometimes!
Missing pictures anyone?
Problem Part B: Total mess that is the classification system
So we now have four trillion (give or take a few) operating companies, including about 500 variations of 'British Rail', 'BR', 'B.R.', 'B-R' and so forth.
Solution:
No more trusted users; that's not a slight to those that are trusted at the moment! All files will be moderated for approval before they go online. No user will be able to make a new classification for their upload, they can pick from existing or suggest alternates and then one of the moderation team will alter it or create the suggested classification.
It also means that we can go in and make relationships to other files before the file goes online to make the file that much more 'visible' to people browsing.
Problem: Activities? Ugh.
You download an activity. You then spend the next 18 evenings downloading the necessary stock and installing it, configuring it, then realising the author missed an item out or got one or two of them wrong. Not surprising, it's a hellish thing to properly catalog the needed stock for an activity and errors are bound to happen, but it doesn't help the frustration.
Solution:
You want an activity? Easy. Click on it, it says "you have 4 of the needed items, you need 18 more, download?" You say 'yes', then it says "downloaded, would you like to install them?" you say 'yes'. It says "Stock installed and verified, install activity?" you sayd 'yes', and then you play the activity.
Problem: Route installation, how many times can it go wrong?
So you downloaded the route, and you definitely definitely read the readme file but it still won't work when you try to run it. Shame you missed the bit that said it needed XTracks / UKFineScale etc installed...
What's that about missing magnetic platforms?
Solution:
Easy. You say you want a route, it says "This route requires XTracks, which you do not have, would you like to install it?" You say yes. "This route requires magnetic platforms kit 4, which you have. Install route?" - that would be so much easier.
There's lots of technical hurdles to achieve the above but I want to see what the 'social' hurdles are first and see what other ideas people have. I'm looking at something that's easier to use but just as powerful as the Auran Download Station, but for Train Simulator.
Thoughts on a post card, or at least in a response to this post
Matt.
