The future of safe mod downloads....

[Menoch 335]

I would like to strongly submit that something has to be done about downloading mods in a safe way. I am thoroughly disgusted with adf.ly and all of these other download cesspools which put your computer in a minefield of shit just waiting to crap your computer out. Truth be told, while i will continue to support this mod and keep close to the development and help in any way shape and form i can, once my pc is revived i wont be downloading a damn thing from ad.fly, adf.ly or any of these other sites, and if that means no tfc for me for a long time then i regretfully comply.

We all know what Bioxx is doing, has done, and a good idea of what he is capable of, and i would encourage him to start his own server with a safe download spot for this mod and forge. In return, i would be willing to pay a fee to download the mod to help pay for the server cost. I mean... Lets face it. If he is making anything but a few bucks for all the hard work he has done as well as Dunk, I would be srprised.

The impending API modification to MC may come soon, or may come much much later, and the interaction with such downloading sites is just a crap parade waiting to be had.

I would like some feedback from you all on this to see what your thoughts are.

Whether it be a one time chunk of change for total access to any and all mod downloads, or a few cents for each download, i dont know how he would do this... Even if it is free. Dont know. But i would be willing to throw my soundtrack Cd in once it is complete for free download on his server for those who would buy the download "package" for instance.

Maybe free downloads would only have access to the last stable version of the Beta??? I dunno..

You all may think this idea is suck, but i would rather bask in safety and pay a few bucks for it than risk my pc each time i download. Again.... Feedback is welcome.

[killster550 401]

you know, the problem is, MOST people downloading dont like to pay manually, so thats what ad.fly is for, to actually support the developer, without having to do a manual action beyond clicking once more, the true problem is that ad.fly doesnt moderate the type of adds and thus, allows a shitton of corrupt ads in its system, if you would develop a system where you do have ads, but they are safe, you'd have your answer, good luck

[Menoch 335]

Bah. A hopeful idea. There are a few ways to go about it, but I program music, not code.

I dunno. I guess i just dont want to wait a year before i play TFC again. Lol.

Is direct download any safer? Or is it just about getting paid by ads even if they are shady?

[killster550 401]

Bah. A hopeful idea. There are a few ways to go about it, but I program music, not code.

I dunno. I guess i just dont want to wait a year before i play TFC again. Lol.

Is direct download any safer? Or is it just about getting paid by ads even if they are shady?

direct download is safer, the issue is not with ad.fly's download, its the advert itself, this cannot be said of other download sites however, you need to trust the content itself as well, in TFC's case, its a download directly from Bioxx stuff, not from another persons PC (like movies)

[ECC 508]

I dont know what to say here. I want to mention the idea of going standalone with this, but we all know how that ends up... 'Clone!'

I want to say how direct linking to the download its self may work(i think there is already an option for this), but then I realize hosting sites have ads as well

I could even suggest that in your special music dev case, you have bioxx directly send you a copy, but I still think that requires a 3rd party program as well as some mildly annoying time restraints.

[Enzer 60]

I was just having this argument on the MCF. The API is presenting a controlled mod repository where mods will be stored by Mojang, instead of being hosted in a bunch of random file hosting sites linked to on a forums with, I have to say, pretty bad moderation. They will be screened and users can report mods that present a danger. Mod downloading will also be done via an in game interface (similar to how Gmod handles things), with servers presenting the choice to automatically download mods upon joining as well as listing the mods a server uses. This is going to be your best bet, though the modding API is still a ways out.

For now, direct download is your safest bet, as killster550 stated, ad.fly does not screen their ads before putting them into the shuffle, they are also very slow to pull reported ads. Their site also claims that all ads are family friendly, but as I said, they do not screen their ads and before I took counter measures to ad.fly, I was getting a ton of pornographic ads, not really the best thing for a game played by a large child population.

For mods that do not support direct downloads (which for now I think should be a mandatory option for those not willing to risk their machines), de-adfly should still work. You put in the ad.fly url and it spits out the url that ad.fly would eventually redirect you to after shoving an ad down your throat.

I will worn you that systems like AdBlockPlus do not help against "drive by" viruses, trojans, malware. You wont see the ads, but the malicious code can still load, especially if ABP isn't updated for it.

