Well I think even you know how much sharecash is an annoyance, there is no need to droll on about it any more.
I am really looking forward to future updates.
Since you asked for feedback I figure I would give it and give my impressions.
I purchased your program as I needed something to sync the maps between 2 computers and MSM simply isn't all that great. It attempts automation but falls short in some instances such as its lack of user friendly settings file as well as its dangerous ability to overwrite your current maps automatically across different computers.
Your program realizes the danger in that and has a specific backup folder and then requires user interaction to actually restore backups. This is extremely important as automation is bad in the case of syncing maps with this game. Any kind of screw up sends the screw up to the synced location and then across computers. Forcing user interaction to actually restore backups was a good idea.
I use dropbox free 2gb and have set things up to backup to the dropbox folder and the rest of the folders remain intact. I mirrored exactly the same set up on the other computer.
I like how easy your configuration tool is. It autodetects most everything which is extremely useful to newer minecraft players as many have no idea where their save files are located at.
I like how easy it is to execute MAU but I dislike that each tool is separate. There is no core user interface to execute different actions.
I would suggest making a main user interface that is accessible via the main MAU program.
Meaning; You execute MAU just like you would anytime but instead of Minecraft instantly starting up, you have a few buttons to select what you want to do. For Example:
Play minecraft
Restore backups
Run configuration tool
Visit the tools FAQ(your FAQ on your website)
IF you click play minecraft, it does what it did before and just launches minecraft and continues on as normal.
I want to avoid having to go into folders to execute individual programs if possible, having a user interface solves that minor annoyance.
The restorer tool is the big part of the toolset so I am going to go into a few things I noticed about it;
The Backup Files;
The files it backs up, are not actually the same files in the map folder or save folder. They are specially named files named by your tool. This is both good and bad. This is good because it prevents someone from copy and pasting map files on accident over or doing anything you didn't intend. Its bad because I had no idea what the files were. I thought they were corrupt because the naming convention was weird. When the folder is loaded up in the restorer, it makes sense by looking. But I didn't know this initially.
Loading up the Restorer;
You have to manually select the folder to load. It would be nice if the tool simply auto loaded the last folder you accessed. It auto detects where you set your folder to for the backups, but having to load it each time is one step that could be eliminated after the first time you load the folder.
The Restorer interface is way to obscure or complex to understand;
You simply have it list all of the files in the folder. I am sure there is some kind of organization going on there but its extremely hard to understand.
Also, I couldn't tell but I know that I set my backups to 5 so that it should save the history of 5 changes. I am not sure when I select all(and most people will do that), is it restoring the 5 and not just the most recent?
The point is, its too complicated. Somehow it would be best if you could just show something that says:
World 1, Time/Date
Instead of tons of files. What if you thought you selected everything but you didn't and you half loaded the world? It might screw up the world and you didn't know and when you close minecraft, it will back up that screw up.
Also, if it backs up history, it would be far more helpful to see:
World 1, 13:00:00 - 9/28/2010
World 1, 14:58:00 - 9/28/2010
World 1, 17:21:00 - 9/28/2010
World 1, 21:15:00 - 9/28/2010
IF you see a list like that, then you know which one you will want to restore. Lets say that you screwed up at 21:15 and want to restore back to 17:21:00. You can easily do so.
Right now all you see is a whole bunch of files and its a bit confusing.
I hope that is a bit helpful. The point I am attempting to get across is that the more user friendly you make the tool, the better.
I appreciate you remaining positive instead of immediately going on the defensive. Some people do not take criticism too well about their creations.
So I decided to plunk down the dollar.
A cool app, and actually plays nice with my computers (unlike other utils).
I agree with the above suggestions though. Also you really should COMPRESS the files, so that dropbox doesn't go CRAZY trying to index and send thousands of individual small files.
I would suggest making a main user interface that is accessible via the main MAU program.
....
I want to avoid having to go into folders to execute individual programs if possible, having a user interface solves that minor annoyance.
