Isn't that ATLauncher or Technic?
FTB and Forge - Curse Partnership.
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Except if those modders are making money from Curse, they're going to throw a fit when you host them elsewhere, just like they threw a fit about tekkit and about other modders modding their shit... And the community will support the modders, and Mojang will continue to be silent.
Okay, so then, after reading through this and watching the stream, let me distill some of the information, because I think the paragraphs have people confused and don't convey how transient a deal this remains or what exactly is going on. This is my reading of things as an observer, not some sort of gospel from on high, expect corrections if I'm incorrect to be forthcoming from people who know about this better than I do.
What's happening in the short term:
What does this mean/do for the end-user?
Well, it means that -- if the new CurseForge distribution system is up to snuff and FTB completes the transition to using it -- that you will use that instead of the FTB launcher for FTB mod packs going forward. That's the basic change, really.
What does this mean for FTB?
A lot of things, if this gets to fruition. Largely, that the focus for development/contribution will return to FTB's core products -- modpacks and maps -- rather than continuing to fret over and spend brainpower and bandwidth on doing the launcher thing itself. I for one would be happy to see some new maps. =)
What does this mean for Minecraft Forge?
I'll let LexManos' own quickie FAQ provide the answers there:
What does this mean for mod developers?
I'm not all of the mod developers, so I can't really answer that easily, but the goal here is to create a central distribution platform that can address their needs and doesn't suck. If it does suck, they'll do something else and this won't work. Obviously there are thus incentives for it to not suck, because if it sucks so bad mod developers won't touch it, FTB won't have mod packs and it all kind of implodes. This is why having the option to walk away is important too, I'd say.
What does Curse get out of this?
If it all goes as planned? Your little eyeballs drawn towards their content, looking at their advertising no doubt (no point in lying, it's the revenue stream for this sort of thing online). Another feather in their cap for gaming communities. A lot of hits to their servers.
Curse doesn't currently have Mac/Linux software. What about those of us needing it?
Lex has spoken with Curse's CTO on this. The Curse "core" is platform agnostic, so developing clients for other platforms is very possible. Building a client that handles more than just the Windows platform is one of the key points being emphasized in making this.
Can we still have the lovely forum software/functionality we have now?
I don't know, but I don't see why not. bukkit.org and terrariaonline.com are both Curse sites that use XenForo. Not really my call, though.
What does this mean for you? (Asked nobody ever, but there are people asking re: forum moderation so I'll just pretend you cared)
Dunno. On the one hand there are assurances that even if/when the FTB forums transfer over, we'll just keep going as-is. On the other hand, I remember World of Raids' ultimate fate (R.I.P.) and don't discount that happening sooner or later. On the gripping hand, I personally don't consider doing this as srsbzns anyway and am quite happy with however it shakes out. They could boot me five minutes from now for my ridiculous loud mouth and I'd be quite okay with it. Valar morghulis.
Ydra ji Valyre?
Valyrio muño engos ñuhys issa.
(No, not really, they haven't released enough of a lexicon in Valyrian for me to speak it)
That's my not-so-short take on it. People waxing poetic about all the calumnies and calamities that await us are amusing me a bit because I think that's awfully premature. This deal doesn't conclude with FTB using the platform if it's a calamity. This deal doesn't kick the legs out of the other platforms doing this and in fact a primary goal is offering them a way in, if they so wish it. Voting with your feet is not only accepted, but expected if FTB screws this up that badly.
Of course, some people will react negatively no matter what FTB does. Good, now if only all organizations had such watchdogs to keep them in line. =)
What's happening in the short term:
- Slowpoke and LexManos are meeting with Curse management regarding becoming independent contractors with Curse. The scope of their work would be in advisory positions regarding the restructing/refactoring/what have you of the CurseForge Minecraft Modification Distribution Platform and its forthcoming client for modded Minecraft gameplay.
- Slowpoke and LexManos are trusting the community to take them at their word when they say they will walk away from this if this Curse deal is truly, well, cursed. If there are signs that the product that comes from their advisory efforts is not up to snuff, and that it can't at the very least provide the same -- if not better -- experience to users that they get now, it's game over. If the new platform is onerous or locks out other mod pack developers from using it, that's a dealbreaker in itself. Terminus Est.
