14 réponses à ce sujet

[PJ156]

I am setting up the hak for my new project and I am thinking that I don't want to end up with the bloated 1.7 GB of content I had the last time around.

 

Rather than putting all the content to the hak I am putting core content to the hak. Where the module needs specific content I will think hard about that and add it as needed to the module folder and, where possible adding only the models I need. This should prevent the hak being bloated with "just in case" content that I never use and stop the overall file size getting huge based on transferring around large blocks of data that, again, are not used in the module.

 

I don't feel there is a need to be anal about this, big file transfer easily enough nowadays but I did feel the haks were very large for my last project.

 

So I am looking at must have content for the core hak. This is content that really will pull it's weight across a range of settings by not being too location specific and offering a good variety of content. In some cases I am going to split down a hack to get the useful bits out while leaving the paintings and sewer pipes out:

 

• The City Hak - Tupoun.
• All of RJS current work (and work to come )
• The Witcher placeables project - Tchos (let's hope this grows as well)
• Callisters lights (very cool set)
• RWS inns and towers
• RWS merchants
• RWS bridge
• Jaesun 999 all in one (for all your rug and tapestry needs)
• Trinity placeables
• Crystal violets signs
• Thomas B's paintings

Total = 782 Mb

 

I think that's it? Any suggestions. This is not to say that other great content won't be used but it will go into the module folder not the hak.

 

Alternatively, should I shove the lot into one big 2.9 GB hak and cherry pick? Does a 3 gig download matter anymore?

 

PJ

[Tchos]

Can't speak for others, but I'm constantly running out of hard drive space, so it's not the downloads that do it -- it's the storage afterward.  I'm glad to see a desire for more efficient use of space.

 

I observed that in your most recent work, you included the RWS all-in-one hak and three of Pain's monster pack haks unchanged from their originals.  This is convenient, and can be prudent, especially since anyone who uploaded modules with dependencies on other haks, and only provided links to download them from the old Vault, will have left any current downloaders who don't know of alternatives with no way to play their work.  However, if you had put those in a separate zip file to download, then anyone who already has those haks doesn't need to download them alongside the module-specific sc_* haks.

[rjshae]

You might take a look at the IGN Vault's Hall of Fame Hakpack list (still being uploaded). Many of those packages are widely used.

[kamal_]

My "include ALL the things!" Campaign folder is about 1.2 gigs after 7zip. That includes things not officially released like my arid placeables, all the tilesets and all the terrain-texture options from my pack, and a bunch of music for use.

[Eguintir Eligard]

Hair styles

[PJ156]

 

I observed that in your most recent work, you included the RWS all-in-one hak and three of Pain's monster pack haks unchanged from their originals.  This is convenient, and can be prudent, especially since anyone who uploaded modules with dependencies on other haks.

 

I agree, I will use the orginal hak paks for critters etc or import single monsters and have none at all.

 

Placeables are more of an issues me thinks because there are so many disparate haks many with 2d'as within them which bugger up the module content. I have a core hak now with the items I noted but the placeables cornucopia as it stands is at 2.8GB in its raw form and there is much more to come when Kamals work is released. Not withstanding that I hope that the active modders remain productive.

 

Hard drive space is a primary driver for this thought process as well. I had a 125 gig hard drive before and it filled up easily. Once I got past 200 gig it slowed down so big mods were an issue to me. I want to bear that in mind when releasing my next mod.

 

The next stage with the cornucopia would be to break the whole thing down. Provide each model in a folder that contains its .mdb and .dds files so the modder could pick out each item he/she needed. This would greatly increase the space needed by the content creator as .dds files would be doubles up in each folder but would very significantly reduce the module size to the GP. Not all content creators would be happy with that ... and it's a braver man than me that takes on the task.

 

PJ

[PJ156]

Hair styles

 

You posted at the same time as me . I've never use a custom hairs style, do you think it worth it or is that one to leave to the player to use as they wish from the overide. It's an interesting point. 

 

In Loose Ends I put an appearance hak together and, since I had all the clothing, I set up a shop that sold it. Was that really worth the 700 mb of hak?

 

PJ

[Eguintir Eligard]

Nobody cares about file sizes. But don't waste stuff, still.

[rjshae]

Large file sizes do mean longer download times, so it matters in that sense. I've had some good results taking the contents of large zip-ed directories from the old IGN Vault and compressing (the un-zipped contents) with 7z: 60% of the zip size, in many cases. (Here's a Tom's Hardware article.) Once it's downloaded though, the actual size doesn't matter that much. Terabyte HDs are cheap now; that's more than a million Mb.

[Tchos]

Parkinson's Law is always a consideration.  Telling people to buy bigger hard drives just encourages more wasted space and perpetuates the problem.  Also consider countries where data transfer is not a flat rate.

[Eguintir Eligard]

You really thing the speed of transfer is an issue? Even on my downgraded Internet 2gigs is a few minutes. Let's not revert to five years ago when people complained that a mod wasn't dial up friendly...

[Tchos]

I didn't say anything about download speed.  In many places, people have to pay for their download bandwidth by the gigabyte or megabyte.

[rjshae]

You really thing the speed of transfer is an issue? Even on my downgraded Internet 2gigs is a few minutes. Let's not revert to five years ago when people complained that a mod wasn't dial up friendly...

 

I don't see why it's a problem to try and optimize for download; I'm not suggesting you get rid of stuff, just use the best compression method. Anyway, my wireless network isn't quite that fast... or else it's the new Vault.

[andysks]

For me the issue lies elsewhere. I have Elane's Clothes for example that take 185mb. From this package though, I am certain I won't use all the clothes. So I started a while ago to document the things I use, so that by the end I can delete the ones I didn't. This proved time wasting and now sometimes I do, sometimes not. But still. If I continue to do it even a little bit this will save much space. As it is now, I have a campaign folder of 3,7gb. Modules 1,5gb. I have absolutely 0 haks though, except Bob's bonus blueprints.

I want to release something that won't get people furious with size, but at the same time, quality also needs to be taken into account and some of these CC are really good to leave out. So here is my list of placeables at least.

 

Adam Miller's

Anthraxite's Banners (We simply have too little of these stock)

Arpharazon (Stained Glass, No map, Cave roof)

BCK (This one is one example from above. I note down every piece I use and then I will remove the ones I haven't).

Barry The Hatchet (Defense only)

All from Callister

All from Tchos' Witcher.

City Hak

All from RWS

 

I still use some more, like some Dragonlance placeables (barrel with water, purple flowers...), but I don't consider them a necessity. I have also an area where I use almost exclusively Racer Blue ruins. But I might change that for the shake of using less and less.

 

When it comes to other CC, because not only placeables take space, these are the ones I can't go without.

 

Pain's pack.

Sorceress Ashura's vfx pack

Kamal's tile package (I eliminated a lot because of space, but still use plenty like Callister's tiles or diagonal metatiles, RWS and some more).

BTH weapon pack.

Bob's bonus blueprints

Big Hair Pack (I like my NPCs to look different. However this is next in line for elimination, because Pain's appearance pack can make the same job just be setting some different appearance to key NPCs).

[PJ156]

Thanks Andy, that was an interesting list. Adam Millers pack is very good but variable. It has boots and hats and then other things that are less sueful. I thought hard about putting it in and in the end i did not.

 

BCK is another matter. The only way to keep the space down on that Hak is to do as you are doing. Its a huge time consumer if you do not.

 

PJ