BioWare Continuity Network (BCN) - Preserving the BSN

[Tarshana]

What? Anything I did an inventory to that is invalid with no projects on Nexus , or if the link was broken I ignored. You have to be specific. And I already am on NWN Vault and some of the projects were not carried over to the vault. The "Migrate website" is automated when the IGN site went down.

[Tarshana]

I tweaked a bit the "Complete ID Project List" tab, expanded my table to the entire ID list, and I added a count of the number of projects left to inventory. Note, that this number only represents the total number of "todo" cells below. This means it doesn't represent the real number of projects left, since many (hundreds, most likely) projects are empty.

 

For example, this project, which doesn't have any downloadable files :

http://imgur.com/SeBI5kVl.png

 

The easiest way to fix this is to add the prefix "invalid". The table automatically updates itself :

http://imgur.com/PdWGKtnl.png

 

And the number of projects left goes from 1912 to 1911, yay !

http://imgur.com/QThaptKl.png

 

This may seem unimportant, but having a rigorous way to know which projects are still left to inventory (including some we may have missed), is important. So please, when you come across empty projects, add the prefix "invalid" to the project name on the "Complete ID Project List" tab. This way, we won't have to double check them in the future.

 

I do not know what any of this means. :( I was using that page for myself just to find the shuffled projects. It should not have been used for much else. I have done about 1200 projects, tracked down everything I could and took a lot of time off work. I have put aside my own projects. I cannot do more than what I have been doing.

 

I have looked at it and I am still unsure what it does :( I was inputting all the info on the left side and writing in when mods were invalid. When I lost my database to the virus I had to manually download all the filled projects, then I had to go back and manually download the empty projects that were hosted on Nexus or other sites. I have checked mediafire links or website links. Many of them are defunct.

 

Also, I put all the NWN into 1 tab. I did not see the NWN2 tab until today.

[sunshinenbrick]

Just to give a little support and ideas if it helps at all. I think we have all done super-well so far and should be proud that what has been done has at all in this dark and cynical world.

 

In all honesty there is A LOT of data there and everyone that has contributed has done an amazing job so far. My point is that as time may be very limited, and considering the amount of stuff to cover plus the extensive attention to detail already given, maybe we need to slimline the number of fields/pages/values that we are collecting. I suppose the main things are the individual game pages, the contacted authors list and maybe a final basic list to cross reference and check as much as we can what has been done.

 

I think it might be best to just concentrate on the mod pages and get the 'big' stuff done then see how much time left to 'tidy up' the edges and gaps. Now of course I am just a 'little guy' here and perhaps have absolutely no idea what I am talking about or saying right now, but I thought I may just try and help with some possible suggestions.

 

Hope y'all are okay and that we can find solutions to these problems. I am hoping to set aside a couple of evenings to crack on with a few pages, reply to some authors and upload some mods (although latter may have to wait). Good work everybody :smile:

 

~ Sunshine

[CreeperLava]

What? Anything I did an inventory to that is invalid with no projects on Nexus , or if the link was broken I ignored. You have to be specific. And I already am on NWN Vault and some of the projects were not carried over to the vault. The "Migrate website" is automated when the IGN site went down.

 

For example, in the projects ID tab, several projects (look in the lines 840-850 for example) are marked as "todo" (which means they're not present in any of the tables. Hence, mod author not contacted and external host not listed). I believe you didn't add them to the table because they don't have any downloadable files. However, some of these project pages do include links to external hosts or websites, which should be taken into account.

 

To find them quickly, look for "todo" mods with a filled "Extra Info" cell. That cell usually contains a Nexus account or external link to the mod. I think this information should be in the table, too. If you want, I can take care of it, in case you're having trouble understanding what I mean.

 

 

 

I do not know what any of this means. :sad: I was using that page for myself just to find the shuffled projects. It should not have been used for much else. I have done about 1200 projects, tracked down everything I could and took a lot of time off work. I have put aside my own projects. I cannot do more than what I have been doing.

I have looked at it and I am still unsure what it does :sad: I was inputting all the info on the left side and writing in when mods were invalid. When I lost my database to the virus I had to manually download all the filled projects, then I had to go back and manually download the empty projects that were hosted on Nexus or other sites. I have checked mediafire links or website links. Many of them are defunct.

 

Also, I put all the NWN into 1 tab. I did not see the NWN2 tab until today.

 

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend :/. I know how much time you take for this, the number of pages you've inventoried is really impressive.

