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Paste Unity - Like Pastebin, but for Unity!

Discussion in 'Made With Unity' started by RichBosworth, Mar 2, 2011.

?

Will you use the site?

  1. Yes

    49 vote(s)
    77.8%
  2. No

    14 vote(s)
    22.2%
  1. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

    Joined:
    May 26, 2009
    Posts:
    325
    Hi,

    I've seen that quite a few people here on the forums are using services such as Dropbox to upload their Unity Web Player files to share with others for feedback, before uploading them to other sites such as Kongregate to publish them.

    I had signed up to Dropbox for the same reason. However, I grew tired of having to set up everything in the Public folder, amongst other issues, so I decided to produce a website that covered the hosting of Unity3D Web Player files in a way that was quick and didn't require a lot of fiddling.

    You can find the site here: http://www.pasteunity.com

    You can also find an example of a game http://www.pasteunity.com/WebPlayer.aspx?GameID=5:

    PasteUnity holds the same philosophy as sites such as Pastebin. In fact, Pastebin was a strong influence during the development of the site. Paste Unity aims to make it as simple as possible to upload your '.unity3d' files (so I’ve kept the layout as easy to follow as I could) and share them with others (using a relatively simply link). This means that you can post your games here on the Unity3D forum or elsewhere to share them with the community or friends, and gain valuable feedback during the development process.

    In order to make the process as fast as possible, you do not need an account with Paste Unity in order to upload games (although, if you wish to have your name associated with the game and gain some of the future storage/tracking functionality then you can sign up for free).

    I've decided to release the site at its earliest functioning stage (you can currently upload and share games), but I am developing some of the more advanced features and they will be integrated into the site as time passes.

    As the site is very much in development, I would really appreciate constructive feedback using the Feedback page, or in this thread. If there are any feature requests, then I will be happy to implement them as best I can.

    As mentioned earlier, there is no charge for uploading to the site, and I've tried to make the process as painless as possible, so upload to your heart's content. I do recommend an account, because this will give you access to some features such as Game tracking that will be available at a later date, but it's not necessary.

    Just as a reminder, here's where you can find the site: http://www.pasteunity.com

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  2. Inkognito

    Inkognito

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2009
    Posts:
    60
    Wow, now this is a very nice and quick uploader. Love it. Finally an alternative to the Creative Codings uploader(which got hacked unfortunately).
    So I created an account and uploaded a test file, though somehow I can't find a way to brows a list my uploaded projects...? Is this a bug or am I not supposed to, or am I just stupid?

    Anyway, all good luck with you project.
     
  3. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

    Joined:
    May 26, 2009
    Posts:
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    Hi,

    I'm glad you like it and you are not stupid. I am currently creating a basic way to view your uploaded files. It should be ready within 10 minutes. I'm then going to add the ability to edit your games, which will be about another 1-2 hours after that.

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  4. 2dfxman1

    2dfxman1

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    1,065
    What's the max filesize?
     
  5. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    I haven't set a maximum filesize at the moment. I don't really want to limit people in how much they upload, because that would be defeating the point of what I am trying to achieve. If my server costs become very, very high then I may have to limit filesizes at a later date. I'm not sure how much the limited advertising will cover, as I don't want to put much advertising on at all.
     
  6. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Okay, the currently working, but rather basic, My Games manager is up in your Profile area (click on your username in the menu on the left hand side).

    It currently allows you to view your currently uploaded games, play them, and remove them from the site.

    I'm currently working on improving it, but would appreciate feedback on it!
     
  7. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    I've cleaned up the My Games manager a LOT, and I've also bought the Telerik RadControls package to make everything a little easier for you end-users. You can now edit your games as well.
     
  8. fallingbrickwork

    fallingbrickwork

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2009
    Posts:
    1,072
    Hi Rich,

    Very nice... congrats... and very useful.

    I'll use the feedback page once I have had a good look over it and uploaded something.

    Best Regards,
    Matt.
     
  9. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    May 26, 2009
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    I've implemented a new login/registration system, that allows you to sign up for an account with facebook. This should make it easier for you to get started!
     
  10. bgivenb

    bgivenb

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2010
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    449
    Bookmarked it
     
  11. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    As some of you may have seen, I have given the site a bit of a graphical overhaul to make it more approachable to newcomers. Hope you like it!
     
  12. Ippokratis

    Ippokratis

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2008
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    1,521
    Nice initiative, perhaps you should consider setting a file size limit though, before someone with a huge file sets server costs very, very high. I think that a file size limit of, say, 5mb is far than limiting. Anyways I wish you best luck with your site and I hope you will manage to monetize it quickly.
     