Done! I'm also adding a prompt to launch the Main MAU program after closing both Restore or Configuration. - Expected to be in the next release.
Quote from Sphinxks »
Loading up the Restorer;
You have to manually select the folder to load. It would be nice if the tool simply auto loaded the last folder you accessed. It auto detects where you set your folder to for the backups, but having to load it each time is one step that could be eliminated after the first time you load the folder.
.....
I will begin by making many of the improvements you have suggested, first of which is naming scheme for the Older data folders which is defiantly to complicated. - Expected to be in the next release.
I will also add an option to the Restore Gui to sort by world. - Expected to be in the next release.
This will take the most time, but I will start to rewrite the restore Gui from scratch and add as much of the functionality, that you have suggested, as I can. - Not expected to be in the next release.
Thanks you once again Sphinxks, I believe everyone is going to benefit from your feedback.
I would like to assure everyone that I'm working hard to get these improvements to everyone as fast as I can!
So I decided to plunk down the dollar.
A cool app, and actually plays nice with my computers (unlike other utils).
I agree with the above suggestions though. Also you really should COMPRESS the files, so that dropbox doesn't go CRAZY trying to index and send thousands of individual small files.
Thank you very much for your purchase.
When I first started this project it was my intent to use archives, much like what MSM offers, but the backup scheme I ended up with is actually quite efficient and only updates the main folder with new data. So there is initial backup of every file and going through the upload process through DropBox is slow, but future updates will be much quicker as only files that are new or changed are loaded.
On the other hand Windows does support compressed folders... I will investigate how to go about using this option.
Sounds great. This program is certainty superior than the other backup utility just as it is right now. All of the improvements you will add will make it a must have as the game matures.
Yeah thanks for the replies and continued improvements.
Can I ask how future versions will be distributed? Will each new version require a purchase?
I don't believe in having people pay me again for minor updates, so I'm working out the details of distributing them to paid customers right now. As soon as an update is available you will be notified by email about where to get it. =)
Edit: For those of you who downloaded through ShareCash and want to receive updates as well, send me a PM.
So it doesn't seem that the utility saves the preference for "Removable Media/Network Folder"
I don't know if this is related, but I have to manually restore from backup every time when using dropbox, the program tells me every time that the /local/ data is more recent then backups, even if the dropbox folder has a new save in the root save folder. Or is this how its supposed to work? Things are just worded a bit confusingly.
Just to make sure you know. When you buy the software you only get a 72 hour code that lets you download.
After that, we would have repurchase the software to get the latest update.
Those of us who purchased your current 1.1.1 version won't be able to update if you put the latest update again on there.
I see you referenced that above my post so just add me to the update list when you get the latest update done :smile.gif:
I have the ability to reactivate downloads through TradeBit at anytime. As far as Updates go, they will not be distributed through TradeBit; only purchase of the full program is. At the time when I start distributing updates to customers, there will be an updated full version available for purchase on TradeBit. When there is an update, you just check the email you used on TradeBit and you should have received a message from me with instructions for download. =)
So it doesn't seem that the utility saves the preference for "Removable Media/Network Folder"
I don't know if this is related, but I have to manually restore from backup every time when using dropbox, the program tells me every time that the /local/ data is more recent then backups, even if the dropbox folder has a new save in the root save folder. Or is this how its supposed to work? Things are just worded a bit confusingly.
It does in fact save the preference to the Config.ini, but apparently the Gui function for the drop down lists lacks the ability to display the changes it reads from the .ini file, it instead has a default setting. I can see now that this could cause confusion and rather then explain this again I'll be changing it to something that will display what is read from the ini file.
It shouldn't be prompting you every time... this sounds as if you stumbled upon a bug. Let me know exactly what versions of Windows you are running and I'll run some tests to see if I can recreate this and figure out what exactly is happening.
I'll also see about clarifying the wording used in the prompts.
