This may be my dream site

[Eradani]

I registered about a week ago but have remained stealthed because I wanted to get as much data collection as I could done before my official sub runs out. However, seeing John's post Future of EQ2 Emulator, I decided I'd best make my presence count towards keeping the project going.

I've been playing computer games since before there were computers. My favorites have been DnD types (rogue, hack, larn, Dungeon Seige, Dungeon Keeper), RTS (empire, age of empires 1-3), and world building Sims (SimCity, Zoo Tycoon). Due to various very odd reasons - all single player games. My first MMO was EQ2 around the release of EoF.

I played the trial on the Isle of Refuge and fell in love. After 7 days, I was jokingly calling it the Accursed Isle of Refuge and just as the trial was about to be up, my EoF key arrived. Having become thoroughly bored with AI mobs in single player games, I choose to roll on a PvP server. OMG it was rough at first, but I didn't give up and I learned how to survive and, at times, excel.

I quit after the nerfing, er I mean fixing, of PvP led to a drastic lack of population. Every time I grew homesick for the game, I checked out the forums and watched, yet another, nerf, er I mean fix, and finally watched the merge of my beloved Venekor into Nagafen.

I resubbed late this winter, having no knowledge of the SF xpac that was just to be released, and was delighted to find a bunch of the people I used to PvP with had also just resubbed - coincidentally also with no knowledge of the impending xpac. They're all gone again due to the lameness that PvP has become and the coming GU56 is the final straw in lameness for me also.

One really good thing came of me resubbing: I met someone who told me about this project just as I was cancelling my sub. I hope I can spend my last days collecting as much data as possible. This project deserves all the help anyone can give it to preserve the EQ2 we all love and leave the EQ3 it's becoming to those who don't appreciate a challenge.

Era

[DMJack]

I haven't played EQ2 for years.... There is a EQ3 coming?

[Eradani]

it's just that they're changing the heart of eq2 so much that it may as well be eq3. that's all i meant by that

[Scatman]

Eq3 is coming. Autinel, (the tech director of eq2 previously and an absolute genius) is running the show. Development just started so don't expect it for 4-5+ years

Btw, Ahemn Eradani. Thanks for any help!

[ZexisStryfe]

Development started on "EverQuest Next" over a year ago ;op

[Scatman]

A year is nothing!

[ilythor]

I'm with Scatman, HUGE games like Mass Effect take 3 years to make. I hate to see how long EQ3 will be in production... But it won't cap Duke Nukem: Forever.

[ZexisStryfe]

Yeah, you are probably looking at a 5+ year dev cycle for it.

[Eradani]

I'm gonna use this post for my : what i'm up to atm

My strengths:
- C is my 2nd language, I sometimes even said stuff like "while true semi-colon"
- remember everything. ok, sometimes it takes a minute to remember that i remember, but well, you know those women who can remember verbatim that arguement you had 3 yrs ago? i can do that and it comes in handy when writing code
- i thrive on organizing stuff
- a.d.d hyperfocusing (lol)

My weaknesses:
- reading OPC (other people's code) has a tendancy to send me into a panic. I think this has to do with I wasn't hyperfocusing in their brain when they wrote it and I can't remember what they wrote
- I've never really worked on a group project. Once I worked with 2 other guys on some clipper stuff, but possibly due to my strengths being weaknesses, I've just gravitated to solo projects

What I want to do:
- for years, I've been dreaming about this MMO world and I know it would rock, but I also know that never in a million yrs could I make this myself and so I've just not done much (read: anything)
- I really love the eq2 that I bought and have just hated watching them turn it into some wow-like thing

What I know I have to do:
- I just have to learn how to read your code
- I just have to learn how to use sql and these other tools that I've totally avoiding learning anything about
- somehow, I've got to break out of C mode and move into C++ mode. Javascript has helped me learn about objects and what to do with them, but I still am writing:
main(argc, argv)
int arc;
char *argv[];

This is long, but I'm taking a procrastination break from the little project I'm working on to understand our database.

My current goal:
- learning the database structure

To accomplish that, (ya maybe wasting time but I have to and it's not like u'r paying me =P ) I'm writing a C program that reads the files:
EQ2Emulator-ServerPack.1.2\database\eq2db-init.sql
EQ2Emulator-ServerPack.1.2\database\eq2ls-init.sql
and makes some html and dynamic javascript to display the data in tables.

I did something similar once with Zoo Tycoon 1. I went through all the files and figured out what everything was for and made a really cool ZooPedia. It never worked as good on-line as it did local - I ended up having to take most of the dynamic javascript - and it's probably 5 yrs old. BUT the point is I learned a lot about ZT1 and made a bunch of custom animals from what I learned from the files. At this time, I was living out in the bush and had no internet so what I learned, I learned without help.

Ok, I'm just babbling now, more procrastinating about fighting with my brain to remember how to do stuff. But I will learn this stuff if it kills you, er I mean me.

[John Adams]

My weaknesses:
- reading OPC (other people's code) has a tendancy to send me into a panic.