  13. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    I've implemented full game searching, that uses the search control in the top-right of the site. This should hopefully mean that users can search for your uploads again if they forget the link you gave them.

    I'm not sure exactly how much more I want to go into full hosting capabilities, as that defeats the point of the "Pastebin" philosophy. I'm going to work on enhancing the current capabilities of the site to make it easier.

    I'm also implemented a Silverlight uploader, where you drag/drop your game from your desktop onto the site and it automatically uploads everything and produces a link for you. You can then choose to edit the game details at a later date!
     
  14. Skjalg

    Skjalg

    Joined:
    May 25, 2009
    Posts:
    211
    Is there a way for me to upload my game without it being searchable? (I want to upload it and share it with whoever gets the link, but noone else).
     
  15. LFLFM

    LFLFM

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    Feb 28, 2011
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    5
    Of course, when the person uploads a game with the "[X] Don't show in search" flag enabled, it cannot show up in "Recent Games" either...
    Not that I'd use this, if I post a game online, I want the most attention to it possible, but just thought I'd complement Skjalg's comment.
     
  16. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    Yes you are right. I've changed the Upload module to reflect this. The game can now be set to "Public" or Private, and there is a link next to the checkbox that explains this setting.
     
  17. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Something that is easy for me to do (due to the framework I am using) is allowing you to have your own "Spaces" on my site that link in with the games you have uploaded via Paste Unity's interface. These sites could have their own domain names and would not really be affiliated with the main site, if you didn't want them to be. They could include, forums, blogs, wiki's and of course the game features included on the main site.

    Would this be something any of you are interested in?
     
  18. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    I'm sorry for triple posting, but I'm trying to keep you all updated of the progress on the site.

    I have added a Feedback feature for games (all can see the feedback, but only logged in users can post feedback). This should hopefully give you, as developers, a good form of feedback that is specifically linked to the page that you posted the game. If Unity forums allow me to use RSS feeds of individual threads, then I will also allow forum feedback to be posted automatically to the site, so that you can have all feedback in one location.

    I decided not to allow for ratings of the game, as I don't see this site as a portal for hosting published games, but instead one that should aid the development process for developers.

    I am starting a blog on the site, so that you can see what i"m up to. Just as a taster, I will next be working on the ability to password your game links in order to only allow certain people to play your game. This should be useful for closed beta-testing etc.

    Hope you like the updates!

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  19. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    There were some issues with resource files. These are now fixed. Sorry, the uploader of "saba", it's working now!
     
  20. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Another update... if you have an account, you can now add a password to your games. This is automatically generated and you can send it to your testers, specific people etc, in order to provide an even more private way to test/showcase your games. You can access the password settings via the individual game Edit pages.

    I have updated the Example Game to reflect the new feature... The password is: acaaa4fc042b41369b479a2b6c7e3159
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2011
  21. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    As you may, or may not, have noticed, PasteUnity now has the ability to track game plays, including the date and the user (if they are logged in). This allows you as a developer to see how popular your games are, but I am working on statistics tracking, such as comparing the amount of feedback to the number of plays etc. All of these will be comparable on a chart, which you can download as an image.
     
  22. carking1996

    carking1996

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    Can you make it so you can upload a new webplayer file(same game, updated), for the same link? I don't wanna keep updating links. ;)
     
  23. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    It's funny you should request this. It's actually something I'm working on right now, for users only (for obvious reasons). I plan on allowing you multiple versions of uploaded files (perhaps limited to the last 3 uploaded files if space gets low) just in case you want to revert to a previous version for some reason.

    This should be finished by tomorrow.

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  24. carking1996

    carking1996

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    Great! I can't wait! :)
     
  25. cemC

    cemC

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    Useful man great :)
     
  26. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    May 26, 2009
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    Hi,

    The updating of game files is completed. However, I will not release it just yet. Instead, I am writing a proper Game Management page that includes the following features:

    1. All the current editing features.
    2. Graphs of game hits vs feedback (and other things) compared to time.
    3. The ability to manage file versions.
    4. The ability to quickly upload Asset Bundles (and other assets) and use them in your game (this last feature will have to be paid for, as I am simply not making enough money to handle the servers from adverts alone)

    Are there any other things you wish to be included?

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  27. LFLFM

    LFLFM

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    Feb 28, 2011
    Posts:
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    Can one delete the game/version they uploaded?

    The recent games list's links are javascript... this makes it impossible to open them in new tabs through the middle click of the mouse... Can't you make them normal links?