Thanks you for your feedback. =)
Edit: I was wrong! There is a control within AHK to display changes in drop down lists and I'm embarrassed to say that I missed this.. but it's now changed!!! You'll see it in the next release.
Ah, it does save the settings!
Anyways, I've made some screen shots about the problem I outlined:
After playing world 2 on my laptop with minecraft assist, it backs it up to dropbox.
I go on my desktop computer, wait for dropbox to download everything, and then launch minecraft assist: http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1879/capture2an.png
It tells me world1.dat is newer in my local files.
1) I am not currently playing on world1. World 2 is my current game.
2) The files should be (and look like they are) the SAME. http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5397/capture1q.png
The files for World 2 are obviously NEWER (in the ROOT of the backup folder, not a numbered backup)
I ALWAYS have to select "No" and manually select the files in the root dropbox backup folder, in order to update my saves.
My laptop is a Windows XP machine. My Desktop is a Windows Vista 64 SP2 machine.
I get the EXACT SAME PROMPT ON BOTH OF THEM.
Its not a BIG problem, I just have to manually restore everytime. Things work otherwise.
Perhaps the program is putting more importance on world1, and not checking for newer files on world2, etc?
Ah, it does save the settings!
Anyways, I've made some screen shots about the problem I outlined:
After playing world 2 on my laptop with minecraft assist, it backs it up to dropbox.
I go on my desktop computer, wait for dropbox to download everything, and then launch minecraft assist: http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1879/capture2an.png
It tells me world1.dat is newer in my local files.
1) I am not currently playing on world1. World 2 is my current game.
2) The files should be (and look like they are) the SAME. http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5397/capture1q.png
The files for World 2 are obviously NEWER (in the ROOT of the backup folder, not a numbered backup)
I ALWAYS have to select "No" and manually select the files in the root dropbox backup folder, in order to update my saves.
My laptop is a Windows XP machine. My Desktop is a Windows Vista 64 SP2 machine.
I get the EXACT SAME PROMPT ON BOTH OF THEM.
Its not a BIG problem, I just have to manually restore everytime. Things work otherwise.
Perhaps the program is putting more importance on world1, and not checking for newer files on world2, etc?
I'm taking a stab in the dark but here's what I think is happening.
Some how, possibly because you run Vista 64?(I think you mentioned this in a previous post somewhere), the MD5 and TimeStamps that are generated during the Backup Routine are not being properly stored in in the Backup.ini. This might be caused by the Mine Assist Utility.exe not having proper permissions to edit .ini files. Further evidence of .Ini issues is when you use restore a value is written in your Config.ini that tells the MAU not to perform a startup check the next time it is run. So if you have just performed a Restore and you are getting that Prompt something is up.
Try right clicking on MAU.exe and select run as Administrator, play the game and let it fully backup switch computers and try and sync then try running it again on the second computer with Administrator permissions.
You can also manually check the TimeStamps and the MD5's as well, go to your backup directory and open Backup.ini.
So to compare TimeStamps I take the value stored for World3 and covert it to any easier to read format like so "09/30/2010 - 2:59:48 PM" now I manually check it against date modified for the Locally Stored World3\level.dat.
To Check the MD5's is a little more complicated but please try and follow:
Rename your Backup.ini to Backup.old
Start up MAU and you should be prompted that Backup.ini does not exist.
Select the option to perform the backup now.
Now Locate the MAU TrayIcon and Right Click > Select Exit and Close your game after.
Now open both Backup.ini and Backup.old and visually compare the Hash numbers from both.
Also are you currently only syncing World2 between computers? This could cause problems as well.
Let me know whatever you found out and also please post what versions of Windows you are running on all the computers you are Syncing between.
I'll be sifting through my source code and running tests to see if I can recreate what is happening for you.
Thanks. I hope this helps! =)
EDIT: I found the error in the source code that was causing this issue. It is now fixed and prompts correctly. I also took the time to clarify the wording in the prompts. You should expect an update, if not tomorrow, sometime over the weekend.
