11
Muziek / Re: Song of today
« Last post by Ilyria on September 14, 2017, 12:37:35 PM »This song makes me really feel how it is to be homesick:
Recent Posts
12
Developer posts / Dev Journal #4: The Chat System
« Last post by Ilyria on September 14, 2017, 09:40:34 AM »Chat system
Chat System of Chronicles of Elyria
In Chronicles of Elyria, my aim is to mitigate many of the pitfalls of modern MMOs and bring back some of the benefits (or side effects) of older games by enacting a few, relatively small changes to the way the chat system works.
Instead, there will be pre-registered, moderated chat channels for newbies. You can think of these channels like your direct access to the gods (or very helpful people). When you type, your messages will only be visible to the GMs or volunteers approved for responding. Someone will then reply to you with an answer. When that happens, both your request, and their answer will be visible to all in the channel.
When not in a party/raid: whisper only works close range, and only to a single person. Say and Shout will be readable by all those around you and will have increasing range.
When in a normal party: "whisper" will be readable by all those in close proximity who are also in your party. Say and shout continue to be heard by all around you in increasing range.
When in an organized raid group: whisper will be heard by your party only, say will be heard by your party and those in command (at all levels), and shout will be heard by the entire raid.
There will be no trade, general, etc... channels. Most people either ignore them or abuse them. Additionally, each of those channels are attempts at solving separate problems to which there are better solutions.
"Whisper", "Say", and "Shout" have well-defined ranges with specific purposes depending on whether you're in a raid or group (and potentially in combat).
"Tell" only works with people on your friends list and with a second, very special group of people I'll disclose more about in a future developer journal. This is one of the more controversial changes. This change is in part to limit people from sending unsolicited "tells" and partly because in Chronicles of Elyria, you really want to be introduced to the person you're talking to. You want to see them with your own eyes in order to identify them effectively.
There will be chat channels with the added capability to register/reserve and moderate channels. These chat channels will work identically to the way IRC channels work. Additionally, you can choose whether you want each of your channels to show up as separate tabs in the same chat window, or as separate, minimizeable chat windows on the bottom of your screen. If you choose separate, the dialog titles will flash whenever you receive a new message so you'll know to restore them to read the message.
Before you get too excited I should point out a few caveats to the chat channel system. First, the chat channel system is really designed for out-of-character or meta-game conversation. As a result, you will always be identified by (and only by) your player alias - not your character name. If you keep your identity as a player separate from your identity as a character, it's possible to have a conversation in the chat channel while also having a separate conversation in-game with the same person - and never know you're talking to them! This is by design and for reasons we'll explore later.
The other caveat is that unlike in most games, organizations/guilds do not automatically get a private chat channel. If you want to get the player aliases of your guild members and invite them to a private channel you may do so, however it's not automatic. This is done for two reasons. First, it breaks the immersion. If you want to have a guild meeting, then rent/purchase a guild hall, gather, and hash stuff out face-to-face. Being able to manage guild business remotely means guilds can spread out so far as to not be able to travel back to their origin city for meetings. This violates some of the realism of the world I'm striving for. Can players just use a VoIP technology to have guild meetings anyways? Sure. But this gets my point across.
The second, and more important reason, is that guilds serve a specific purpose in Chronicles of Elyria - different than in most MMOs. As a result, you want to ensure you're talking to the people you think you are - but the game leaves room for the possibility that you aren't...
Progress and Why the Chat System First
Progress overall is going well on the chat system. It's nearly complete with only chat channels remaining. I anticipate having the system available to a limited number of people in January.
Per a previous thread, the chat system in Chronicles of Elyria uses XMPP to allow conversation outside the game with people logged into the external chat system with any XMPP client. This is done so that people can be notified of important in-game events as they're happening. Per rule #3 above, you'll only be able to talk to people in/out of game that are on your friends' list. You'll also be able to chat with people in chat channels, but again, only as your player alias, not as a specific character.
As to why I began working on the chat system first - two reasons. First, MMOs are social games. If the chat system doesn't feel complete, feels cumbersome, or doesn't stand on its own as a way to facilitate conversation, then it won't enable good multiplayer experiences.
The second, less obvious reason is that getting the chat system in place requires a good deal of other infrastructure. It requires account registration, login/authentication, network/message handling, encryption, etc... By finishing the chat system first, it puts the server in a good place to be expanded for the rest of the MMO game mechanics.
Chat System of Chronicles of Elyria
In Chronicles of Elyria, my aim is to mitigate many of the pitfalls of modern MMOs and bring back some of the benefits (or side effects) of older games by enacting a few, relatively small changes to the way the chat system works.
Instead, there will be pre-registered, moderated chat channels for newbies. You can think of these channels like your direct access to the gods (or very helpful people). When you type, your messages will only be visible to the GMs or volunteers approved for responding. Someone will then reply to you with an answer. When that happens, both your request, and their answer will be visible to all in the channel.
