Wacky Zip Files

[Manock]

Does anybody else NOT run mods because it requires some wacky program to unzip them?

I dont care if your new fangled zip program compresses a few percentage points tighter, download speeds are not that important.

Just zip it in standard Windows format, and stop trying to impress us with your up to date, computer science knowledge of arcane for the most part useless knowledge. Leave the impressing to your mod.

Rant Over
Manock

[JScones]

I assume that you are referring to .7z files?

Well, LZMA compression has been around since 2001, so it's hardly "new". It compresses between 30% and 70% better than zip format (hardly "a few percentage points"), which considering the size of some of the mods around here is of immense help to those that still have 56k modems...and there are a few here. Plus, it's of great benefit to those uploading and hosting the files (bandwidth and so on). There's much more to consider than just whether one user can open it with his comfortable WinZip.

I think Grey Wolves brought Terrapin's site down for a while when it was first released...imagine the impact if it was in zip format?

There's many (free) programmes that open .7z files. It's not that hard to find one AND they'll also open your standard zip files as well (three most popular being IZArc, WinRAR, 7-ZIP).

So, quit ranting, don't knock what you know nothing about and move on...or run an unmodded SH3. The choice is all yours...

[Tonnage_Ace]

WinRAR all the way baby!

[JScones]

I actually like IZArc - it seems to me to be a carbon copy of WinZip but with support for basically every compression format out there.

It has a few nuances, but it is totally free and means that I only need one compression application on my machine.

[Tonnage_Ace]

Originally Posted by JScones

I actually like IZArc - it seems to me to be a carbon copy of WinZip but with support for basically every compression format out there.

It has a few nuances, but it is totally free and means that I only need one compression application on my machine.

Ya, but can you view nfo files with IZArc? WinRAR also adds options to the right-click window when you right-click on files, in other words, I can either unzip the file(whatever it is) into it's own folder, automatically renamed after the zipped file, or unzip all teh contents onto, say, the desktop. Usually, if there's only one file or folder in the compressed file, I'll just say, 'unzip here', which will unzip the file onto my desktop. Or if there are multiple files in the compressed file, I'll just click, "unzip to: 'compressed file's name here' ".

[JScones]

Originally Posted by Tonnage_Ace

Ya, but can you view nfo files with IZArc? WinRAR also adds options to the right-click window when you right-click on files, in other words, I can either unzip the file(whatever it is) into it's own folder, automatically renamed after the zipped file, or unzip all the contents onto, say, the desktop. Usually, if there's only one file or folder in the compressed file, I'll just say, 'unzip here', which will unzip the file onto my desktop. Or if there are multiple files in the compressed file, I'll just click, "unzip to: 'compressed file's name here' ".

Yep, got all of that. Right context menu provides:
-Extract to...
-Extract Here
-Extract to.. \<file name>
-Email <file name>
-Convert Archive to other formats
-Create self extracting EXE file not for all compression types
-Test

You can open the archive and drag and drop any or all of the contents to wherever you like. You can view contents of the archive either in the associated programme, notepad, or whatever viewer you want. If you've ever used WinZip, you can say you know IZArc.

[Tonnage_Ace]

I guess it's just a matter of which program you downloaded first and then got used to. If it works for your purposes, why change, right?

[STEED]

Originally Posted by Manock

Does anybody else NOT run mods because it requires some wacky program to unzip them?

I know the felling but you just got to go with the flow.

[JScones]

Originally Posted by Tonnage_Ace

I guess it's just a matter of which program you downloaded first and then got used to. If it works for your purposes, why change, right?

Absolutely. I did try 7zip and WinRAR, but as I was a WinZip user all my life, I just felt comfortable with IZArc.

But they all essentially do the same thing. Whatever you're comfortable using is all that matters.

[Tonnage_Ace]

GW 1.1 is pretty much an end all mod if you just want a change and don't want any other mods, it's really simple to install as well.
But just a few minutes ago, I just finished reading 11 pages worth of posts concerning the SH3 Gen mod. I usually do this so that I'm up to date on a mods quirks and/or problems, how to solve those problems and what to do about the quirks. Version 0.5.2 of that mod is out and has almost no problems to speak of, but I would never know that if I didn't read the whole thread. That thread had gone dead about a month and a half ago, thank god someone started it up again or else I wouldn't know about that mod at all.

It's hard to keep up on the mod arms-race, I find myself dedicating more time to the forums than I do playing the game! I got the game in December and installed my first mod through JSGME about a month after that, now I can't imagine playing the flawed, vanilla version without any mods. The community here is one of the strongest for any game I know of and the mod community has done such a brilliant job of customising SH3 to make it more playable/realistic, that it's amazing they did so without an SDK to help them along(which would've helped a lot).

[JScones]

And SH3Gen comes in zip format.

[GlobalExplorer]

I think if files are small and bandwith paid, only a fool uses formats like 7z or RAR, because it scares off many people. If bandwidth is an issue, I have no problem with "ultra" compressed archives that go to the most extreme sacrifices in speed for a smaller file size, because only then it really pays off.

Personally, I don't like WinRAR, because it is nagware and sometimes weird. 7z is cool, but sometimes not at hand. No matter what, every serious mod user should have both 7z and WinRAR on his computer.

Being a really slow guy when it comes to new software, I really love the way how zip compression is integrated in XP.

Originally Posted by Tonnage_Ace

But just a few minutes ago, I just finished reading 11 pages worth of posts concerning the SH3 Gen mod. I usually do this so that I'm up to date on a mods quirks and/or problems, how to solve those problems and what to do about the quirks. Version 0.5.2 of that mod is out and has almost no problems to speak of, but I would never know that if I didn't read the whole thread. That thread had gone dead about a month and a half ago, thank god someone started it up again or else I wouldn't know about that mod at all.

I hope this will get better when I submit a proven version to Terrapins or Neals server. I also think that the first bunch of people have enough experience with it to know that it works and is not nearly as complicated as it sounds, and starting mouth propaganda. I personally don't have the energy or shamelessness to repeatedly advertise at the various sites, so if this gets overlooked or not depends on wether users recommend it to people who are looking for a more athmospheric campaign.

The first time I saw a mod in 7zip format, the modder included a link to the program. I downloaded it and installed the mod just fine, and I use 7zip all the time now.

I don't see what the problem is.

EEEeeeeeWWwwwwww..........


SOoooo......... SCaarrryyyy.......




7Zip

[GreyOctober]

Originally Posted by Manock

Does anybody else NOT run mods because it requires some wacky program to unzip them?

I guess youre the only one...

Cheers!