Client Checklist

[Today]

• Vassi Update: 09/07/2010 by Atreu [Today at 12:55:13 AM]
• story my brother wrote by Dyno [Today at 12:26:23 AM]
• Notice to the Players: by Dyno [Today at 12:24:15 AM]
• Can someone come help cle... by Grip [September 08, 2010, 09:20:29 PM]
• Client Overview Vids by Ruene [September 08, 2010, 03:41:14 PM]
• Client Overview: Part 2 -... by Vassi [September 07, 2010, 11:41:46 PM]
• Client Overview: Part 1 -... by Vassi [September 07, 2010, 11:02:00 PM]
• Update: 09/07/2010 by Vassi [September 07, 2010, 08:57:36 PM]
• New video by Vassi [September 07, 2010, 08:54:56 PM]
• Statistics and their nega... by Vassi [September 07, 2010, 08:45:56 PM]
• Update: Sept by Impale [September 05, 2010, 12:32:02 PM]
• Client Question: What is ... by Aesir [September 04, 2010, 01:47:56 PM]
• Xolon Print Pre-Ordering by Rashka [September 02, 2010, 02:23:00 PM]
• DFC catalog? by Wym [September 01, 2010, 11:36:49 PM]
• Relying on shields... by Wym [September 01, 2010, 11:29:47 PM]

[Welcome to a new host. An effort will be made to configure the boards into a "portal" site, to make it easier to communicate news and other information about future development. For now, however, the boards will continue to be the main source of information.]

Welcome to a new host. An effort will be made to configure the boards into a "portal" site, to make it easier to communicate news and other information about future development. For now, however, the boards will continue to be the main source of information.

[Vassi]

These things are the primary features of the client, completion of this list makes the client "feature complete" and ready for release. Please note that I'm working backwards here, because it's easier given the complexity of the client. I may need to revisit the client in spurts to make adjustments between how and what data the server sends the client if I run into any trouble with the implementation.

Blue = complete.

• Password Encryption to match web portal methods - for integration with community site
• Main menu screen with character hover information
• World Window Skinning \ Custom color capable rich display controls
• Character Creation screens \ workflow
• QuickLook layout - this one will be trial and error until we find something that looks good.
• Health controls + animation
• Day\Moon control + animation
• Room light level control + animation
• Status\Info text control
• Map Widget
• Inventory Widget
• Bank Window
• Store Window
• Smith Window
• Class \ Research & Training Window
• Guild \ Research & Training Window
• Smithing Window
• Miscellaneous 'clay' Window for quests or events
• Text logging hooks for manual logging.
• Configuration hooks for changing, locally, the colors and fonts of certain kinds of messages.
• Macro configuration.
• Sound engine for non-mp3 music

My biggest concern is the QuickLook formatting. Specifically, integrating it into the window in a non-intrusive and easy to read way. I'll probably have to include two or three implementations of it so people can chose the one most comfortable for them. I'll have more info, or maybe a survey, when I have a better idea of how that will work tech-side.

Second concern is the text control itself. In testing, I saw some slowness when using 'standard' ANSI codes (I.E. what most 'regular' MUDS use to produce colored text. I'm switching to a custom format for assigning color to text, which should be much faster, but because there are no MUDs in production that use it I won't be able to see if it works as well as intended until I can bounce real server data into it. This is kind of a limitation of how 'rich' the base control I'm using is, but that richness also gives us benefits worth fighting for.

Last concern is the mapping widget, as I try to figure out the best and quickest way to feed the client map data. Maps will be on-the-fly in that they are built based on actual structure data rather than pre-made graphics. Figuring out how to give the client the information it needs to properly draw it will be crucial to my plans to allow things like player-mapping of remote areas. I'm not really worried about this, I've thought about it a lot, but it's on this short top-3 because I haven't actually had time to implement them and see if my ideas will work.

[Vassi]

Forgot to add the sound engine item. That also should not be that big a deal, i'm using a library for it. Just have to figure out how to work out the game's playlist.

After the initial releases of all the components, one of the upgrades i'd like to do is allow for player playlists with triggers. Like, for instance, trigger a specific play list when you step onto enemy soil, that kind of thing.