- If the product that comes out of this project, on the other hand, meets or exceeds the current user experience, more things will happen. Minecraft Forge's current forums and distribution platform will be transitioned to run via Curse infrastructure. FTB's forums will transition to being run on Curse infrastructure, and FTB packs will be distributed on the new CurseForge modded Minecraft system rather than the FTB launcher. This does not mean that Minecraft Forge, Feed the Beast, or the combination thereof will become Curse properties. They remain under their current leadership and if that changes it won't be merely for this.
What does this mean/do for the end-user?
Well, it means that -- if the new CurseForge distribution system is up to snuff and FTB completes the transition to using it -- that you will use that instead of the FTB launcher for FTB mod packs going forward. That's the basic change, really.
What does this mean for FTB?
A lot of things, if this gets to fruition. Largely, that the focus for development/contribution will return to FTB's core products -- modpacks and maps -- rather than continuing to fret over and spend brainpower and bandwidth on doing the launcher thing itself. I for one would be happy to see some new maps. =)
What does this mean for Minecraft Forge?
I'll let LexManos' own quickie FAQ provide the answers there:
What does this mean for mod developers?
I'm not all of the mod developers, so I can't really answer that easily, but the goal here is to create a central distribution platform that can address their needs and doesn't suck. If it does suck, they'll do something else and this won't work. Obviously there are thus incentives for it to not suck, because if it sucks so bad mod developers won't touch it, FTB won't have mod packs and it all kind of implodes. This is why having the option to walk away is important too, I'd say.
What does Curse get out of this?
If it all goes as planned? Your little eyeballs drawn towards their content, looking at their advertising no doubt (no point in lying, it's the revenue stream for this sort of thing online). Another feather in their cap for gaming communities. A lot of hits to their servers.
Curse doesn't currently have Mac/Linux software. What about those of us needing it?
Lex has spoken with Curse's CTO on this. The Curse "core" is platform agnostic, so developing clients for other platforms is very possible. Building a client that handles more than just the Windows platform is one of the key points being emphasized in making this.
Can we still have the lovely forum software/functionality we have now?
I don't know, but I don't see why not. bukkit.org and terrariaonline.com are both Curse sites that use XenForo. Not really my call, though.
What does this mean for you? (Asked nobody ever, but there are people asking re: forum moderation so I'll just pretend you cared)
Dunno. On the one hand there are assurances that even if/when the FTB forums transfer over, we'll just keep going as-is. On the other hand, I remember World of Raids' ultimate fate (R.I.P.) and don't discount that happening sooner or later. On the gripping hand, I personally don't consider doing this as srsbzns anyway and am quite happy with however it shakes out. They could boot me five minutes from now for my ridiculous loud mouth and I'd be quite okay with it. Valar morghulis.
Ydra ji Valyre?
Valyrio muño engos ñuhys issa.
(No, not really, they haven't released enough of a lexicon in Valyrian for me to speak it)
That's my not-so-short take on it. People waxing poetic about all the calumnies and calamities that await us are amusing me a bit because I think that's awfully premature. This deal doesn't conclude with FTB using the platform if it's a calamity. This deal doesn't kick the legs out of the other platforms doing this and in fact a primary goal is offering them a way in, if they so wish it. Voting with your feet is not only accepted, but expected if FTB screws this up that badly.
Of course, some people will react negatively no matter what FTB does. Good, now if only all organizations had such watchdogs to keep them in line. =)
After letting this sink in for a bit, this sounds like a marvellous idea!
It always sounded just a little bit too good that a bunch of volunteers could develop, manage and update this launcher with ever increasing features in their little spare time. Whats going to happen in the future if one of the team gets a(nother) kid or job for example and cant delegate time any more for FTB? Lets face it, with increasing features comes increased demand on backing it for stuff like support, testing, development etc. I'm not saying that the FTB team is not doing an amazing job, but I would be afraid that no matter what the end result would be of varying quality with varying delays over time.
So the natural evolution of the launcher kinda have to be towards some kind of professional service in order to give us increased functionality, features and support. This will be better for the users since it makes it easier to do more advanced stuff. It allows for modders to easier distribute their mods to a broader base since they no longer need to absolutely have to make it into a larger pack to get people to actually play the mod. It also makes everything better for the FTB team since then can go back to focusing on making packs etc. instead of worrying about launcher and website coding and bandwidth etc. So over all a win-win-win!
