GS4 Character Planner v1.0

[Hymore246]

Version 2.0 is now available to download. You can find the exe under the releases section on the github page. The javascript version and the partly redone version using the Mithril framework can be found on different branches on the project page.


Right now only the Statistics Panel works but this is a good first step.

[Wesley]

Which version are you currently working with? Obviously, the executable you just uploaded an hour ago was written in Python 3.0, but I saw you mentioned Java earlier in the thread. I've got to say...and this is coming from a standpoint of someone who loves Python...Python's going to bog you way the hell down once you get anywhere near the amount of data Tsoran's spreadsheet covers. There's already a significant amount of slowdown using just the stat formulas. Java is probably the way to go here if you're not familiar with other high level languages. If nothing else, it has its own trash cleanup (though not perfect), and will save you CPU cycles that way. But I think the further you go with Python, the more disappointed you're going to be. It's good work, and your code is clean for the most part (I would've used shorter variable names, but not done much else different).

[Wesley]

I forgot to mention, of course Python has its own garbage collection as well. It's not very good though. Lot of issues through the years.

[Hymore246]

If I said Java somewhere before then I meant Javascript which was my first attempt at making the planner but it ended up falling flat. Java was my first programming language but it was never designed to make GUIs. I've tried before and had to fight every step of the way just to get things to line up. It was a real pain in the ass and I'd like to avoid it again if possible.

I want to use Python if possible. I knew Python had issues with doing math before I started but I didn't think it was going to have problems doing simple math over and over. Granted, calculating PTP and MTP for each level isn't easy but I thought Python had issues with calculating large values. I guess that problem runs deeper than I thought. Don't modules exist to fix the math issue?

I want this planner to work but I am getting tired of rewriting it over and over again.

[StainlessSteelRat]

A character planner for the MUD, Gemstone 4

NOT A MUD!!

https://www.play.net/credits/#ife

[Hymore246]

Version 2.1 is now available.
CHANGES:
-Added a sqlite database to store profession, race, skills, and maneuvers information.
-Statistics Panel now uses appropriate skill ranks to calculates Health, Mana, and Stamina.
-Added functional Skills Panel.
Skills Panel limitations:
1. Changing professions on the Statistics Panel will erase your build. There is no warning to this so be sure you want to switch profession!
2. Rank values such as 2x, 1.5x, etc work normally but adding a set value such as 10 will attempt to train that many times at the Start Level and ignore whatever Target Level you pick. This will be fixed down the road.
3. Changing statistics and/or race will not erase your build but you will need to recalculate your build again to make sure it is accurate.


Took me awhile but I managed to add the skills panel. As usually, let me know if anyone finds any bugs so I can fix them. This panel is completely different than one I made for the Javascript version for a number of reasons I'll explain below. Here is an explanation on how to use the new Skills Panel:

On the left is the Build side and on the right side is the Schedule side. Clicking Add Skill will pop up a window that lets you pick what skill to add, the order priority, the desired goal (20 ranks, 2x, etc), and the start and target levels to train in the skill. Once a skill is added you can continue to add more skills or edit existing skills. When you are finished you can build your training schedule by clicking the Calculate Build button.
The Schedule side will show the information for all possible skills for a specific level after clicking the Calculate Build button. This includes ranks taken that for a skills, the combined cost of those ranks, total ranks and total bonus. On the bottom of this side is a listing of PTP and MTP information which will indicate how many training points you have left to work with, the total cost for that level, and how many training points leftover. I hope It's not too hard to grasp. Just remember to recalculate your build if you change something skills or stats wise.

WARNING TECHNICAL STUFF
I spent about 4 weeks trying to find a way to improve the performance of the planner. I studied up on Boost.python for about 4 weeks hoping that I could use external compiled C code to perform the numerous calculations the planner makes. But I could not get it to work at all. Maybe I was installing things wrong, maybe it was my 6 year old computer not being compatible. In the end, I wasted about 6 weeks total trying to get Boost.python to work but I couldn't even get through the tutorial without getting unexplained errors.
On the other hand, python's support of sqlite made adding an external database extremely easy. I had it working within a few days and it will help out a lot in the long run when I start adding all the spell circles.
Then I ran into a big issue with Skills Panel. The main reason this panel is completely different from the Javascript version is the very same reason I dropped Javascript in the first place; too many input boxes! Trying to set up the skills panel like a spreadsheet using tkinter entry widgets made python... angry. All skills and subskills with an entry box from level 0-50 would take the planner 5-7 seconds to load and trying 0-100 would make the planner hang forever. It ended up taking me a long time to figure out how to redo the panel. After a lot of thought I discovered a few problems with Tsoran's planner that I realized I needed to fix in my version.
Tsoran's planner was made for GS3 and was updated to work with GS4 but it still working off GS3's skills system. For example, Tsoran's planner wasn't programmed to allow you to take more than 3 ranks of a skill at a given level. If I had a lvl 14 bard with a lot of MTP, he could go from 0 to 16 ranks of MIU at lvl 15 without any problem AND those ranks would all be treated as single trains. Another thing the old planner didn't do was refund extra TP when you gained levels. If a warrior triple trained in Armor Use from 0 to 49 it would cost him 700 PTP for 150 ranks (2*50 + 4*50 + 8*50) and if he continued all the way to lvl 100 without training in Armor Use again his Armor Use would end up being about 1.5x per level which costs 400 PTP (2*100 + 4*50). Over those next 50 levels, he would be slowly refunded those 300 PTP. I took these things into account when I remade my Skills Panel that I would have otherwise missed if I had just copied the old planner's style.

I'm taking a small break while I consider how to handle the Maneuvers Panel and the saving feature will come right after that.

[Carsyn]

How do you "run it in Firefox"? I have Firefox, but when I click Planner.exe it just says "This app can't run on your PC". Its extracted. I'm missing a step or several somewhere.

[Hymore246]

The older version was web based and would only work in Firefox. The new one is Python based and should work on a Windows PC. Your "This app can't run on your PC" error is a common error for windows 8 and 10. Check your computer's event log and let me know what the error is. Anyone else having trouble running it? It works fine on my Windows 10 box.

I'm going to start updating my original post to avoid confusing new people coming into the topic.

[Carsyn]

Can't find it in the Event Log grrrr...

[Hoodtralfeck]

i cant use it cause i dont have office or any other program that will run it