Removed from "frustrated with X4"

[Toshis8]

You know what left bitter taste in my mouth? - bug reporting system. Came with good intention to help developers fix bugs, but when it came to uploading savefiles, my God...

So the forum doest accept savefiles, because they're too big for it. Ok, will go and find 3rd party tool to upload file. "Dropbox" was recommended here. Went to "Dropbox" website and it asked to download program, fine will do it too. Then it asked to download mobile app too. Really? - no! And then it tried to put bloatware into my system, ffs...

If you want people to help you, why dont you make this process smooth and easy? Dont be cheap on some storage space and increase accepted save file sizes on the forum, so that people could upload savefiles in a few clicks.

Currently, there are a few more bugs, that i've encountered, but dont feel motivated at the moment to post it.

[Alan Phipps]

@ Toshis8: The thing is that you only set up a fileshare account once, and then you can use it over and over for lots of beta testing and bug reporting, as well as for many other file sharing circumstances outside X gaming. Saves, screenshots and even DxDiags have grown in size over the games and Operating Systems, and so don't underestimate how quickly upload storage space can be consumed!

I have seen what happens when the Egosoft servers get even temporarily overloaded/overfull and it isn't pleasant for anyone (release of X Rebirth sticks in my mind when the forum slowed to less than a crawl). If nothing else, going through third party fileshare focuses the mind as to what is important and actually needs to be uploaded, rather than posters dropping their entire gaming history onto the forum servers because it is trivial and involves little effort or decision making to do so.

It's a fact today that nothing 'free' comes without some advertising or other way of paying for itself. Many impose quite strict deadlines for expiry and removal as they value their server storage space too. You just need to pick the better and reputable fileshare providers from the downright intrusive/risky ones.

[alt3rn1ty]

... So the forum doest accept savefiles, because they're too big for it. Ok, will go and find 3rd party tool to upload file. "Dropbox" was recommended here. Went to "Dropbox" website and it asked to download program, fine will do it too. Then it asked to download mobile app too. Really? - no! And then it tried to put bloatware into my system, ffs...

If you want people to help you, why dont you make this process smooth and easy? Dont be cheap on some storage space and increase accepted save file sizes on the forum, so that people could upload savefiles in a few clicks.

Currently, there are a few more bugs, that i've encountered, but dont feel motivated at the moment to post it.

Hi, you did not need to download anything, just go here https://www.dropbox.com/en_GB/ or https://www.dropbox.com/, make an account, and thereafter just use the login / logout at the same page. I use the Private Sharing folder to upload to, and make "Copy links" there to paste into a report topic.

As Allan said its a free service site so expect some advertising links / features to avoid, also expect when you get to the limit of your free allocation of space (I think its circa 2gb), they will start pestering you to subscribe for more space .. Just delete any game saves etcetera that are no longer needed in bug reports that have been solved.
I bookmark/favourite my bug reports to keep a track and what is still needed, and delete bookmarks and associated saves on dropbox when they are no longer needed.

My Dropbox is just about entirely game saves and dxdiag

I completely agree about every man and his dog wanting to push mobile apps .. They can take a long walk off a short pier backwards, the programming of these apps is outsourced and usually no consideration for your mobiles security is given because the programmers do not have a clue about security of devices, they just program what is required in the best way they can, and sometimes add advertising / market research / subscriptions themselves in the form of additional services not weeded out by the user at time of install (think Car Parking Apps which subscribe you to repeated charges for crap you never asked for).
They used to be known as PUPs on computers, and would get weeded out by anti-malware / anti-adware .. Most people on mobiles are completely unaware of such crap until it starts costing them, if they ever notice. Its all a bit of a wild west of exploitation, the tyranny of default choices, because they know most people will just click the big green YES and ignore the small print / advanced install options which are hidden behind a faded less noticable link in the install routine, or there is a small box ticked which they do not untick.

---------------------------------

Back on-topic :

The biggest thing that frustrates me about the X series of games is its always about 5 years AFTER all development and updates have finished, that technology has moved along enough for us to buy a machine to play the game at the ideal FPS/Performance .. But by that time we are playing / testing the next game in the series.

Right now I have a machine which can play X3 Albion Prelude brilliantly, with as many mods and wars as I can get into. But the problem is I love all the new features / capabilities of X4 when really I ought to wait another five years before I have a machine that can handle it without occasionally dipping down to 25fps in worse case scenarios. That doesn't happen often with the latest developments in the 6.0 betas for improving performance .. But then I haven't installed the next DLC yet, which no doubt will weigh a little heavier on the system due to more sectors / more stations / more ships for the Boron race

[subidax]

So the forum doest accept savefiles, because they're too big for it. Ok, will go and find 3rd party tool to upload file. "Dropbox" was recommended here. Went to "Dropbox" website and it asked to download program, fine will do it too. Then it asked to download mobile app too. Really? - no! And then it tried to put bloatware into my system, ffs...

