det: I would like to create a script on the server to automatically generate stable releases on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
det: Nobody plays the stables because they are always way out of date. We never release new stables for fear of bugs. We should just release them automatically. We can set a specific time of the week for it to happen and keep special attention not to break CA during that time. If bugs do slip in, we have the consolation that there will be a new stable in a week.
Saktoth: Stable is just the version number, not the game itself. CA is always changing, we cant hope to have it truly stable. Stable should just mean a fixed version number that people don't have to update too often.
- SirMaverick: "that people don't have to update too often." First Changeset is 343 days old. We have atm r1429. Thats ~4.1 changes per day. A (bi-) weekly release = release after every ~28 (50) changes on average. Thats not too often. Normally CA is played at the latest version. I hardly ever see CA stable games. And since we have the Downloader (for those who can use it) its easy to update for normal gamers, although its annoying when springie restarts after a game due to a new version. How about the following: release on Wednesday or Thursday, so we have on stable version for the weekend and after that 3-4 days to fix bugs and add features for the next release. (Or lager interval: 2 weeks...)
Licho: thursday release doesnt sound that bad. Problem is, it wont be stable at all. Stable was version with good balance suitable for tourneys. Right now it will just be "tagged" backup version. With no extra "properties".
- Saktoth: You are confusing 'Stable' with 'Tournament Edition'. Stable is just to let non-downloader people play IMO, though that didnt seem to work very well. Honestly i think the 'stable' concept has not shown itself to be helpful- the latest release is almost always more stable as we find new bugs to fix.
- CarRepairer: Good point. Just rename it the Snapshot Version, do it once a week, and it will be obvious that its sole purpose is for nondownloader people, or for when cadownloader is on the fritz and people just want to play a CA that everyone has or can get from the web.
det: I think the value of a stable release is more about having an agreed upon version to host that is guarenteed not to change for a period of time. I don't think that, historically, the stable releases have had any better balance than the latest versions at the time. The last tournament I played in with the stable release was dominated by rocko spam. That being said, developers can still take extra care to keep things in a good state around Friday 12:00AM GMT (or w/e date) becuase they know a stable is about to be set in stone for a week.
Evil4Zerggin: It seems that we all agree that we should release stables more often. However, despite us all having the ability to make stable releases, nobody is doing so. However, I don't think an automated system of releasing stables is the best way to resolve this; I would rather put a human intelligence behind commits. Perhaps we could select one person to be in charge of stable commits. If at least a week or so has passed since the last stable and that person judges that the current version is not broken, that person would release a stable.
Licho: automated system doesn't have to replace human. We could still commit stable to fix auto-released bugged stable.
Licho: only stable appearing in downloader - this is likely to cause some problem for people with svn updater - but i guess script could be modified.
Licho: ok we agreed. Downloaders will only automatically get stable version. Other versions will be called "test".
