ID:1290461
 
So, over 12 hours ago an idea crossed my mind, and I've been thinking about it ever since; it still seems good so here it is. What if users could purchase the ability to use Some of the hub information in their own web page? specifically, server listings, and if possible the Medals & Scores, but those aren't a must.

I know, I know, there's lots of ways to do that already, but a lot of people here, especially the newer ones, either would have to learn how, or simply do it out of necessity and would rather just pay a few dollars to have it done for them.

This could basically be done through downloadable files, and there could even be some sort of authentication code given at purchase that makes it work for one specific entry only.

Obviously this idea could use a little more work to perfect it, and in theory it could be a membership perk, but I think the most profitable and fair way is to have it as a simple one time fee per hub. The fee could be as low as $5, and it would still probably help.

I know this idea can't save things on its own, but I do think it would be pretty easy to do, and help out a bit in the long run. This would be even better if we could use our own play now button images, too, but that's trivial in the grand scheme of things.

So, thoughts? suggestions? Go for it. I'm aware the idea may not be good enough to be used, but it sounded good enough to me that I at least had to bring it up; especially since this would mix really well with the standalone client and/or developers who want more options and to reduce BYOND's visual involvement a bit.
Doubt it'd go very far. The amount of developers seems to be low in ratio to people playing games. Plus, the developers that actually take the initiative to design a website or have one made, will probably be able to display their server listing's anyhow. It's too unpredictable to invest time into, imo.

I think at this point, if donations aren't going to meet the minimum requirement, then it'd be best for Tom/Lummox to spend the remaining time working on documentation of code so it's not as scary as it is now if the project were to go opensource. In the event that it does go opensource, Tom will be pocketing an okay amount of cash (maybe $50k/yr, excluding expenses, based on a recent post of his) so perhaps that will warrant Lummox working part-time / freelancing for BYOND, while Tom manages the SVN and codes when time allows it.
Byond already has the necessary feature to do this.

Below is a sample link:
http://www.byond.com/games/Teka123/AngelFalls?format=text

By using curl, one can download this information and display it on their site.


Even without this, most sites have mysql running behind them, which servers can query to, to insert their data.
There's actually a few snippets or tutorials floating around for how to use that, using PHP.

There's also a small section in the Red Book about more ways to use text format.