Tribes2Maps.com AutoDownload System

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Welcome to the first public release of the Tribes2Maps.com AutoDownload System. This is a combination Tribes 2 script and Visual Basic application. The two pieces work together to enable your Tribes 2 client to automatically download maps from www.Tribes2Maps.com when you attempt to join a game server that is running a client-side map which you do not have installed.

INSTALLATION:
Simply download the installer .exe file, save it to your hard drive, and double click the file once the download is complete. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the system. Be sure to exit Tribes 2 before you run the installer.

The installer will copy some files to the T2MAutoDownload folder within your Tribes 2 installation. It will also register a few Active X controls which are required for the Visual Basic portion of the system. All files that were created on your system during installation can be removed at a later date by running the uninstaller. After installation, there will be a shortcut to the uninstaller in your Programs menu.

Note: If you get an error about a missing DLL file called MSVBVM60.DLL, then download it here. Copy it to your C:\windows\system32 or C:\WINNT\system32 directory and reboot. That should take care of the error.

RUNNING THE PROGRAM:
To run the program, simply double-click the shortcut on your desktop if you opted to have the installer create one, or run the application from the Programs menu.

By default, Tribes 2 will be launched automatically once you start the AutoDownload system. You can change this behavior by modifying the settings in the program. You can also elect to have Tribes 2 launched via TimeHUD.exe if you use Panama Jack's script package. The installation program will automatically detect if TimeHUD.exe is installed, and preset the program settings to launch T2 via TimeHUD.exe if it is found.

Within Tribes 2, if you attempt to join a server that is running a client-side map which you do not have installed on your computer, the script will ask if you wish to download the map from www.Tribes2Maps.com. If you choose yes, the script will connect to the web site and download the map file, and then give you the option of reconnecting to the game server. If for some reason the map is not found in the Tribes2Maps.com database, then an error message will be shown and you will be taken back to the game server listing.

Once you exit Tribes 2, the AutoDownload Monitor application (the Visual Basic program) will automatically exit.

NOTE: You MUST have the AutoDownload Monitor application running in order for the system to work. Otherwise, downloaded maps cannot be prepared for use by T2, and the T2 script will just hang waiting for the map to be prepared, and it will eventually timeout and display an error. For this reason, it is a good idea to get into the habit of starting T2 by first launching the Monitor application and letting it launch T2 for you.

SCREENSHOTS:

VERSION HISTORY:

• 1.0.1  (Feb 17, 2002)
  • Added support for SuperIP command line arguments.
  • Fixed incorrect frame text bug discovered by Panama Jack.
  • Fixed orphaned GUI object bug discovered by Panama Jack.
• 1.0.0  (Feb 9, 2002)
  • Initial release.

HOW IT WORKS:
For the techies in the crowd, here's how the system works: The T2 script has a package which hooks into the common dialog functions. When you join a client-side map which you don't have installed, it traps the error that is normally displayed and detects which .ter or .dif file is missing from your T2 installation. It then connects to Tribes2Maps.com via a standard HTTP connection and passes the missing filename and the map name to a CGI script. That CGI script searches the Tribes2Maps.com database and returns the map VL2 file which your client is missing. The catch is that the T2 scripting language can't write binary data to the disk (for security reasons) so the map is downloaded in UUencoded ASCII format. That's where the VB application comes in. The VB app monitors the disk drive, watching for downloaded maps, then converts them to their original binary VL2 format. Once the T2 script sees that the VL2 has been converted, it loads the VL2 and asks you if you want to rejoin the server. That's it!

KNOWN BUGS:

• ALT-F4 doesn't close the application, it only minimizes the window.
• If your DNS isn't set up properly, T2 will hang trying to download a map. This isn't a problem for most people. If you can reach www.Tribes2Maps.com with a web browser, then this isn't an issue for you.
• Duplicate maps. There are some map packs out there that contain modified versions of some of the maps which are in the Tribes2Maps.com database. The most popular such pack is the Unamed Pack. If you try to join a server which is running one of these modified versions, the AutoDownload System will download the version from Tribes2Maps.com which won't match the version on the server you are trying to join, and it will continually try to download the map. If this happens, just say "No" when you are asked if you want to download the map. We are working on a workaround for this problem.

DISCLAIMER AND TERMS:
This software is provided "as-is" with no warranty whatsoever. This software is not a product of Sierra or any of its affiliates or parent companies. This is my own personal pet project. Use at your own risk.

FINAL NOTE:

         ____   _           ____                _            
        | __ ) (_)  __ _   |  _ \   ___    ___ | | __ ___ 
        |  _ \ | | / _` |  | |_) | / _ \  / __|| |/ // __|
        | |_) || || (_| |  |  _ < | (_) || (__ |   < \__ \
        |____/ |_| \__, |  |_| \_\ \___/  \___||_|\_\|___/
                   |___/                                    
         ___                               _   ___    ___  
        / _ \ __      __ _ __   ____      | | / _ \  / _ \ 
       | | | |\ \ /\ / /| '_ \ |_  /   _  | || | | || | | |
       | |_| | \ V  V / | | | | / /   | |_| || |_| || |_| |
        \___/   \_/\_/  |_| |_|/___|   \___/  \___/  \___/ 
		

:-)
Regards,
The Tribes2Maps.com Team.

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