I have always been a protester against the use of ad.fly after receiving several viruses myself from their systems and I totally agree with Bukkits decision to not allow the use of ad.fly like services on their site. Honestly I am surprised people are shocked that the MC team is not allowing ad.fly on their mod repository (they have however said they are open to pay pal links for mods), since 3/4ths of the development team come from Bukkit.

I do not believe in charging for mods, I cannot think of a single modding community that allows charging for mods. Modding really should not be about profits (though I understand that developers have to eat to), but it should be a hobby and treated as such. I respect the work and effort most mod developers place into their mods.

That said, ad.fly is a horrible way to earn money off of your mod. For those not in the know, for ever unique download the owner of the ad.fly link earns .004 cents, a fraction of a penny. It takes 250 unique downloads to earn a US dollar. Ad.fly's minimal payout is $5 USD, so you have to get 1,250 UNIQUE downloads to receive any income from them. If you really want to show your support of a mod developer through money, donate $5, it is less than what most fast food joints charge for a meal and your donation outweighs what 1,250 people think is "support" for their favorite developer.

[killster550 401]

well, like i also said, there is NOTHING people hate doing more than actually manually paying their own money, even if its to support a mod they like, i for one would not send money manually, since i detest paying for something after i bought it already (WoW is my number one enemy in this) but if i could support the owners without doing something MYSELF, i'd do it everytime

[Dante80 101]

I do not believe in charging for mods, I cannot think of a single modding community that allows charging for mods. Modding really should not be about profits (though I understand that developers have to eat to), but it should be a hobby and treated as such. I respect the work and effort most mod developers place into their mods.

This. I don't really know what happened with minecraft, most modding communities would never even tolerate a process where downloading content can severely impact the leechers' operating system.

In MC, adfly is used everywhere and for anything. Their screening services are inadequate - to say the least - and especially in the MC community the sites advertised are shown to children or teenagers that may have no idea how to have their computer protected against malware...or worse.

[Buczkowski 36]

Honestly, Minecraft is the first modding community I've ever encountered where volentary donations to modders is even permitted. There really is no precedence for handling these issues.

[Enzer 60]

This. I don't really know what happened with minecraft, most modding communities would never even tolerate a process where downloading content can severely impact the leechers' operating system.

In MC, adfly is used everywhere and for anything. Their screening services are inadequate - to say the least - and especially in the MC community the sites advertised are shown to children or teenagers that may have no idea how to have their computer protected against malware...or worse.

Let us not forget the ad.fly links hidden in banner adds on forum users signatures linking to mods that require another ad.fly link to download! :V

[renadi 258]

I was just having this argument on the MCF. The API is presenting a controlled mod repository where mods will be stored by Mojang, instead of being hosted in a bunch of random file hosting sites linked to on a forums with, I have to say, pretty bad moderation. They will be screened and users can report mods that present a danger. Mod downloading will also be done via an in game interface (similar to how Gmod handles things), with servers presenting the choice to automatically download mods upon joining as well as listing the mods a server uses. This is going to be your best bet, though the modding API is still a ways out.

...

I do not believe in charging for mods, I cannot think of a single modding community that allows charging for mods. Modding really should not be about profits (though I understand that developers have to eat to), but it should be a hobby and treated as such. I respect the work and effort most mod developers place into their mods.

That said, ad.fly is a horrible way to earn money off of your mod. For those not in the know, for ever unique download the owner of the ad.fly link earns .004 cents, a fraction of a penny. It takes 250 unique downloads to earn a US dollar. Ad.fly's minimal payout is $5 USD, so you have to get 1,250 UNIQUE downloads to receive any income from them. If you really want to show your support of a mod developer through money, donate $5, it is less than what most fast food joints charge for a meal and your donation outweighs what 1,250 people think is "support" for their favorite developer.

You've convinced me I'm a shit for not donating despite playing TFC more than minecraft, I'm going to donate $30, more than I paid for Minecraft, everybody else who feels like that makes sense and loves this mod as much as I do, feel free to join me.

as an aside I'm ok with people charging for mods, in fact I think saying they shouldn't is a hipster cred attitude that really should be squashed, if someone is working as hard, or in some cases harder, than any individual developer on a game project saying that they're not allowed to charge because "that's not what modding is about!" is just silly. It's an attitude that I think could be just as easily applied to gaming, and I've seen it before, gaming is just for kids, you can't get a JOB with it. Think of how much better things could be made were there an officially sponsored source where you could buy mods, you could directly donate what amounts to an expression of your time to a developer to be able to maybe help take a day off from their "real" job for the mod.

