Is it me or does FileFront suck?

[FallenSoloSLS]

Can there be any more links to get to one stinkin' download? What a crock of sh!t website that is totally user unfriendly.

Instead of posting only a link to the website which describes the map and forces those of us that want to d/l it though several advertisement hoops to get to the final d/l link, can the poster also post something like this:

http://download.filefront.com/3742993;0b707e0a3ba6b82f6325c2c60f3939b7d1c20d530167af291d360b3c687d957c9411d445cd906075

so we can just skip all the hoops and go straight to the download?

[SSdraken]

its not just you. :p

[JamieDOWFiles]

You can send suggestions to contact@filefront.com :)

[FallenSoloSLS]

Or I can do something like this (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?p=698419#post698419) to make it easier on everyone and circumvent the stupid link chain.

I don't mind seeing a banner ad or two to d/l a map, but that site is rediculous.

[JamieDOWFiles]

For me it only takes 2 links.

[Ryilo]

Hmm... i see a lack of "popup blocking method" here.
Also, from the map page, if you scroll the page down and select a link from "Primary Download Locations:" we have the link you provided.
So we just have to: go to map description, click on a primary download location and click to download.
It doesn't seem too frustrating to me. They're 3 clicks against 2 clicks.

[FallenSoloSLS]

Not sure I get the same links as you. If I go to file front, I have to go to the specific map page (1). . no problem.

Click on primary d/l site US(2). Get a new popup. Choose my server(3), another popup, then click to d/l(4).

Something I'm missing here?

[matt9871]

Ha you guys think you have it bad your lucky. I get stuck in anever ending chain of links.

[JamieDOWFiles]

I think it's pritty easy to use really. But everything has some haters =)

[SSdraken]

the reason its never ending is because something is blocking popups for you. I have google toolbar, and have to hold control whilst clicking links if i want it to let pop ups appear. Its bad, but not bad enough to need a new thread about it. I don't see why it needs all the pages about it and all download locations etc. cant it just automatically put you on the server with the least downloads at that time?

[RoNsTaR]

I'm a xxxfiles.com user since soffiles.com and it's very good now. Oh and btw..., most big networks like 3dgamers.com, gamershell.com etc. are user-unfriendly, too, at least filefront has not registration :blah:

[Chris L]

Sorry but filefornt sucks. I have just spent 15mins looking trying to download a poxy map.

Bunch of shite, I would like to punch the filefront devs on the nose.

[JamieDOWFiles]

Violence inherent in the system!

[Chris L]

it is so frustrating though!!!

You register you turn off pop-ups, you do everything you are told to do and still nothing!

Great maybe I'll use the european server with is MASSIVE 150 download spots.

What is the point of people putting all this time and effort in if we can't get to their work?

[JamieDOWFiles]

You can, it's just your system by the sounds of it. Houndreds of people download off our sites daily.

[Chris L]

Why is it that I only have trouble with filefront then?

I download from loads of different sources. I recently download the cading mod from Relic Universe but couldn't get it from filefront. Whats wrong with my system if one site is happy to let me download anything I want but filefront isn't.

If hundreds of people a day are downloading thats great, but there is a problem for me and I'm sure I'm not the only user.

[Sps]

I code and have worked on sites. Jamie if you are going to pimp the site in every post to drive traffic to it please heed the original posters suggestion.

As far as even intuitive user friendly design goes, that site is a crock of shit.

I have a pretty high end system, and am computer literate beyond your average user. It's not their system its a crapload of unnecessary links. At the MOST there should be:

Map list page and map detail page with all the DIRECT links.

---

The way it is now however:

1. http://dawnofwar.filefront.com/takeoverAd.html?http://dawnofwar.filefront.com/file/Libria_Temple;33055

2. "Continue to..." (This is the reason you are pimping the site so much - Adds.)

3. takes me to map Page with a 'click here to download" link
4. that takes me to servers page with country listing - I chose US
5. then another "click here to continue in meantime" add - again pimping your commercial station some more
now I am at :
6. http://files.filefront.com/libria4mp/;3744730;;/fileinfo.html with yet another "download" link and a "get it on cd" link

7. clicking download got me here "http://download.filefront.com/3744730;cbc98f0289bccfe61fca556bfa4839923d776bdc82fa2257770b9f96cd3c93da1e6aded43035c7b4"

8. Picking server now -
9. to a your download is ready... click here to download


And THAT finally works. Almost TEN damn links man that is INSANE.

BTW every download I chose the server has been free so I can understand driving traffic to it but c'mon... bad design..


That is insane - I went through TWO adds the site showed down my throat and a number of pages just for one stinking map.

Please quit pimping us to drive your add view count and if you really want to help this comunity allow people to simply go to map detail page and download it in one click.

It is not anal, it is the fact you are beginning to annoy people with what is clearly self serving promo in disguise.

And I am fortunate enough to have space to host maps on my own without helping with your promo frenzy. If I post a link to map here - do not pimp your site in that thread.

Chris its the site not you relax, he is making exuses.

[JamieDOWFiles]

I can do nothing about the problems. You will just have to deal with it. If you want to make complaints then email contact@filefront.com. I don't see much people getting pissed off with me about it? Where did you get that idea from? If people don't like DOWFiles then fine. I can download stuff fine. So can loads of other users. All you do is complain and hardly give any idea of whats wrong. It's probably cus you have a pop up stoper. The default Firefox one won't do it. So degrading so off putting. You think we want adds? Do you think any site wants ads? We have to have them to keep our sites up, to pay for costs such as bandwidth etc. If the DOW Community does not want DOWFiles why do so many use it's services? I post in mapers threads to tell them the file is posted. alot of them send them in so I'm just informing them. A crime indeed.

