1 (edited by Zammbi 2008-01-27 17:54:29)

Topic: Behind the sences

I'll write up this post for people who haven't heard yet.
Currently zer is writing up a new client which is simpler then what it was going to be. Still powerful but currently will be similar what the current client is (Until the new server). This new client is going to work for the current server, and beta testing shouldn't be too far away it seems.  I have currently been testing this new client and so far it's much better in a lot of areas. Once this is out to the public then zer will start on a simpler server then what was going to be planed. But still going to have lots of changes compared to the current server. What’s going to be added? Well that’s up to zer. Then once that is done maybe there will be updates over time to make both server and client as powerful as planned.

NOTE: This client will work with the current server, there won’t be a reset! You will have your chars!

So far what’s new in the new client? :
-New and better patching system.
-XML based GUI. Meaning custom GUI's will be easier for us to make. Maybe for players too?
-Client side scripting language.
-Chat indents messages so players can't ghost.
-Able to have more than one npc window at a time (but not with the same npc)
-Npc name on chat windows to show who your talking too.
-Going into a building won’t show under other buildings to.
-95% of the code is rewritten, so hopefully all those client bugs will be gone.
-Able to run in 32-bit (i386) and 64-bit (AMD64) Linux builds and soon Mac. Maybe also windows mobile if I annoy zer enough :P
-More support for different languages.
-Items on the ground have different colours depending on the item. White - normal, blue - magic, etc...
-Logout
-Chat history, so you can resay things without retyping them.
-Can type longer chats without any problems now.
-'Legendary' title between royal and godly
-More options.
-Locked down items won’t show tooltips.
-Support for larger game resolution.
-Cut and paste for chat.
-Next server ready.
-Render everything with OpenGL. Meaning very good fps for graphics cards that support it. And a option to turn it off.
-New item art.
-Unkillable scripts like signs, chests, npc's have no heath or mana bar now.
-Advance colour matrix effects, on most things. E.g. I can make the GUI semi transparent.
-Ar now shows attacks per min, and amour shows blocking per hit or so...
-If something like a person/item is showing then you can target it. E.g you can be targeted if you hide behind a large heath bar. You can only target that monster if you target its art.
-Fade in text effects.
-A much better particle system.
-Particles are able to be scripted
-Smarter pathfinding.
-Projectiles art now stops when they hit a monster or player.
-Able to see npc's, monsters and players on the mini map using different colours.
-Smarter map patcher, it doesn't lag while patching.
-Coloured messages in stasis messages.
-New skill icons. (Wu is currently finishing them)
-A few other minor things...


Current new client benchmarking: (old now)
Using OpenGL has given a large boast on fps.
If your graphics card has v-sync on then the fps will max at your screen fps.
My screen maxes at 60 fps. Using a Nvidea FX5200 graphics card.
Which the game uses a CPU usage of 17%-23% standing still
And max of 60% of other things. Seems to sit around 33%.
With the game minimized it uses 1% and if the game isn't focus it uses 11%.
So far the fps is usually maxed out, other than some heavy places like the great mines.

If your graphics card has v-sync turned off then you could get fps from 100-400 or more. Of course using more CPU usage (about 60% for me).

Still more room for improvement.

Without OpenGL:
About the same fps as the current client atm but with about 80-90% CPU usage.

Old client benchmarking:
With my computer I get average 30fps with 99% CPU always. Unless minimized which is around 1% CPU.

I'll update the list when things change.

Things that are also being looked at (which is a list of things that been said in this forum and the gm forum):

