idgames archive
From DoomWiki.org
The idgames archive (or /idgames archive) is the largest online archive of levels, modifications, tools and other material for Doom engine games. The archive was founded in 1994 by Barry Bloom, and is currently hosted on the FTP site of gamers.org, where it has been housed since 2001. To alleviate bandwidth usage and ensure that data will not be lost, the archive is mirrored on various alternative FTP/WWW sites around the world which are recommended for downloads.
The /idgames archive is one of three sister FTP archives for game add-ons, also including a Quake & Quake II engine archive (/idgames2) and an Unreal archive (/unreal). Of the three, only the idgames archive accepts new uploads, while the other two are closed.
Contents
Content management[edit]
The archive accepts submissions freely but includes several restrictions and requirements on what may be uploaded, either due to copyright reasons or to keep a certain standard in the quality of the files collected, which are described in a document in the main directory of the FTP entitled README.INCOMING. Uploaded files that are rejected for any reason are listed on another file named REJECTS that notes the reasons the file was not accepted. Uploads are packaged in the ZIP format and require an accompanying text file based on the standard Doom file template, UPLTEMPL.TXT, which must be uploaded separately, as well as in the ZIP file.
The archive has a demos section (/lmps), but it has been closed for years, which has given rise to alternative demo recording archives, notably the competn FTP, which hosts the files for Compet-n, as well as the Doom Speed Demo Archive.
For easy browsing of the archive, the Doomworld website provides a database of the archive with searching, user commenting and ratings, and download links to official mirrors.
History[edit]
The archive was preceded by an informal set of disjoint archives on various university FTP servers, including wuarchive.wustl.edu and ftp.uwp.edu, beginning in December 1993 with the release of Doom.[1] The need to have a centralized and moderated location where all files could be uploaded and then mirrored from led Barry Bloom to create an authoritative /doom archive at ocf.unt.edu, at the University of North Texas, in March 1994.[2] However, administrators eventually disapproved of the use of resources, forcing a move of the primary archive to a new server at infant2.sphs.indiana.edu, at Indiana University, administered primarily by Jim Pitts beginning in May 1994.[3] After the release of DOOM II it was joined by a /doom2 sister archive.
The server at infant2 gathered a strong set of mirrors, and persisted until November 1994 when Jim Pitts lost administrative access to the server.[4] ftp.orst.edu was promoted as a temporary primary site, but users were not able to successfully upload files to that server.[5] The two archives were picked up a month later by Walnut Creek CDROM, also known by its domain name of cdrom.com, which was already a mirror.[1] They were originally administered by Joost Schuur, later joined by Jeff Makaiwi for the /lmps section. The release of Heretic prompted Joost Schuur in February 1995 to combine and reorganize the two archives into /idgames, as it was henceforth known, and allow submissions for all Doom engine games. In April 1996, with Quake soon to be released, he founded and moved on to administrate the idgames2 archive.
In October 2001, cdrom.com was purchased by a new parent company and announced that it would no longer host such archives.[6] That same month the archive was moved to its present location at ftp.gamers.org (which was already a mirror),[7] with the primary download server hosted at 3darchives.in-span.net, until its discontinuation in January 2005.
In February 2021, after repeated concerns[8][9][10] about accessing and uploading to the archive via FTP, gamers.org launched the Idgames Upload form to facilitate uploading files via the website.[11] It was developed by Frans P. de Vries (Xymph).
Modern maintainers[edit]
Frans became the primary maintainer in December 1995 and remained in that role until February 1997, when he passed it on to Ty Halderman. Halderman held the role without interruption until April 2015, when illness prevented him from continuing his duties,[12] at which point Bill Koch (Bloodshedder) and Eric Baker (The Green Herring) were named interim maintainers. After Halderman's death in July 2015,[13] Koch and Baker were retained as the new maintainers.
Reviews[edit]
Despite the age of the Doom games, numerous WAD files are still submitted to the archive each week. These were reviewed in The /newstuff Chronicles on Doomworld until late 2018. This is named after the /newstuff directory, where the latest submissions to the archive can be found. Several community reviewers post reviews of the latest levels, typically including screen shots.