And if FTB had to be incorporated into any professional partnership, then it seems logical to do it with Curse that is already so familiar with supplying mods for so many games. And yes Curse lives of making money. That's how the world works! But they do so either by adds or by a small subscription fee. I really don't think that is too much to ask for. In my time of using curse I have never felt antagonised by the adds(or the few very limited feature limitations) in any way to feel forced to subscribe. So I feel I am getting a sweet deal for free!
And to the concerned modders, no Curse will never make money of your mods. Your mods are already available for free on the internet for everyone to use. Curse makes money on easy downloading, installing, managing, updating, sorting etc the mods. That's an entirely different service. One that I would happily pay for with a few glances at a advertisement.
It always sounded just a little bit too good that a bunch of volunteers could develop, manage and update this launcher with ever increasing features in their little spare time. Whats going to happen in the future if one of the team gets a(nother) kid or job for example and cant delegate time any more for FTB? Lets face it, with increasing features comes increased demand on backing it for stuff like support, testing, development etc. I'm not saying that the FTB team is not doing an amazing job, but I would be afraid that no matter what the end result would be of varying quality with varying delays over time.
So the natural evolution of the launcher kinda have to be towards some kind of professional service in order to give us increased functionality, features and support. This will be better for the users since it makes it easier to do more advanced stuff. It allows for modders to easier distribute their mods to a broader base since they no longer need to absolutely have to make it into a larger pack to get people to actually play the mod. It also makes everything better for the FTB team since then can go back to focusing on making packs etc. instead of worrying about launcher and website coding and bandwidth etc. So over all a win-win-win!
And if FTB had to be incorporated into any professional partnership, then it seems logical to do it with Curse that is already so familiar with supplying mods for so many games. And yes Curse lives of making money. That's how the world works! But they do so either by adds or by a small subscription fee. I really don't think that is too much to ask for. In my time of using curse I have never felt antagonised by the adds(or the few very limited feature limitations) in any way to feel forced to subscribe. So I feel I am getting a sweet deal for free!
And to the concerned modders, no Curse will never make money of your mods. Your mods are already available for free on the internet for everyone to use. Curse makes money on easy downloading, installing, managing, updating, sorting etc the mods. That's an entirely different service. One that I would happily pay for with a few glances at a advertisement.
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The big problem there is that Curse is notorious for serving up infected ads, time and time again. Infecting your userbase with malware is not something the FTB and Forge devs should take lightly, even if it is a "transient" partnership. Curse is just not good. I don't know if its a quick cash grab before the modding api comes out, or an attempt to cut costs or what, but partnering with Curse is intentionally harming your userbase. If you don't want to make your own launcher anymore, why not distribute on one of the malware-free launchers like the Technic Platform? Hell, if Technic had the mod distribution permissions that modders are willing to give FTB, I'm sure they could come up with an amazing salad-bar launcher with no infected ads.
I guess people need to be reminded, that this deal is not set in stone yet. Slowpoke and Lex can at anytime pull away from this partnership and continue their ways as they're going now. if Curse does not meet the expectations of Slowpoke and Lex, then it's game over for Curse with this partnership
Generally companies don't control the ads that go online, it's in the hands of the advertising company. Of course, if Curse sees an infected ad they'll blacklist it, but first they have to see it. I find it hard to believe that a company would intentionally infect their userbase with malware. Since I haven't heard about this before now, can you provide some kind of blog post or proof that this ever actually happened? I've heard things like this made up to discredit companies before, don't want to fall into that trap again.
The modding API's been scheduled to come out since early beta. I remember watching Minecraft: The Story of Mojang, in which one of the dot points of things to do before leaving beta was to create the modding API. I was hopeful that it would happen a while ago, but now? Now I think it's going to become one of those things that never happens.
You seem to have completely ignored Vauthil's post. I suggest you don't do that, Vaut is a very smart man and is almost always correct.
I'm pretty sure if Slowpoke and Lex had received the slightest hint that this would be bad for the userbase, they wouldn't be going ahead.
And please remember, they will always keep the code for the current launcher, so they can always walk away from Curse if they wish. I wouldn't be slightly surprised if the launcher devs decided to finish the new launcher even though the Curse one is coming, just for a hobby/bit of fun, I know I would.
