MTM2.com

I would like to show you a concept of what my perfect MTM2 All in One tool looks like.

Why would I want a MTM2 All in One tool?
1. Currently I install, pod and unpod tracklists by hand. Once you have figured out how all the podding works, it's no big deal - just a lot of mouse-clicking. There are plenty of good tools around which try make this process quicker. My experience is that these tools each are hard to install / hard to set up / hard to use / don't do enough / look to ugly to use (hehe).

2. Explaining how to install, pod and unpod tracklists to people who are new in the zone can be really time consuming. There are excellent written howto's online available, however the new people quite often manage to go off the path somewhere. This has to be made easier.

The base-line of these 2 points above is that I would like to see a tool wich makes me install, pod and unpod tracklists quicker then I can do manually + makes it extremely easy for newcomers to get the lists up and working.

The requirements of the program when I started drawing were:
detects already installed tracklists
is able to download & setup tracklists with 1 mouse-click
is able to switch from tracklist with 1 mouse-click
has a PodIt alike podding system included, with extended options like adding a track (but especially a truck pod file) to all available lists with one mouse-click and restoring to the original pod.ini of the correspondending track lists.

Now, with this in mind I came up with the <a href="">following</a>



<center>(click tumbnail for full version)

<a href="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch1_topic_3154m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch1_topic_3154s.jpg"></a>
[ <a href="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch1_topic_3154m.jpg">medium image</a> - <a href="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch1_topic_3154.jpg">large image</a> - <a href="http://members.home.nl/rgoessen/1.jpg">original large image</a> ]



<a href="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch2_topic_3154m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch2_topic_3154s.jpg"></a>
[ <a href="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch2_topic_3154.jpg">medium image</a> - <a href="http://mtm2.com/~forum/images/scrooch2_topic_3154.jpg">large image</a> - <a href="http://members.home.nl/rgoessen/2.jpg">original large image</a>]
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Let's take a look at the first picture. In this picture you see the usual File, Options and Help bar. Under that bar I've placed 2 tabs. The first tab is ment to quickly switch between lists. The 2nd tab, Tracks, is supposed to be an extradeluxe PodIt. In the first picture the tab 'Lists' is selected (green), in the 2nd picture you see the tab 'Tracks' selected.

Details about the first picture
Alright. When you start for the first time this tool, it searches for available lists, or gives you the option to insert a list manually. When this is done, you get to see the first image. You see that Adoob is green. That means it is currently podded. When you click on APL now for example, you get a question popped up which asks if you are sure if you want to pod APL. In that same pop-up you can also select on the buttom 'don't ask me this question next time'. On buttom there is an expandable menu with advanced options. On the right of the tool there is some general information about the available list.

Under the red line you see a seperate menu --> This is the preference menu. You get in the preference menu by clicking on Options --> Preferences.

Details about the second picture
The second picture is quite straightforward. Notice the same colors being used. Green means currently podded, blue means available.


That's it folks! I can imagine there are some problems with the auto-fetch options because people will not be happy that visiting the actual website isn't required anymore to get a list. In my opinion a good solution for this would be to automaticly open the TeamSLO history page for the lists hosted on Teamslo for example.
Another thing: on picture one you see the RIP list and RHB list not colored. They should be though. Not sure about the RHB name -- I ment the rumble list but I was too lazy to look up the exact name hehe.



Well, I hope this will start a small discussion about what an All in One tool should include with keeping in mind that it should be quick and simple. When we can get to a good consensus, we have to find someone who is crazy enough to write the actual tool haha. I have great faith in NIR_Knarf aka Frank though. He's certainly one who can pull this off! (hehe sorry for doing this to you buddy lol).

I have always wondered why mounting tracks is such a hard ordeal. However, this post gives me some ideas. I have too much on my hands at the moment, but if nobody gets to it before too long, who knows what might happen.

To be honoust i don't see that much difference between this and Knarf's latest MTMstarter.

For me, the biggest problem with Knarf's programs is that they are written in Java. So you have to install Java (which insn't that bigga deal), but the problem is to find the latest version. A while ago my starter fell out and Knarf came over to my house to bring it back in order. Now Knarf lives about 1 mile away so it's not so difficult to pay me a visit, but i don't think he can fly over to America to make sure everyone's pc works good.

Now i have an idea. How about Knarf teaching me Java and you guys pay me my airline tickest and i will travel the world to make sure everything works a-ok

Just kidding ofcourse. I just wanted to know what the difference is between what you suggested and the latest starter. All i can find extra is autodownloading the listst. But he already made a program that can do that (mtminstaller) but that doesn't work that great because those url's often change etc.
According to me all that can be improved on that starter is not to have it written in Java, but then you'll have to find someone other then Knarf.

Wow that looks neat! if the program was to be finished up, it would be cool if the darwings were the "skins" for it

Something that can check and install the patch if it's not already installed, unzip and pod tracks, manage lists, track and truck making tools would be great, however, no matter how simple you'll make it, i beleive there's no such thing as fool proof and some degree of understanding about this game is and will always be requier to join in games and play with others.

No matter how easy it may look to us who have been playing for years, it will remain complicated to a newbie who does not have a clue yet of what a track list is or what we mean by get the patch and reclicks please.
From my experience, those who really have problems to install and play addons usually have problems because their understanding of computer programs are limited. On Top, there are all those weird little bug even old players cant predict and dont understand to well.

personnally, i've once podded by modifying pod.ini with notepad, then moved to a podder and since then i tryed them all. Podswap is so far my favorite I found podit to be extremly simple to use and very effective. I also liked very much the mtmstarter's first version but eventually ended up with issues i could never solve.

All those, i found very easy to install and very effective to do the job. I guess my point is, no matter what, ya gotta start by playing a bit and understand the basic of how this game work and how to deal with commun game issues before trying to figure out the most advance stuff.

I don't know if you know this but with the latest version of mtmstarter you can add a .pod to multiple lists at once (and undo that action) check http://users.pandora.be/riptor/mtmstart ... index.html and scroll down to point 8.
Only thing I see that isn't in the starter is the auto-downloading thing of lists and checking online what lists exist and which one you have/don't have. And as I explained to you this brings some problems (like how can the program identify the lists if the users has installed it by hand to name 1).
Also I see you have included your own pod thing program while mtmstarter calls podit or podini to do the job. I did use an external program for two reasons:
1. Everyone knows these programs so why force them to use something else
2. Don't re-invent the wheel. If something allready exists just use it. Creating a pod program isn't hard but it takes time.


About the java thing. There are solutions for those problems but they all cost money for me which I am not willing to spend
Possible solutions:
- There are ways to convert java binaries to windows executables so they can launch stand-alone without the need of having java installed. But these programs (like excelsior-jet) cost money.
- I could put the starter on a java-webstart-page. This means it that your java version is checked automaticly as is your version of the starter. If either one is found outdated it just downloads and installs the new version automaticly. In my opinion this second solution really works like a charm. The problem is that you need a webhoster that supports java-webstart. And mine doesn't. So this will cost me money which I am not willing to spend cause for me the starter works perfectly.

Yeah,

I think there are already proggies that nearly do what you are asking. MTMStarter and my own RIPit.

You can build lists, load other lists, or add to lists in RIPit. RIPit does not read the hard drive for .ini files like you suggest, rather, lists are loaded, then saved to a RIPit.ini file that contains all lists.

I have some other activities currently underway (secret pod stuff haha) so please send in wants and needs of a podding utility.


See following post for more details:

http://www.rip-racing.com/newplayer.html

Happy Trails,


PonyExpress