Can someone delete/update the dead scenarios?

[Mad Russian]

I understand about the downloads.

What isn't generally known, is that you guys have some of the only copies of some of my scenarios. They were taken from The Proving Grounds and brought here for play. The Proving Grounds is where scenarios, for the rest of the community, go to get playtesting done. They are not finished/released scenarios.

Some of those never were released because the balance was never good enough to release them. I fixed the scenario files for those I still have. Some of them just had information added and no files.

I did the best I could to update them.

Originally I asked that all my scenarios be downloaded from The Scenario Depot II to keep unreleased scenarios from being played as balanced. It also allowed me to update all my scenarios in one place on the internet. Now that I'm not making CM scenarios any longer and I'm not making updates there's no reason they can't be put here for downloading.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

When making updates to my scenarios here on the site I ran across an interesting situation. For the scenario HSG B The Sharp End (CMAK) I found this comment attached to the scenario page.

David Galster wrote:

On 8-15-2010 I modified the scenario to reduce German forces and make it more balanced. The II./60 PzGr Battalion moved east of La Roche and II./156 PzGr Battalion removed entirely.
Thanks, David Galster

I wasn't aware that scenarios were changed here at the Blitz for ladder play.

Now, Mr. Galster doesn't say if he released my scenario, with his changes, or not. Since, I never received any correspondence from him about it, I would hope he didn't.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Dog Soldier]

Authors of scenarios that show not available for "Download"
should goto their scenario and modify it completely.
Make sure it's in a winzip as well.
Leave no prompt or slot unanswered.

Bear is incorrect.
Actually it is the policy of the blitz for the author to control the choice to host or not host their scenarios here at the blitz. Some choose to simply place a link to another site where they maintain their work. The authors of scenarios are free to choose what works best for them.

Dog Soldier

---

When making updates to my scenarios here on the site I ran across an interesting situation. For the scenario HSG B The Sharp End (CMAK) I found this comment attached to the scenario page.

David Galster wrote:

On 8-15-2010 I modified the scenario to reduce German forces and make it more balanced. The II./60 PzGr Battalion moved east of La Roche and II./156 PzGr Battalion removed entirely.
Thanks, David Galster

I wasn't aware that scenarios were changed here at the Blitz for ladder play.

Now, Mr. Galster doesn't say if he released my scenario, with his changes, or not. Since, I never received any correspondence from him about it, I would hope he didn't.

Good Hunting.

MR

It is expected that no one will modify and replace a scenario made by someone else without the original author's permission.

In this case if Mr Galster did make a change to MR's scenario and replace the original one here without MR's permission, MR can remove the file and replace it his original work or a recent update of the same. Naturally, if the existing file is an improvement you can live with, MR, then just leave it be. In all cases the original author has the final say and control of their work.

Dog Soldier

[Bear]

Authors of scenarios that show not available for "Download"
should goto their scenario and modify it completely.
Make sure it's in a winzip as well.
Leave no prompt or slot unanswered.

Bear is incorrect.
Actually it is the policy of the blitz for the author to control the choice to host or not host their scenarios here at the blitz. Some choose to simply place a link to another site where they maintain their work. The authors of scenarios are free to choose what works best for them.

Dog Soldier

---

When making updates to my scenarios here on the site I ran across an interesting situation. For the scenario HSG B The Sharp End (CMAK) I found this comment attached to the scenario page.

David Galster wrote:

On 8-15-2010 I modified the scenario to reduce German forces and make it more balanced. The II./60 PzGr Battalion moved east of La Roche and II./156 PzGr Battalion removed entirely.
Thanks, David Galster

I wasn't aware that scenarios were changed here at the Blitz for ladder play.

Now, Mr. Galster doesn't say if he released my scenario, with his changes, or not. Since, I never received any correspondence from him about it, I would hope he didn't.

Good Hunting.

MR

It is expected that no one will modify and replace a scenario made by someone else without the original author's permission.

In this case if Mr Galster did make a change to MR's scenario and replace the original one here without MR's permission, MR can remove the file and replace it his original work or a recent update of the same. Naturally, if the existing file is an improvement you can live with, MR, then just leave it be. In all cases the original author has the final say and control of their work.

Dog Soldier

"Bear is incorrect.
Actually it is the policy of the blitz for the author to control the choice to host or not host their scenarios here at the blitz. Some choose to simply place a link to another site where they maintain their work. The authors of scenarios are free to choose what works best for them."