You know what I say? Get a paypal donation button or something and move the link elsewhere. I saw this and thought it would be great, but I'm not going to pay money I don't have to use something I don't really need.
You know what I say? Get a paypal donation button or something and move the link elsewhere. I saw this and thought it would be great, but I'm not going to pay money I don't have to use something I don't really need.
Thanks for chiming in, I do have PayPal Donation button on my website and using it will only get you a email saying thank you . =)
I'm truly sorry hear that you don't have need and that you don't have the $1 it costs for purchase. =(
....
But if you ever do manage to find the need and scrape together that $1 you will find that MAU is ready for your purchase at TradeBit.com (link is on the website http://minecraft.cjb.net/). =)
Bought it just because it's nice to see new tools :smile.gif:
Not sure I will use this but I guess it can come in handy sometime, nice job nevertheless!
Thank you for your puchase! I really appreciate the support. =)
Just to let you know there will be an update coming soon, which will add some features and improve your overall experience with MAU.
Best of all since you have purchased MAU you will receive an email with instructions about where to download the update, at no extra charge, when it becomes available!
Why would you charge for a mod? While it is helpful to have something like this, I see no point to buying it. Even if you felt that with your hard work you should get paid for it, look through the forums and you'll see a lot of programs that are also great, but none of them are charging. (Just so you know, I'm not saying that it is a bad program. I just don't like that it is paid.)
I am really looking forward to future updates.
Since you asked for feedback I figure I would give it and give my impressions.
I purchased your program as I needed something to sync the maps between 2 computers and MSM simply isn't all that great. It attempts automation but falls short in some instances such as its lack of user friendly settings file as well as its dangerous ability to overwrite your current maps automatically across different computers.
Your program realizes the danger in that and has a specific backup folder and then requires user interaction to actually restore backups. This is extremely important as automation is bad in the case of syncing maps with this game. Any kind of screw up sends the screw up to the synced location and then across computers. Forcing user interaction to actually restore backups was a good idea.
I use dropbox free 2gb and have set things up to backup to the dropbox folder and the rest of the folders remain intact. I mirrored exactly the same set up on the other computer.
I like how easy your configuration tool is. It autodetects most everything which is extremely useful to newer minecraft players as many have no idea where their save files are located at.
I like how easy it is to execute MAU but I dislike that each tool is separate. There is no core user interface to execute different actions.
I would suggest making a main user interface that is accessible via the main MAU program.
Meaning; You execute MAU just like you would anytime but instead of Minecraft instantly starting up, you have a few buttons to select what you want to do. For Example:
Play minecraft
Restore backups
Run configuration tool
Visit the tools FAQ(your FAQ on your website)
IF you click play minecraft, it does what it did before and just launches minecraft and continues on as normal.
I want to avoid having to go into folders to execute individual programs if possible, having a user interface solves that minor annoyance.
The restorer tool is the big part of the toolset so I am going to go into a few things I noticed about it;
The Backup Files;
The files it backs up, are not actually the same files in the map folder or save folder. They are specially named files named by your tool. This is both good and bad. This is good because it prevents someone from copy and pasting map files on accident over or doing anything you didn't intend. Its bad because I had no idea what the files were. I thought they were corrupt because the naming convention was weird. When the folder is loaded up in the restorer, it makes sense by looking. But I didn't know this initially.
Loading up the Restorer;
You have to manually select the folder to load. It would be nice if the tool simply auto loaded the last folder you accessed. It auto detects where you set your folder to for the backups, but having to load it each time is one step that could be eliminated after the first time you load the folder.
The Restorer interface is way to obscure or complex to understand;
You simply have it list all of the files in the folder. I am sure there is some kind of organization going on there but its extremely hard to understand.
Also, I couldn't tell but I know that I set my backups to 5 so that it should save the history of 5 changes. I am not sure when I select all(and most people will do that), is it restoring the 5 and not just the most recent?
