Just wondering if there are any opinions on dropping Frets on Fire from our list of supported apps. It's long since abandoned (2008) and doesn't work on Windows 7. There is a mod called FoFix which does work on Windows 7, but it's near-impossible to use without reading quite a bit first and it, too, is abandoned as a 4.0 Alpha 1 (2010). Thoughts? Anybody still use it?
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I never really did use any of the PA.c games. I usually just stick with web browsers and occasionally use LibreOffice. I forgot that Frets on Fire even existed until I saw this post.
I'm tired of people living in their fantasy world when the clock is ticking away, and when they are unable to see reality for what it is.
I played with it for a while, but then it's not too good to play on the pc.
Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.
I almost always use it in Windows 7, and I have never seen any obvious issues with it.
To answer your question, while I do use it occasionally, it would not be missed if it were gone. It may be a fun diversion, but it is no replacement for an actual Rock Band game.
In reading, it seems to be a Win7 64bit issue. But as that is over half of all installs...
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
All of the Windows 7 machines I have access to are 64 bit.
To be honest, I never used the official frets on fire app, I just used fofix portable. I don't see the big problem with reading a bit, if you really want to play the game of course. I never used Fofix 4.0, only 3.2 or whatever the stable version was. As long as fofix is still available in the beta dev forums, I'm ok with dropping frets on fire...
Yes, I set the working directory!
I'd drop it.
Ditto. I'd rather PA.c focus on quality rather than quantity.
That's one of the goals, of course. We need to ensure that apps work for most folks, which is why we require Windows XP to Windows 7 (and preferably 8, too) for apps in the directory. We've never been about doing 'shovelware' suites just to get download numbers up like some illegal sites do. That's also why users have always been able to download just the PA.c Platform sans apps. That said, for users that really want it, we'll be introducing bigger suites with more apps in the next couple versions of the platform.
When retiring an app, I'm thinking we may give it a send-off when possible by posting our last best version to the site and updater but removing it from the app directory. This version will be updated to the latest installer, format and launcher (PAL or custom NSISu) so it will install on all versions of Windows and not have issues with larger drives like the old installer does. It will be removed from the Portable App Directory in the platform but still shown on the site with a 'deprecated' message. And an EULA will show on install explaining deprecation and how it is now unsupported. I may add a platform tickbox in Advanced to show deprecated apps (similar to 'advanced apps') as well. I think that should cover all the bases pretty well.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
What about just creating a new moniker like Legacy programs? Old outdated no longer supported in base app but still functioning? Or Apps For XP as category?
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss
if the workload isnt too much.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
That's what deprecated is. It would still be available for those who want it and specifically look for it. But it would not be updated or supported. We're definitely not going to invest any active, ongoing time in apps that don't work right or that don't work with modern Windows.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Are you recommending that people not use Frets on Fire? Deprecate means 'do not use' or 'use not recommended'.
If that is what you meant no problem. It just sounded like you meant something else.
We mean use not recommended. As it has random compatibility issues that can't be solved with all kinds of PCs, we can't guarantee it's going to work for a given user or work as they move between PCs. And the app was discontinued in 2008 so those bugs will never be fixed. So we absolutely do not recommend using it anymore. That said, for folks who have a PC that happens to work with it and want to continue to use it, can do so and we'll give them the last bit of updates we were working on for it (updated format, improved installer, updated splash that auto-hides with the platform, etc).
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
As one of this community's biggest fans of rhythm gaming (906 songs in Rockband, all but 3 played, because those 3 don't have a vocals part) I would not be bothered and would completely understand if PA dropped it.
Frets on Fire has never been good, and there are better ways to get your plastic rhythm on: namely, StepMania. Intended as a dance game played with the arrow keys, it's trivial to map those four directions to the first four frets of a wired Guitar Hero or Rockband guitar, the pads of a Rockband drum set, or three pads and one cymbal of the Guitar Hero drum set. The songs are mostly techno, but the challenge is there and the software is actively developed. For us vocalists there are a couple karaoke games. Honestly though, none of these are very good. Even Guitar Hero was never good, even when original developer Harmonix had it.
What makes Rockband so special, for those of us who enjoy it, is how accurate it tries to be (for the most part) and how much it strives to respect rock n' roll culture, for what that's worth. Plus, the music engine (what deals with the multitracks, and mutes each part as notes are missed) and game engine (animations, effects), and how the two work together is very well done.
Frets on Fire, or rather its failure, shows us that the open source community, while able to build and maintain world-class software, can't come close to what Rockband and even Guitar Hero have accomplished. To be fair, a big part of that is the legality of the music. Rockband works as a console exclusive because console games can only be pirated by such a small percentage of gamers. You can't pirate Xbox 360 games. An update blew a fuse that was needed for the only known exploit. PS3's exploit was patched. Wii can be pirated, but not the downloadable content. The only way to pirate on an HD system involves having one that has not been updated in a couple years, advanced electronics knowledge, and a fair bit of risk. There are some console pirates out there, but they're rare compared with PC software pirates and music pirates. So the record industry knows it can license masters to Harmonix and they will be safe (although, a few years ago, a bunch did get leaked... All I'm gonna say is "Search '.mogg' and open with Audacity). Music from real bands in Frets on Fire was badly done and with only the Expert difficulty charted, more often than not. And Frets on Fire took the Guitar Hero shortcut of belching at you when you missed a note, rather than licensing the more expensive masters and muting the individual track.
I used Frets on Fire for a while, it was rather good and fun, but the song files are no longer there.
All the sites which I have been able to find to get songs from are still there, but all the links are broken and the song files are gone.
It's not worth keeping in the list.