Expanding /idgames/ rules in terms of archive format

[Reisal]

I see we've used ZIP for ages, so why not add 7Z to the list of permitted formats since the program for its purposes is available for free and doubles as a ZIP format explorer/compression.

[Csonicgo]

Why not ZIP? What's wrong with ZIP?

That's a serious question.

ZIP support is integrated into (almost) every OS out there. OSX has it, Windows has it. Why would we be supporting anything else?

The whole idea for ZIP was to have *one* file - the compression was a benefit, yes, but not the primary goal. most doom mods in 94-95-96 were monstrosities that had multiple folders, graphics files, and sound files. ZIP was popular enough through PKZip and solved the archiving problem. It's just an archive after all.



Aren't most large mods PK3 now? even Eternity supports a PK3-like format. ZDoom has a 7z format built-in called PK7. Throwing that into another 7z archive wouldn't help matters, it requires more software, that's about it.

7zip is, like I said years ago on zdoom forums, no different than ZIP - which isn't a reason for supporting it. All that does is require more software that really shouldn't be required.

I'll never understand the alternate formats for doom mods, other than compression, which hasn't mattered in a long time for most source ports that support compression in the "PWAD" itself (there's no term for compressed "PWAD", and I can't be arsed to invent one).

In my experience, most of the reasons for large ZIP files, are multiple large already-compressed lumps included, like MP3 files. no compression formats out there can or will ever solve that problem.

[Voros]

ZIP is available on literally every platform.

I download from idgames via Android phone (I use D-Touch atm). ZIP is naturally supported on this phone by default. But when I first downloaded a 7Z file, it wouldn't open. Had to download an app that did. And that app had to download the plugin that enabled it to manipulate 7Z files.

Point is, ZIP has become something of a universal compression format. Best to use it because everyone's familiar with it. No point in adding more compression formats support.

[joe-ilya]

7Z works with ZIP, so what's the point again?

[Alter]

If it ain't broken, don't fuck it up!

[HavoX]

Csonicgo and Voros pretty much nailed it.

Besides, 7z is not a native Windows/Linux/OSX file format (hard to believe it's been 18 years since its initial release, huh?).