Bi-Weekly Update 9/14/08

[Ramsey]

1) Update Overview: (TOC)
-Packaged Community Portal Updates
-Guilds
-SVN Branch Structure Change
-Medic/Doctor Updates
-Mission / ActionNPC Updates
-Client Emulation
-Crafting: Schematic Tool
-Various fixes

2) Body:

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PCP Updates
The Packaged Community Portal has made some significant progress, but we are still looking for more help. We are actively seeking Graphic Artists, Web Developers, and Security Analysts. Project details can be found on the PCP Wiki Page.

These past two weeks, we have achieved some of the following updates:

• Preliminary Authentication System ties in with SWGEmu server.
• MyCharacters retrieves characters from your account and displays information about them from the most recent save.
• News/Updates system is mostly completed, but undergoing a few internal tests and optimizations. - Thanks Tyrant.
• Automatic parsing of common abbreviations to be formatted with XHTML/CSS markup. - Thanks Bryant.
• Multiple themes are in the works, most notably are JtlBlue by Valkyra, Default Rebel by Towlin, and YT1300 by Washproof! These can be viewed on the live demo.

Be sure to stop by the demo page http://pcp.swgemu.com to watch as this project explodes into a full fledged CMS. Please stop by #swgemuwebdev if you would like to help or just follow the progress.



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Guilds:

Another social/community function goes live: GUILDS!

I (Farmer John) was working the last weeks on implementing guilds they way we know them from the live days.

A very first version (V.1.0.0) was added to the server code today.

We have terminals around Anchorhead and Theed, so feel free to stress-test it all out.

It is a huge chunk of code and changes and i am sure it might have "some" bugs and stability issues which might only arise under heavy load on TC.

Have fun, guilds !


Currently working:
# Guildcreation
# sponsoring
# accepting
# kicking
# full permission system
# guild renaming
# guild disbanding
# guildremove (target player)
# buttload of checks
# guildinformation
# election radial (disabled for now, no PA halls are in yet)
# guildrenaming under 24 h policity
# transfer leadership
# guild wide mails on actions
# guild leader mails
# Name check

Guild creation and guild renaming is checked against the restricted name list and profanity.

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SVN Branch Structure Change:

We have changed the branch structure in our SVN. If you regularly checkout the source code from the public SVN, be sure to switch the repository URL to "core3/trunk/MMOCoreORB".

Purpose:
We have shifted our SVN structure to better accommodate large code changes with the least amount of disruption to the main trunk. Examples of branches we've made to the trunk are for Jedi development & restructured combat code. Both trunks are making major backend changes that could possibly disrupt the latest stable trunk on SVN. Essentially, this means we can develop / improve more features simultaneously with less bugs popping up!

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Medic/Doctor Updates
Recently, Medic and Doctor professions received the /tenddamage, /tendwound, and /firstaid skills as well as knocking out almost all bugs associated with the profession. This pushes it closer to being fully implemented; however, Medic and Doctor are currently undergoing some restructuring to make the code more efficient and to make it ready for Combat Medic which Valkyra has started some early work on.

Some of Valkyra's work can be seen here:


Anyone who can lend a hand to the internal testing of the new Medic/Doctor structure should hang out in #swgemuheal.

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Mission / ActionNPC Updates:

Earlier this morning, the mission manager & objects, Action NPC, and the special mission terminal hit SVN. Certain parts of the code have been omitted because they are either unstable or incomplete. There are two test missions and an ActionNPC hard coded that work, but have been commented until the Item actions and scripting have been completed.

When Item actions do get implemented, you will start to see deliver missions popping up on the Test Center. I will make a post in the general forum when this happens, and you can check the special mission terminal in Theed (around (-4843, 4156)).

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Client Emulation:

Before Engine3/Core3 gets to the point where it will rule the world, Oru has added client emulation functionality to the core. This means we will be able soon be able to spawn "bots" that can stress various features and fixed bugs that cannot be completely apparent through TC feedback.

A more stable server & precu environment, in layman's terms.

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Crafting: Schematic Tool:

While it might appear that everything has been quiet on the crafting front, it simply is not the case. Most people here have no comprehension of the enormity of crafting. Over the last month or two, I have compiled all of the info we have collected thus far on to schematics into 1 database which is now accessible by a tool. The tool gives us the ability to quickly edit schematics, enter in missing information and make the data accessible to each person in the Crafting Data team in real time. Essentially, we can manage, edit, create, and generate schematic LUA's 100x faster than before. Also, the data entry format is independent to the script format, so we can easily make script format changes and just regenerate all of the scripts at will. This tool reached it's first functioning state last night, and we have been working all day with it to get people trained on how to use it. I have also been working on updates for the crafting system, which should see SVN in the next few days.




