NWN2 SourceSafe toolset plugin

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Tue May 23, 2006 1:23 pm

I'm not sure where exactly this information was released, but:
http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/vi ... =0#4135330

SourceSafe is functionally equivilent to SVN or CVS, correct?

Cassiel · Post by **Cassiel** » Tue May 23, 2006 2:34 pm

I've used sourcesafe professionally in the past, and it was pretty good - but alas I don't know what SVN or CVS stand for. Unless the latter is cardiovascular system?

It just stops the idiots you're working with from being able to fuck up your hard work by changing it and not backing up.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:31 pm

Yes, they are all version control systems. Never used sourcesafe, though I've heard of it.

I'm curious exactly what such a plugin would do though. The problem in incorporating version control with the toolset is that it packs & unpacks the files it contains...they don't persist between toolset sessions (unless it fails to close) so you can't apply anything to or on them outside of toolset sessions. A version control system, on the other hand, requires a permanent repository to record all file transactions.

If the plugin is an Obsidian release, maybe this is one of the many toolset improvements they've made...

If the plugin just handles the external file operations that we would otherwise be doing, like copying files over FROM the repository upon opening the mod and copying them TO the repository when the user is done working, maybe it would work. There can be complications though with file versions (say the mod was worked on elsewhere)....not sure how it would resolve the differences or the synching and committing, unless it simply leaves that to the user...

Interesting news nonetheless. Has anyone seen an official statement on this anywhere? Assuming it's true and the sourcesafe plugin is robust, what we would do with it? We would still need a central host for the repository that offers stability and reliability for a project our size. An interface to CVS or SVN, or a generalized plugin which would allow customization, would be more intriguing, but the best answer for me lies in a robust command line compiler that is not dependent on a MOD file, as long as all the resources exist somewhere on the file system which they should. A MOD is nothing more than a packed version of all this data after all.

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Tue May 23, 2006 10:36 pm

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Ar ... tail&id=29

While not needed for an average toolset user, those of you that plan on working with a large team will be happy to hear that the toolset integrates seamlessly with "Source Safe", though obviously Source Safe is not included with the game. Basically this option allows people to check out files in the toolset which then does the actual checkout in Source Safe. So you can then work on them, without someone else doing the same thing at the same time. It also keeps track on who did what and you can even rollback versions if there was a problem.

Cassiel · Post by **Cassiel** » Tue May 23, 2006 10:39 pm

As I recall, Sourcesafe wasn't free - whether it's worth buying just for this I have my doubts, to be honest. This is just an expensive way of doing version control which can be done with decent, documented "mod ownership" by one person...

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Wed May 24, 2006 12:06 am

It's not worth buying just to overcome some minor logistics. The degree of integration described would be nice, but it's an odd choice for a volunteer modding community if it's only available in a commercial license. Maybe it'll lead to broader support down the road...

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Wed May 24, 2006 12:42 am

ç i p h é r wrote:...but it's an odd choice for a volunteer modding community if it's only available in a commercial license.

I'd imagine its due to the toolset being written in .NET. Microsoft probably has some easy way of allowing integration.