Alef/modmixer – User

Idea

A program which take in input downloads mods (.zip, .7z, .rar, .pbo) and produce a single .pbo given a command file.

This command file is the "recipe" for the mix. A recipe would be created by someone, the resulting pbo signed, and both put online (the recipie + the sign). Other players can download them and produce their own mix based on the recipe. The key will validate the pbo, because we suppose the input file are the very same and the output too.

All of this should skip the requirement to obtain permissions from mod authors to incorporate their work in another one. People will download their mods as usual, if needed, the website will have their adv shown, and everyone is happy.

Workflow

The "cook" will mix some mods through the application, and produce a recipe. The recipe is a text file with zip/pbo/config references, in order. With the resulting .pbo, and the author private key, a key is created. The recipe and the key are put online.

The player want to try that "mix". He downloads the recipe and the key. Then, download the mods, if he doesn't already have them. With the mixer, produce the same pbo the cook created at his time. The pbo, together with the keys, goes in some @modfolder/AddOns.

In MP, if the server has the cook public key, the pbo above will be trusted too.

Assumptions

• PBOs do not contain time-dependant information, that is, no timestamps or info like that. This is needed to produce the very same pbo as the cook, byte by byte.