Updated DB image & description packs are available!

[thewood1]

"LMAO... are you kidding me?"

How about not using your first post to denigrate a volunteer effort to contribute. How's that for making a first impression. First impressions can mean a lot and a first line in your first post is helping your argument.

[CV60]

Thank you for your passive aggression, CV60. Have you resolved your automation experiment yet?

You confuse sarcasm with passive aggression. I was giving your post the sarcastic response it deserved. However, for the benefit of new members of this forum, let me describe the images and description project:

The "Accurate Image and Database" project is a community run effort by volunteers. We are not associated with Wargame Sims. This project attempts to provide technically and historically accurate images of the weapons and platforms represented in the game. Where possible, the image used represents the exact type of platform and from the appropriate date and nationality. However, it does so at the expense of using higher quality but less historically accurate images, at least as the primary image for the system. Currently we have have 8,771 images and 910 descriptions in the CWDB and 14,355 images and 3276 description files in the DB3000 database. This work is being done primarily by two persons, with valuable assistance from other members in the community. We have been engaged in this endeavor since 2013, and publish occasional updates 3-4 times a year.

If you are interested in helping us improve the description files or images, please PM me, and we will gratefully accept any assistance offered. If you note specific errors, please let us know by PM. Include the unit/country and unit number (ie, Ship_1234"). If you simply enjoy our efforts, then we always will accept "Thank you" or other compliments. [:)] If you really enjoy our work, then buy a DLC from Warfare Sims, support another struggling indie game developer, or make a small donation to charity of your choice and let us know you did that.

Finally, we are very close to releasing an update. It should be out in the next few days. And a Happy New Year to the members of the CMO Community and especially the Warfare Sims team.[:)]

[thewood1]

"If you simply enjoy our efforts, then we always will accept "Thank you" or other compliments. If you really enjoy our work, then buy a DLC from Warfare Sims, support another struggling indie game developer, or make a small donation to charity of your choice and let us know you did that."

Or you can make your very first post on the forums a denigrating and condescending punch at the people building the project for free. (Note that this is sarcasm...since people are struggling with it.)

[BDukes]

ORIGINAL: kinsley51

doesn't garner a lot of credibility

So are you calling me a liar, or are you saying I should spend more time sucking up to forum veterans before I'm allowed to speak up?

Dude just be nice. Its a volunteer effort and has nothing to do with what you pay for.

I build my own because it is fun to me but I am under no illusion has much work it is.

[Parel803]

Thx to all work done by volunteers to add to this great game.
with regards GJ

[Gunner98]

Hay guys, just had a thought.

The photo's for the weapons DB entries are nice but perhaps it would be more helpful, particularly to new players, if we had weapons effects for some entries. It is a bit more difficult as we don't always know what did the damage so may not be possible or nearly as accurate.

Just saw this image and this photo says a lot about penetrators'.

Anyway, for your consideration...

[CV60]

Hay guys, just had a thought.

The photo's for the weapons DB entries are nice but perhaps it would be more helpful, particularly to new players, if we had weapons effects for some entries. It is a bit more difficult as we don't always know what did the damage so may not be possible or nearly as accurate.

Just saw this image and this photo says a lot about penetrators'.

Anyway, for your consideration...

Nice photo! For awhile, I had tried doing something like that with the alternative photos, ie, putting a damage photo as "Weapon_1234_t1" The problem, as you note, was finding actual identifiable photos that you could tie to the damage done by a specific weapon. Still it is worth considering. Alternatively, possibly a .gif associated with a database entry where you could see a small video of how the weapon works?

[kinsley51]

Doing something for free does not exempt you from criticism. "Be grateful for what you have" only exposes the lackadaisical attitude to your "work" (which mostly consists of copying snippets from wikipedia anyway)

[thewood1]

Doing a massive project for free doesn't exempt you from constructive criticism. But a person with a little common courtesy for someone who is providing a free service they are taking advantage of should be able to show a little control and self-restraint on how they provide that constructive criticism. Otherwise, join in or do it yourself.

If its as easy as just copying snippets from wikipedia, why are you not stepping in and showing them? Obviously, they could use your talents because they appear to be doing it all wrong.

[kinsley51]

People work for free to get kudos and acclaim from a community (if this weren't true they wouldn't be publishing their work). If I am a part of the community, then by withholding my praise I am contributing to the improvement of the work.

[stilesw]

People work for free to get kudos and acclaim from a community

Just flatly not true. Believe it or not there are forum members who contribute to Command in an effort to improve the simulation WITHOUT looking for any sort of congratulatory input. Not everyone is cynical and self-serving about everything.

[kinsley51]

Then they are stupid. Imagine improving a commercial product for free.

[thewood1]

Just winning friends and not influencing people.

[ultradave]

Don't have to imagine. I've made a few small contributions myself. In a couple cases, found a couple DB errors (which did not affect play/performance, just description) and in others provided text description. Provided the fix/writeup and references to verify.

Every hear of beta testers for a small game company getting paid? Most only have an interest in helping deliver a better product.

If that was sarcasm, then never mind. If it wasn't, well, you just called a WHOLE BUNCH of people here stupid.

Welcome to the CMO forum. If you stick around, you'll find as I did that there are a large number of very knowledgeable people here who are happy to contribute what they know (for free). I've noticed that for many people who ask for and provide references for new platforms and weapons systems, that their motivation seems to be it's something they need or want to use in their own scenarios.

Almost every time I come here and read the forums I learn something new about either game play, or real life platforms and weapons systems. The game, and the forum, are gold mines of information.

When people do find errors or omissions, it's proper to add a note to either of the DB threads and describe what you want or want to correct, and provide whatever open source references you can find as documentation. Over the years, the developers have added thousands of entries into the database based on this crowd-sourced information. They are incredibly responsive to user requests.

Your complaint that people are stupid for improving a commercial product for free completely ignores the developers providing an astounding number of updates for free over the years that incorporate all this free work. So in a sense, we are all being paid back for the work that we've done to improve the game.

I hope you take this as constructive criticism of your tone, and jump in and become yet another valued contributor.

Happy New Year to you and everyone else here. May it be better than last year (it just HAS to be, right?)

Dave

[CV60]

Then they are stupid. Imagine improving a commercial product for free.

I think we can redesignate this contact from POSSTROLL to CERTTROLL [:D]

[kinsley51]

CV60, maybe if you worked as hard as you snark the database wouldn't be such a shambles.

[BDukes]

ORIGINAL: kinsley51

CV60, maybe if you worked as hard as you snark the database wouldn't be such a shambles.

Uh-huh. How bout you go away now.

[ultradave]

Oh, well. I tried to be nice. Carry on. Do whatever.

Dave

[stilesw]

I hope you take this as constructive criticism of your tone, and jump in and become yet another valued contributor.

Sadly, if history is a valid indicator, this will not occur. The negativism will continue and only end when forum members realize their is no point in furthering the conversation. It is similar to arguing with a not particularly adroit attorney - a legend in his own mind who always has to have the last word.

Fortunately, after the initial attacks there is little to no impact on the forum community of productive, involved and informed contributors. Just don't waste the time.

[Dimitris]

Updated image and description packs are now available on the WS downloads page!

All total almost 800 new images, plus 100 new description files.

The images can also be downloaded on-demand from within CMO (no manual action needed). If you wish to re-download images that you have already got (e.g. to update), delete all files in these folders:
[CMO]\DB\Images\DB3000
[CMO]\DB\Images\CWDB

The updated description files should be included in the next update release.

Big props for this new release to CV60 (overall coordinator), kgambit and Boogabooga.