On the idea of the search engine:
I don't feel that any site could hold all of the skins, however, it would be pretty neat to have some kind of registration area were skinners could post their DATA and where their skins are hosted. Hence no bandwidth issues other than searching and returning links.
So for example our site featuring the 57th BW [
www.warwingsart.com]
If a user were to come to "Simmers" and type 57th BW or 340th BG they could receive hits for all web site(s) containing SKIN(S) that host the search. Think of it as a web ring search.
They say need is the mother of invention, how true.
I constantly search for skins for our maps (Historia on Hypperlobby) those that want to fly the real thing need to have a series of skins not just one. So, off I go and burn countless of hours until I deceide just to skin them because I can't find them. It would be far easier to search rather than to rifle through a site that has all variants in one site.
I had chatted with Serval a while ago on skin and server needs, think of it of that show "What not to wear" but in reverse. If a map will host a historical map with skins dl it's only right to show were skins could be found.
For instance, here is my feeble attempt.
http://www.gozr.net/iocl/viewtopic.php?t=679
As you can see it's manual and not very easily maintained.
I don't know if this is something worth persuing, the work in it's initial beggining could be slow but in time once the database is populated the only thing required would be for every skinner to come here and populate their data.
BTW, I'm not the only Historical nut out there. I hear them all the time on comms, "Where can I find more than one of these" they say.
Something to ponder.
'Guse
