Broken or missing links

[MrFlibble]

They're scattered far and wide, so I started this topic to round the blighters up. I'll bet there's a topic for it, but my quick scan didn't find it.

Here's a start, I'll not make the perps clickable, (cos they're all dead):

On https://github.com/OoliteProject/oolite/releases:

• There are lots of dead links to "download from the Oolite website", which point to www(dot)oolite(dot)org/download (404)
• One or more "or the What's New" www(dot)oolite(dot)org/whatsnew (404)

If editing the releases: A couple of things that a user might like to find directly at the point of download, rather than have to trawl the net:

• Succinct instructions (or a link to) for fixing the OXP/updates download links for 1.90 on each supported platform. https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Expansions_Manager has some pointers into the bb but nothing clear for the Mac. I found it trivial back when that all happened to sort it on Linux, but I'm having a mare of it on the Mac now. And just now, I found the answer at https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Apple ... revious.29 which was linked obviously from the front page of the bb, which I'd never visited before So I reckon that ought to be linked prominently at oolite.space download page, and the github releases.
• Instructions for how to install and use the Mac test version. It's not an installer. It's a folder. Drop the program in Applications, run Oolite, go to the Expansions menu in the window manager (not in game), drag the OXP into the resulting window. Still doesn't work after reload [edit: better to copy and paste, else a link is created, which doesn't work]. The logfile on Mac is not well hinted toward, (it lurks in $HOME/Library/Logs/Oolite).

https://www.oolite.space/#download

• Clicking the mac one grabs Oolite-1.90.zip, which doesn't have 'Mac' clues in the name. If visiting the github releases page, one would not know that to be the MacOS vanilla offering short of downloading it and having a peek in the zip.
• OXP Developer releases: Apparently the Mac behaves the same as everything else WRT debug. Maybe a mention and a link to https://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Debug ... c_features

I'm still head-banging it, and I'm tenacious! A casual user, checking around for fun free games will not go far. Download, scratch head, shrug, delete, move-on. We need Mac recruits!!

[phkb]

I'm trying to put together simple to follow instructions for each platform. Comments on the following are welcome:

Windows:

First, edit the file <OoliteInstallFolder>/oolite.app/GNUstep/Defaults/.GNUstepDefaults using a plain text editor (Notepad++, TextEdit, VSCode, or the Windows 11 Notepad app)

This file will only be present if you have run the game at least once.

Look for this line:

Code: Select all

    oolite = {

Put your cursor at the end of that line and press enter once. Then type in the following exactly:

Code: Select all

	"oxz-index-url" = "http://addons.oolite.space/api/1.0/overview";

Save the file and close it. Now, when you run Oolite, the Expansion Manager should correctly find the right repository.

Linux:

First, edit the file /home/{username}/GNUstep/Defaults/.GNUstepDefaults using a plain text editor.

This file will only be present if you have run the game at least once.

Look for these lines:

Code: Select all

    <key>oolite</key>
    <dict>

Put your cursor at the end of the second line and press enter once. Then type in the following exactly:

Code: Select all

	<key>oxz-index-url</key>
	<string>http://addons.oolite.space/api/1.0/overview</string>

Save the file and close it. Now, when you run Oolite, the Expansion Manager should correctly find the right repository.

Apple Mac

When Oolite is installed but not running, open a terminal window (command prompt) and run this command exactly as written:

Code: Select all

   defaults write org.aegidian.oolite oxz-index-url http://addons.oolite.space/api/1.0/overview

Now, when you run Oolite, the Expansion Manager should correctly find the right repository.

Once refined, we'll try to get it placed in an easy to find spot for everyone.

[phkb]

Oh, and I fixed the links on the Releases page on GitHub.

[MrFlibble]

Thanks for fixing the broken links.

Collating the 1.90 DM fixes is a good shout.

Both oolite.space and github downloads pages make no mention of the DM issue, leaving it as "a surprise" for the new Commander. Looks like you have a fix in hand.

We know the old issues, what to search for, and where. It's hard to see through the eyes of the uninitiated.

[hiran]

But... was not OoliteStarter initiated to cover exactly that problem? So for the uniniated, would that not be a much more 'rewarding' fix?

[MrFlibble]

But... was not OoliteStarter initiated to cover exactly that problem? So for the uniniated, would that not be a much more 'rewarding' fix?

Starter is cool, has obvious merit in its own right, and does indeed work around that issue.

The one line "do and forget" edit is effectively a patch which allows the 1.90 DM to function as documented.

The two do not conflict. Doing both (or being able to find both) enables the hapless user to also follow instructions from "pre-starter" articles which reference the DM. They can still un-pickle conflicts, freeze their expansion set etc. in starter as they please.

My focus here: Shouldn't the tools/methods for getting Oolite working properly (both starter, and the one-line fix), be directly linked or hinted, at all "intro and download points", such as the github release for 1.90?

The 'DM patch' has no mention at oolite.space#downloads, where all the top links are 1.90.

With luck and encouragement, phkb might conjure >1.90 on the Mac soon, then 1.90 can be sent to live on a farm. That day is not yet come.