Someone earlier mentioned the new launcher being "stagnant", which is simply not true. The launcher devs stream the development of the launcher from time to time, which serves as proof that development is still going on. It may not be now, depending on whether they choose to continue it or not.
Input noted. I'm going to have to ask, however, that you make that your last for now (barring responding to slow's below query). About 1 in 15 posts in a 100+ reply thread is now you saying the same things over and over. You've had your say. Make room for other people now. Thank you.
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bwillb can I ask you are you just in this post to troll, or do you for instance have anything to substantiate this claim of '
At to you other stuff, why are we doing this. Because believe it or not, whilst I completely knew there was going to be a vocal minority of naysayers (I think someone noted before there was something like 36 people on here with negative points of view, hardly a massive outcry of our userbase now is it.) but yeah I did this because after having a lot of discussions with mod developers I have come to the conclusion that a tool like CurseForge if done right is a good thing for the entire minecraft community.
Also, just so your aware, Technic pretty much has exactly the same permissions as FTB these days and has done for quite a while, so I am eagerly awaiting their 'salad bar launcher with no infected ads'
Honestly I hadnt heard that they were and Ive just gone and googled this and I cant say I was flooded with posts of people infected by the Curse Client. About the only thing I did find was this 'http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news...craft-players-warned-of-trojan-malware-attack which is talking about a fake curse client, being distributed from a fake curse site.
At to you other stuff, why are we doing this. Because believe it or not, whilst I completely knew there was going to be a vocal minority of naysayers (I think someone noted before there was something like 36 people on here with negative points of view, hardly a massive outcry of our userbase now is it.) but yeah I did this because after having a lot of discussions with mod developers I have come to the conclusion that a tool like CurseForge if done right is a good thing for the entire minecraft community.
Also, just so your aware, Technic pretty much has exactly the same permissions as FTB these days and has done for quite a while, so I am eagerly awaiting their 'salad bar launcher with no infected ads'
Wow... really wish this wasn't happening. I've always liked FTB because it consisted of people doing what they do just because they love the game and the FTB community. But, I understand that money talks. I've used the Curse client before and got burned by it, bad. And I have no desire to do so again. I just hope Curse at least has the decency to give you a reach-around when they screw you over. The FTB community was great. The Minecraft community in general, not so much. It hurts to hear that Slowpoke knows this may hurt the FTB community but feels it's worth it to appease the Minecraft community. Tis a sad day... gonna go cry in a corner now.
I'm realllllllly starting to agree with Ash... some of these posts.... do people even read the topic and the posts or do they just skim over the first post and just blabber away?
Even if they just post with out understanding what the OP is saying, we still get feedback about what they think of this move. As people have mentioned, theres no harm in trying new things and best of luck to Slow and Lex.
Malware agents hijaking ads is not a new issue. The real problem is they cannot be easily BLOCKED when served threw a launcher, as opposed to a web browser - which has a plethora of methods and tools for this job (adware blocks, anti-virus software etc)
First hand experience: My brother's computer was infected via this method with the Curse launcher some time back, and he's a professional in the IT industry. Just spoke with him and he's happy to provide you with technical reports on why this attack vector still poses a real threat. PM me if you're interested.
Slow, I saw what you did there and was a little surprised at your logic. By your reckoning, EVERY issue raised here is trivial compared to the size of the userbase. Apples and Oranges? I think the 2:1 ratio expressed in QueWhat's post was the relevant stat - further weighted by the class of member and youth of the thread.
But you're the boss. Given my criticism of your appalling lack of communication in the past (which to your credit, has remarkably reversed), I truly applaud you and your team for boldly pursuing this opportunity and keeping the community informed.
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I feel like this is like saying you are going all-in at a poker table. It can go horribly wrong or horribly right, we just do not know to what will happen.
I don't know much about curse but I'm reading a bucket load of negative comments and in my experience things get worse not better when a "for profit" corporation get involved.
Business does and always will do what's in "its" best interest, that usually means doing right by the community/customers it expects to make money from, but it doesn't always work out that way.
I also believe that you (Slow and Lex) are entitled to do whatever you want and should take the opportunity to profit from the months and years of hard work you have put into FTB and Forge.