The point is, its too complicated. Somehow it would be best if you could just show something that says:
World 1, Time/Date
Instead of tons of files. What if you thought you selected everything but you didn't and you half loaded the world? It might screw up the world and you didn't know and when you close minecraft, it will back up that screw up.
Also, if it backs up history, it would be far more helpful to see:
World 1, 13:00:00 - 9/28/2010
World 1, 14:58:00 - 9/28/2010
World 1, 17:21:00 - 9/28/2010
World 1, 21:15:00 - 9/28/2010
IF you see a list like that, then you know which one you will want to restore. Lets say that you screwed up at 21:15 and want to restore back to 17:21:00. You can easily do so.
Right now all you see is a whole bunch of files and its a bit confusing.
I hope that is a bit helpful. The point I am attempting to get across is that the more user friendly you make the tool, the better.
I appreciate you remaining positive instead of immediately going on the defensive. Some people do not take criticism too well about their creations.
A cool app, and actually plays nice with my computers (unlike other utils).
I agree with the above suggestions though. Also you really should COMPRESS the files, so that dropbox doesn't go CRAZY trying to index and send thousands of individual small files.
Done! I'm also adding a prompt to launch the Main MAU program after closing both Restore or Configuration. - Expected to be in the next release.
I will begin by making many of the improvements you have suggested, first of which is naming scheme for the Older data folders which is defiantly to complicated. - Expected to be in the next release.
I will also add an option to the Restore Gui to sort by world. - Expected to be in the next release.
This will take the most time, but I will start to rewrite the restore Gui from scratch and add as much of the functionality, that you have suggested, as I can. - Not expected to be in the next release.
Thanks you once again Sphinxks, I believe everyone is going to benefit from your feedback.
I would like to assure everyone that I'm working hard to get these improvements to everyone as fast as I can!
Thank you very much for your purchase.
When I first started this project it was my intent to use archives, much like what MSM offers, but the backup scheme I ended up with is actually quite efficient and only updates the main folder with new data. So there is initial backup of every file and going through the upload process through DropBox is slow, but future updates will be much quicker as only files that are new or changed are loaded.
On the other hand Windows does support compressed folders... I will investigate how to go about using this option.
Great suggestion, thank you!
Can I ask how future versions will be distributed? Will each new version require a purchase?
I don't believe in having people pay me again for minor updates, so I'm working out the details of distributing them to paid customers right now. As soon as an update is available you will be notified by email about where to get it. =)
Edit: For those of you who downloaded through ShareCash and want to receive updates as well, send me a PM.
After that, we would have repurchase the software to get the latest update.
Those of us who purchased your current 1.1.1 version won't be able to update if you put the latest update again on there.
I see you referenced that above my post so just add me to the update list when you get the latest update done :smile.gif:
I don't know if this is related, but I have to manually restore from backup every time when using dropbox, the program tells me every time that the /local/ data is more recent then backups, even if the dropbox folder has a new save in the root save folder. Or is this how its supposed to work? Things are just worded a bit confusingly.
I have the ability to reactivate downloads through TradeBit at anytime. As far as Updates go, they will not be distributed through TradeBit; only purchase of the full program is. At the time when I start distributing updates to customers, there will be an updated full version available for purchase on TradeBit. When there is an update, you just check the email you used on TradeBit and you should have received a message from me with instructions for download. =)
It does in fact save the preference to the Config.ini, but apparently the Gui function for the drop down lists lacks the ability to display the changes it reads from the .ini file, it instead has a default setting. I can see now that this could cause confusion and rather then explain this again I'll be changing it to something that will display what is read from the ini file.
It shouldn't be prompting you every time... this sounds as if you stumbled upon a bug. Let me know exactly what versions of Windows you are running and I'll run some tests to see if I can recreate this and figure out what exactly is happening.
