[Rockin Robbins]

Okay, I propose to toss a monkey wrench in the gearing here. What's the most frequently asked question from someone with five mods or more? Of course it's "What order do I install these mods in?"

I propose a numbering system for mods, changing the name of the mod. Supermods would be in the 100 series of mods. Any two mods with exactly the same number are incompatible: you can install one of them but not both. So all base supermods would have a number of 100: 100 FOTRS Ultimate, 100 TMO 2.5, 100 GFO, 100 RFB 2.0. 100 will be the lowest number so it is always installed first. All have the same number, meaning choose one, chump! Kapeech? Patches by the same author might have a number of 110. Multiple patches would be numbered in order of install.

200 series would be major subsidiary mods that act like supermods, in that they also modify every aspect of the game. About the only one right now (and EVER I hope) is RSRDC. There are several versions of RSRDC for the different supermods and stock. So it would be 200 RSRDC for stock, 200 RSRDC for RFB, etc. The 200 means it's installed after 100. Sharing the same number means choose one, chump.

I don't seem to have any 300 series mods, so I forgot what they are......old age sucks. Lets make them ship physics and sinking mods.

400 mods are keyboard layout and plotting mods. We'll go 400-449 for keyboard and 450-499 for plotting mods.

500 mods are radio and gramophone mods: big and ugly but compatible with everything. Unfortunately they change the big octopus file that contains a million things and we'll have to be very careful how we implement these. I've found a program, JTxE, which allows modification of individual lines in a configuration file and I'll be playing with that to see if we can automate the process and open up universal plugins for 500 mods. Otherwise, it's a minefield. Be careful.

600 series: deck gun and torpedo mods

700 series: missions and scenarios

800 series: sounds and visuals like 800 Sober's Explosion mod.

This way, no matter what we come up with, the player knows what order to install the mods. He knows which are incompatible with which others.

Sure, there will be some changes. It's the vision that counts. As we go forward we can perfect the scheme further. Maybe others will catch on even with mods never intended for FOTRS and we'll start something everyone will use and never again have to answer the question "I have ten mods. What order should they be installed in?"

Heck, I'm going to have to work up a chart of everybody on board and what they're working on.... We've created.......a MONSTER!!! The ghost of Kapt. Lehmann is haunting me and he's not even gone. Justice is a cruel thing....... I'm off to actually play some FOTRS!