    You should probably issue a warning to anonymous uploaders like "the game will be deleted if there is no activity every 7 days"... or just delete the game 14 days later anyway; this will likelly do a real good cleanup; after all, if you're posting anonymously, you probably just wanna post a quick question on the forums. Although doing this may result in many broken links in the forum in the future... :-/
    Maybe just delete games that have less than 2 accesses every 60 days or something...
     
  28. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Yes, if you are logged in when you upload the file then you can delete/edit any of your games.

    I will make them normal links now.
    EDIT: This is now changed.

    I want to try and keep all the files online as best as possible. If space becomes an issue, then I will work out some sort of system to handle games that are not used any more.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2011
  29. carking1996

    carking1996

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    A critical error has occurred.
    Could not find the type specified in the ContextTypeName property of LinqDataSource 'data'.

    I get that error ^.
     
  30. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    I apologise for the error. I'm still working on the final few problems. They should be fixed within the hour. Please check back then!
     
  31. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Okay the bugs are fixed. I have had to rush out the release a bit to fix the problem, but updating of games now works via the Edit Game window. Unfortunately, I had to remove AJAX from the page in order to get it to work, so you have to endure a whole page refresh! I will try to get this updated as soon as I can, but I think it's out of my control really.
     
  32. Teare

    Teare

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
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    This site is a godsend to the HTML unwary developer. The thread should be stickied in my opinion.
     
  33. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    I've just upgraded my hosting package, so there will definitely be no limit on upload size. So, enjoy!
     
  34. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    May 26, 2009
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    Hi,

    Check out the new game manager. You can access it from your Profile area. It's basic at the moment (and is very much pre-alpha) but I am aiming to make it a very useful tool in editing and analysing your games.

    After this is complete, I will be working on making some of the Anonymous upload features more streamlined. For example, I am currently working on a Drop/Drop upload control (where you simply drag the web player file onto the page and it automatically uploads for you).
     
  35. ColossalDuck

    ColossalDuck

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2009
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    3,246
    Nope, I wont use it. But it is an extremely good idea, and if I didn't have a web server of my own, I would!
     
  36. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    May 26, 2009
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    Hi,

    We're starting a service to allow you to host a full website for your games. This will use the same framework as the main website. It will therefore work directly with the games you've uploaded so far! Essentially, this will give you the same ease-of-use as the main website, but will also give you some very advanced features. Below is the announcement made on the main website. Perhaps something that maybe most interesting for some of you is the ability to automatically charge your users subscriptions!


    Alternatively, now we have a Reseller server package, you'll also be able to host your own Windows ASP.NET website, with full Control Panel. If you're interested in this, please contact me at "admin@pasteunity.com"!

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  37. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Everything with the website is back up and running. There were some problems with the hosting provider, but these should have been sorted out on their end for good!
     
  38. Quickfingers

    Quickfingers

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    nice work mate, this looks cool
     
  39. carking1996

    carking1996

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    aww. PasteUnity got hacked.:-( :eek:
     
  40. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    Yes, it got hacked by some "Commender" chap. It's very annoying, but also perhaps one of the best things that could have happened to the site, as it encouraged me to get my act together and starting working on a new version.

    I have purchased a license to use Telerik's Sitefinity CMS (If you're interested), which also gives me access to some of the cool features of Telerik's ASP.NET Ajax control suite, but more importantly Telerik's Silverlight suite.

    This means that in the coming months, I'll be working hard on getting the site up to scratch. For those who are still interested in the site, I'll list what I have in mind here:

    Drag/Drop Uploading

    I've always thought that the original way to upload games was a bit cumbersome. So, on the main page of the new site (inspired by http://fyels.com/) there will be a Silverlight drag/drop upload control, which will first upload the web player and then ask you if you want to name it (all optional) etc. This means that the uploading workflow is significantly more efficient!

    A "native" uploader will exist for those without Silverlight installed.

    A minimalist approach

    I'm a bit of a fan of minimalism. I want to take that approach with PasteUnity. So, on the main page, apart from the uploader, all there'll be is an up to date list of the latest uploaded games, and a link to go to your User Area (if you've logged in).

    The user area will also be cleaned up a lot, focused on managing your games this time around. A lot more screen space is dedicated to this, with less of the un-used features like "Messages" (although these will still be accessible from a bar at the bottom of the screen (like Facebook)).

    The playing screen will have more options (most importantly a choice in what size the web player is), but the actual screen itself will be very focussed on the game, rather than information and other details. Comments and ratings will be available, but lower down the screen, so that they don't interfere with your details (Title, Description) but most importantly, your web player.

