Making sure that users can easily find, download, understand, and install your OXP helps making it more popular and keeps requests for help to a minimum. The following best practices help you achieve that.
Packaging
- Create a directory named after your OXP, e.g. "MyNewOXP x.y". Make sure this directory does not end with the .oxp suffix. Replace xx.yy with your OXP's version number (xx = major version, yy = minor version), e.g. 1.0
- Inside "MyNewOXP x.y", add the readme, the license, and additional files, and the actual OXP directory, named MyNewOXP.oxp. Make sure this directory does end with the .oxp suffix. Do not add version information to this name, but keep the same name across versions. That way, users cannot mistakenly have your OXP twice in the AddOns directory.
- If you prefix the names of the readme and license files with MyNewOXP you are making it easier for users to keep all files that belong to OXPs in one place.
- If you instead put the readme etc. files into the .oxp directory then Mac users will have a harder time finding them as .oxp directories are presented as packages.
- See the Licensing OXPs thread on the Oolite Bulleting Board for information about licensing.
- Inside the MyNewOXP.oxp folder add the Config, Models, etc. directories that make up your OXP.
- Create a zip file based on the "MyNewOXP x.y" directory. While there are other, more efficient compression tools (such as far, 7z), zip is available out-of-the-box on all operating systems that are officially supported by Oolite.
|
|
Example:
MyNewOXP 1.0
+- MyNewOXP readme.txt
+- MyNewOXP license.txt
+- MyNewOXP.oxp
+- Config
+- Models
+- Shaders
+- Textures
|
|
Distribution
Most OXP authors use box.net for distribution nowadays. It is free up to 5GB and does not annoy your users with advertisements. After you uploaded it, post a link in the Expansion Packs forum on the Oolite Bulletin Board (BB). Create a wiki page for your OXP if you can, or ask around the BB for help with setting one up. At the very least, provide enough information for creating a on-liner in the OXP List.