[flamestrider 35]

I would like to strongly submit that something has to be done about downloading mods in a safe way. I am thoroughly disgusted with adf.ly and all of these other download cesspools which put your computer in a minefield of shit just waiting to crap your computer out. Truth be told, while i will continue to support this mod and keep close to the development and help in any way shape and form i can, once my pc is revived i wont be downloading a damn thing from ad.fly, adf.ly or any of these other sites, and if that means no tfc for me for a long time then i regretfully comply.

We all know what Bioxx is doing, has done, and a good idea of what he is capable of, and i would encourage him to start his own server with a safe download spot for this mod and forge. In return, i would be willing to pay a fee to download the mod to help pay for the server cost. I mean... Lets face it. If he is making anything but a few bucks for all the hard work he has done as well as Dunk, I would be srprised.

The impending API modification to MC may come soon, or may come much much later, and the interaction with such downloading sites is just a crap parade waiting to be had.

I would like some feedback from you all on this to see what your thoughts are.

Whether it be a one time chunk of change for total access to any and all mod downloads, or a few cents for each download, i dont know how he would do this... Even if it is free. Dont know. But i would be willing to throw my soundtrack Cd in once it is complete for free download on his server for those who would buy the download "package" for instance.

Maybe free downloads would only have access to the last stable version of the Beta??? I dunno..

You all may think this idea is suck, but i would rather bask in safety and pay a few bucks for it than risk my pc each time i download. Again.... Feedback is welcome.

There is a direct link to download from, and there is a donate button if you wish to support the crews hard work... just look around on the main page, the location of these things are quite visible

[Enzer 60]

You've convinced me I'm a shit for not donating despite playing TFC more than minecraft, I'm going to donate $30, more than I paid for Minecraft, everybody else who feels like that makes sense and loves this mod as much as I do, feel free to join me.

as an aside I'm ok with people charging for mods, in fact I think saying they shouldn't is a hipster cred attitude that really should be squashed, if someone is working as hard, or in some cases harder, than any individual developer on a game project saying that they're not allowed to charge because "that's not what modding is about!" is just silly. It's an attitude that I think could be just as easily applied to gaming, and I've seen it before, gaming is just for kids, you can't get a JOB with it. Think of how much better things could be made were there an officially sponsored source where you could buy mods, you could directly donate what amounts to an expression of your time to a developer to be able to maybe help take a day off from their "real" job for the mod.

While I wont agree on the point for charging for mods (I could go on for a long winded argument, but eh, everyone is entitled to their opinion), I will say that anyone who can afford to should donate to mod authors they wish to support. And if they are in a situation, such as myself, where money is too tight, then kind words of encouragement to the authors and supporting the mod via spreading the good word by mouth is also a way (I tell everyone I know about how awesome TFC is :V ).

[ECC 508]

As long as this stays as a mod of minecraft there will be a long string of issues over whether or not payment should be due though development. I am very much against this line of thought, as developers, no matter what it is they develop put time into the work. However, if we go standalone, building a new engine and more there will be less of that issue. hell, if we move away from a 'pure' voxel type setup, we can even skit the 'Clone!' arguments. I would be willing to pay a good potion if TFC went standalone. by good potion, I mean no more then 15 USD as that is all I can afford.

[PublicToast 8]

Honestly I'm fine with adfly as long as I have AdBlock, I never see any adds when I click on the link. Of course, I'm sure normal links are fine as long as you trust the poster (in this case, Bioxx), so you should be fine.

[Enzer 60]

Honestly I'm fine with adfly as long as I have AdBlock, I never see any adds when I click on the link. Of course, I'm sure normal links are fine as long as you trust the poster (in this case, Bioxx), so you should be fine.

The problem is that even with AdBlock, you are still open to attack from malware and viruses. Menoch had their computer trashed by a virus provided by ad.fly's services.

