Multiverse open for uploading mods

Freeform discussion about anything related to modding Transcendence.
george moromisato
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I've made a few changes to the Multiverse to allow anyone to upload mods to. There are a few advantages to uploading mods to the Multiverse (as opposed to Xelerus).

1. The mods will appear in the main catalog page (after official mods). This should give mods more visibility, since links in the game navigate directly to it.

2. When players add your mod, they can do so from the Multiverse and have the appropriate files downloaded automatically.

3. When you update a mod, players will automatically get the latest version the next time they run.

HOW TO UPLOAD
The process for uploading to the Multiverse is unfortunately not as easy as Xelerus. What follows is a terse description of the steps, but I hope people will give me feedback to improve both the process and the documentation.

STEP 1: Acquire an UNID by posting in the UNID Database thread: https://forums.kronosaur.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=959 [You can only upload extensions with UNIDs in the unregistered range: 0xD??? and 0xE???.]

STEP 2: Create a TDB file. The Multiverse currently only supports TDB files; if you only have XML files, you need to compile into a single TDB using TransCompiler (which comes with TransData). If you use libraries, each of your libraries should be a separate TDB file.

STEP 3: Go to the Multiverse (sign in) and click on the "development" tab (upper right).

STEP 4: Click the "Create" button to add a new entry. Remember to click the tab for the kind of extension you're trying to create (adventure, expansion, or library). Next, enter the name of the extension and the UNID.

STEP 5: You should see a newly created entry in the list (if not, try refreshing the browser).

STEP 6: Click on the new entry and fill it in as appropriate: (a) Upload a TDB file; (b) Upload an icon image for the catalog; (c) Fill in the description; (d) Add some screenshots, if you want. You may go back and edit at any time.

STEP 7: When you're ready to publish your extension to the world, click on the "Submit for Approval" button. Send me a PM or email ([email protected]) to remind me, and I will approve the extension. Currently, the only criteria for approval is that the mod is not offensive or obvious spam (but we may add other quality criteria in the future). Anything you upload is subject to the Terms of Service: https://multiverse.kronosaur.com/news.hexm?id=97

STEP 8: Once your mod is published, it will show up in the catalog. If you want to update your mod, simply upload a new TDB with a new version string. [Currently, you will have to manually delete the old TDB unless you've also updated the API version.]

As always, please let me know if you have questions or comments. My goal is to improve the Multiverse over time so that it is a worthy replacement for Xelerus. A few obvious features that I'm working on:

1. People should be able to add comments on each mod.
2. People should be able to vote/rate mods.
3. We need more ways to search for mods.
Etc.
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AssumedPseudonym
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 First question: What about for regdevs not wanting to use their registered UNID prefixes? I mean, I have The Backroads under 0xA010, but what about for using my unregistered 0xDCC8 prefix for unregistered mods?
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Mod prefixes: 0xA010 (registered) and 0xDCC8 (miscellaneous)

My mods on Xelerus: Click here!

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Xephyr
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We're going to need a way to delete collection items for sure now, in case of mod conflicts breaking the game.
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george moromisato
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AssumedPseudonym wrote:
Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:28 pm
 First question: What about for regdevs not wanting to use their registered UNID prefixes? I mean, I have The Backroads under 0xA010, but what about for using my unregistered 0xDCC8 prefix for unregistered mods?
You can certainly use your unregistered prefix for unregistered mods.
george moromisato
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Xephyr wrote:
Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:36 pm
We're going to need a way to delete collection items for sure now, in case of mod conflicts breaking the game.
Yeah, definitely. That's something I'm working on for 1.8.
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DigaRW
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This is what I waiting for... :D
Download Transcendence mods from Reinvented Workbench Project!
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DigaRW
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Wait, it is manual download or just adding to collection and needs run Transcendence to download it?
Download Transcendence mods from Reinvented Workbench Project!
Click this link!
george moromisato
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DigaRW wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:17 am
Wait, it is manual download or just adding to collection and needs run Transcendence to download it?
Transcendence will automatically download it the next time it runs (once it is added to your collection).
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Song
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DigaRW wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:17 am
Wait, it is manual download or just adding to collection and needs run Transcendence to download it?
If you're logged into multiverse on the website and the game? You just need to run the game and it will (very slowly) download.
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0xABCDEF
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There should be a way for people other than George to review submitted mods in case he is too busy to check them.
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Song
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0xABCDEF wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 4:46 am
There should be a way for people other than George to review submitted mods in case he is too busy to check them.
Yeah. We need a moderation crew. We'll also need that if comments get implemented.
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0xABCDEF
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I think the Multiverse should be coded to check a modder's assigned unregistered UNIDs instead of just allowing them to assume any without telling anyone first.
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0xABCDEF wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 4:52 am
I think the Multiverse should be coded to check a modder's assigned unregistered UNIDs instead of just allowing them to assume any without telling anyone first.
 Very +1 to this.
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Mod prefixes: 0xA010 (registered) and 0xDCC8 (miscellaneous)

My mods on Xelerus: Click here!

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DigaRW
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Shrike wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 4:30 am
DigaRW wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:17 am
Wait, it is manual download or just adding to collection and needs run Transcendence to download it?
If you're logged into multiverse on the website and the game? You just need to run the game and it will (very slowly) download.
george moromisato wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 4:29 am
DigaRW wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:17 am
Wait, it is manual download or just adding to collection and needs run Transcendence to download it?
Transcendence will automatically download it the next time it runs (once it is added to your collection).
Oh well, that is a problem for me... I'm usually using mobile phone to download mods
Download Transcendence mods from Reinvented Workbench Project!
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Song
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DigaRW wrote:
Tue Sep 05, 2017 9:15 am

Oh well, that is a problem for me... I'm usually using mobile phone to download mods
Well, there is an alternative if you really can't handle downloading it on PC. If you can get a copy of the TBD archive from the modder (you'd probably have to ask/PM specifically since most folks don't upload those except to MV), add the mod to your collection then put the TBD into the....probably the Collections folder unless George repurposes the Extensions folder. Multiverse will check the file's up to date, then if there's no difference it won't update. You might run into issues when the modder updates the file though: the game's multiverse implementation does not allow you to disable updates per-item.
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