    More statistics

    The statistics on the old, hacked site were a bit limited. Whilst I don't want to go overboard with the statistics (as that's not in the nature of the site), I'm going to include the ability to view the amount of times the web player was viewed, where it was linked from etc


    So, I plan on taking the new site in a good direction, but it will take a bit of time to get it sorted. All of the users of the current site will be notified when beta tests are ready, and be able to give feedback on how it's going. Once the users and myself are happy that the site is ready to be released, I will post on this thread to alert everybody!

    I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the hacking, but hopefully it will be good for both the PasteUnity and you, the users!

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  41. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Ah, sorry, didn't realise. Apparently, it's been hacked again by Chief, despite changing my password to something random. It's nice that people like to hack sites that are trying to give something back to the community, for free. It's not as if I was making a profit from advertising!

    I'm moving hosting providers, and not touching the site for a while, as they will be able to track who accesses the site and from where.
     
  42. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi,

    I just thought I should let you know that I have started work on the new site. You can find it here, until the DNS name-servers update to the original "pasteunity.com" link.

    I hope you like the new minimalist style I'm trying to achieve for the site!

    If you're interested, then I highly recommend you sign up for the Pre-Release Newsletter (on the main page). This will keep you updated with progress as it happens, so you'll be the first to know when the site's ready. Additionally, those that subscribe will have first access to the closed beta's, when we're close to final release.
     
  43. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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  44. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    Hi all,

    I have uploaded a small sample of the current Game Player page (you can access it here). It is incomplete but does contain some of the basic functionality I want to expose to users, including:
    • The ability to resize the game window.
    • The ability to “Like” games (although in the final release these Likes will be Facebook and Twitter (retweeting) compatible).
    • Direct access to the web player file, so that they can embed it in their own pages.

    The above are the most obvious things on the page. However, what you cannot see is the versioning system working behind the scenes (the site keeps all older copies of the games you have uploaded, so you can revert if necessary) and the commenting system (which just needs to be implemented in the user interface).

    I would appreciate it if you could test out the current version of the page and leave your suggestions via the link in the red notice at the top of the page.

    Thanks,
    Rich
     
  45. Rush-Rage-Games

    Rush-Rage-Games

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    Sounds like an awesome idea to me!
     
  46. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    We've just implemented the URL shortening features. For example, http://goo.gl/W4AbV takes you to the page of the test game. These features also apply to the actual game files themselves, so if you wish to embed some of our games on your own pages you can link them using a shortened version!

    Also note that different versions of URL can be formed for different web player sizes, allowing you to customise your links further. The different variations in full will be accessible from the management page for your game.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2011
  47. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    You can now follow progress via the twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/pasteunity. As you can see, I've updated things a little bit. I've added a new ability to link Games to forum threads (see the example game for how this works), as well as password capabilities.

    We're going to need beta testers soon, as progress is swift, so please PM me if you'd like to get in on the beta releases!

    Also, I feel a little bit like I'm speaking to myself on this thread. If you have any feedback you'd like to give me, please feel free to post here :)
     
  48. Rush-Rage-Games

    Rush-Rage-Games

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    It's starting to look really good! Can't wait to see the finished project!
     
  49. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    You can now upload your own games!

    We've placed an initial upload control version on the home page. Unfortunately, we've had to put back the drag/drop Silverlight upload control release due to issues with our control maker, but we hope that the current set-up will give you a good chance to experience some of the current features for your own games!

    Feel free to register for an account, as it will allow you to show your username on the pages of your games. Signing up for an account will also grant you access to some of the more advanced features in the near future. Currently, there are some small issues with uploading. You have to wait for the Green Light to show on the upload control before you click the Save button. However, you can customise your game's details in the textboxes whilst your game is uploading.

    Over the coming few weeks, we'll be introducing a host of new features, as well as clearing up some of the current features (based on your feedback). Most of these will focus on the management side of things, as the upload process will remain pretty much the same throughout. These will only be available to those with accounts, due to the nature of the features.

    So, please try out the upload features, and leave us with some input here! :) We look forward to seeing your uploads, and hearing your feedback.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2011
  50. RichBosworth

    RichBosworth

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    We're close to releasing a tool for those with the Pro version of Unity. This builds your game and immediately uploads it to our website and returns the shortened link to you. For those without Pro, you can still use the tool to upload your pre-built web player files directly from the Unity Editor.

    We hope this tool will remove the "middle-man" of our web interface and provide you with an even quicker way to share your games!