<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Clients --> <!--X-From-R13: [ngg Qunggreyrl <ebbgNzcp.qla.zy.bet> --> <!--X-Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 22:24:36 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: Pine.LNX.3.96.980111221533.701C-100000#mpc,dyn.ml.org --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Clients</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00202.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00196.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00212.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00221.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00203">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00203">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00203">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Clients</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: Mud-Dev list <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A>></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Clients</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Matt Chatterley <<A HREF="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 22:30:53 +0000 (GMT)</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:neddy#itl,net">neddy#itl,net</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a kick-start of an old thread, but I don't really recall. There has certainly been some debate about clients, and it seems quite interesting to bring up. I'm raising this in a specific context: Over the next few months I will be creating a mud client to run as a Java application, with switchable operation modes (gui/non-gui for unix cli), with the intent that players on my mud will use it in preference to others. While I may not exclusively require use of this client (then again, I might!), I will be adding features in it via its own client<->server communication protocol which will allow a greater degree of integration between the mud and the client. Java was my choice of language for three real reasons - firstly I have been intending to launch a serious project in it as a learning exercise, secondly it allows me to cover all the main platforms in one foul sweep (I believe that windows, mac and popular unixes all have JREs now, and others are accumulating) and thirdly I wish to potentially apply a quite modular design (for instance a client 'core' and optional tool-kits). Although initially intended as a custom client, I figured that I could fairly easily add a run-time option to enable or disable the special protocol features (and even mask this from the user) so the client would behave normally when used on a 'non-compliant' mud (and would simply obey the telnet protocol to the degree that the mud required). Incidentally I also quite like the idea of implementing some pueblo-like features (or pueblo-compliance) but have no idea where this would stand on legal grounds. This leaves me with two main topics of conversation - client features and protocol features. I think the most popular client features which people have described to me are an easy to view command line for entering commands (with no limit on length of lines), and a command history as well as a 'scroll back' of sorts (aka tf's /recall). The ability to make log files of events, connect to multiple worlds simultaneously and macros are also popular. I'm interesting in hearing not only which software you folks use, but also *why you use it* - what does the software have that you like? What is missing? Personally I use tf since it is straightforward to use and has a nice, uncluttered display (something I will strive to recreate!). On the protocol side, one thing in my mind is to allow my mud to communicate its menus (currently done using the input_to() features of MudOS/LPC) to the client so that they appear in 'pop-up' windows which are clickable, and easy control of features, such as a 'spell selection window' for using special skills and magic, but again, considering this in a general fashion is harder: I thought about menus and decided that they and the other windows to make decisions or selections could be handled via an extension of the macro module to create 'choice windows' which communicate the choice made and the menu or list from which it was made to the server, allowing it to act appropriately. This should also allow the server to tell the client to open a window and display picture or information (perhaps using an HTML parser, although that is veering into a rather more extensive project than I wish, so perhaps just launching the configured browser or other helper application - with this theory sounds and such can easily be integrated). Also a simple information communication system so that screens such as 'score' and 'stats' which are popular names for similar things on many games can be permanently displayed or toggled (dynamically updated via communication from the server to the client), perhaps on an 'information window' which works as a 'pinboard' allowing iconisation of each window and such. I'll stop here as I'm beginning to get confus(ed/ing), and throw this issue specifically and its implications generally open to your thoughts. Regards, -Matt Chatterley ICQ: 5580107 "We can recode it; we have the technology." </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00228" HREF="msg00228.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Shawn Halpenny <malachai#iname,com></li></ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00221" HREF="msg00221.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> JC Lawrence <claw#under,Eng.Sun.COM></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00202.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Totally OT... (Or is it?) (yes it is ;)</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00196.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] MUD Economy</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00212.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Event handling</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00221.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00203"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00203"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] Gods, worshipers and the balance</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00414" HREF="msg00414.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Gods, worshipers and the balance</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Thu 12 Feb 1998, 01:47 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00417" HREF="msg00417.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Gods, worshipers and the balance</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Thu 12 Feb 1998, 02:17 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00235" HREF="msg00235.html">Formatting apology</A></strong>, Stephen Zepp <a href="mailto:zoran#enid,com">zoran#enid,com</a>, Wed 14 Jan 1998, 02:02 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00212" HREF="msg00212.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Event handling</A></strong>, Maddy <a href="mailto:maddy#fysh,org">maddy#fysh,org</a>, Mon 12 Jan 1998, 17:07 GMT <LI><strong><A NAME="00203" HREF="msg00203.html">Clients</A></strong>, Matt Chatterley <a href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</a>, Sun 11 Jan 1998, 22:24 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00221" HREF="msg00221.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></strong>, JC Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,Eng.Sun.COM">claw#under,Eng.Sun.COM</a>, Mon 12 Jan 1998, 22:20 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00225" HREF="msg00225.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></strong>, Stephen Zepp <a href="mailto:zoran#enid,com">zoran#enid,com</a>, Tue 13 Jan 1998, 05:17 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00233" HREF="msg00233.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></strong>, Matt Chatterley <a href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</a>, Wed 14 Jan 1998, 00:00 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00227" HREF="msg00227.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Clients</A></strong>, Vadim Tkachenko <a href="mailto:vadimt#4cs,com">vadimt#4cs,com</a>, Tue 13 Jan 1998, 15:26 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>