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Hi All!

Well its been an awfully long time since I was last an active member on these forums, im sure a few people might remember me. Although I still come back here every now and again to make sure I keep up to date with what's going on here.

One thing I have always enjoyed is seeing how far people have pushed FPSC and some of the great creative ideas people come up with, so I would regularly download the games people show off in the showcase section. One thing however that has always irritated me was that very often the site hosting the download would make me wait, or only let me download one thing at a time, or only let me download files at a very slow speed, as well as flood my screen with popups (or all of the above ). And the worst thing for me is when download links go down and it becomes incredibly hard to find a place to download the game, one that specifically comes to mind is a while ago when i was looking to replay Umbra, and I was unable to find it anywhere, which is such a shame to let such a great game be lost.

Anyway I'll cut to the chase, I have plenty of web space, and not much to fill it with so, to give something back for all the great products TGC offer and I must not forget the fantastic community here, I am offering to host all of your FPSC Games for free! I also dont mind anyone using it to share DBPro or AppGameKit games, or game media or scripts either, as long as it is TGC related!

I have pieced together a website to let you upload your games and media files:

http://beginninghere.co.uk/filezone/

I have not yet bought a domain for the site as I want to make sure people are going to use it first and also people are not going to abuse it (eg. piracy etc..)

This service is still in its infancy so expect improvements in the near future, and the reason why im sharing it now is I need people to use it to give me feedback and suggestions. One priority is a better uploading page, showing how much is uploaded and estimated remaining time etc...

Thanks

Wizzkid

wow, wizzkid, I can't tell you how much i appreciate this! glad to see you again!

Hey bugsy, thank you it's nice to be back! No problem, I'm glad I can help! This is exactly the reason why I am offering it to this forum, everyone is so thankful and appreciative. Makes it worthwhile.

I think I might use it... one day.

Wizzkid Wizard, such a wonderful idea, and a potential great help to game makers. I do however have a couple questions.
Now deleting some content is a given, but with a email as to why it was removed, and why not instead quarantine the file. Then send a email and tell the user why this action is taking place and give them a opportunity to reply.

So in reality you are the software police? Be real careful here. I personally was accused of breaching copyright without any notification. Yet I had written permission. Insinuation and innuendo is cause for legal action by the accused. So says my attorneys. On the other side a file server is just that a file server, not responsible for the content.

Now first is this thinking of potential customers or ???
If you want customers you might rethink this.



What laws? Gods laws? Man's Laws? Nemo's Laws?
Suggest you hire a lawyer before adding anything like this.

This says Apache server. get a certificate or make a certificate and exe's can be downloaded.
Any advertising?
Interesting statement. From a woman's point of view I have to ask Long Time.. Is this a Man's LONG TIME or a WOMAN'S Long time. Point being. Be Specific! 60 days 90 days. And if it's a file server 10 years would be about right.

Great idea, How will it work? I have games, submitted to IndieGames. What can FileZone offer the game maker to help sell games?

Welcome back

Meows, thanks for the feedback, i will try to answer some of your concerns.



At the present time, you do not have to create an account to use this service, so i would not have an email address to contact them. However there is a link at the top called Plus, it is something that I'm working on, where users can sign up, manage their files, and yes i will contact them if there are concerns about a file. This is not just to allow me to delete files if i feel like it, its just as i cant contact them and files that are clearly their without the authors permission, i can remove them, or as you said quarantine them.



Well, im trying to run a service to help the members of this forum host their stuff, and i dont want people to abuse this service by uploading stuff that they shouldn't.. It is my webspace and i would rather not be accused of pirating and stuff like that. This is me covering my own back here, not me trying to police the internet, just what im essentially providing to the world. However, i do handle each case manually so if i remove a file which you have had permission for just use the contacts page to inform me and the file will be restored.



I simply mean, if i come to the realisation that i have left something out i can add it in at any time, and again i dont have a list of email addresses to inform. I hope that people may use this more than once.




All files that are reported are manually reviewed before they are "deleted", they are infact just renamed unless they are definitely prated software. I will often try and contact the owner to see if they wanted their files removed, if they have a thread showcasing their work on here i will ask them before removing anything. This is more of a file flagging system.



First of all i dont exactly have the money to go and hire a lawyer for this right now so i mean dont go uploading stuff you shouldn't. If i see 3ds max sitting there on my webspace, i know something is not quite right. I doubt autodesk are going to be using my site to host their software.. so im really just emphasising the fact that im asking you only to host your own files and make them safe and virus free.



Exe's can be downloaded if i choose to like you said, compressed archives take up less webspace, and it is not very often you get a game with only one exe, unless it has been packed i suppose. This doesnt apply to media, so any models or images or scripts can be uploaded. I may change this, if it thats what users want.



I am willing to put adverts (nothing intrusive) on the website for a small fee, just get in contact with me and let me know, however this is merely just a file hosting website, I'm not a publisher and I'm not really planning on advertising the files that have been uploaded, that is down the the user, i just want to offer them a place to host their files, where the people who want to download it wont be bombarded with popups and download restrictions.



Well, with a girlfriend who knows how to take her time getting ready, im well aware of both male and female's perception of a long time, and because of this i have become quite patient lol , so the reason i have been quite vague about this is, if the service is used quite a bit then it would make sense to free up more space more often. Once this gets going i will specify a length of time, but right now im happy to host an undownloaded file for at least a year.



Right now it is merely a file hosting site, a place where you can easily share your creations, with plus accounts which im working on, you will be able to be able to create a page specifically dedicated to your game, where you will be able to provide details, screenshots, videos and get reviews and ratings as well as sell your game via paypal and provide a demo. Imagine it just like an app store really. That is the plan, but currently its just hosting your files.

I hope that has answered your questions ! thanks for the feedback!

Wizzkid

And thanks Liquid Blaze

Excellent reply. You really are serious. I did not even think of ppl posting hacks and cracks and ripped software. I guess as you said it was for FPSC only. So i was thinking of models, graphics and FPM files.

PS: back on the subject of exe's My Games are always released as
exe's as I have had to make my own installer and game manager to handle the many separate levels that are played as one game.
However the exe download is always a sfx file.
*self extractor* that is run by internal program(s).
So they are advanced zip files. So are they allowed?

Hi Meows and Wizzkid

Excellent discussion. Having been stung once or twice legally I have to agree with Meows - get your ducks in a row or get shot down somewhere down the line. Wizzkid, add your comments in your post to your licensing agreement and it's all clearer to everyone.

I, for one, find it admirable that Wizzkid is willing to stick out his/her neck to help fellow-FPSCers. I hope your offer is taken up by the many who need exactly this type of service/exposure.

All the best with your venture

Eugene

Thanks very much Eugene, I appreciate the support! I will add these comments to the licensing agreement to make them more specific, I want to cover my back as I know file hosting sites are always a potential target for piracy and then legal issues.

And yes meows that is fine, I wasnt sure whether or not to allow exe files or not, but I was open for feedback and suggestions and I see where your coming from so I will modify the site soon to allow exe files.

Thanks for the suggestions !