AGS games database: Mirror links

[Tartalo]

I hope this goes here.

Problem:
There are almost 300 games in AGS database that can't be blessed now by Goddess because none of the mirror links points directly to a file.

This can be because:
- The link is dead.
- It points to the game's website.
- It point's to a file hosting service with an odd method to serve files.

Sometimes linking to the website is necessary because AGS database doesn't fit. Soviet U...dorf is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. King Quest saga goes in separated downloads: game, voice and music

Proposals to AGS:

- Test regularly AGS database for dead links. If you are interested I could extract part of Goddess code to make a standalone link checker, but there are probably better tools for this already.
- Allow 4 basic mirrors: DOS, Windows, Mac OS X or GNU/Linux.
- Add 2 extra mirrors: Voice or Music.

Edited: another proposal later

I think this would fit for all.

Proposals to Game Makers:
- Use the mirror for the last version of the game and include all the translations in the file.
- Unless you do want to stop users with tools like Goddess, avoid hosting your game in places with countdowns, "copy this text here", and similar obstacles.

Does it make sense to you?

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

http://aafiles.bicycle-for-slugs.org/

Just so Goddess can bless all she wants.

[Tartalo]

http://aafiles.bicycle-for-slugs.org/

Wow! This looks complete.
So I can use it as a fall back mirror?

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Yes, but it's not as complete as it looks. Still, it's fairly reliable for the really old ones.

...on second thought, it's not me you have to ask. I don't own the domain. Can't remember who does, though.

[scotch]

Fuzzpilz owns it, I don't think it'd matter if you use it as an alternate mirror, that's what it's for anyway. But as Rui said, it's not very complete. There's a lot of older stuff but it doesn't have an active maintainer right now.

Once I tried mirroring games automatically but people use all sorts of awkward non bot friendly hosting services (rapidsharealikes) or link to their websites, so it wasn't very effective.

[Tartalo]

Once I tried mirroring games automatically but people use all sorts of awkward non bot friendly hosting services (rapidsharealikes) or link to their websites, so it wasn't very effective.

In Goddess I'm solving this by adding manually a direct link to the file in the database, but that's very slow and doesn't work in all cases. Even if I improved the script to support most common file services, aiming for 100% this way is crazy. I could also try to sell this problem as an advantage: "Goddess: handpicked AGS games".

Related to fall back mirror idea: c|_| torrent tracker could be also a good source, but doesn't seem very active now. I see that it was proposed also that the link to the torrent could be included in AGS database.

To fit all this in AGS games database, the best would be something like "add as much links you want and use any combination of these tags: FILE - OS - PROTOCOL"

DOWNLOADS for SuperBigGame:
* Game (basic) - Windows - HTTP
* Extra: Voice - Any OS - HTTP
* Extra: Music - Any OS - HTTP

DOWNLOADS for ManyVersionsGame:
* Game (complete) - Windows - Bittorent
* Game (complete) - Linux - Bittorent
* Game (complete) - Mac - Bittorent

Is it getting too complicated? Most of the games would use just one "Game (complete) - Windows - HTTP". Anyway, current two links seem to fall short, no?

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

At the time I'm simply too busy to maintain the bycycle-for-slugs site. If I weren't, or if someone else maintained it, then all the problems would be solved for your Goddess, and pretty much everyone around here knows about the archive by now.

[Tartalo]

I didn't understand well what's the status of bicyle and your implication in the project, sorry. I set an email to the contact in whois database.

But I have been thinking a bit more in this AGS games repository idea. So, the problems to solve are:

- Guarantee availability of games.
- Allow complex link combinations for a single game

What if...

You probably know Archive.org:

The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.

They also have a software section:

The Software Archive is designed to preserve and provide access to all kinds of rare or difficult to find, legally downloadable software titles and background information on those titles.
The collection includes a broad range of software related materials including shareware, freeware, video news releases about software titles, speed runs of actual software game play, previews and promos for software games, high-score and skill replays of various game genres, and the art of filmmaking with real-time computer game engines.


They mention "rare or difficult to find", but in the music section they are accepting also demos. Besides, they might be interested in hosting AGS games collection:

If you have a large collection of related items in single media type, like a radio show for example, please contact the Internet Archive. You can email our collections staff at info at archive.org. Be sure to include the details of your collection; we want to know how many items you have, what format they are in as well as any general information you can give us about the collection.


The page for the download is shocking the first time you see it, but it is well organized and offers many possibilities, more than enough to host cases like Soviet U-dorf and Kings Quest (if well done even in a way that a stupid bot would understand), so only one link would be necessary in this AGS database.

A quite complex example:
http://www.archive.org/details/leisure-suit-larry-3-amiga

I can't talk in the name of AGS, but maybe an email to know more isn't silly. CJ?