-Chat filter.
-Market filter.
-Larger market max. Maybe with pages so it doesn't lag.
-Able to see who's in a chat channel.
-Maybe for s chat, just have that you can just type your message without typing s.
-Friends list.
-Get a message when you have mail. Instead of when logging. Like check every 10 min or so.
-Able to see your total resists.
-Able to see damage done with all spells (ebolt, b rain, bliz, etc)
-Maybe unable to target spells on npc’s?
-Maybe an afk option, which if you set yourself as afk you kneel down and maybe a *afk* message on top.
-Hunger meter.
-Instead of lumberjacking saying you miss the tree, it says you swing and end up only with splinters.
-Maybe have a gm/m name be a different colour in chat or have a small image like a star or even just bold e.g. [GM].
-Trees being chopped town, and leave a stump.
-Client chat logs.
-Takes 10 seconds to logout, this could be just controlled by the client for now until the new server can control it.
-mIRC type scripting.
-Dead bodies fade away after time same with blood splatters.
-map edges, mirror the ground titles beside it, so instead of looking at a blurry mess heh. Or if you can make it that you see the next map that would be even better.
-See what spell effects you have on yourself and the time they have left, like in the top right corner.
-Real glow on items.
-Able choose what is the default attack.
-More mail options. (Delete, sent, know which mail has items, send to groups of people, fade read mail, spam control).
-Better trade window.
-Better sound/music.
-Finish icons.
-Repatch broken maps.
-Arrows in quiver.
-Water more realistic.
-Xp bar.
-In game options.
-Make items show dura in bank and when clicking the information button when buying an item from an NPC.

You can also list other client changes/updates if you think they should be Added. Make sure you don't repeat anything I've listed. Note this is for the client only, No sever changes!

People keep asking me when is this going to be out. Well this is a hard one to tell, it depends on what extras are going to be added and the current bugs need to be fixed, and some areas are still missing...

So what’s still left so far?(not including the extras)
Bugs:
Current Stats: 64 bugs closed, 57open.


Sshots located at www.faldonrpg.com which are from zer.

And yes I spelt scene wrong, but seem I can't change the title.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

2 (edited by The S.p.y 2007-10-09 10:15:29)

Re: Behind the sences

-An option orso to request a patch certain for map areas instead of having to delete the entire map and repatch everything. As it is now there's some places on my maps that are not the same as what the server has and it doesn't automatically patch them leaving me with invisible walls and it sucks if you walk into them.
-Should be able to see what arrows you got in the quiver.
-Not sure if this would apply as the mail system will get rewritten, but there's a bug in it which crashes you when you deposit an item in your bank when your bank is on top of a new mail.
-Either fix or remove the stuff in the religion tab.
-Make water look more realistic.
-When you scrolling in your bank, make the squares move aswell.
-Get rid of zooming with F12.
-Something like an exp. bar n maybe let it show how many % of a level u already got.

3

Re: Behind the sences

Ah good ideas.
Zer hasn't written map patching yet, that will come soon. But I'm sure he will add that in.
Showing arrows, I forgot about that.
The mail crash wont happen in this client.
Religion tab I already asked about that, seems that is going to be useful.
Water now looks a lot better when walking in but I do agree about looking better.
No zoom atm. Not sure if thats going to be added, if it will hopefully improved.
Bank GUI hasn't been written yet.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

4 (edited by The S.p.y 2007-10-10 07:33:12)

Re: Behind the sences

-Remove hotkeys to all tabs etc or make them not work when typing a message. Could just be my keyboard layout or w/e, but I can't type apostrophes cause it automatically takes me to the Stats tab.
-A lil option-menu thingy where you can set stuff like aura on/off, change your password, turn on/off music and other settings instead of having to send em via the chat thingy.
-Stop NPC windows from opening twice when you talk to them with a bow, though this could be a server thing Im not sure.
-Make items show dura in bank and when clicking the information thingy when buying an item from an NPC.
-Don't show names on items that are locked down. Some houses are just filled so much crap its annoying to see all those items. Or just get rid of all the locked crap and maybe make the item art available in the editor so they can just put an image of the item there.
-On the market make a tab 'My items' and make it show all the stuff you got on the market and put an option there to take things back without having to pay the gp as it is urs anyway. Would require some server changes though I think.

5 (edited by Zammbi 2007-10-10 08:59:20)

Re: Behind the sences

Hotkeys should not work when typing, so that I find weird so maybe your computer. Anyway you will be able to choose your own keys in the new client, so even if you did have more problems you can just change the keys for it.
I'm hoping zer will do ingame options. I don't think that will be any problems.
I didn't know that npc windows open twice with bow, well we will surely make sure that wont happen. I haven't tested if it does that currently.
Not sure about the dura showing, that depends on what info is sent by the server. But may be possible.
I forgot to say that locked down items wont show tooltips now.
Yea I think that last one would require server changes.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

6

Re: Behind the sences

What's the spell tab going to look like, is it going to stay the same? I personally don't like the arrows to scroll through your spells as they're kinda slow, I'd rather have like a scrollbar orsomething but maybe thats just me.
Also, make it save the screenshots as .jpgs, it's annoying having to download other software to convert the .fsa to .jpg as the normal sshow viewer only exports as .bmp, not exactly useful if you wanna post em on your site or something.

