Important 3 Letter MTG/MWS Set Codes Overhaul Poll: Vote Now
Posted: 29 Aug 2008, 21:52
We're confronting a fundamental issue that's small and large at the same time. It's not trivial so read on.
We're working on a new pics torrent. I needed to update the sets codes list to include the newest sets, so I googled the wikipedia for MTG set codes. I found out that for consistency some time ago WOTC changed the naming so that every set had a three letter code... but currently, MWS sets are a mixture of one, two, and three letter codes, the way it has always been. "A" has always meant "Alpha".
Goblin Hero brought this up years ago, that this situation should be changed.
He was ahead of his time perhaps, I forget how I felt about the subject. I may have been against it. It could be because I didn't want to break MWS for the large number of people that use it.
Things have changed though. There is no longer an official MWS Autoupdate base, or at least there hasn't been in a while. Detonator has recently relied on a version of MHD's base, which is based on GH's base. And the only themes regularly updated are GH's. And GH also controls MWSPA. And I control the torrent.
This means it is within our grasp to change everything over, in one fell swoop, so that nothing breaks.
Almost nothing anyway, there are difficulties. Here is what will happen.
First, the base will change. The new base will have official three letter codes.
The result is that some pics will quit working. Your picture sets need to be renamed to match the base.
Unfortunately, the sets on Rapidshare and MediaFire can't just be renamed. Still, once you get the pics unzipped onto your hard drive, the sets can be brought into line with a simple batch renamer we could write.
Your themes will quit working properly too, for some sets.
The solution is to get a new theme. This is to be expected, since a new theme is required every time, even if only one new set is released.
The torrent files will have to be renamed. That's OK, because we're working on the new one anyway.
MWSPA and its support folders will have to be edited. I suppose GH is up to the task without too much difficulty.
Any other software like the Deckbuilder and Card Generator may have to be edited, I'm not sure how difficult this will be.
Since we defacto control the new bases, themes and pics sets anyway, this is easy to coordinate.
Please think carefully about it and make up your own mind. I've set the poll so you can change your vote.
Though personally I see no reason not to proceed with the change, I've tried to anticipate all the negatives, and I've probably overlooked something. I need you to let me know what I've missed.
We're working on a new pics torrent. I needed to update the sets codes list to include the newest sets, so I googled the wikipedia for MTG set codes. I found out that for consistency some time ago WOTC changed the naming so that every set had a three letter code... but currently, MWS sets are a mixture of one, two, and three letter codes, the way it has always been. "A" has always meant "Alpha".
Goblin Hero brought this up years ago, that this situation should be changed.
He was ahead of his time perhaps, I forget how I felt about the subject. I may have been against it. It could be because I didn't want to break MWS for the large number of people that use it.
Things have changed though. There is no longer an official MWS Autoupdate base, or at least there hasn't been in a while. Detonator has recently relied on a version of MHD's base, which is based on GH's base. And the only themes regularly updated are GH's. And GH also controls MWSPA. And I control the torrent.
This means it is within our grasp to change everything over, in one fell swoop, so that nothing breaks.
Almost nothing anyway, there are difficulties. Here is what will happen.
First, the base will change. The new base will have official three letter codes.
The result is that some pics will quit working. Your picture sets need to be renamed to match the base.
Unfortunately, the sets on Rapidshare and MediaFire can't just be renamed. Still, once you get the pics unzipped onto your hard drive, the sets can be brought into line with a simple batch renamer we could write.
Your themes will quit working properly too, for some sets.
The solution is to get a new theme. This is to be expected, since a new theme is required every time, even if only one new set is released.
The torrent files will have to be renamed. That's OK, because we're working on the new one anyway.
MWSPA and its support folders will have to be edited. I suppose GH is up to the task without too much difficulty.
Any other software like the Deckbuilder and Card Generator may have to be edited, I'm not sure how difficult this will be.
Since we defacto control the new bases, themes and pics sets anyway, this is easy to coordinate.
Please think carefully about it and make up your own mind. I've set the poll so you can change your vote.
Though personally I see no reason not to proceed with the change, I've tried to anticipate all the negatives, and I've probably overlooked something. I need you to let me know what I've missed.