Working on 0.8.0 compatibility

[Windcatcher]

The Arena at sunset.



This is still on my 0.5.5 server; I'm about to move to the 0.8.0 server one I take care of a couple more small details.

[Windcatcher]

Started working on zoning in to the 0.8.0 server. It took a few hours to get it connecting to the zone server, but I eventually found that the problem was the port byte order. 0.5.5 clients expect it in network order, Titanium clients expect it in Intel order. Adding a configuration switch solved that problem. I then had to fix a couple of Titanium struct definitions and make my netcode just a little more robust. I'm now connecting to the zone server, but not yet getting ingame. The zone server eventually crashes after a few minutes, and the client doesn't reach the fully zoned-in state.

I noticed that the world server defaults to using a tutorial zone with ID 189 if there is no setting, so the easiest thing to do was just make a bare zone for it with a zone exit for the tutorial. I'll see how it works whenever I get zoning in working.

So I've still got lots of work to do, but I'm making some progress.

[Windcatcher]

The very first zone in to my 0.8.0 server:



I still need to handle its item serialization scheme, but now we're cooking with gas

[trevius]

Very nice work, Windcatcher! Congrats on getting in-game. That is quite a step I am sure everything else falls into place much smoother once you are able to get in. I know for sure that when trying to get new EQ clients to work with EQEmu, the getting in-game part was normally the biggest step.

[Windcatcher]

I have items mostly loading, to the point that I can get a merchant list when I right-click on a merchant NPC. I still need to fix something in the way I'm handling Spawn_Structs: something is bugged somewhere, but I don't think it will be too hard to fix. I've also fixed a ton of bugs in the client, to the point that I'm very happy with the stability.

That said, I decided to take a little detour to work on OpenZone a little bit. Why?




BUMPMAPPING!!!!

I still need to work on it some more and will have to update the zones, upgrade SimpleClient to support it, etc., but the hardest stuff is done.

I'd also like to add support for multitexturing, but I've wanted to get bumpmapping in for a LONG time.

[Akkadius]

Originally Posted by Windcatcher

I have items mostly loading, to the point that I can get a merchant list when I right-click on a merchant NPC. I still need to fix something in the way I'm handling Spawn_Structs: something is bugged somewhere, but I don't think it will be too hard to fix. I've also fixed a ton of bugs in the client, to the point that I'm very happy with the stability.

That said, I decided to take a little detour to work on OpenZone a little bit. Why?




BUMPMAPPING!!!!

I still need to work on it some more and will have to update the zones, upgrade SimpleClient to support it, etc., but the hardest stuff is done.

I'd also like to add support for multitexturing, but I've wanted to get bumpmapping in for a LONG time.

This is nuts, and since you are getting back to OpenZone. I was importing some Quake 3 maps quite some time ago and trial and error told me that maps that are too big simply won't load or export. I had to use very small maps to do anything with them, is there a reason for this? Or perhaps an explanation? I have a system made for CTF and having these maps would be sweet.

Otherwise phenominal work Windcatcher, I'm sure someone wants your babies...

[Windcatcher]

I'm slowly making progress. I think I've got bumpmapping perfected in the engine, and I've been slowly upgrading some of the mesh library objects and zones to use it. I might take a look at the shader this afternoon to see if I can speed it up, but otherwise it's working. My dynamic lighting shader broke use of tinting like infravision and such, but I don't think that will be hard to fix.

On the SimpleClient front, I've fixed the weirdness I was seeing with player and mob positioning. It was the old reversed-X-Y issue rearing its head, and all it took was correcting my Titanium packet definitions file. I also have it using my upgraded engine, though now I have to upgrade the client so it actually uses all the extra bumpmapping stuff. That isn't trivial, but it's otherwise pretty straightforward.

[Windcatcher]

Hmm, getting bumpmapping working in the client was easier than I thought...



Next step is to fix infravision...

[Windcatcher]

Originally Posted by Akkadius

This is nuts, and since you are getting back to OpenZone. I was importing some Quake 3 maps quite some time ago and trial and error told me that maps that are too big simply won't load or export. I had to use very small maps to do anything with them, is there a reason for this? Or perhaps an explanation? I have a system made for CTF and having these maps would be sweet.

Otherwise phenominal work Windcatcher, I'm sure someone wants your babies...

I haven't looked at the Quake import code in ages, and I didn't write it to begin with but only ported it. I'd need a sample Q3 map that isn't working for you to see what's going on.

[Lothrian]

any chance we can get the 1021 version of sc that works with 0.5.x eqemu? all the download links are broken

[Tharkun]

This is spectacular work and I have a question and the answer is probably something that is far off (development wise).

Mostly I'm wondering if there are plans to have things customizable that currently are limited by the SOE client. For example, you can change the AA's around but since the client wont let you earn AAExp until lvl 51, there is a limit to the customization of AA's. As well as other features that are coded to the client.
Also I'd be curious to the how...

I understand that right now your probably more concerned with getting the client as functional as Titanium.

[Windcatcher]

Originally Posted by Lothrian

any chance we can get the 1021 version of sc that works with 0.5.x eqemu? all the download links are broken

Patience

Infravision is fixed, so now just about all that's left is to re-export my updated zones, tweak some mob positions, and do some final testing. I'm probably going to pay for this, but I'd love to get this and OpenZone 8.7 out the door over the long weekend. In making the arena zone I had to add a bunch of new features to OpenZone, so some of the time I've been spending lately has been making new icons for the new features (and replacing some of the uglier ones).

[Windcatcher]

Originally Posted by Tharkun

This is spectacular work and I have a question and the answer is probably something that is far off (development wise).

Mostly I'm wondering if there are plans to have things customizable that currently are limited by the SOE client. For example, you can change the AA's around but since the client wont let you earn AAExp until lvl 51, there is a limit to the customization of AA's. As well as other features that are coded to the client.
Also I'd be curious to the how...

I understand that right now your probably more concerned with getting the client as functional as Titanium.

I'll be posting the source, so customization will definitely be possible.

[Secrets]

Originally Posted by Windcatcher

I'll be posting the source, so customization will definitely be possible.

That's awesome news. Do you need an SVN repository for OpenZone & SimpleClient? You should look into releasing it under MIT or GPL on Google Code (code.google.com/p/) as they offer a whopping 2GB of data space I believe it was.

MIT is more open than GPL is, even though EQEmu uses GPL. The only thing about GPL that I dislike is the share-alike referendum, which a friend pointed out to me.

http://code.google.com/projecthosting/ has all the info you'd need. I prefer it over all other things for open source development, and EQEmu switched over from Sourceforge. Only caveat is you have to have a google account, which is free and takes ~3mins to register. The project creation literally takes 5 minutes to set up and have the first revision loaded. It also has guides on SVN if you don't have an SVN client. TortoiseSVN should run on 2000, which I think you were using to develop. Let me know if you need any help setting things up in PM; i'm really looking forward to this release

[Windcatcher]

Hosting has been a worry. I've been scrupulous in protecting my anonymity, and I'd like it to remain that way. I'm open to suggestions. I'd be willing to FTP it somewhere if someone wants to post it somewhere.

I've never been a real fan of overusing the GPL. I think it makes sense in certain situations (such as in developing something that will become an implementation standard), but for an application I tend to be an old-school "public domain" person, that is, I generally don't stick any license at all on something I write without a compelling reason. For the client, I think it's important that it not be GPL'ed since that would make it impossible to fight cheaters. I'm leaning toward LGPL'ing certain files, mostly those that deal with the XWF file format, to stave off "embrace and extend" tactics. Otherwise, I don't much care what people do with my code -- I already have a paying day job