With all due respect. I initiated the analysis and damage control for this issue back in June 2010. The issue was the enormous number of CM scenarios that are lost, no download, can't find author and there's no frakin links either. This policy, Dog Soldier repeats, is part of the overall problem here at the Blitz. Our CM lists are filled with corrupted scenario files. How does Dog Soldier propose remedying this issue when the file is at another site? The integrity and functionality of our Database is then at the mercy of that other site working or even existing. If they, the source file is gone then we here at the Blitz are stuffed with more "Dead Scenarios". Like I said before, our club should not be a host to all these "parasites" using our club. If we don't take responsibility and control of our database, the world will control it for us.

The Author is the owner of said scenario, eh. The author has the prerogative to update and modify his scenario. But we are here talking about scenarios that are "Dead on the vine". There is no link, the author cannot be found and it sits on our Scenario Ladder List as "Dead Scenario".
Unavailable for download. I have spent all too many hours searching the authors, as per my direction by Der Kuenstler on this very thread. To conclude, if the scenario is dead, the author has not only the right but also a responsibility for his own work. This club and the database is not a depository for useless lines of bytes that serves no one. This was all discussed at the top of this thread. Either it works or else we should put it into an archive so members Ladder history/records will not be tainted by deletion of said, "Dead Scenarios".
Please read this thread from the top. See where I've done the survey long ago to help to clean up this growing issue. And no one has the right to hijack someone's work/scenario from another site, it's not ethical. I know because years ago I posted Campaign scenarios at Depot, voila! I found them here. And somewhere in Germany, my CM scenarios here at the Blitz are posted at a German site by "The German War Gamer".
We have to simply archive these good for nothing scenarios, which aren't scenarios at all, they're just empty listings of scenarios lost or corrupted. These incomplete/corrupt listed scenarios also impacts the scenario search engine, it doesn't work!
It's for the good of our club's integrity and having a properly working list and reputation.

---

When making updates to my scenarios here on the site I ran across an interesting situation. For the scenario HSG B The Sharp End (CMAK) I found this comment attached to the scenario page.

David Galster wrote:

On 8-15-2010 I modified the scenario to reduce German forces and make it more balanced. The II./60 PzGr Battalion moved east of La Roche and II./156 PzGr Battalion removed entirely.
Thanks, David Galster

I wasn't aware that scenarios were changed here at the Blitz for ladder play.

Now, Mr. Galster doesn't say if he released my scenario, with his changes, or not. Since, I never received any correspondence from him about it, I would hope he didn't.

Good Hunting.

MR

What Galster did is outrageous!
Who does he think he is?

[Dog Soldier]

Bottom line Bear.

It is not the responsibility of the blitz management to police the internet. If your scenarios posted here end up on another site with someone else taking credit for them, then I suggest you contact the owners of that site.

Many designers of scenarios for games like to host their scenarios on their own sites under their own control and only leave a link to their work here at the blitz. There is nothing wrong with this, IMHO. In fact it allows the designer to better version control. When a change is made for historical, play balance or user feedback, the designer only needs to update the file on his site, in one place. they can then post an announcement about the update on as many sites as they want. Gamers can then download the updated scenario and use it. No need to chase your creation all over the internet to find all the copies that could be out there.

On the other hand, some designers post only on one site and expect that users will figure out the designer prefers that site over any others. If they choose to use the blitz in this way, that is fine too. Since the scenario designers are not being compensated for their work, I see no reason to require them to do anything more than they want to.

It is really up to the community to respect the rights of those who create additional scenarios for free with their own time. If not, then the community will find few people willing to provide this service for the hobby.

Dog soldier

[Mad Russian]

Hold on guys.

I uploaded the file. I have no idea if it was modified or not. I was asking to see what the Blitz policy was. I was pretty sure but it's been a good while since I posted here on a regular basis. I know of some scenarios that were changed, not necessarily on this site, with the designers approval. I've given my own approval to do that on occasion. It's not so much an 'outrageous thing', Bear, as a respect thing. How would you feel if I took your latest scenario, changed the Soviet OOB, put it back on here without telling you. Then when the reviews start coming in, about how unbalanced it is, I'm not as good a designer as you are so I'm sure I would unbalance it, then you would get to defend your work.....that's not your work any longer.

While I was looking through the forums trying to catch up I found this thread by Bear. I though it was a good idea. In my own case, things had changed since my scenarios were listed.

What Bear is trying to do, clean up the archive, is a good idea. Reworking another designers scenario really isn't. It's not allowed on any sites I know of.

