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Make it more clear how to apply patches

Recently I was watching a stream by a streamer that doesn't usually play ROM hacks, and I noticed something curious in chat -- people asking how to play BPS file.

The answer is to use Floating IPS, and you probably know that if you are a member of this community. However, let's say you aren't a member of community, and just want to play a ROM hack.

This is the experience so far:

1) Download ROM hack
2) Open zip file
3) Find some files in archive, the biggest one being something "bps"
4) Extract all files
5) Try opening BPS file in emulator
6) ???

This may as well be a point where user may as well give up. But let's say that there is a realization that this is a patch.

7) Open Tools section
8) Search for "BPS"
9) Find nothing

The next step would be trying to search for "bps file" on your favorite search engine, and this does do a job (it provides "beat" for me, somewhat worse, but does its job anyway).

Now, how can this suboptimal experience be fixed? Simple, provide link to patching tool on ROM hack page. Say something like (of course, correct that one to sound better, I don't know English all that well), "This is a ROM hack that needs to be patched to American version of Super Mario World, you can use Floating IPS to get a ROM playable in an emulator."

(also, I'm aware of FAQ, but I still think discoverability of it can be better)
An "Instructions" link pointing to a more in-depth tutorial for how to play hacks would probably be a better idea, to make sure it's always up-to-date and in one central place and to not clutter every hack page up with the instructions.
Where to put that I'm not sure though.
Your layout has been removed.
That or retroactively add a README file with instructions to all hacks we host. That would relay the information at exactly the right time (important from a UX standpoint!), and the recent BPS conversion proves it's technically doable on SMWC's end.

(or maybe go a step further and add the readme to the zip dynamically when it's downloaded, for maintainability's sake.)


 
Originally posted by leod
Where to put that I'm not sure though.
is there a way to put it on the download page of every hack? Maybe move "Submit Update" somewhere else and instead have a small link that says something like "How to apply this patch" or something to that effect.

That way it's unobtrusive if you don't need it, helpful if you do.


e: probably worth mentioning that beyond twitch chat, the current conversion from .ips to .bps also caused quite a confusion in the youtube SMW hacking community. People just sincerely not understanding what a .bps patch is and what to do with it. Is there a way to make Flips default to .bps if it doesn't already and just try to hammer home that Lips is no longer a supported tool
ask me if i give a f*ck...
I do not like the suggested idea of including a readme with every hack. Instead, the best solution should explain how to apply BPS patches on the FAQ section and/or the section description.

It would not be a difficult addition to add a description table row for each section; anyone could program that in less than 10 minutes. There is also a file in 'Strings' for a SMW hacks description, although it appears to be unused.

I made a mockup screen showing how this may look.
Originally posted by SpicySeafood
I do not like the suggested idea of including a readme with every hack. Instead, the best solution should explain how to apply BPS patches on the FAQ section and/or the section description.

Including a readme is bad only because of the nightmare of updating them all should standards change, dynamically added one would be nice, but there's still better solutions yeah.
Adding it to the FAQ is a weird suggestions cause it IS in the FAQ, the issue is people not seeing it there.
Adding it to the section is a good idea, but some people may just skip that or get linked straight to a hack's page, where it would make more sense to include it.

The plan right now is to just add a link to the FAQ or a new tutorial outlining how to apply and play BPS files somewhere on every hack's page (current leading place being a new box above the submission data itself, under the hack's title at the top.


Originally posted by SpiceSeafood
It would not be a difficult addition to add a description table row for each section; anyone could program that in less than 10 minutes. There is also a file in 'Strings' for a SMW hacks description, although it appears to be unused.

You really need to stop assuming how the site's systems work, for one thing. I don't know either, but it's not unreasonable to assume that every section shares the exact same template and adding it to one would add it to all of them without some rather ugly hacks.
Add to that the fact that the site's coder Kieran is about as active as blueredmario64 and there's reason to think it could take longer.

I put this whole thing on my to-do anyway though, so it'll happen eventually at least.
Your layout has been removed.
Originally posted by leod


Originally posted by SpiceSeafood
It would not be a difficult addition to add a description table row for each section; anyone could program that in less than 10 minutes. There is also a file in 'Strings' for a SMW hacks description, although it appears to be unused.

You really need to stop assuming how the site's systems work, for one thing. I don't know either, but it's not unreasonable to assume that every section shares the exact same template and adding it to one would add it to all of them without some rather ugly hacks.


This site already has a system for extracting posts for use in various pages, e.g. section descriptions. All that would be required is another database column in the site's sections table, which would contain the postid for the section description field. Then, the next part is as easy as echoing a new table row with the description already fetched from the DB.

Even if SMWC's section.php page is a pile of spaghetti, it would not be a complex addition so please do not claim it is. It sounds like PR spin talk.#ab{:S}

It is understandable that the coders are busy, and thus can not develop frequently. I am not criticising that, but I am merely pointing out this would be an easy feature to implement, and it would explain BPS patching a lot easier to the beginner crowd than at present.
In my opinion there should be a post-download splash page that has instructions on applying the BPS patch. They click download, get their file manager popup, and the splash page is loaded.

If that's implausible for some reason, put big patching instructions on the download page for every hack (above the screenshots or something). After this is up for a year or two it shouldn't be necessary anymore, since BPS will be more widely used.


Regardless, it should be in the user's face, not hidden behind any additional clicks. Most people do not check FAQs, they do not read readmes.
Originally posted by SpicySeafood
This site already has a system for extracting posts for use in various pages, e.g. section descriptions. All that would be required is another database column in the site's sections table, which would contain the postid for the section description field. Then, the next part is as easy as echoing a new table row with the description already fetched from the DB.

Yeah, of course. But you need to have actual access to the site's code for that, which only 2 people do and 1 of those people isn't very experienced while the other (Kieran) hasn't touched the site in a whole month despite constant requests for much needed features (hence why there are still trophies that haven't been handed out from last year) and on top of that has very specific ideas about how his site should work which means that even if people volunteer to help out, they aren't allowed to half the time.

Considering that the Strings thread for it has existed for a while, it's not unreasonable to assume that this was a topic of concern before I joined the staff but was simply pushed off for these exact reasons.


Originally posted by SpicySeafood
It is understandable that the coders are busy, and thus can not develop frequently. I am not criticising that, but I am merely pointing out this would be an easy feature to implement, and it would explain BPS patching a lot easier to the beginner crowd than at present.

It's not hard to make, it's just impossible for us to implement. That's why I said it's gonna happen, we just don't know when because Kieran avoids conversation like the plague and even then this would probably not be at the top of the piled on todo-list.


(I'm not sure what PR spin talk is, but I guess I did kind of not mention the actual issue, only the issues the other developer might have due to not being that great at php.)
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Isn't it clear as possible already?
Hi, I'm a signature!
Hack Thread
Hack Testing Status: Available.
Layout by Koopster.
...I mean, the fact we're discussing it at all means no, it isn't
ask me if i give a f*ck...
Originally posted by Kaijyuu
In my opinion there should be a post-download splash page that has instructions on applying the BPS patch. They click download, get their file manager popup, and the splash page is loaded.

...

Regardless, it should be in the user's face, not hidden behind any additional clicks. Most people do not check FAQs, they do not read readmes.

Just here to say that I'm pretty sure this is the correct solution.
Originally posted by Kaijyuu
they do not read readmes.

They might if the file is called, say, "how to play this hack". The vicinity of the BPS file is probably where they'd start looking.

A splash page seems reasonable too though. #smw{:TUP:}