I posted something similar to this half a year ago i think, and till today nothing happened. Ok a little, but...
THE DLDB IS STILL A MESS.
Although some of you might think Sen is not a Filehost, its what this whole thing here is about, MAKING FILES (MAPS,MODS) !!!
Just to remember you. This is what you get when you open the DLDB:
What i donīt understand is that even People like MiniMoose, or MetalGear have no Pictures...
I mean come on, i once got a message about a moderation Action cause i center aligned one of my Post, but you are not able to fix the Database, which is in my Eyes much more essential.
So here comes what i think should be changed.
.
- Clean up the Database and throw out everything that has no Picture, is not downloadable, has a Japanese Description, which is translated into russian English, and so on.
Put them on a black list or something, and give People a few weeks to fix it, or ask some people who would do it.
Even I can offer to do some of the Pictures and or Descriptions, just make it possible to edit. Maybe you can make it some kind of Event, who fixed the most Maps, can buy one thing free in the Shop, or whatever...
Come on, get off the high horse, it MUST BE DONE !
- As i am always interested in the Terrain, that is used, an easy fix could be these Icons, i made some time ago...
If a Map has no Picture, you could use the Icons for the Tileset it is Made of, that would at least look better, than this stupid SC Map Icon, or no Icon, and you would provide some Information about the Map.
If you donīt want to do that, maybe you want to add them small in the Description.
To be honest, i donīt like them at the left side, but i pretty much like them on the right side. For the Mappicture, i am pretty sure someone else can come up with some nice Icons for a not existing Map Picture...
The Icons
- As i am not a tiny bit interested in modding, and i think i am not alone, i suggest, to completly seperate modding and mapping in the DLDB.
- Furthermore i would allow maximum 3 Tags per Map, its ridiculous to have 10 Tags just to let People find your Map everywhere.
Or make something like a Main Tag, so you can find a Map which is tagged with Defence,RpG,... in the Subcategory Rpg, but after all the Entries, which have RpG at first Place.
The Main Tags should be predetermined and you must take one as your first Tag. In this Category your Map will be found. In all other Categories that you tagged it can be found too, but behind all the Maps which have the Tag of this Category as Main Tag.
- I would order the Maps by Downloads, when you come first time to a subcategory.
Although i am more interested in new maps, i donīt think the average user is. And the People that hang out here all the time, they know where the button to order them is.
And when i come to a Subcategory of Maps, i most likely want to see the best Maps around, and not some Maps which will never be played by anyone, but have been uploaded the days before i come to look for something.
- Make it somehow more clear, what a Map is that is worth downloading. The sunken treasure thing is a good idea, unfortunatly its more like a sunken piece of crap when you start diving.
Just take Maps with XX Downloads, or rated 4/5; 5/5 Stars. I know there are not much Maps rated yet... 
- The Categorization...
Face it. There are more Categories than Files in the DLDB.
There is a Sub Category for Trigger Editors, which is empty ???
I mean its well meant, but useless.
There are 10 Buttons/Options i have, maybe because the Buttons are designed so nice or i donīt know.
My favourite among them is Cloud. I am pretty sure there is a better way to present this, and i am pretty sure you donīt need a Portal, when you seperate Maps and Mods.
Main is useless, Cloud is maybe useless, but i donīt know what it does, as it gives me an error when i click it.
*1) I would throw this out completly, as it is about Mapping, but if you think it must stay delete the subcategories, its 2 Pages overall.
*2) I would make this three top categories and more important, donīt show these Maps anywhere else. When a Map falls under one of these Categories, it should not be mentioned among the other Maps.
Unfortunatly nearly every Map in there is "tagged" with things like incomplete, RpG, ... so it will always show up under RpG. In my oppinion it shouldnīt. If you go with some kind of Main Tag System, i mentioned above, it could be ok to show them at the very end.
*3) As i said before i am not interested in modding so i have no suggestions here, but i am pretty sure itīs basically the same than the rest. And i think it shouldnīt be shown when i search for Maps, as is said, it should be seperated.
