Is there a way to copy a base to another server?

[PeterDutcher]

Obviously, I don't think there is a way ingame to do it, but is there a text file I can make a copy of and just change the sever name to match one on a different server, thereby copying my base over?

 

Or any other method?

[Roderick]

No. Bases are stored on the server, and there's no way* to save them and reupload the way you can with costume files.

 

*You can actually use a demorecord to copy your base, and in Paragon Chat (the mod of the game that let you use CoH as a chat program), you can load your base from that and wander around in it, but there is no way to move/copy a base from one server to another.

[Enabling Shenanigans]

Actually, it can be done.  Not by the average player, but a dev with access can do it. 

 

The problem becomes that anyone can take a demorecord of any base and claim that it's theirs.  A dev/person with access to uploading demorecords won't necessarily know that the Really Cool Base that Bobby Joe is asking to have uploaded on Torchbearer was actually made by Billy Jean on Everlasting. 

 

Now if there was a digital signature that couldn't be altered by the end-user but could be read by devs or some other way to verify owners?  Who knows?

 

I would love to be able to build bases that other folks could just move into!  Last night I got 4 base-wide floors installed above the base footprint, complete with tiles on the underside so you can't see up through the bottom  of them. 

That was almost twelve hours of work.  I'd pass out that demorecord like candy if I could!  It'd save you guys twelve freakin' hours of work!

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Enabling Shenanigans

[Greycat]

Honestly I'd see that as an upside. People who love just messing around and base building could create "hey, here's a basic outdoor/tech/whatever base for people to use and expand on" and those who'd like something set up but don't have the time/patience/skill to do these could copy them over.

 

... I'm not sure how big an issue "base stealing" would be. (I don't think items like salvage or enhancements would be considered "part of the base," though, either.)

[Enabling Shenanigans]

2 hours ago, Greycat said:

Honestly I'd see that as an upside. People who love just messing around and base building could create "hey, here's a basic outdoor/tech/whatever base for people to use and expand on" and those who'd like something set up but don't have the time/patience/skill to do these could copy them over.

 

... I'm not sure how big an issue "base stealing" would be. (I don't think items like salvage or enhancements would be considered "part of the base," though, either.)

Exactly!  Some folks just don't know how to build or just have no interest/time for it but they want a base of their own.  And if you don't know a builder or all the builders you know don't have time or interest to help, you're screwed. 

 

I'd love to see a collection of pre-made bases that folks just make available for others to have uploaded to use as they wish.

 

As far as theft goes, you're correct; salvage, enhancements, and inspirations aren't copied over.  But not all base builders want to share demorecords of their work and if someone else claims the work as their own it could be a potential nightmare of: "HEY!  That's MINE!"  "NUH UH!  It's MINE!"  Personally, I wouldn't want to be the GM who has deal with that mess. >.>

Like, I built this coral garden. 

 

That room alone was more than 100 hours of work and I want it to be unique to the SG I made it for so I wouldn't choose to share the demorecord for it.  But if demorecord imports were done with no verification process, anyone could get that base loaded as their own.

 

That being said, I have two demorecords that I'd love to share; one bug-out shelter ( made to look like two buried shipping containers that are furnished as a shelter, complete with hidden entrance) and another that's a working mock-up of the abandoned warehouse in Kallisti Warf and is full of equipment.

 

Having a catalog of bases that people can choose from for their own base would be amazing and could easily get more people interested in building.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Enabling Shenanigans

[PeterDutcher]

10 hours ago, Enabling Shenanigans said:

I'd love to see a collection of pre-made bases that folks just make available for others to have uploaded to use as they wish.

This is an excellent idea. CoHH could have a contest for the best premade templates.

 

Or come up with something like the Mission Architect in-base that stores publicly available base templates. That way, people choose what to share.

 

That way new bases could choose plot size and look at a group of templates that suit their desires, then apply. You would have to start with an empty base though because of storage.

[Enabling Shenanigans]

I know zero about programming but I've heard that the code for CoH is like digital spaghetti.  Whether or not something like that is possible?  We'll need to hear from devs.

[Giovanni Valia]

16 hours ago, Enabling Shenanigans said:

Actually, it can be done.  Not by the average player, but a dev with access can do it. 

