New Xfire Skins Channel

**wyndairn** · 2005-11-03

We've added a new Channel to our download system - Xfire Skins. This channel is envisioned to be a way to deliver cool new skins to users in an entirely seamless manner. If you subscribe to the channel, whenever we have a new skin that we put in it, it will automatically download in the background. When the download is complete, the skin file is moved to the Xfire skins folder automatically and installed, and will appear in your Tools -> Skins menu. No more dealing with executable or .zip installs - everything is automatic.

So far all we've put up on our download system is the Combat skin. We'll be putting in older skins, as well as new creations, hopefully with about one skin a month (depending on how many skins we can convert, or how many we NEED to push.) We'll also be going through our skins library and updating/re-releasing some of the best of those through this new download system. We're pretty excited about it here, since it lets users get skins in a MUCH simpler fashion.

Of course, once a skin is out of the channel, it will still be available for download on our download system. This will allow us to maintain our library using the automatic installation process - no more .zip or .exe files needed.

We'll be adding in skins to the download system slowly, so there's definitely still a need for the incredible work Gunowar and others are doing: providing a skins library will ALL the community skins, not just a selection. The skins channel will act as a complement to the work he and all the skinners in the community are doing, and hopefully in the longer run there will be opportunities for everyone to get their best work distributed through the channel. Stay tuned!

**kenshin333** · 2005-11-03

Nice, thank you xfire-team

**uul** · 2005-11-03

Nice work Ryan, just the thing the skin section needed

**avicuspsk** · 2005-11-03

Originally Posted by wyndairn

(depending ....how many we NEED to push.)

So are the only skins that are going to available going to be those that are paying advertising to XFire, or is the new skins that are designed from the community going to be in there as well?

I agree that it is a very good idea, but only if it includes skins that the community helps provide as well and not just advertisers.
Generally the peeps that would subscribe to that channel in the first place are those that troll the Skins channel in the forums for new skins.
If it is just going to "push" the skins that pay you to be "pushed", then this feature doesn't really benefit the skinning community at all.

Just my 2 cents.

**wyndairn** · 2005-11-04

Well we've already had a ton of people sign up, beyond just those who would troll the skins forum, so hopefully it'll be more than just folks who are here regularly

I also definitely want to get community skins through the channel. The first ones through will probably be community skins. The only problem we have is that a lot of the best community skins are now woefully out of date. They need upgrades to add new features like group chat, voice chat, the menu bar in the 1:1 chat system, all the in-game windows, etc. We're not going to push skins that are missing key elements of the interface, and the ones that are paid for by clients are (generally) the most complete. So as we go back through the library, have the authors update their skins or occasionally do it ourselves, as well as take in new community skins, they'll definitely be pushed. I'll be trying to spend some more time here around the forum to see what's being created, and if there is a good looking skin that's up to date and can pass our QA process, I'll do what I can to see if I can get it in the channel.

**inkursion** · 2005-11-04

This is a great idea, and definately the way forward to make custom community skins avaliable to a larger proportion of the Xfire userbase

. It would be awesome if every 'new' skin that supported and catered for all of Xfires functionalities could be added to this channel- that way delivering multiple themes and skins to the user without sacrificing Voice Chat / Group Chat etc.

Look forward to seeing this develop into something that can be used and relied upon as a good source of Xfire skins!

-InKursion.

**75thdeadman** · 2005-11-04

super thanks!

**avicuspsk** · 2005-11-04

Didn't mean to sound like I was beating up on you.
I am glad to see that community skins are finally going to get some attention from XFire.

If in your adventures of contacting old skin authors and they give consent but do not want to do the work, please let me know and I would be happy to help out when I can. There are a lot of good skins that wouldn't take much to update.

**zero377** · 2005-11-20

I love new skins

**fireblade003** · 2005-11-24

I'd love it if you guys would host my BFG one (it won 2nd place 8) ), but I don't know where to send it...
It's fully updated and compatible with versioin 1.48.
Speaking of updating skins, could you guys maybe provide an Xfire skin documentation update page or something of the like? I had to go download the Xfire skin again (the ini files are mysteriously missing from my Xfire folder) and dig through all of the code to find just the few new menu code names. It's just a thought, but it would be really convenient if you did something like this.

**gunowar** · 2005-12-03

The new skins channel is a great idea.

I like fireblades thinking on a documentation page of some sort. This could help the community skin authors when new features are added or other changes (such as the info-view game skins directory change) are made to the skin system. Many of the community authors as well as many Xfire users rarely use the original Xfire skin anymore so this could help out a lot when we need to update our community skins to the current standards of Xfire.

**bigdaddycane5766** · 2005-12-05

How do u make a xfire skin??
Please reply

**tugzviperx** · 2005-12-08

y i want to know 2 plz reply

**skiperman** · 2005-12-09

I like the ide with the new channel so I have sign up. Tanks for the new skin It was a nice one!

/SkIpErMan

**caliberzero** · 2005-12-13

Nice one guys :-)

**wnxspeeddemon** · 2005-12-13

a wc3 wud wud reallllly rock

gr8 job

**1sfoddcolbeckwith** · 2005-12-28

to be honest im not a big fan of this feature i prefered it the old way, with a gallery so i could pick and choose, im not big on the auto downloading channels youve set up, id prefer to find it myself rather than get something i dont really want or need.

**uul** · 2005-12-28

Originally Posted by 1sfoddcolbeckwith

to be honest im not a big fan of this feature i prefered it the old way, with a gallery so i could pick and choose, im not big on the auto downloading channels youve set up, id prefer to find it myself rather than get something i dont really want or need.

the gallery is still up: http://www.xfire.com/xf/modules.php?...&body=xf_skins