Historical list of mirrors[edit]
| Site | Location | Dates of operation | Primary |
|---|---|---|---|
| ftp.cdrom.com | California | 1994 - 2001 | Yes |
| ftp.orst.edu | Oregon | 1994 - 1996 | |
| nctuccca.edu.tw | Taiwan | 1994 - 1997 | |
| ftp.sun.ac.za | South Africa | 1994 - 1996 | |
| flinux.tu-graz.ac.at | Austria | 1994 - 1998, 2000 | |
| ftp.uni-erlangen.de | Germany | 1994 - 1995 | |
| ftp.sls.wau.nl | Netherlands | 1994 - 1995 | |
| ftp.luth.se | Sweden | 1994 - 1997 | |
| ftp.dungeon.com | England | 1994 - 1996 | |
| ftp.pht.com | Utah | 1995 | |
| ftp.infomagic.com | Arizona | 1995 - 1998, 2000 | |
| ftp.uwp.edu | Wisconsin | 1995 - 1997 | |
| mirrors.aol.com | Virginia | 1995 - 2001 | |
| doomgate.cs.buffalo.edu | New York | 1995 | |
| ftp.calvacom.fr | France | 1995 - 1996 | |
| ftp.jussieu.fr | France | 1995 - 1998 | |
| ftp.fu-berlin.de | Germany | 1995 - 2000, 2005 - Present | Yes |
| ftp.sunet.se | Sweden | 1995 - 2005 | Yes |
| ftp.dstc.edu.au | Australia | 1995 - 1996 | |
| ftp.gamers.org | Virginia | 1996 - 2001 | |
| sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk | England | 1996 - 2000 | |
| ftp.linkline.be | Belgium | 1996 - 1997 | |
| ftp.ais.net | Illinois | 1996 - 1998 | |
| ftp.epix.net | Pennsylvania | 1997 - 2000 | |
| ftp.telepac.pt | Portugal | 1997 - 2000 | |
| ftp.is.co.za | South Africa | 1997 - 2001 | |
| ftp.powerup.com.au | Australia | 1997 - 2000 | |
| ftp.livewire.com.au | Australia | 1997 - 2000 | |
| ftp.task.gda.pl | Poland | 1998 - 2001 | |
| ftp.sci.fi | Finland | 1998 - 2000 | |
| ftp.webcom.it | Italy | 1998 | |
| ftp.mpc.com.br | Brazil | 1998 | |
| mirror.aarnet.edu.au | Australia | 1998 - 1999 | |
| ftp.ntua.gr | Greece | 1999 - 2001, 2005 - 2009, 2011 - 2019 | |
| ftp.mirror.nl | Netherlands | 2001 | |
| ftp.fdn.fr | France | 2001 - 2003 | |
| morpheus.posix.co.za | South Africa | 2001 | |
| ftp.clinet.fi | Finland | 2001 - 2003 | |
| ftp.planetmirror.com | Australia | 2001 - 2009 | |
| 3darchives.in-span.net | Indiana | 2001 - 2005 | Yes |
| youfailit.net | New York | 2005 - Present | |
| ftp.chg.ru | Russia | 2006 - 2012 | |
| ftp.mancubus.net | California, Texas | 2006 - 2007, 2012 - 2019 | |
| mirrors.syringanetworks.net | Idaho | 2014 - 2024 | Yes |
| www.quaddicted.com | Germany | 2016 - Present | |
| ftpmirror1.infania.net | Sweden | 2020 - Present | |
| mirror.braindrainlan.nu | Sweden | 2024 - Present |
External links[edit]
- idgames archive (in Virginia, USA) (also as HTTPS)
- idgames mirror in Germany (primary download server, also as FTP)
- idgames mirror in New York, USA (does not mirror /themes/x-rated/)
- idgames mirror in Germany
- idgames mirror in Sweden (also as FTP, with optional explicit encryption through FTPS)
- idgames mirror in Sweden
- Uploading rules on the archive
- Idgames Upload web form
- "About" page on gamers.org
- Archive database on Doomworld
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vries, Frans P. de (23 June 1996). "One DOOMed Space Marine, and the Terror He Spawned." rec.games.computer.doom.announce et al. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ↑ Bloom, Barry (7 April 1994). "***OCF.UNT.EDU NEWS***." alt.games.doom.
- ↑ Pitts, Jim (12 May 1994). "infant2.sphs.indiana.edu ready to rock-n-roll." alt.games.doom.
- ↑ Pitts, Jim (3 November 1994). "INFANT2 is moving ..." alt.games.doom.
- ↑ Widlake, Simon (7 November 1994). "INFANT2... is Dead - FTP.ORST.EDU Lives." comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action.
- ↑ Halderman, Ty and Frans P. de Vries (1 October 2001). "Archive situation at cdrom.com." Blue's News. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ Halderman, Ty and Frans P. de Vries (11 October 2001). "DOOM, Quake, Unreal archives re-opened." Blue's News. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ KingKull2112 (20 November 2020). idgames archive problem with google chrome. Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Clippy (4 January 2021). Uploading to IDgames, a difficult and discouraging experience. Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ NiTROACTiVE (25 January 2021). Doomworld /idgames Downloads Issue. Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Vries, Frans P. de (21 February 2021). Welcome to Idgames Upload. Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Vries, Frans P. de (28 May 2015). Looking for a new idgames maintainer. Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ↑ Saffy (16 August 2015). Nothing new on idgames lately. Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