 

The problem becomes that anyone can take a demorecord of any base and claim that it's theirs.  A dev/person with access to uploading demorecords won't necessarily know that the Really Cool Base that Bobby Joe is asking to have uploaded on Torchbearer was actually made by Billy Jean on Everlasting. 

 

Now if there was a digital signature that couldn't be altered by the end-user but could be read by devs or some other way to verify owners?  Who knows?

 

I would love to be able to build bases that other folks could just move into!  Last night I got 4 base-wide floors installed above the base footprint, complete with tiles on the underside so you can't see up through the bottom  of them. 

That was almost twelve hours of work.  I'd pass out that demorecord like candy if I could!  It'd save you guys twelve freakin' hours of work!

 

 

This is VERY interesting. Being able to transfer bases across shards would be awesome!

 

I think having some pre-built bases for players to use would actually get more players interested in base-building in general. The issue of design ownership is a separate can of worms. I have seen other people use my base designs, and quite enjoy seeing how they have made it into their own. My thoughts on copying bases can be summed up with this, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

 

 

[General Idiot]

16 hours ago, Greycat said:

... I'm not sure how big an issue "base stealing" would be. (I don't think items like salvage or enhancements would be considered "part of the base," though, either.)

This is actually one of the larger reasons not to allow it. The base storage bins along with everything stored in them are encoded into the map data. Importing that data into a new base would duplicate everything in the storage bins as well.

 

Of course the import process could be set up to strip that data out, but it does mean it's more work to implement than a simple copy/paste.

[Enabling Shenanigans]

5 hours ago, Giovanni Valia said:

I think having some pre-built bases for players to use would actually get more players interested in base-building in general. The issue of design ownership is a separate can of worms. I have seen other people use my base designs, and quite enjoy seeing how they have made it into their own. My thoughts on copying bases can be summed up with this, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

Oh, copying ideas is great!  Integrating another's ideas into our own is a wonderful way to expand our own skills.  I'm talking about someone taking an entire base (demorecord) and claiming that it's their work for the purposes of getting it loaded for use as their base.  That isn't imitation, that's straight up theft. 

 

4 hours ago, General Idiot said:

This is actually one of the larger reasons not to allow it. The base storage bins along with everything stored in them are encoded into the map data. Importing that data into a new base would duplicate everything in the storage bins as well.

 

Of course the import process could be set up to strip that data out, but it does mean it's more work to implement than a simple copy/paste.

Yep, that data can be stripped.  I have no idea what the process is or how difficult it would be to do, though.

[PeterDutcher]

I don't have any problem with people copying my designs...they don't belong to me anyway. If someone can recreate something, all power to them.

[WanderingAries]

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2020 at 9:59 AM, Enabling Shenanigans said:

I know zero about programming but I've heard that the code for CoH is like digital spaghetti.  Whether or not something like that is possible?  We'll need to hear from devs.

Yeah, it truly is unfortunately. Otherwise they'd have a much easier time optimizing things and adding content without stability issues.

[WanderingAries]

Yeah, as mentioned, likely one of the biggest reasons for it not being currently allowed/able to happen would be the easy abuse of storage contents. IDK how you'd do it otherwise (program bases to avoid it), but I imagine it'd be kinda tricky unless it was a universal storage bin accessible everywhere ingame, then that would simply be a link to a completely separate storage bin.

[PeterDutcher]

Not a hard solution. Only allow the templates to be applied with fully empty bases.

[Coyotedancer]

I'd love to be able to move bases between shards this way... and yeah. Even though I've put Ermeeth-only-knows how many hours into my Sanctum of Shadows, I'd share it around in a heart-beat. If someone else wanted their own goofy lake-house in the middle of the Midnight Sea, I'd say more power to them. It's *supposed* to be a dimension of infinite islands. XD

 

 

Edited February 22, 2020 by Coyotedancer

[DarionLeonidas]

I really wish it were possible to move bases to different servers, or even duplicate them there in a single operation.
It would help free up the congestion on Excelsior by allowing players to migrate if they found they preferred a roleplaying or PvP experience, but don't want to have to re-build vast, intricate bases.
And to those who have dismissed my desire with the throwaway line "When you move, your house doesn't move with you", that one doesn't provide much comfort when you have over five SGs in coalition, and their bases consist of an extra-dimensional London club, a Trident ballistic missile submarine, two Zeppelins and a flying saucer.
Oh, and in real life, I had a mobile home for a year!
Just sayin'.  🙂