*4) 3 Pages of Programs, umong it this: "This is a... korean version of Staredit X-tra Editor? Somewhat, I don't really know the exact difference, but I'm sure there might be a few. Unfortunately, I can't really help you out with it, because it's korean, and I never tested it throughly."
I use 8 Programs for editing Maps, and i doubt anybody needs more. If you say for every Program there is another one that is second best and ypu want to offer this too, it makes 16. Lets say there are ten useless Programs out there that for some Reason, maybe you used it when you were younger, have the right to be in there , than you have ~ 25 Programs that should be shown here. The Rest is just crap and deserves to be deleted.
Even if you donīt delete them, there is no need for 4 subcategories, including one that is empty.
*5) Another thing i think is completly useless. You can download sounds everywhere in the web, and i would never take a sound from here, more likely i would steal it from another map :-). Anyway if you think it must be there, than the subcategories are not needed. My favourite in this Category by the way is Scarysounds. [Tags: scary haunted wav guns force ghost banshee shock spark electricity scurrying creature dramatic pack sound pack. Congratulation you made it to at least hit one Subcategory with your Tags.]
Thats all for now, keep in mind that this should be food for thought and not a complete solution, the Main Point is,
the DLDB has to look nice, must work, and should be easy to use, and that soon.
edit: If it is possible, add your own ideas under mine, and donīt tell me what you think about my ideas, or start a discussion about this is good and this not, bla bla, cause this way we will have a bunch of nice ideas soon, and it will get very clear what can be used and what not. And if you wanna look up the ideas you donīt have to read a lot of crap in between. I mean after all i can just offer my ideas/help, i know that the Main Part has to be done by IsolatedPurity and MinniMoose, and i donīt know who else is doing the Coding here, and they must decide what is possible and what not.
edit2:Oh, and i think this Topic should be pinned, as it is in my opinion on top of the "to DO List", and you canīt procrestinate it. :-)
A Dream ???
The Main/start Page should be somehow like this:
When you click on Maps you get this:
- *1) 2 Functions on this Button. The text = Browse /// The Arrow = Dropdown Menu Categories
- *2) Back to Main
- *3) My Files and Upload can be one Category. The sites must be merged together than.
- *4) 2 Functions on this Button. The Text = search Results /// The Arrow = open Search Site (maybe as a Dropdown Menu would be cool)
- *5) I didnīt change the Layout here, i am sure there can be found a better place for them. Click on the Tileset Icon sorts Files by Tileset.
- *???) All Descriptions should provide the same Information. Author = No Author ?
Maybe this Layout would be cool:
The first bar shows the Downloads (100 is Max.) and the second bar the Rating (5 is Max.).
This way you can see at a glance what Maps are popular.
Mouseover shows the real Numbers ( 50/100 ; 4.5/5 ) Everything is possible... :-)
Of course it is Red, when itīs at a very low level
Answers to Ideas that came later:
Collapse Box
someone can remember of an old map he played before and he wants back is the fact that in its title, there were "Yggdrasill: Tree of Genesis" as name
Your Map is called Ygdrasill, i am pretty sure, the search uses the Names of Maps and not only the Tags
if the search function do not searches through members that posted the map
But it does search by Creators Name.
I personally prefer the pictures on the left, just the way they are.
Well if there are any. And even if, i think some of them have to be altered, at least you should have a standard size.
If you reread what i wrote, my idea was not to replace the actual minimap images, it was for the Entries that have no Pictures for whatever Reason there is.
Well to be honest if i wouldnīt have in mind, that it would not be a profitable Discussion, i would get choked up about this answer.
fucking ......Plz People if you want to add ideas here, first make yourself comfortable with the DLDB, look whatīs possible, and whatīs not, and than think what should be better, and Post it.
Its useless and a waste of time if you just imagine what it does and than suggest something, that is already working. It will be enough work to actually fix something, so i see no need to make this Post a mess.
I apologize for my messy English, if some things are not illustrated perfectly.
None.
Doodle77
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Doodle's just crazy.