[Menoch 335]

Well, i think on any position there will be a division between whether or not a modder could/should charge for a mod. I havent seen it yet, but i also havent seen a mod that can stand shoulder to shoulder with TFC.

I would like to point out that i do realize that tfc mod is a direct download from this site, but on the forge site, you have a choice of downloading from adfly or direct, and on MANY seperate occassions i have been sent via the direct link right to adfly anyway, and then to mediafire. Whether this has been planned or not i do not know, and forge isnt the only site i have seen this happen on.

I simply dont understand the mindset behind condoning a destructive service such as adfly.

I would like to, however, thank those people who have donated to this mod. I really think that is awesome! ;)/>/>

Whether it is out of wallet, by spreading the word, or by encouragement, every little bit helps these guys out and is what makes this community such an awesome one!

PS: i hate typing on my ipod!!! Lol

[renadi 258]

Yeah, I really don't believe in ADf.ly and I will try to avoid it, it is by nature a dangerous platform but I've never suffered anything(that I know of) that windows didn't immediately say Whoa Whoa Whoa, what is this! about.

[bsb23 303]

What if we made money in a different way? This is going to sound terrible at first but, why can't we seriously consider this? If ou mod were to be big enough, aka a lot bigger, what about in-game advertisement items? Take the soda industry for example, what if we said here is a recipe in-game to give you, Mountain Dew or something like that. maybe the recipe is a tin can some sugar and a glistening melon? Couldn't we remove the need for adfly by giving an alternate income, in this case for third-party advertisements. Obviously this kind of advertisement works. On America's got talent they always would set a particular drink in front the judges, on Shark Tank they would always carry a specific phone.

It works but can we get a large enough player-base for large companies to become interested, and would this at all taint the experience and cause certain people to stop playing.

[renadi 258]

I'm very much against that kind of crap in TFC, some games I absolutely don't care, racing games, any game set in a city in fact I appreciate it, it enhances the game, in my opinion, in TFC it could only detract.

[bsb23 303]

Ya I understand I'm just trying to toss ideas out there.

[GreenLeaf 198]

don't you people have an antivirus installed?

[killster550 401]

you do realize 99% of the antivirus world has been cracked with the virus that killed menochs pc, that thing that blocks your login, and its attached to lots of downloads, most anti-virusses wont work against everything, ad.fly is just an accident waiting to happen, and a download is NEVER secured when you click it yourself, enough space for a hole

[Jerigord 7]

After reviewing the discussion in this thread, I went ahead and donated directly using the Donate link on the download page. If people would like to support the mod and don't want to click on adf.ly, I recommend doing the same. I don't think the amount matters as much as the simple act. Can you put a price on the fun you've gotten out of TFC? Can you afford to donate a fraction of that? If so, it's just a click away!

[dunkleosteus 2,425]

I would like to strongly submit that something has to be done about downloading mods in a safe way. I am thoroughly disgusted with adf.ly and all of these other download cesspools which put your computer in a minefield of shit just waiting to crap your computer out. Truth be told, while i will continue to support this mod and keep close to the development and help in any way shape and form i can, once my pc is revived i wont be downloading a damn thing from ad.fly, adf.ly or any of these other sites, and if that means no tfc for me for a long time then i regretfully comply.

We all know what Bioxx is doing, has done, and a good idea of what he is capable of, and i would encourage him to start his own server with a safe download spot for this mod and forge. In return, i would be willing to pay a fee to download the mod to help pay for the server cost. I mean... Lets face it. If he is making anything but a few bucks for all the hard work he has done as well as Dunk, I would be srprised.

The impending API modification to MC may come soon, or may come much much later, and the interaction with such downloading sites is just a crap parade waiting to be had.

I would like some feedback from you all on this to see what your thoughts are.

Whether it be a one time chunk of change for total access to any and all mod downloads, or a few cents for each download, i dont know how he would do this... Even if it is free. Dont know. But i would be willing to throw my soundtrack Cd in once it is complete for free download on his server for those who would buy the download "package" for instance.

Maybe free downloads would only have access to the last stable version of the Beta??? I dunno..

You all may think this idea is suck, but i would rather bask in safety and pay a few bucks for it than risk my pc each time i download. Again.... Feedback is welcome.

hey, if you can get a good album out TFC might get popular enough to leave adfly behind and get better ads on the site.