I've been trying to explain to my team why, after 3 years, I still "don't get it"... you just summed it up. Seeing what LE/Scat have done is overwhelming, and something I am incapable of comprehending. If I could, I would be unstoppable, because I have zero life and would sit here coding EQ2Emulator til my tits fell off.

But alas, no one is around enough to teach me, and when they are we're too busy doing something that does not afford me the time to stop and ask 10mil questions. So... I do data, and run the site, and boss everyone else around

Oh, and bitch non-stop. Let's not forget that one...

[Rhas]

Feel free to ask any questions you have John. I can't promise I can answer all of them (lots of stuff in the code I still don't get), but I'll try.

[ilythor]

Uhm, for a noob-tip I just picked up writing LUA script for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising custom missions...

Comment blocks of code that may seem overwhelming to others. Or just a sentence or two at the start/finish to say what it's doing. I am working with my bro on a few missions and this helped a bit.

I haven't looked at the code, but I can guess it can get really complex and round about. Just a suggestion as it's the first "noob-tip" I read about LUA.

e.g. Basic kill everyone, then run home to mummy objective set.
-- being the comments.

Code: Select all

-- Objstate is the variable as to which allows the secondary objective to be completed.
Objstate = 0;



-- The first function makes the objectives exist, or allow to be completed
function onMissionStart()
OFP:setObjectiveState ("objective", "IN_PROGRESS")
OFP:setObjectiveState ("objectiveI1", "IN_PROGRESS")
end


-- This the parameters for the first objective. EchelonI12 being the PLA platoon
-- Notice it sets the Objstate to 1, allowing it to be completed.
function onDeath_EchelonI12(victim, killer)
OFP:setObjectiveState("objective", "COMPLETE")

Objstate= 1;
end




--If you walk into the trigger zone, and you've done Obj 1 Miss. Comp.
function onEnter_triggerzone(zoneName,unitName)
if Objstate == 1 then
OFP:setObjectiveState("objectiveI1", "COMPLETE")
OFP:missionCompleted()
end
end

[John Adams]

LUA I get, C++ I do not.

[Eradani]

cookie if you can tell what this does without clicking the link;

Code: Select all

char a[80];
int e[4],g[5],c=100,h,i,j,k,b,f,s,t,p[4][1000];
int main(char*d)
{
return main((char*)(srand(time(&h)),setjmp(p[2]),(k=atoi((gets(a),a+strspn(a," -"))))&&(b=k),b||++b,j+=-j,d=(char*)(&j),setjmp(p[1]),1<<1>j&&(k&=4>>3,i=1<<k,h<<=i+j,setjmp(p[0]),(h+=*d++-h)&&(-'1'^(h-='1'))&&(i<<=4,setjmp(p[3]),(i||!++i)&&(h--||(k|=i),i/=2,longjmp(p[3])),longjmp(p[0])),k^=-1,k+=1<<037,setjmp(p[3]),k&&((--i<5&&1&k)&&(s=(rand()>>9)%0x4,setjmp(p[0]),t+=(rand()>>3)%015-t,e[s]&(1<<t)&&longjmp(p[0]),e[s]|=1<<t,g[i]=t|++s<<"\004"["\004"[1]]|t),k>>=1,i+=1<<1,longjmp(p[3])),setjmp(p[0]),putchar(0x20+!putchar(012+"(.7-A,G+@*J)/"[(017&(i=g[4-k]))*013%13])),++k^005&&longjmp(p[0]),putchar('\n'),setjmp(p[3]),putchar(0x1F+!!putchar(("BCDHS"[g[--k]>>4]))),k&&longjmp(p[3]),putchar('\n'),j+=1<<0,1^j||(d=(char*)gets(a)),longjmp(p[1])),s=1==(f=0),i=0<<1,setjmp(p[3]),i<4&&(j=i+1,setjmp(p[1]),j<5&&((017&g[j])>(g[i]&15)&&(k=g[i],g[i]=g[j],g[j]=k),j++,longjmp(p[1])),i++,longjmp(p[3])),setjmp(p[0]),i--&&!((g[1+i]^g[i])>>4)&&longjmp(p[0]),setjmp(p[1]),--j&&(!(k=(g[j]&15)-(g[j-1]&017)+1)||(!(j-1)&&(8==-k)))&&longjmp(p[1]),s+=3*!j|!(++i^17),(j*=i*=4)&&(i=1),setjmp(p[3]),5-j<2&&(j=0,setjmp(p[1]),5-i>j&&((g[j]^g[j+1])&0xf?g[j]^=g[j]:(s+=((g[j]&0xf)>8&&f++,!!g[j]*i)),j++,longjmp(p[1])),i++,longjmp(p[3])),s=1^s?"AACEDJQZHello World"[s]-'A':!!f,s+=(!i)*(6+12*s-!!s*(g[2]&017^0xa?8:-192)),s--,s*=b,printf("$%d (%d) \n",c+=s,s+b),i=0,setjmp(p[0]),6>i&&(j=1,setjmp(p[1]),0<=j&&(e[i+j]^=*(i-j+e+(j<<1)),--j,longjmp(p[1])),i+=++i,longjmp(p[0])),longjmp(p[2])));
}

spoiler

[John Adams]

Oh good lord, woman.

Off to find the Tylenol.