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Hello,

this might be a stupid question, but how can I download a particular file from BaNaNaS?
I don't want to use the in-game download since I am interested in an older version of a newGRF, but in-game I can only find the newest version, right?

Thanks for you help
Marc

you can only ever download the newest version, unless you have a savegame using a specific older version.

ok, that is what I feared...
But the files on bananas have to be lying somewhere, right?
How does the game retrieve them?
Is there some kind of public repository or something?
How can I access it?

i don't know the details, but you can probably find the communication protocol in the source code. however, the only way you're going to get an old file out of there is if you know the md5sum

What about website bananas.openttd.org , where you have, what you want. All versions of everything avaiable in-game. You just need to put it in correct file directory. (the one with your custom content downloaded from BaNaNaS in-game (in Windows c:/users/your username/documents/openttd/content download or something similar))
This website is handy also if you want to upload something you created for game there. (NewGRF, scenario,...)

Whoops, sorry Eddi, just noticed, that it is not like I thought. I was always thinking, that there is possible to download old versions, but it is not like that... I just misunderstood it. However that is nice suggestion for devs to implement it for people like the OP. Maybe with a OTTD-style notice "You are trying to download obsolete NewGRF, are you sure?"

MLG wrote: ↑06 Apr 2021 12:27However that is nice suggestion for devs to implement it for people like the OP.

no, that option is left out on purpose.

ok, I found an explanation in https://github.com/OpenTTD/bananas-api/ ... /md5sum.md
It seems to be forbidden on purpose due to the BaNaNas terms of service.
In my opinion these tos are overly restrictive and I don't see why my use case is forbidden.
This is really sad.

It may be better if you contacted the developer of the file to see if they can provide you with an older version.

Or, just ask here.

maggi321 wrote: ↑06 Apr 2021 14:54 In my opinion these tos are overly restrictive and I don't see why my use case is forbidden.

sure, you can have that opinion. probably won't convince anyone to change it

Yes, the lack of access to older versions is sad.

Some older versions of add-ons are more interesting than the newest ones. Sometimes they look better (CZTR Trees 1 vs. 2), have interesting solutions (Manpower Industries - I don't remember the version), or are pleasantly simple compared to their newer, extended versions (Polish Road Set 5 vs. Polroad). There are many such additions that are sometimes difficult or maybe impossible to find, and it is not said that the author will write back.
The availability of older versions of add-ons can also be useful when looking for interesting solutions or the source of a problem in the latest version.

Another reason is sheer curiosity to see the development history of an add-on and its older versions.

The BaNaNaS content distribution agreement isn't changing, you can't change an agreement like that unilaterally. Content creators upload their works to BaNaNaS with the understanding that only the latest version is made available for regular download, it will be a really bad case in court to change that without confirming with the creator of every single creator who ever uploaded anything beforehand.

What could perhaps be an option was to add a feature to BaNaNaS where a creator can mark an older version as "freely available" and that would then allow you to get it via the website in some way. The regular search and in-game content UI should still only show the latest. Making it an opt-in feature could be an option, someone just needs to program it.