JamusPsi
02-03-2009, 01:53 AM
Work resumed last month on the PsiNet Sage application after breaking through a particularly nasty block that had held me up for a few months, between real-life issues. Solving that problem was very motivating, however.
To begin I should note for those who do not know that I no longer play Gemstone- but PsiNet is still my baby. Those of you that know me closely won't be surprised, and others of you will probably think I'm insane. As it is, however, I have no real interest in playing Gemstone again- though I am getting increasingly irritated at how difficult it is to develop PsiNet for a game that I don't have an account on.
We'll see if that eventually drowns out my otherwise bitter attitude towards the game.
Work right now has been focused on three major projects, and it is likely that they will see their culmination at about the same time:
1. A new installer has been prepared for the PsiNet Sage program. It behaves like any other Windows installer (and creates shortcuts in your start menu, in preparation for later features that I don't want to discuss yet). It is uninstalled through Add/Remove Programs, and by default will now install to Program Files. This should make it much, much more friendly with Vista as well, as the windows installer system always invokes the correct UAC mode.
2. The server is being rewritten from scratch. The old server was designed... poorly. Comically poorly, you might say. The data storage back end was kind of like an excel spreadsheet split into about 120,000 files. My FAT cries at night, and this method has actually caused drive corruption, providing the impetus to rewrite.
The new server is about 50% complete and uses much more sane practices. In the process I've modified the client so that it can now share some code with the server- this means I will be able to implement much more complex features, by enabling the server and client to share data in a native (or near-native, serialized) format. (Translation: client and server speak the same language, can do more things together.)
I'm having to restrain myself from adding too many new features as I work on this, so I can get all of this functionality out the door without having to delay many more months. I would like for this to be out the door by March 1.
3. SageScript
The core language library for SageScript (titled Stogie) is working now, and while refinements may be made, it is I think in a 'complete' stage. SageScript, the subset of the Stogie language which interfaces with PsiNet (and thus, the game), is in only very beginning stages. This feature will allow Atlas to perform much more complex navigational steps (essentially bridging the gaps where they exist today), besides providing vastly more powerful scripting capability to anyone who can translate my insane way of thinking. (Not looking forward to documenting.)
It should also allow me to create a few more flexible features for the game by way of imbedding small sagescript scripts into the core- for instance, a long-requested ability to automatically open and close containers when AWAYing something.
4. Other features that'll be snuck in
The new server architecture is making it much easier and quicker for me to develop code that relies on both server and client- for instance, the library editor will be making a comeback, something that is long, long overdue. Market is also due for an overhaul- I'm going to adopt a more simple strategy rather than inundating the user with fields to fill out for searching. RMT (real market/money trading) will still be prohibited, however.
PsiNet keys will be going away, in favor of optional character passwords. If you don't assign a password, your character's PsiNet identity is theoretically open to impersonation (though as many steps as I am able are taken to prevent this). If you do assign a password, and forget it, there will be a (very very) lengthy reset process to recover it- and I may allow the player the option to disable this reset process at their own peril.
Future updates may or may not be posted to this site- I don't like to commit. Looks like I learned one more thing from GS than I thought.
Any chance you can sneak the FRIEND option into this update, Jamus?
Yes.
Thank you Jamus, I appreciate the effort. Can you remind us how to make financial donations to you for the project?
Donations to my vice fund can be made via paypal (credit cards accepted) via the Donate button the left-hand side of my website:
http://www.psinfinity.net
To begin I should note for those who do not know that I no longer play Gemstone- but PsiNet is still my baby. Those of you that know me closely won't be surprised, and others of you will probably think I'm insane. As it is, however, I have no real interest in playing Gemstone again- though I am getting increasingly irritated at how difficult it is to develop PsiNet for a game that I don't have an account on.
We'll see if that eventually drowns out my otherwise bitter attitude towards the game.
Work right now has been focused on three major projects, and it is likely that they will see their culmination at about the same time:
1. A new installer has been prepared for the PsiNet Sage program. It behaves like any other Windows installer (and creates shortcuts in your start menu, in preparation for later features that I don't want to discuss yet). It is uninstalled through Add/Remove Programs, and by default will now install to Program Files. This should make it much, much more friendly with Vista as well, as the windows installer system always invokes the correct UAC mode.
2. The server is being rewritten from scratch. The old server was designed... poorly. Comically poorly, you might say. The data storage back end was kind of like an excel spreadsheet split into about 120,000 files. My FAT cries at night, and this method has actually caused drive corruption, providing the impetus to rewrite.
The new server is about 50% complete and uses much more sane practices. In the process I've modified the client so that it can now share some code with the server- this means I will be able to implement much more complex features, by enabling the server and client to share data in a native (or near-native, serialized) format. (Translation: client and server speak the same language, can do more things together.)
I'm having to restrain myself from adding too many new features as I work on this, so I can get all of this functionality out the door without having to delay many more months. I would like for this to be out the door by March 1.
3. SageScript
The core language library for SageScript (titled Stogie) is working now, and while refinements may be made, it is I think in a 'complete' stage. SageScript, the subset of the Stogie language which interfaces with PsiNet (and thus, the game), is in only very beginning stages. This feature will allow Atlas to perform much more complex navigational steps (essentially bridging the gaps where they exist today), besides providing vastly more powerful scripting capability to anyone who can translate my insane way of thinking. (Not looking forward to documenting.)
It should also allow me to create a few more flexible features for the game by way of imbedding small sagescript scripts into the core- for instance, a long-requested ability to automatically open and close containers when AWAYing something.
4. Other features that'll be snuck in
The new server architecture is making it much easier and quicker for me to develop code that relies on both server and client- for instance, the library editor will be making a comeback, something that is long, long overdue. Market is also due for an overhaul- I'm going to adopt a more simple strategy rather than inundating the user with fields to fill out for searching. RMT (real market/money trading) will still be prohibited, however.
PsiNet keys will be going away, in favor of optional character passwords. If you don't assign a password, your character's PsiNet identity is theoretically open to impersonation (though as many steps as I am able are taken to prevent this). If you do assign a password, and forget it, there will be a (very very) lengthy reset process to recover it- and I may allow the player the option to disable this reset process at their own peril.
Future updates may or may not be posted to this site- I don't like to commit. Looks like I learned one more thing from GS than I thought.
Any chance you can sneak the FRIEND option into this update, Jamus?
Yes.
Thank you Jamus, I appreciate the effort. Can you remind us how to make financial donations to you for the project?
Donations to my vice fund can be made via paypal (credit cards accepted) via the Donate button the left-hand side of my website:
http://www.psinfinity.net