Like I said before, our club should not be a host to all these "parasites" using our club. If we don't take responsibility and control of our database, the world will control it for us.

What's interesting about the Blitz archive is anybody can make any changes they want to. I could go in and change every scenario in your archive and take out all the downloads. Those scenarios can come from anywhere. I was surprised when I first found my own scenarios here by accident one afternoon. Some of them were here from The Proving Grounds. A site for playtesting, not balanced released scenarios. So Bear, not every scenario you have on this site may be even known, to the author, that it's here. That makes his/her 'responsibility' to keep it updated a bit tough. I would venture to say that of the scenarios on this site that were not 'made' here, and playtested here on the Blitz, very few were posted here by the designers. They were posted here by Blitz members. This isn't a parasite issue but one of gamers trying to get as much information as possible. When I found my scenarios here a few years ago, I had no idea they were here. Some of the ones listed I don't even have files for any longer.

That's pretty wide open. I understand your desire to make the archive as fully functional as possible. As Bear pointed out, there are issues with the archive. Several of my scenarios were in need of cleaning up.

At this point, where I don't update them any longer, I have no issue with them being here. In fact, the ladders are what gave the designers an audience in the first place.

I find it refreshing that the Blitz has more than one avenue to get to a communities body of scenarios. I appreciate all the games played with my scenarios and all the comments made.


I also believe that, David Galster was trying to do a service by fixing my obviously flawed scenario. He didn't hide the fact that he'd made changes to it. That kind of enthusiasm is great from my point of view. I would just like that one extra step of letting me know about it.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

I'm not one for big programming changes but I think the Blitz system could be enhanced greatly by an entry showing who last updated the information from a scenario. That would have to be a Blitz member and it would give you someone to be responsible for what was put here on the site. It would also give you a starting point for any changes needing to be made for a particular scenario, rather than having to start doing internet searches for people.

You may well have a source for the scenario files here. When I'm done I'll ask here to see if there is anyone that has any of the files I don't have for any scenario I have on this site. That may help a little.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Bear]

Bottom line Bear.

It is not the responsibility of the blitz management to police the internet. If your scenarios posted here end up on another site with someone else taking credit for them, then I suggest you contact the owners of that site.

Many designers of scenarios for games like to host their scenarios on their own sites under their own control and only leave a link to their work here at the blitz. There is nothing wrong with this, IMHO. In fact it allows the designer to better version control. When a change is made for historical, play balance or user feedback, the designer only needs to update the file on his site, in one place. they can then post an announcement about the update on as many sites as they want. Gamers can then download the updated scenario and use it. No need to chase your creation all over the internet to find all the copies that could be out there.

On the other hand, some designers post only on one site and expect that users will figure out the designer prefers that site over any others. If they choose to use the blitz in this way, that is fine too. Since the scenario designers are not being compensated for their work, I see no reason to require them to do anything more than they want to.

It is really up to the community to respect the rights of those who create additional scenarios for free with their own time. If not, then the community will find few people willing to provide this service for the hobby.

Dog soldier

I did not say nor imply that our club should police anyone, site or thing outside of our own database. That has been my initial and continued concern. My I ask, when is the last time you used our Combat Mission Search Engine?
That is the topic of discussion here.

I've just double checked the CM Search Engine and it is still not able to function properly due to corrupted scenarios...

If we do not gain control over our database then the outside world will.


There is a gray line between compounded data corruption and viral issues. Worse case is a cascading data/memory crash.

Dog Soldier, is that possible? probable? given the nature of the issues here. I'm not a coder nor programmer, this concerns me.

[Mad Russian]

I've updated all of my scenarios here on the site.

Thanks for your help Bear.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Dog Soldier]

There is a gray line between compounded data corruption and viral issues. Worse case is a cascading data/memory crash.

Dog Soldier, is that possible? probable? given the nature of the issues here. I'm not a coder nor programmer, this concerns me.

Sorry Bear, I do not follow you on this matter. I did a couple of quick CM based searches using the scenario search tool Raz designed and pulled reasonable results based on the parameters I entered.

Beyond CM, I have never had any trouble searching the blitz scenario DB for the other ladders here, so I am not sure what it is specifically that is troubling you so.

Maybe if you post some examples of failed searches here Raz can have something to look at. It is possible in the conversion from the old to the new blitz Raz did some CM DB entries maybe missing information of have incorrect data in fields. Examples would help point to a pattern we can examine and correct if there is a problem.

Dog Soldier