When not in a party/raid: whisper only works close range, and only to a single person. Say and Shout will be readable by all those around you and will have increasing range.
When in a normal party: "whisper" will be readable by all those in close proximity who are also in your party. Say and shout continue to be heard by all around you in increasing range.
When in an organized raid group: whisper will be heard by your party only, say will be heard by your party and those in command (at all levels), and shout will be heard by the entire raid.
There will be no trade, general, etc... channels. Most people either ignore them or abuse them. Additionally, each of those channels are attempts at solving separate problems to which there are better solutions.
"Whisper", "Say", and "Shout" have well-defined ranges with specific purposes depending on whether you're in a raid or group (and potentially in combat).
"Tell" only works with people on your friends list and with a second, very special group of people I'll disclose more about in a future developer journal. This is one of the more controversial changes. This change is in part to limit people from sending unsolicited "tells" and partly because in Chronicles of Elyria, you really want to be introduced to the person you're talking to. You want to see them with your own eyes in order to identify them effectively.
There will be chat channels with the added capability to register/reserve and moderate channels. These chat channels will work identically to the way IRC channels work. Additionally, you can choose whether you want each of your channels to show up as separate tabs in the same chat window, or as separate, minimizeable chat windows on the bottom of your screen. If you choose separate, the dialog titles will flash whenever you receive a new message so you'll know to restore them to read the message.
Before you get too excited I should point out a few caveats to the chat channel system. First, the chat channel system is really designed for out-of-character or meta-game conversation. As a result, you will always be identified by (and only by) your player alias - not your character name. If you keep your identity as a player separate from your identity as a character, it's possible to have a conversation in the chat channel while also having a separate conversation in-game with the same person - and never know you're talking to them! This is by design and for reasons we'll explore later.
The other caveat is that unlike in most games, organizations/guilds do not automatically get a private chat channel. If you want to get the player aliases of your guild members and invite them to a private channel you may do so, however it's not automatic. This is done for two reasons. First, it breaks the immersion. If you want to have a guild meeting, then rent/purchase a guild hall, gather, and hash stuff out face-to-face. Being able to manage guild business remotely means guilds can spread out so far as to not be able to travel back to their origin city for meetings. This violates some of the realism of the world I'm striving for. Can players just use a VoIP technology to have guild meetings anyways? Sure. But this gets my point across.
The second, and more important reason, is that guilds serve a specific purpose in Chronicles of Elyria - different than in most MMOs. As a result, you want to ensure you're talking to the people you think you are - but the game leaves room for the possibility that you aren't...
Progress and Why the Chat System First
Progress overall is going well on the chat system. It's nearly complete with only chat channels remaining. I anticipate having the system available to a limited number of people in January.
Per a previous thread, the chat system in Chronicles of Elyria uses XMPP to allow conversation outside the game with people logged into the external chat system with any XMPP client. This is done so that people can be notified of important in-game events as they're happening. Per rule #3 above, you'll only be able to talk to people in/out of game that are on your friends' list. You'll also be able to chat with people in chat channels, but again, only as your player alias, not as a specific character.
As to why I began working on the chat system first - two reasons. First, MMOs are social games. If the chat system doesn't feel complete, feels cumbersome, or doesn't stand on its own as a way to facilitate conversation, then it won't enable good multiplayer experiences.
The second, less obvious reason is that getting the chat system in place requires a good deal of other infrastructure. It requires account registration, login/authentication, network/message handling, encryption, etc... By finishing the chat system first, it puts the server in a good place to be expanded for the rest of the MMO game mechanics.
13
Chronicles of Elyria / Chronicles of Elyria
« Last post by Ilyria on August 26, 2017, 09:59:53 AM »At its most basic level Chronicles of Elyria is a fully customizable, skill-based Action RPG in which the absence of classes means you can create any character you can imagine.
But there is more to becoming a master blacksmith than waiting on a progress bar. Requiring fast reflexes and good hand-eye coordination, skill based mini-games for non-combat skills means that for every action the character takes, some degree of player skill is required.
The era of auto-attacking is over. If your character effectively swings a sword, it's because you chose the precise moment for them to do so. If your character cuts a Master Emerald, worthy of sitting on the crown of the King, it's because your own nimble fingers made it happen.
But there is more to becoming a master blacksmith than waiting on a progress bar. Requiring fast reflexes and good hand-eye coordination, skill based mini-games for non-combat skills means that for every action the character takes, some degree of player skill is required.
The era of auto-attacking is over. If your character effectively swings a sword, it's because you chose the precise moment for them to do so. If your character cuts a Master Emerald, worthy of sitting on the crown of the King, it's because your own nimble fingers made it happen.