Here is the simple version, I hope it helps you understand : when a project page is empty (no files or links to external files), just add the "invalid " prefix to the project name in the "Complete Project ID List" tab.

Since empty projects aren't listed in the table itself, which makes sense, it's a way to see that we haven't missed any of these projects. Otherwise they show up as "todo" projects, and we have to double-check them later.

 

About NWN2, I added that tab yesterday. It's not a problem if some of the NWN2 mods are in the NWN tab, I think.

 

 

Just to give a little support and ideas if it helps at all. I think we have all done super-well so far and should be proud that what has been done has at all in this dark and cynical world.

 

In all honesty there is A LOT of data there and everyone that has contributed has done an amazing job so far. My point is that as time may be very limited, and considering the amount of stuff to cover plus the extensive attention to detail already given, maybe we need to slimline the number of fields/pages/values that we are collecting. I suppose the main things are the individual game pages, the contacted authors list and maybe a final basic list to cross reference and check as much as we can what has been done.

 

I think it might be best to just concentrate on the mod pages and get the 'big' stuff done then see how much time left to 'tidy up' the edges and gaps. Now of course I am just a 'little guy' here and perhaps have absolutely no idea what I am talking about or saying right now, but I thought I may just try and help with some possible suggestions.

 

Hope y'all are okay and that we can find solutions to these problems. I am hoping to set aside a couple of evenings to crack on with a few pages, reply to some authors and upload some mods (although latter may have to wait). Good work everybody :smile:

 

~ Sunshine

 

What do you think should be skipped ? It's not like skipping 1 or 2 cells in each row will save much time. Copy paste helps make it take close to no time already. What takes time is searching for external hosts and contacting mod authors, which we can't really skip, since it's the whole point of the project^^.

Edited October 10, 2016 by CreeperLava

[Tarshana]

I am not offended, just feeling the strain of getting this done before the 10th.. which is a few hours away and I am still not finished with all the groups and discussions :(

Any file that is a voice file or a coealesced edit for ME games or just jpgs are ignored and considered invalid. All of the "fanfics" and "why bioware sucks" texts are ignored. Some of the links I refuse to click. I am not about to get another virus or send that to someone else! But if you are feeling adventurous go for it.>:D While I have a nice set up with a firewall and scanners and all that, sometimes stuff gets through. I cannot risk it again. If the file is not hosted on something I recognize I did not input it. If there is no file there and it is on the Nexus I probably did not see it or bother to write it in; it is on the Nexus as a main download and people can find it, or we can do it later. My priority was actual projects being lost. I tried to input invalid mod /voice file or /jpg only as I went along but I am strapped for time and we have no idea when they are pulling the projects. A lot of the beginning was me finding the shuffled downloads, which I am still tracking down (which is why you will see some files imputed sporadically after the 2k numbers). This was for my own sanity checking the pages I had done in between what others were doing. I had three pages in a row shuffle on me >.< That was frustrating.. but a good sign people are still downloading :D

Look at: http://social.bioware.com/project/3146/#files 4 download files but they are PDF's a jpg and some written stuff. Nothing of it useful for anyone wanting to use/build with the project.

I would rather keep all the NWN modules together. There are already a lot of tabs and it is going to confuse people. I thought all of the modules were on NWN but their website porter missed a bunch that I am only now aware of. The projects were put on BSN as a last ditch effort to save them from IGN and a lot of them have been re-named but are on the vault site and I am working with one of the mods there to track them down. Some of the modules are hosted on private sites which are almost defunct. Having a hard time tracking them down.

 

The idea of cross checking with the other tabs is awesome, do not get me wrong, I am not upset. I just will not be doing much with it other than looking for the shuffled downloads and tracking down invalid mods. I am concerned about any project not on the Nexus, ModDB or a verified website. There are even mods that were put on Nexus but set to hidden and I cannot see the author's name :(

 

The important part is we get the main files that have no where else hosted up on the sheet. To be fair, any project on BSN that does not have a file is an invalid mod; there is nothing to download. IF there is a valid link we can add that in.

I am on really short time right now and trying to get some gaming in as downtime before I go into my 60hr work weeks. I will keep up as much as I can at work but I will be limited.

[CreeperLava]

Makes sense, I understand. If you need help finding NWN projects on NWN Vault, ask Werelynxofneverwinter, on Nexus. He's an author I contacted, he helped me find some of the projects from the NWN tab (including some of the projects you had inventorized). He's also an admin from NWN Vault, I think.

