GRF Info File

[Ammler]

Hello dear GRF developer

I would like to discuss an additional description file for your GRFs.

Many GRFs out there are dependent of other GRFs (in requirement or orders) or are havy customizeable over paramters. But it is very hard for unexperienced players or automatic configuration tools to determine those. So I would like to add an new file to the existing GRFs, which might be also included to the GRF itself as a part or to the NFO. (some actions already supports those requirements.)

Proposal:
a ini-like File with following structure: (maybe also xml)

Code: Select all

[GRFID]
Name=<text>
Version=<number>
Credits=<listOfText>
Description=<text>
[GRFID.dependencies]
exclusiveOfType=<list:Trains,Industries,...>
allowed=<listOfGRFIDs>
disallowed=<listOfGRFID>
loadedbefore=
loadedafter=
...?
[GRFID.params]
[GRFID.params.0]
name=
description=
type=<list:bool,number,bitswitch>
range=
list=
default=
[GRFID.params.0.bit0]
name=
descripton=
default=
[GRFID.params.1...]

I really would like something like that to include to the GRFs we use on our server to help the admins preparing new games.

Obvious, we should extend the NFO, but I like to support also old GRFs which might not have any support anymore.

Please comment

Greets
Ammler

[maquinista]

It could be a good idea. Other idea is add constants in NFO system, like this:

Code: Select all

          0C fe
          0D fC
          0E
           02 01  02 00
           00 00

Add some constants and get this:

Code: Select all

          VALID_NUM_PLATFORMS fe
          VALID_LENGTH_PLATFORMS fd
          STATION_LAYOUT
           02 01  02 00
           END_STATION_LAYOUT

Or more constants:

Code: Select all

          VALID_NUM_PLATFORMS STATION_BUILD_1
          VALID_LENGTH_PLATFORMS STATION_BUILD_21
          STATION_LAYOUT
           02 01  02 00
           END_STATION_LAYOUT

[Ammler]

You completly missunderstood me, I am not looking for something that makes writing NFOs easier, I guess, there are tools aready as Makefile with constant support etc. I am looking for something whcih helps the player using those GRFs, means support for configuration GUIs. Some properities, I included can extracted from nfo but not everything.

Greets
Ammler

[DaleStan]

As you mentioned, the [GRFID] section is extractable from the NFO

Beyond that, this whole thing belongs in the readme. And if the GRF developer is unwilling to make or maintain a readme, why would he be willing to make/maintain an INI file?

[Ammler]

Well, if the GRF developer would do it self, it belongs to the NFO, imo. The problem is, some devs don't do that or they just aren't around anymore to make updates for their GRFs.

Also it is not possible (yet) to describe the parameters proper in nfo.

Edit: and configuration tools aren't that clever (yet) to read the readmes and interpret the infos.

Greets
Ammler

[michael blunck]

Or put that info on grfcrawler. OTOH, that´d also not too easy with .grfs abandoned or not being listed there ...

regards
Michael

[Ammler]

GRFCrawler would be a really great idea!

To solve the problem about abandoned or even not listed GRFs, we could change the GRFCrawler to a wiki style? So someone else could change Infos or add the whole NewGRF. (with a exclusive edit option for active GRF devs.) Wiki style would also need versioning... (eis_os?)

Greets
Ammler

[eis_os]

I don't see how GRF Crawler can solve problems like abandoned grfs, actually in early days GRF Crawler was more open but not so successful.

Generally GRF Crawler could solve dependencies, but I don't know many GRFs that actually have dependencies. Readme? If people don't read it in the zip file they won't read it on GRF Crawler. Anyway, I don't see a TTDPatch and OTTD compatible version of describing parameters too.