[ceejayoz]

Sps, we fansites spend a lot of money and time on our work. Don't we deserve a little in return?

[Sps]

Ceejayoz - absolutely, I appreciate both relicnews as well as filefronts dow section.

however :

"All you do is complain and hardly give any idea of whats wrong. It's probably cus you have a pop up stoper"

When I have clearly outlined the steps involved in getting a single file - the number of which is just simply insane, is just plain ignoring the "complaint".

And jamie they do so because there is no alternative atm but that is subject to change.

[JamieDOWFiles]

There is plenty of sites, DOWHQ, DOWMods.com. So you will be cracking out a site soon then? I'll be interested to see it =) Let me tell you the reason we have filefront as our download nexus. Filesnetwork got so big that it was getting difficult to offord the bandwidth cost. So we had no choice but to join Filefront and make a network out of the too. Now Filefront has abit more ads to pay for our bandwidth as well as theres. They are being very nice and I thank Filefront for keeping us up and well. We will be up for years to come now and we are constantly growing. Filefront beats fileplanet in means of hits so we are getting even bigger. I guess soon, it won't be long until we are also called Gayfiles? As I've said before. Theres always haters, you can't please everyone. I'll still do DOWFiles if there is only 1 visitor to the site. I do it because I like the game and enjoy what I do. People complain to me but what really can I do? I'm a network admin of filesnetwork yes but not filefront. You need to email contact@filefront.com and link to this thread and complain about the service if you don't like it. They will give you a good deal of information to do with the problems you seem to be having.

[Hedgehog]

I have no problems with filefront, some download mirrors are slow at some times. But most of the time good downloads and no wait/signup.
I use firefox with buildin popup stopper and got no problems. Maybe it's your ISP or you use a fucked up download manager.
And what's your problem Chris L.? You say hunderds of people can download, but you are sure you're not the only one with problems. So that would mean there is just a little group of people who have no clue how to do things right and you start to moan that filefront sucks?

[Chris L]

Mate, I have tried everything.

I download tons of stuff on a daily basis. If you read my earlier post in full I even gave an example of how I was able to download the Cadian Mod from another site fine, but from filefront evrytime I clicked on the download button, regardless of what file I was trying to download it took me back to the file info blurb.

I turned pop-up block off and something seemed to be happening, yay! I thought, I'm getting the file. I left my comp for an hour, bearing in mind I have a mid range comp with adsl and nothing had happend. WTF? I have never had this problem with any other site.

And Jamie it's got nothing to do with 'hating' your site, I'm sure I would like it just fine if I ever get it to work.

If you really want to help how about giving me a list of 10 things to check on my browser and security settings or something like that.

I encounter this attitude so many times at work from the engineers we work with, they think because they tested something and it worked their isn't a problem and refuse to listen to you, then the shit hits the fan and guess what, we were right.

Think of it as maximising your ad revenue, if their are customers for any reason who can't use your service and view your ads you are losing money.

And as for making a suggestion to improve the site, to be quite honest mate, I can't, I have got a clue whats wrong or how to fix it.

SPS - I would be grateful if you have a link to any maps/mods that you have hosted.

[Chris L]

Ok here it is step by step.

Clicked on the link in the first post, the following page came up:

http://files.filefront.com/gormzip/;3742993;;/fileinfo.html

clicked on download got:

http://files.filefront.com/gormzip/;3742993;;/fileinfo.html

clicked download again got:

http://files.filefront.com/gormzip/;3742993;;/fileinfo.html

clicked the file name got:

http://files.filefront.com/gormzip/;3742993;;/fileinfo.html

and so on and so on.

I'm using the basic windows pop-up blocker the top three lines of allowed sites look like this:

*.Barclays.co.uk
*.dawnofwargame.co.uk
*.filefront.com

[edit] LOL I saw the servers page for the first time! Guess what? I clicked on one and it took me back to fileinfo.html page!! ROFL!!

[JamieDOWFiles]

When you click on download in the information page. It comes to a page witch has a big header saying choice download method but looks like the frontpage?

[Chris L]

I just edited my above post.

I've seen that page once and that redirected me back to the file info page. But before it did I got a random link with the words DENIED on it.

Pop-ups on, pop-ups off, pop-ups on but filefront allowed, none of it makes a difference.

[JamieDOWFiles]

Right your at the file infomation page. Click download. You will then come to a new screen called choose download method which is a big banner header. On the right you can see a list of servers.

SERVER: FileFront US Distro #4
Estimated Wait:
No Wait
SERVER: FileFront US Distro #2
Estimated Wait:
No Wait
SERVER: FileFront US Distro #10
Estimated Wait:
No Wait
SERVER: FileFront US Distro #9
Estimated Wait:
No Wait
SERVER: FileFront US Distro #5
Estimated Wait:
No Wait
SERVER: FileFront US Distro #8
Estimated Wait:
No Wait

Click on any of these select server buttons. It will now go to a new page which says Your download is ready. Please click this link to start the download. Click the link and your done. No popups come so it's not a popup problem.

[Chris L]

As I've said I've only ever seen that page once and when I tired to download it took me back to the file info page and I got stuck in the loop again.

Regardless of what other people are saying Jamie I'm not trying to give your site a bad rep, I'm just really frustrated. I spent two hours last night trying to download and about an hour today.

[JamieDOWFiles]

I don't understand how it can loop you back. It's impossible for that to happen. The code url is to another page for me and many others not to the main page. It might be a cookie issue. Very strange indeed.

[JamieDOWFiles]

hmm, I've got an idea, do you have msn? If so whats your addy.

[Chris L]

I'll pm you.

Thanks Jamie.