Bi-Weekly Update for 11/15/09

[bladez]

You guys are doing a really great job here and i really cant wait to play the finished product ;D

Good luck! and well done

[Dark'Soul]

Keep up the good work

[Ovale]

Great update! Thanks.

[amphitryon]

The Emu team is seeking to avoid legal entanglements with SOE when it comes to client modifications because unlike the server, the client executable *IS* SOE code, as such is SOE intellectual property and the client's EULA is still applicable.The client simply does not belong to the SWGEmu team and the team holds no license to use the Star Wars IP. legally that is why the focus is on using what is already there, and NOT on adding brand-new things.

HOWEVER, the team is free to use whatever materials are already there, but in new ways. The good news is there is a LOT of stuff already in there to work with, and near infinite numbers of new content combination possible.

As such the team's conservative approach in regards of what is supported on the client is appropriate. Besides, there are 6 years worth of artwork, models, meshes, layouts. objects,sounds, etc. already on the client, so making use of what we already have in new ways makes a LOT more sense.

The $64,000 question imho is going to be figuring out a way to access all those post-CU assets,make them usable for development w/o having to take over responsibility for distribution of the files, and avoiding doing too much client side 'modding'

Here is the situation, as you know updates to the game come via the patcher in the form of TRE files that contain all the assets added/modified for that Publish. However, all the post-CU assets/objects are already on the client, contained within the SOE published TRE files. So, a way has to be divined that allows access to the objects contained within those TRE files to build a new TRE file (like a new Publish 15.0).

I am guessing the only way to do this is to create some kind of client-side app/script that gets pushed to the client via LPE to basically 'parse' the SOE published TRE files for the needed objects/assets, then build a new TRE file on the client that contains them. That way, the Emu team is not put int he precarious legal position of distributing SOE copyrighted material.

What I am suggesting is basically a 'shell' of the TRE Explorer app that can be scripted, basically feed it a manifest of what objects are needed from the SOE Publish 15.0 TREs and beyond. The user could provide a path to their NGE installation as the 'source' location and their SWGEmu dir as the destination where the new TRE file will be constructed.

Then original, team generated objects, like schematics and quests could then be patched into that new TRE file.

Obviously TRE Explorer works, so its quite possible to read the TREs, and extract objects from them, and its possible to write to them as well, so creation of new TREs should be within reach.

[Valkyra]

Originally Posted by amphitryon

The Emu team is seeking to avoid legal entanglements with SOE when it comes to client modifications because unlike the server, the client executable *IS* SOE code, as such is SOE intellectual property and the client's EULA is still applicable.The client simply does not belong to the SWGEmu team and the team holds no license to use the Star Wars IP. legally that is why the focus is on using what is already there, and NOT on adding brand-new things.

HOWEVER, the team is free to use whatever materials are already there, but in new ways. The good news is there is a LOT of stuff already in there to work with, and near infinite numbers of new content combination possible.

As such the team's conservative approach in regards of what is supported on the client is appropriate. Besides, there are 6 years worth of artwork, models, meshes, layouts. objects,sounds, etc. already on the client, so making use of what we already have in new ways makes a LOT more sense.

The $64,000 question imho is going to be figuring out a way to access all those post-CU assets,make them usable for development w/o having to take over responsibility for distribution of the files, and avoiding doing too much client side 'modding'

Here is the situation, as you know updates to the game come via the patcher in the form of TRE files that contain all the assets added/modified for that Publish. However, all the post-CU assets/objects are already on the client, contained within the SOE published TRE files. So, a way has to be divined that allows access to the objects contained within those TRE files to build a new TRE file (like a new Publish 15.0).

I am guessing the only way to do this is to create some kind of client-side app/script that gets pushed to the client via LPE to basically 'parse' the SOE published TRE files for the needed objects/assets, then build a new TRE file on the client that contains them. That way, the Emu team is not put int he precarious legal position of distributing SOE copyrighted material.

What I am suggesting is basically a 'shell' of the TRE Explorer app that can be scripted, basically feed it a manifest of what objects are needed from the SOE Publish 15.0 TREs and beyond. The user could provide a path to their NGE installation as the 'source' location and their SWGEmu dir as the destination where the new TRE file will be constructed.

Then original, team generated objects, like schematics and quests could then be patched into that new TRE file.

Obviously TRE Explorer works, so its quite possible to read the TREs, and extract objects from them, and its possible to write to them as well, so creation of new TREs should be within reach.

We can already create new .tre files... Also by your second paragraph it doesn't seem like you read the Client Development vs. Client Modifications section in its entirety.

Anyway, this is a great update!

[JohnStrope]

Hurrah!

[nazoreen]

@Valkyra : I didn't understand very well, does the team make Client Development or Client Modifications ?

[deltarevan]

Great job guys!

[Tiana]

Originally Posted by nazoreen

@Valkyra : I didn't understand very well, does the team make Client Development or Client Modifications ?

The team develops the client.

They do not modify it from their own definition.

[nazoreen]

Thx Tiana

[Klanagh]

I haven't posted in a long time. This bi-weekly, however, really got my attention.

Look at those numbers for the past two weeks for Nova. Unbelieveable. This is an Alpha server they're talking about! Being run by unpaid developers! That is friggin' awsome. Averaging 6400 log-ins a day.

Coming from a day three Vet, please accept this shout out Devs: You guys are doing a fantastic job. Thanks to all of you. I can't wait for OR to hit for us to test and help hammer out the bugs.

[Kyrm347]

Thank you Devs for clarifying about the client side questions.

[old.Zi]

Beta 3 veteran; "WELL DONE!!"

[Raxxus]

Amazing! Great job. /clap /clap

[Kateb Ibliss]

Nice update guys!