Edited October 10, 2016 by CreeperLava

[sunshinenbrick]

 

Just to give a little support and ideas if it helps at all. I think we have all done super-well so far and should be proud that what has been done has at all in this dark and cynical world.

 

In all honesty there is A LOT of data there and everyone that has contributed has done an amazing job so far. My point is that as time may be very limited, and considering the amount of stuff to cover plus the extensive attention to detail already given, maybe we need to slimline the number of fields/pages/values that we are collecting. I suppose the main things are the individual game pages, the contacted authors list and maybe a final basic list to cross reference and check as much as we can what has been done.

 

I think it might be best to just concentrate on the mod pages and get the 'big' stuff done then see how much time left to 'tidy up' the edges and gaps. Now of course I am just a 'little guy' here and perhaps have absolutely no idea what I am talking about or saying right now, but I thought I may just try and help with some possible suggestions.

 

Hope y'all are okay and that we can find solutions to these problems. I am hoping to set aside a couple of evenings to crack on with a few pages, reply to some authors and upload some mods (although latter may have to wait). Good work everybody :smile:

 

~ Sunshine

 

What do you think should be skipped ? It's not like skipping 1 or 2 cells in each row will save much time. Copy paste helps make it take close to no time already. What takes time is searching for external hosts and contacting mod authors, which we can't really skip, since it's the whole point of the project^^.

 

 

Aye, agreed. Hmm.. I did say I may not know what I was talking about ;) It was more a suggestion of looking at the project as a whole and seeing where something might be streamlined or delegate certain task or something... Like I said, everyone seems to have done such an amazing amount of work already and I just wanted to give some support and encouragement to people's efforts. :)

[rosvitacousland]

Hello,

 

I have got two questions:

 

1. Will Bioware delete the Toolset Wiki, too?

 

2. Will the BCN "save" the Toolset Wiki in case?

 

rosvita

 

P.S.: I hope, that these questions were not the topic of some other older postings. Please, excuse me, in case!

[moho25]

I've just come across this mod for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. What are we supposed to do with it ? It's most likely the only mod for this game, and has nothing to do on BSN.

 

Ignore it. I never should have been uploaded to BSN and isn't a mod for a BW game.

 

------

 

I'm spending this morning catching up and it looks like we've had a few things happen while I've been busy with the toolset. Looks like we need to revisit some topics:

 

 

Spreadsheet Edits

I thought this was clear, but perhaps not. Nobody should be adding/removing/reformatting spreadsheets. All inventoriers should be doing is inventorying -- unless it's something they run past me first. Significant changes like this impact everyone involved in the project, as well as the instructions on the front page. They need to be discussed prior to implementation, which is part of my role as project coordinator. Unfortunately, Google does not have any granularity in editing permissions. Folks can either edit or not, so we're on an honor system.

 

If you feel like you have a good idea for a change in format to the spreadsheets, bring your idea here so it can be discussed. From there, I'll implement the change, or give you the verbal on implementing it yourself. It may seem like a pain to jump through these few hoops, but it will prevent problems like the ones already discussed in this thread.

 

It'll take me some time today to go through the changes I'm seeing, so expect some revisions incoming. My guess is I can't fully revert without losing a bunch of work from everyone, so we'll adjust however we can.

 

 

Inventorying Protocols

Similar to the spreadsheet edits, these again should not be changed without the project coordinator's go ahead -- whether that's me or someone else. We've put specific measures in place for a reason, all of which are summarized on the instruction page. All inventoriers are working off those stated protocols. When people change protocol midstream it leads to confusion. If someone wants to discuss a change -- which is no problem -- we need to do it here and make a decision. From there the instruction sheet is amended and everyone take a look to make sure everyone is on the same page. *Then* inventoriers start implementing the change into your actual workflow.

 

-----

 

More incoming as I play catch up. Expect lots of new comments on the sheets as protocols are clarified.

Edited October 13, 2016 by moho25

[moho25]

Hello,

 

I have got two questions:

 

1. Will Bioware delete the Toolset Wiki, too?

 

2. Will the BCN "save" the Toolset Wiki in case?

 

rosvita

 

P.S.: I hope, that these questions were not the topic of some other older postings. Please, excuse me, in case!

 

1. We doubt it, but when we find out, we'll update the website.

 

2. We already have a backup of the DAO wiki, as does Fextralife.