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File Front archiving in progress
While File Front hadn’t really been updated properly in years with most games supported being released before 2010, it contained tens of thousands of files for lots of great (but now) old school games. While File Front had closed, GameFront.com, their parent site continued to operate. The Game Front site contained all the files previously located on their File Front properties, plus many many more. Unfortunately, the Game Front site was in even worse shape than the File Front sites were, making it an extremely poor archive of the File Front sites and absolutely horrible to navigate. Game Front file pages lacked any file images, poorly parsed file descriptions and no details about the author of the file.
Finally, Game Front announced they would be shutting their doors at the end of April, thus condemning hundreds of thousands of files to the void of the internet and all but removing any traces of tens of thousands of very old mods for some classic games from the internet forever. As a result of this announcement many people, sites and communities have been scrambling to save as many files as possible from the soon to be defunct Game Front community. Indeed, the best example I’ve found is at Gamefront.online, which seems to be an exact copy of the Game Front site before it went down, complete with downloadable files.
When we first heard about Game Front shutting its doors we knew that the files would be in safe hands inbetween an Archive.org team who were working on a full archive of Game Front, and members of the original Game Front community who were working on archiving the forums. However, the File Front sites, including their files, file images and category structure, were not going to see the light of day again in any reasonably usable format.
As a result, we’ve been working to save as many files from the File Front sites as possible and finding the best method to port them into our Nexus system. As File Front sites were largely like Nexus sites are now in terms of structure, we felt that focusing on the File Front files side of things would be in everyone’s best interest. The focus wasn’t just on not losing the files, but on saving the category structure, screenshots, file descriptions and author information that is actually what made the original File Front sites usable and easier to navigate for the games they supported.
With help over IRC from some of the archive team working on the Archive.org backup of Game Front and the help of certain original staffers from File Front and Game Front respectively we think we’ve managed to do that.
We’re currently working on importing our finished archive work from Game Front into our Nexus infrastructure, and some of the games and files are already available on the Nexus network for you to browse right now including the archived files for the original Star Wars: Battlefront, Supreme Commander and Unreal Tournament 3, among other games.
We don’t expect these sites to be popular or demanding on our servers, but I couldn’t sit and idly watch tens of thousands of mods for games I grew up with be lost to the internet forever. Games like Soldier of Fortune, Battlefield 1942, Unreal Tournament 2004, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War that are long since past their prime, but are games I grew up playing and downloading mods from File Front for back in the day. I am extremely pleased to be able to archive these mods on the Nexus to keep them safe for the foreseeable the future.
Our archiving work continues, and will likely continue throughout the weekend and into next week at the current pace. If you have any problems or issues you’d like to report with the archive work please email us at [email protected] or use the usual reporting methods on the site if you’re a Nexus member.
244 comments
Some of these FileFront authors will certainly be fine with their mods being on this site. But I know for a fact that many are not. Sure, they can contact you to have their mods removed, but the burden shouldn't fall on those mod authors to deal with that any more than Skyrim/FO4 authors should have to file DMCAs with Bethesda.net. You should have contacted them first.Then there is the matter of the thousands of mod authors who may never even know their files are on here at all. Stealing from someone without their knowledge is still stealing.
This isn't about saving archaeology from the ravages of time. These files didn't have to be uploaded immediately upon acquisition.You could have very easily archived these files and spent time securing the necessary permissions from the content creators before you uploaded them. But that wouldn't generate any hits or ad revenue for the website, would it?
You are delivering a hypocritical mixed message about mod piracy and authors' rights, and it is exceedingly damaging to the credibility of this site and this community. You simply cannot be opposed to mod piracy with one hand while actively engaging in mod piracy on your own website with the other. That is the very definition of hypocrisy.
Stick to this thread or the other one, but if you continue to cross post your opinion around the various threads currently active then they will be moderated.
For example, I see that in nexusmods.com/starwarsbattlefront/mods/260 you're stating that "You are not allowed to upload this file to other sites under any circumstances". Who said that ? The original author or Nexusmods ?
So, Rock On Guys!!!
At the same time, simple fact is that you took mods from diferent site and uploaded them on nexus without asking their owners.
You can have any excuse you want, it does not change that taking mod of someone else and reuploading it without permision is not allowed by your own rules (which stands for reason)
Can you please explain how was this "preservation" act different from uploading mod from modder who deleted his works "in name of preservation"?
It seems rather unfair expecting from mod owners to have awareness of your own actions concering their mods.
As consumer I absolutely love your move. Just week ago I reinstalled C&C Generals ZH (quite suprised that my CDs worked and that patches were still availible) and was very happy to find out that many mods for this game were preserved.
But if I take away my personal interest in this (ie wanting mods for my games) it seems overally unfair.
I am convinced that there was no ill intent with this act but it still was bit of screw up. Even though loosing thousands of mods may seem as harsh price, who are you to determine that those mods must exist no matter what their owners may or may not want?
If their authors would want those mods availible, they is nothing that would stop them from reuploading them by themselve.
If they are abandoned, what gives you right to adopt them without permision?
Honestly you will probably reach similiar conclusion as me about this situation that best course of action would be to leave files uploaded, put out some public apology for your well meaned yet controversial actions where you will put furhter explanations and details and after few months almost nobody will care anymore.
Without violating the respective copyrights (whatever applies here) only the original author will be able to do that (unless explicitly stated otherwise). I'm wondering however, how the nexusstaff plans to ensure that he or she is the original author if someone tries to claim a mod.
Saving an artifact from certain destruction and putting it in a museum is preservation.
This is kind of like... tomb raiding, which is acceptable for historical and preservatorial purposes in my opinion.
If the mod authors don't want to, for some reason, compromise in the face of armageddon and would rather see their work disappear, I'm sure they can have their mods removed from preservation if they just ask.
My email is getting old subscription messages what I'd like to just unsubscribe ..help.
#iStruggle
Thank you,
GrodoFraggins