Thursday, April 04, 2013

Just a heads up.

No status update yet (I have been busy, so I didn't actually work on the game). Mediafire took the latest version of TOTDC down. Since I don't think mediafire scans RAGS files in search of content that violates their terms of use, I would think that somebody reported me (I might be wrong, though, and if anyone knows better than me how Mediafire works, please let me know). For the time being, You can download the 1.06 from the thread in the Hypnopics Collective (the file there is hosted directly by the HC). This isn't the latest public version, though, and there are a few bugs. I'll ask around if someone still has the 1.06a version of the game, and see if I can re-upload it elsewhere.

Edit: I have re-uploaded the file on Dropbox, and there are more mirrors on the HC thread, in case people might need them.

19 comments:

  1. You should try http://multiupload.biz/ or even http://bayfiles.com/ mediafire unfortunately has a habit of acting like crap.

    Hell you could even consider hosting a torrent, I know atleast one Seed you'd get. :)

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    1. Really? This is the first time I ever had a problem with mediafire.

      Oh well, I am currently copying the files to another hosting website, and I'll probably use yet another one as a backup, just in case.

      I should also probably update the file hosted on the HC more often, because if I did so this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place... -_-

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    2. I have always like Mega.co.nz (same people who did Megaupload.com), but I have noticed that too with MediaFire recently.

      Kind of surprised though.

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    3. Mega is kind of a nazi about browsers, though. I don't approve of any site that requires an extension to function without offering something that warrants an extension. It's not faster.

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    4. I have the files on Mega, but I would like to keep those as personal backup, unless I can't seem to find another decent free file hosting website.

      I am temporarily using Dropbox, but it has a severe limits on the number of downloads it allows daily per file, so it won't be a permanent solution.

      I am thinking of using Uploading.com, does anyone has any previous experience with it?

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    5. Anon from 04/04/13 17:02:

      I've never used Uploading.com, but these are the other ones that I can think of:
      4Shared.com
      2Shared.com
      Hotfile.com
      Filefactory.com
      Rapidshare.com
      Megashares.com

      and using Google, here is a link that shows the most popular file hosting sites (at least of the link that I found): http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/file-sharing-websites

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    6. Yeah, I found that list, too. I started filtering the sites by those which require registration and those that don't (several people are really against registering to download a game), and then I started working other problems (download limits, upload limits, that sort of stuff).

      I seriously hope I can keep using Mediafire, because it's one of the less obtuse ones, both for me and the players, but we'll see how things go.

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  2. I'll offer solidarity with any other game designers who have their files deleted by Mediafire.

    Keep on programming!

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    1. Eh, eh, thanks. ;)

      Having to deal with this is a pain in the ass, considering how little time I have already, but hopefully I won't need to do this too often... :D

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  3. Mediafire took down the latest version of TOTDC, and someon reported you?
    I am going to hunt tonight...

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    1. I can only think of someone reporting me, frankly. Being a RAGS file, it should escape any automated scan by Mediafire part. So, unless they do this randomly from time to time to scare people into not uploading illegal content, it should be that someone warned Mediafire about it.

      It's not like I didn't expect this happen, sooner or later. The game is what it is, and that's one of the reasons I entertain the idea of not using pictures at all, in future games, and maybe just pick publicly licensed music and sounds.

      Well, we'll see how it turns out. I hope it doesn't come to me needing to pull the game off the internet completely... -_-

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    2. Dont worry, HC will always have your back and keep your games online :-)

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    3. Yeah, knowing that is really helpful, in fact. It would make things a bit clunkier, but it's still a very good option to have. :)

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  4. I know its not really related to current hosting issues but I wanted to point something I read recently and it simply clicked why I actually like this game:

    "As designers, we were attempting to play with the game player through our games. Some of the adventure game designers from other companies seemed more interested in thwarting or frustrating the player and seemed almost sadistic in their attempt to create useless random deaths and dead ends."

    You can read the rest of the text at http://ow.ly/jP0Xg but I've felt the top passage perfectly applied on you.

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    1. Well, I certainly have a lot of bad ends in my games, but I think most people end up enjoying them, so it makes for a less frustrating experience, I hope. ;)

      That being said, I do try to not make the game feel too random, of course. Having multiple solutions to various situations usually helps a lot with avoiding stumping players that can't guess the way you meant for a certain puzzle to be solved, making it easier to progress, but it's hard to actually find the right balance between a good challenge and a frustration-free experience. I do try, but I am not sure I am completely successful in my endeavour, I could probably make something better, but I can't just work on the game for as much as I'd like, and I need to cut corners, more often than not.

      Still, I am happy to hear you like the game, and think highly of my efforts so far. :D

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    2. Well good for you, a more insecure man would gloss over such high praise when compared to the legendary golden era Lucas Arts and focus on the unyielding,
      bone-crushing..
      earth-shattering pressure...

      But hey, keep up the good work! ;)

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    3. Argh, now I won't be able to think about anything but the pressure! XD

      I am a very, VERY insecure man, which is why I think I'll never do anything good at all, which allows for a very carefree living style, perfectly fitting my inborn laziness. :p

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    4. That almost sounds like a Woody Allen quote. :D

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    5. Really? I like Woody Allen a lot, but I don't remember anything too close to what I said.

      Still, my high school teacher used to tell me I reminded him of Woody, which is a really wonderful compliment, thinking back at it. :D

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