I would though urge you to ignore what curse say, and read the contracts very, very, carefully, and read them again, as you will be signing something that they have written. The contract will be drawn up, not by the people you are talking to, but by the suits. Regardless of what is said, they will have different motivations from yourselves. And should things not work out in the way you thought, your only regress will be what's in that contract.
We are scared, because we love what you have made. FTB is currently very much part of who I am at the moment. I play for around 4 hours each and every day. It takes me away from the daily grind and all the bullcrap in the world, and I don't want that to change.
I truly hope this works out well for you and for us.
Good Luck
Business does and always will do what's in "its" best interest, that usually means doing right by the community/customers it expects to make money from, but it doesn't always work out that way.
I also believe that you (Slow and Lex) are entitled to do whatever you want and should take the opportunity to profit from the months and years of hard work you have put into FTB and Forge.
I would though urge you to ignore what curse say, and read the contracts very, very, carefully, and read them again, as you will be signing something that they have written. The contract will be drawn up, not by the people you are talking to, but by the suits. Regardless of what is said, they will have different motivations from yourselves. And should things not work out in the way you thought, your only regress will be what's in that contract.
We are scared, because we love what you have made. FTB is currently very much part of who I am at the moment. I play for around 4 hours each and every day. It takes me away from the daily grind and all the bullcrap in the world, and I don't want that to change.
I truly hope this works out well for you and for us.
Good Luck
Slowpoke here's the bottom line: People hate seeing Mom n' Pop shops turn corporate. That's what's happening here by proxy of Curse.
If you love us find someone not incorporated who can take over in your stead. Don't throw your users, your fans - your SUPPORTERS - to the wolves.
If you love us find someone not incorporated who can take over in your stead. Don't throw your users, your fans - your SUPPORTERS - to the wolves.
I want to weigh in on the positive side here. Curse has been a fantastic company for my WoW addon needs. Their addon manager continues to be fantastic. Anecdotally, myself and 39 friends who all used the Curse addon manager for YEARS were never once infected with malware through Curse. There were a couple times that the Curse user database was compromised, and those who used the same e-mail and password for both Curse and WoW were burned, but that's just bad security practice.
If the Curse Minecraft launcher can deliver me the experience I had with the Curse WoW addon manager, I will be extremely pleased with this move. Thank you to Slowpoke, to the rest of the FTB team, and to LexManos for pursuing this. I truly believe the modded Minecraft user will benefit from your involvement in this project. I also believe that Curse was going to go ahead on this project with or without you. There would have been many missteps and fumbling as they tried to figure out what the users need. With your support, we have a shining opportunity.
If the Curse Minecraft launcher can deliver me the experience I had with the Curse WoW addon manager, I will be extremely pleased with this move. Thank you to Slowpoke, to the rest of the FTB team, and to LexManos for pursuing this. I truly believe the modded Minecraft user will benefit from your involvement in this project. I also believe that Curse was going to go ahead on this project with or without you. There would have been many missteps and fumbling as they tried to figure out what the users need. With your support, we have a shining opportunity.
I'm new here but I just googled curse client infected and I got page after page of examples. I myself was a wow player and was infected by curse and again downloading a addon for minecraft. I hope this is for the best, but I can say from personal experience that I'm not so impressed with curse. Who knows though maybe it will work out either way we have no choice.
@un worry I just want to be clear here, I am not saying peoples opinions dont matter. More there are at least 2 obvious trolls in this thread which was to be expected. As to the contracts we both have solicitors that will be checking them before we sign anything. I am not going to let anything happen to this community unless I feel it is the right thing to do. At this point though we can really only trust that Curse are coming into this deal with the good intentions they say they have.
why are your result different from mine? as example from the first few pages.
No 1. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...7imHNCQ_-E2nEVVhg&sig2=FQSVhmZINz_bbdAXrnUSLw
post where people confirm its safe. There was a bad ad, curse got rid of it as soon as they could. This is the fault of adsense more than curse.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...U-BLS6-wk0bdBT00w&sig2=RI2kCfoAgBxg8jMTldQIog
A fake curse client, hardly Curse's fault lots of stories about this.
Ive heard stories of addons with keyloggers as well, we are taking measure to help prevent this.
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