7

Re: Behind the sences

Well I think the GUI might stay the same, though I'm learning the XML so I might make the GUI slimmer. But at the start of the current client, there was a option to add all spells on the bottom of the screen, and that might be added.
The sshots save as .bmp atm. So you now only have to covert them only once to add to a site.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

8 (edited by Zammbi 2007-10-14 22:59:54)

Re: Behind the sences

Sshot of me messing with the GUI:
www.speedingpc.com/files/Screenshot-3.jpg

The white square makes the chat movable atm.
I was thinking a semi transparent mini map with a border. Smaller heath bars. The quick bar staying on the right, with only 1 column, semi transparent. Chat background semi transparent. And able to hide it. I think that would be heaps better then the current gui...

Btw there more sshots located at www.faldonrpg.com which are from zer.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

9

Re: Behind the sences

-The ability to minimize/maximize the mini map would be great.
-'Perfect' title sounds kinda cheesy imo.  I always thought it should be 'Legendary'

10

Re: Behind the sences

-The ability to minimize/maximize the mini map would be great.

Problem with this, the current client has many things on the one map kinda not good looking. But something that could be added latter on.

-'Perfect' title sounds kinda cheesy imo.  I always thought it should be 'Legendary'

I agree that sounds better.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

11

Re: Behind the sences

Updated the sshot above, showing my new gui changes.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

12

Re: Behind the sences

So are all the gui elements set or will they be movable?

13

Re: Behind the sences

I have the chat movable and the other tabs movable and the rest static. I think I might need to replan again. Not sure if going to be what I want. And I also wana create a Gui that everyone will like...

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

14

Re: Behind the sences

I almost forgot....Gamepad support was been broken for years.  I'd love to see that fixed.

Also, when I run faldon from my Vista cpu, the right shift key doesn't let you run.  Needless to say, this requires cumbersome key pressing to run or jamming paper into the left shift key...yuck.  I know a few others have this problem too.

15

Re: Behind the sences

Well there hopefully will be options for keys. Oh and you sure its not the number lock problem with the right shift?
What is gamepad support anyway?

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

16

Re: Behind the sences

Nope.  It's different than the numlock issue.  I know Insertname had the same issue.

Gamepad...ya know..
[img]http://www.tmk.ru/special-week/images/Logitech_Feedback_Gamepad_b.jpg[/img]

17

Re: Behind the sences

Hm I thought you was meaning that, but I thought the gamepad would have drivers so it could work for all stuff...
Oh I'm hoping zer will also support a sticky run.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

18

Re: Behind the sences

There's a way round the shift not working properly. You'll have to do some mem editing tho. After pressing shift once it makes you run untill you run out of energy or switch to a different map. I coded that into Omega Lite (google for faldon omega and ull find it), but if you really wanna know I can tell you what addresses to edit.

19

Re: Behind the sences

I think the new things for C should be added

20

Re: Behind the sences

Nothing can be really added in a new client for that. Thats a server thing.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

21

Re: Behind the sences

Zer has been very busy making the new client stable, hes gone through many bugs in the last few days. Really playable atm and I've noted a few new things above.

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

22

Re: Behind the sences

I think I may have mentioned this before, but how about spells like holy armour, antimagic etc. show visible stat changes (ie. your defence turns green or says +XX beside it or something).

23

Re: Behind the sences

Yea that be nice.
So for people who wonder whats next:
Zer is going to rewrite parts of the game to unload more stuff from the ram to decrease its ram usage and rewrite how the art is drawn to decrease Cpu usage. So hopefully the game should run very easy on most computers.
-Map editor (Gm only version)
-Finish icons
-New Gui
and the bugs smile

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

24

Re: Behind the sences

Idk if this has been mentioned, but make the client create the mini maps instead of having to download them from the server.

25

Re: Behind the sences

Or you use my program to make them. wink

But, Zer is contemplating how to handle maps.  For the new server he's looking at possibly doing maps a little different.  I had suggested a while back, and I don't know if this is what he decided on or not, was to have the minimap patch in as tiles while your map patch downloads.