14
Games / Re: Naval Action
« Last post by Ilyria on March 15, 2017, 12:07:28 PM »Ik heb met de winst wat grotere schepen gekocht 
15
Games / Re: Naval Action
« Last post by Ilyria on March 09, 2017, 01:02:47 PM »Hier ben ik beland in een storm op weg om veel winst te maken.
Ik ben een smokkelaar en piraat. Grotere vrijheid bestaat er niet.
Ik ben een smokkelaar en piraat. Grotere vrijheid bestaat er niet.
16
Games / Naval Action
« Last post by Ilyria on March 07, 2017, 01:32:53 PM »Het is een leuk relaxed spel zelfs op de PvP server. Je kan vissen, craften, piraatje spelen, handelen, exploren, en nog meer zaken.
Ik ben aan het handelen. Op het moment niet veel, want ik heb geen geld, maar de vis die ik vang is vrij verhandelbaar in vriendelijke havens.
Mijn bootje gaat erg snel en de piraten in hun grote zware schepen kunnen me niet inhalen. Dat is maar goed ook want als ik een gevecht verlies ben ik de lading en het schip kwijt. Het goedkoopste scheepje is gratis, dus het spel is niet gelijk afgelopen. Ik koop gewoon weer een nieuwe voor 0 goudstukken. Ik vaar de langste afstanden over de oceaan, en die duren 3 uren. Geen enkele piraat komt daar, want er is haast niemand daar. Dus kan ik veilig alt-tabben en even internet surfen. Ik krijg extra betaald en exp. punten voor de afstand. Dat is mooi meegenomen
Voor een eenmalig bedrag van 40 eurootjes op Steam. Het spel is nog in Alpha stadium, dus er zal nog wel veel veranderen.
Ik ben aan het handelen. Op het moment niet veel, want ik heb geen geld, maar de vis die ik vang is vrij verhandelbaar in vriendelijke havens.
Mijn bootje gaat erg snel en de piraten in hun grote zware schepen kunnen me niet inhalen. Dat is maar goed ook want als ik een gevecht verlies ben ik de lading en het schip kwijt. Het goedkoopste scheepje is gratis, dus het spel is niet gelijk afgelopen. Ik koop gewoon weer een nieuwe voor 0 goudstukken. Ik vaar de langste afstanden over de oceaan, en die duren 3 uren. Geen enkele piraat komt daar, want er is haast niemand daar. Dus kan ik veilig alt-tabben en even internet surfen. Ik krijg extra betaald en exp. punten voor de afstand. Dat is mooi meegenomen
Voor een eenmalig bedrag van 40 eurootjes op Steam. Het spel is nog in Alpha stadium, dus er zal nog wel veel veranderen.
17
Games / Re: Hoe start je No Man's Sky opnieuw, als je wilt.
« Last post by Ilyria on August 19, 2016, 01:26:05 PM »Als geen explorer bent, geen paniek, als je op één planeet blijft kan je bijna alles ontwikkelen, als de materialen er maar zijn en je genoeg verdiend om het te betalen. Ik heb het geprobeerd en kwam tot 34 slots schip, 26 slots multitool en maxed out (48 slots) exosuit. Daarna verloor ik mijn save game door een bug.
Nu begin ik weer, en kijk nu hoe ver ik kom.
Nu begin ik weer, en kijk nu hoe ver ik kom.
18
Games / Hoe start je No Man's Sky opnieuw, als je wilt.
« Last post by Ilyria on August 18, 2016, 10:56:11 AM »Ik weet alleen hoe het moet op je PC met Steam.
1: Kies No Man's Sky in je Steam Library.
2: Rechts-klik en selecteer properties.
3: In properties ga naar updates en haal het vinkje weg bij Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for No Man's Sky.
4: Sluit Steam.
5: druk win-r (De Windows toets en R) en typ %appdata% in dat veld.
6: Dan kom je in een lijst met mappen en klik op HelloGames
7: Daar is een map die heet NMS.
8: Klik daar op en verwijder (Of kopieer naar een veilige plek als je van gedachte veranderd.) de map die heet st_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. De X staat voor een reeks getallen.
Als je daarna No Man's Sky opstart begin je met een schone lei.
1: Kies No Man's Sky in je Steam Library.
2: Rechts-klik en selecteer properties.
3: In properties ga naar updates en haal het vinkje weg bij Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for No Man's Sky.
4: Sluit Steam.
5: druk win-r (De Windows toets en R) en typ %appdata% in dat veld.
6: Dan kom je in een lijst met mappen en klik op HelloGames
7: Daar is een map die heet NMS.
8: Klik daar op en verwijder (Of kopieer naar een veilige plek als je van gedachte veranderd.) de map die heet st_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. De X staat voor een reeks getallen.
Als je daarna No Man's Sky opstart begin je met een schone lei.
19
Muziek / Re: Song of today
« Last post by Ilyria on August 16, 2016, 07:42:01 PM »Johnny Cash, wat moet ik nog meer zeggen