If you want people to help you, why dont you make this process smooth and easy? Dont be cheap on some storage space and increase accepted save file sizes on the forum, so that people could upload savefiles in a few clicks.

This comment lets me know you've never managed or been around for the management, support, crashing, etc. of a forum service. Large files are anathema to forum services. It is not simply being "cheap on storage space."

Dropbox didn't require a desktop app nor a mobile app and they are pretty clear about that in the process. I use this with clients all the time.

There are also alternatives to Dropbox a simple google search would provide and they are all pretty accessible for one-offs.

There are so many that it makes no sense for them to spend time and resource self-developing some sort of file sharing upload server thing because they would have to also maintain it and the security surrounding it.

[Toshis8]

A bit of a side step:
Remember long time ago, I wanted to report bug about "Sid meier's civilization 6" to "2K", dont remember exact details word to word, but in short, they asked me to prove that I really own the game. I was surprises by this attitude. So what, you wont fix bugs if dont provide evidence that i really own the game? After proving that i really own the game, they dropped a generic copy-paste reply of "update your audio and video drivers, reinstall your directx, etc...", when it was clearly a game mechanics bug and I explained it. Something in game was not behaving how intended and it had nothing to do with system drivers.

[flywlyx]

This comment lets me know you've never managed or been around for the management, support, crashing, etc. of a forum service. Large files are anathema to forum services. It is not simply being "cheap on storage space."

I am not expecting an FTP servo to be so hard to maintain.
X4 only has like 2000 active users and I am not expecting more than 20% of them will upload save files, an FTP server for 400 users uploading 100 MB of data daily could be a high school project nowadays.
And if you are willing to pay for it, there are tons of websites that could provide such support for around $100/month.

[subidax]

This comment lets me know you've never managed or been around for the management, support, crashing, etc. of a forum service. Large files are anathema to forum services. It is not simply being "cheap on storage space."

I am not expecting an FTP servo to be so hard to maintain.
X4 only has like 2000 active users and I am not expecting more than 20% of them will upload save files, an FTP server for 400 users uploading 100 MB of data daily could be a high school project nowadays.
And if you are willing to pay for it, there are tons of websites that could provide such support for around $100/month.

The comment I was responding to talked about expanding the file size for uploading to the forums directly. Thus my reply.

FTP is woefully insecure, ironic for the posts in the thread concerned with security. Why pay $100/mo for outsourced tech support (which will be woefully inaccurate pricing to maintain something for a userbase of 400) when the user themselves can use any number of free services (or services they already have access to and are ignorant of) that have login security and file/encryption security etc and doesn't open the door for possible attack? Things aren't always so simple when you run a business as it is for the standard user at home.

[flywlyx]

The comment I was responding to talked about expanding the file size for uploading to the forums directly. Thus my reply..

I don't think he cares if the uploading is done by the forum server or a separate FTP server.

FTP is woefully insecure, ironic for the posts in the thread concerned with security. Why pay $100/mo for outsourced tech support (which will be woefully inaccurate pricing to maintain something for a userbase of 400) when the user themselves can use any number of free services (or services they already have access to and are ignorant of) that have login security and file/encryption security etc and doesn't open the door for possible attack? Things aren't always so simple when you run a business as it is for the standard user at home.

I couldn't see what level of security you are expecting for a save dumping site, we are not talking about any sensitive data here.
Toshis8 has clearly cited why he doesn't like using free services, I am ok with Ego wanting to save some money here, but you shouldn't describe something that costs less than $100 as mission impossible.

[CBJ]

This debate has little or nothing to do with the OP's post. Back on topic please.

[flywlyx]

This debate has little or nothing to do with the OP's post. Back on topic please.

Why someone is frustrated with the fact that he has to use a 3rd party free storage service to upload save files for bug reports is considered as "has little or nothing to do with the OP's post"?
Could you clarify what the topic is here?

[CBJ]

The topic is clear from the OP's post: frustrations with the game. It is not a debate about file hosting services; if you want to talk about that we have an off-topic forum, and if you don't understand a moderator's comment then you ask them by PM.

I've now removed this discussion, with apologies to alt3rn1ty for unavoidably taking the on-topic part of their response with it, so that the thread can continue.