I'll also see about clarifying the wording used in the prompts.
Thanks you for your feedback. =)
Edit: I was wrong! There is a control within AHK to display changes in drop down lists and I'm embarrassed to say that I missed this.. but it's now changed!!! You'll see it in the next release.
Anyways, I've made some screen shots about the problem I outlined:
After playing world 2 on my laptop with minecraft assist, it backs it up to dropbox.
I go on my desktop computer, wait for dropbox to download everything, and then launch minecraft assist:
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1879/capture2an.png
It tells me world1.dat is newer in my local files.
1) I am not currently playing on world1. World 2 is my current game.
2) The files should be (and look like they are) the SAME.
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5397/capture1q.png
The files for World 2 are obviously NEWER (in the ROOT of the backup folder, not a numbered backup)
I ALWAYS have to select "No" and manually select the files in the root dropbox backup folder, in order to update my saves.
My laptop is a Windows XP machine. My Desktop is a Windows Vista 64 SP2 machine.
I get the EXACT SAME PROMPT ON BOTH OF THEM.
Its not a BIG problem, I just have to manually restore everytime. Things work otherwise.
Perhaps the program is putting more importance on world1, and not checking for newer files on world2, etc?
I'm taking a stab in the dark but here's what I think is happening.
Some how, possibly because you run Vista 64?(I think you mentioned this in a previous post somewhere), the MD5 and TimeStamps that are generated during the Backup Routine are not being properly stored in in the Backup.ini. This might be caused by the Mine Assist Utility.exe not having proper permissions to edit .ini files. Further evidence of .Ini issues is when you use restore a value is written in your Config.ini that tells the MAU not to perform a startup check the next time it is run. So if you have just performed a Restore and you are getting that Prompt something is up.
Try right clicking on MAU.exe and select run as Administrator, play the game and let it fully backup switch computers and try and sync then try running it again on the second computer with Administrator permissions.
You can also manually check the TimeStamps and the MD5's as well, go to your backup directory and open Backup.ini.
It should look something like this:
The Time stamps are stored like so YYYYMMDDHHMMSS
So to compare TimeStamps I take the value stored for World3 and covert it to any easier to read format like so "09/30/2010 - 2:59:48 PM" now I manually check it against date modified for the Locally Stored World3\level.dat.
To Check the MD5's is a little more complicated but please try and follow:
Rename your Backup.ini to Backup.old
Start up MAU and you should be prompted that Backup.ini does not exist.
Select the option to perform the backup now.
Now Locate the MAU TrayIcon and Right Click > Select Exit and Close your game after.
Now open both Backup.ini and Backup.old and visually compare the Hash numbers from both.
Also are you currently only syncing World2 between computers? This could cause problems as well.
Let me know whatever you found out and also please post what versions of Windows you are running on all the computers you are Syncing between.
I'll be sifting through my source code and running tests to see if I can recreate what is happening for you.
Thanks. I hope this helps! =)
EDIT: I found the error in the source code that was causing this issue. It is now fixed and prompts correctly. I also took the time to clarify the wording in the prompts. You should expect an update, if not tomorrow, sometime over the weekend.
ShareCash is no longer being used because of outrage I received from the Minecraft community.
Instead you may Purchase MAU for $1 USD through TradeBit.com
I hope you decide to purchase =)
Thanks for chiming in, I do have PayPal Donation button on my website and using it will only get you a email saying thank you . =)
I'm truly sorry hear that you don't have need and that you don't have the $1 it costs for purchase. =(
....
But if you ever do manage to find the need and scrape together that $1 you will find that MAU is ready for your purchase at TradeBit.com (link is on the website http://minecraft.cjb.net/). =)
Thank you for your puchase! I really appreciate the support. =)
Just to let you know there will be an update coming soon, which will add some features and improve your overall experience with MAU.
Best of all since you have purchased MAU you will receive an email with instructions about where to download the update, at no extra charge, when it becomes available!