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Various fixes:

Along with the spectacular stability fixes provided usually by Oru/TA, here are SOME gameplay tweaks/fixes have been made:

-You can cure conditions on other players now.
-Added Intimidate statepacks
-Wounds can no longer be healed while meditating.
-/healstate heals first state that it comes to that you have medicine for (that you can use) in this order: dizzy, intimidated, blinded, stunned.
-Bothan base stats have been fixed.
-Enhance, Wound, Cure, Heal, Healstate timers adjusted to their real formulas.
-/firstaid, /tenddamage and /tendwound now work.
-Can no longer use medical packs or medical skills while meditating
-Added Vehicle Deeds to Blue Frog, datapad deeds removed.
-Non Humans should now be able to stat migrate properly
-MonCal female artisans no longer spawn naked (uhh..)
-Added More Lairs, Currently Just Corellia Till i can fix/update the rest
-Preliminary House work started.

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[Ramsey]

3) Developers Perspective: (Round Table)

Originally Posted by cRush

I have been busy trying to balance my college courses, development of two websites, and get ready to start the job hunting process. In the spare time I have found, I have began to organize Medic/Doctor code and break it into a more efficient structure. Furthermore, much progress has been completed on PCP as it evolves towards its end goal. Once my personal website is launched, I should find more time and less pressure on me.

Originally Posted by kyle

As many of the devs here, I am starting this semester. I will have much less free time this semester (Senior Year) and I am required to fulfill 1 or 2 internships in addition to my full class load and full time job. My plan for the next few months for SWGEmu are to finish the crafting framework, and get schematic entry started for all professions. When this is started, I am going to start the Artificial Intelligence framework for Creatures and NPC's. They are going to kick your butt hardcore. Be ready.

Ramsey:

Something I would like to do is develop a definition of what our "v1.0" release should contain. The v1.0 release will lift the connection limit on the public builds of engine3, and allow others to run their own SWG precu servers however they like. We have stated before that a v1.0 release should be able to support the ground portion of the game, so we'll start with that.

Tonight I will create a topic in the staff section of the forums and get to work over the next two weeks in coming up with what we need before v1.0, then share that with you guys in the next BiWeekly. With the definition of what a v1.0 release is, a ballpark ETA for release is more feasible.

Bobius:

I've just committed the work I've been doing with item permissions. You can now set very specific restrictions on who can use individual items (by faction / sex / species / overtness). I know some of you have been working on creating loottables. To make your lives easier I've also created a LootTable Permission Tool. Put it on a php server, point it to your DB, and go. It should help you set item permission very quickly.

Now that I'm done this, I'm going to start my work on setting regions (no build areas, active regions, etc.) Which this is finished, we'll be able to do a lot of interesting things, such as player structures, and event triggers.

More to come!

4) Closing:

Our push torwards v1.0 is coming closer every update. The Packaged Community Portal will inevitably become a server owners best friend and will eventually cover up the whole on the Administrative Tools side.

Combat code overhauls are taking place, which should make combat much less buggier and easier to work with (in and out of script). Data collection for Crafting, while almost invisible to the community, has been going strong. Kyle's tool, detailed in the Body section of this BiWeekly, has been a valuable asset to the team and will bring back an accurate implementation of the crafting system we have come to love.

We will also be looking into how we can use Missions as "test assignments" to make testing of specific features more straight forward.

Almost there guys!
-Team SWGEmu

[Ramsey]

We will also be distributing "testing awards" in the form of a nice ingame item on the TC soon to those that have stepped up and been excellent testers. More info to come.

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Staff: Feel free to add posts to the round table!

[259fol]

First.

Nice job ramsey with the update.

[Ashur]

second

nice

[Nolcro]

Great job guys!

[Nolcro]

Grr double post

[Ekaika]

UberUpdate. Good luck with the semester guys, don't get your priorities mixed up

[edycal]

3rd :P

nice one guys, awesome work!

[Nolcro]

Originally Posted by edycal

3rd :P

nice one guys, awesome work!

Late :P

[taffy]

looks good.

thanks a lot.

[yakcam33]

I was wondering if a wiki section is in the works for setting up the PCP features. Maybe I missed it somewhere...are the PCP features/ forum linking to Core ready to be implemented on private *test* servers?

oh btw... awesome update thanks

[Diehomey!]

well done, well done.

[Phoenix Icecold]

Great Job people keep up the great work!

[Runny]

good work