Wish I remembered this earlier;
I will revise my previous post as
"[url=http://www.oldunreal.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1395035189]lol,[/url] [url=http://www.oldunreal.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314001633]really?[/url]"
LOL comments do not change the core of the matter. But well, I'm somewhat open to improvements. Over the years I have seen some possibilities come by, but they never left the beta, development or niche group state.
Before I even start considering to use one, it needs to be:
- Finished and complete. Or better: mature.
- Well-tested (by the developer and/or his/her testers). I'm NOT willing to beta-test this, I'm already beta-testing unreal 227 and that's enough for me.
- Well-documented. Everything about the setup, usage and settings should be explained in a well-written manual, step by step, complete and well-written. (Like Winged Unicorn's or }TCP{Wolf's manuals)
- Easy enough for me to use it. I have no knowledge about programming, UnrealScript, databases, DBMS, SQL, MySQL, SQLite etc. I have knowledge about Unreal servers and settings, INI files, PC's in general and the Windows OS.
- Stand-alone / self contained. The last thing I need is another Windows service or 3rd party background program. (database engine).
- Compatible with JCoopZ and Unreal 227j.
- Stable, reliable and secure (Cheating).
- It also needs to be able to convert or transit from the current stored scores and inventories to the new databases, because current players should not lose their stuff and scores in the transition.
- It must turn out to be compatible with the GemDagger, and item which allows you to purchase items from your score. (Without introducing new ways to cheat) (And I'm NOT allowed to share my GemDagger mod versions as disallowed by the developer, Boodaflow).
So yes, I'm reluctant to change the current setup. Even when I know it has it's limitations. The inventory, score and shop system I have now is already the results of many years of intensive testing, communicating and fine tuning. I do not have the energy to do this again. And even when a tool exists that fits with the above requirements, it likely requires a lot of troubleshooting. My server setup is quite complex, more complex than most of the other servers, and this tends to have unforeseen negative consequences. And for myself: I do not have the amount of time nor energy I once had for Unreal. The years I tried everything new this great community produced are over. I try to be there and keep my projects alive while making small improvements but that is is. And for me, this is enough. While I may have the resistance/rigidity of a grandpa who complains about newfangled-junk like smartphones or the internet, I also think I prove to be somewhere among the most reliable services within this small community. And this resistance/rigidity and realized reliability are probably reflect some of the core values of my personality.
I've quickly seen some nice projects come and go by varying developers within the Unreal community, but as far as I've seen did they never left the stage of a proud developer showing off their skills. Sure, they probably work for them, and have some cool implementations and maybe are they in use by some server owners, but these are insider projects and miles away from a finished product for the general public.
Sorry, but this is by far not as simple as it seems.