PlaneShift
Support => Technical Help: IN GAME bugs (after loading world) => Topic started by: Bragan on April 04, 2010, 06:07:50 am
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Neither a forum search nor poking through the options yielded any results for me. Is there a way to keep the chat window (or some other windows) from stealing focus when something happens? Right now my only solution is to turn the window off completely, but that's a less-than-ideal solution, because then I can't see any notifications at all.
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It is already in the bugtracker.
http://hydlaaplaza.com/flyspray/index.php?do=details&task_id=3879
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My apologies, I didn't think to check there. I assume we're not allowed to take the patch in the bugtracker, apply it to the source, compile, and use that executable when connecting to the PS servers?
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You may try and report there - especially if you noticed side effects. But it may still need to be assigned to official prospects and testers to get commited.
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Sorry Ligh, but i have to disagree there.
From the [GAME POLICY 03] Privacy and Hacking (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=31960.msg367016#msg367016)
You should never test hacks on an official server. Download the CVS version of the PlaneShift server and test your hacks or mods locally, on your private server. Then report to us your findings, you will be rewarded if you find any good hack and a solution to it.
For me this reads as if neither this patch nor the other I submitted are allowed to be used on laanx or ezpc. If you want to use them please do so only on a private server.
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Alright... :-[ didn't know this source so detailed. Lazy me. X-/
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That's how I read it too, but I just wanted to make sure since the language is a little ambiguous. I'll just wait for the patch to be (hopefully) implemented then.
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Sorry, as I am no PS team member I just can say how I interpret these rules. For a definite answer we would need the word of someone involved in creating these rules. I agree that they are not really clear...or better that they are not used the way I understand them. One could read them also that way that using the latest SVN version is not allowed on the official servers. But using the latest SVN version is what the compiling guide does and what was advised to linux users if they suffered from the leaf-replace bug last year. But this could be a good reason for banning me.. ;)
These rules also read as if it is strictly forbidden to use any character mods on the servers..be it to remove some stupid idle animations or change the color or of an armor. Also something that is done by players the whole time.
So an official word on this wouldn't hurt in my view.
Edit:typos
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The stated rule is pretty clear: Only the packaged distro client is to be used on Laanx / EZ, period. That said, there are some exceptions that have been permitted from time to time, for example:
1) Player modified UI windows, such as inventory and the like, which do -not- alter the functionality, but merely rearranges the presentation, have generally been allowed. Such mods aren't supported of course, so if a mod doesn't function properly, but the packaged UI does, you're on your own, and if we update the client in such a way that breaks your mod, again you're on your own.
2) For playability or bug-tracing reasons, when we needed a wider range of test cases beyond that which we could do within the team, we may in specific cases suggest certain advance builds be tried by player-testers to help us isolalte and fix the issue. There may be times when we're not prepared for technical reasons to make a full update release to cure a platform specific issue. These are short term exceptions, not a free-for-all waiver of the rule, and certainly once the issue is fixed and published via the updater, the exception no longer applies.
The point is that unless otherwise directed by the team, the packaged distro client is what should be used with our servers. If you want to try to improve the client, build your own server and test it on your own, and submit it to a dev for consideration if it fixes a bug or enhances a feature to benefit the entire player base. You'd be encouraged to discuss your intent with a dev first to avoid wasting your time (and ours), and you probably should consider applying to the team at contributor or prospect level to get a more clear understanding of the development process and direction.
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No self-built clients on the the official server? Ouch, sorry...didn't know that. :o
But won't be much of an issue to comply with that for me.
And I got the hint...better no more patches from me anymore to not waste any time at all.
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Not "no patches anymore". Just "sign the contract with your blood"... ;)
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It's rare enough that Im giving a negative statement, but this rule deserves it.
I would know several reasons why a self compiled client is better than the official one, but this one alone is enough for me:
There was once a linux client for planeshift that had a nasty problem: It crashed very often. It made the client unplayable everywhere, where other players were around. After some months was the problem found and got even fixed. After that ran the game very well and it was a pleasure to play.
But: You had to compile the client from the sources, because the official client was still the faulty version.
There were calls to include the patch in the official client, complaints, but nothing happened. The linux client didn't get updated and the game wasn't playable for linux-users for months. (I believe the bug got fixed in March 2009 and the official client didn't get updated until november/december 2009 if Im not mistaken)
To say it clearly: Many new players with a linux client plus a considerable portion of the existing players with a linux client were scared off the game despite the fact, that there was a patch available for over 8 months.
Feel free to do any action against me, but I will never follow the rule that only official clients are allowed.
Sen
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This rant describes exactly the exception #2 I stated, and it's old history (last year). Since then, we've implemented a better updater, and a better path toward getting patches into distribution.
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But then it might be worth considering to unsticky the Gentoo ebuilds (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=27667.0) thread as users end up with a non-standard client there also and state there that self-complied clients are not allowed on the official servers.
And threads like BoniSkins (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36618.0), DermF Plate Retexture (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=35854.0), A not (so) ugly Dwarfette! (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=34460.0), Making Character Skins (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=34404.0), Leg-spike Fix (Clamod Fenki) (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=34297.0), ...
don't really give the impression that using mods that change the appearance of the characters in game are forbidden. Or maybe I just got it wrong again and this is still allowed.
I just think some people could fall in the same trap as me there thinking this is tolerated.
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I believe we can agree that modifications of art or software are forbidden which give some players an unfair advantage (up to cheating), or which are offensive and obviously violating laws.
IMHO, the purpose makes the difference. But tolerance and acceptance are still different terms, and the way into a hierarchical project takes some bureaucracy.
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Why would those things being forbidden give players an unfair advantage? Your post seems helpful, but I don't know how to parse it.
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The player who does not cheat needs to run in curves to follow the road, or up and down to climb the hills. That takes much time and stamina.
The player who cheats makes a flat line between portals and does not need to take curves or hills -- he can run straight, so he loses less time and stamina.
How can you believe that such an advantage from cheating is not unfair?!
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Out of four things, not what I was referring to. The first statement read like "modifications [...] are forbidden"→"which gives some players an unfair advantage", which isn't what you meant. I still can't find where the subject of "are offensive and obviously violating laws". Shouldn't that sentence be:
"I believe we can agree that modifications of art or software are forbidden because they can give players an unfair advantage (cheating), can be offensive, or can violate laws."
I think I understand the next two sentences now. I was confused because "acceptance" and "being accepted" are also different things, and purpose doesn't make a difference if violates a contract or law. Tolerance is different from acceptance because if you tolerate the above mods, that means you want to get rid of them, but know you should not. While acceptance is different from "being accepted" because if you have acceptance towards the mods, you don't actually want to get rid of them.
So now that I know, what's keeping you from banning all such mods if you want to?
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The topic "modifications" is rather large and has many corners, which you seem to try to discuss in only one sentence. That's hardly possible. There are many places where modifications could be applied, as well as many purposes why one would make modifications. There are many examples of modifications which the license does not allow: software cheats (adding features to the client which expose interna), resource cheats (modifying data files to gain advantages over other players), offensive art modifications (e.g. "nude patches") ... but it is not easy to declare one rule to prohibit them all in a way which does not exclude all kind of creativity from contributors.
Very simplified, you may probably make a rule in a range between the strict and the loose limit:
a) It is forbidden to use any kind of modified software or art to play on official game servers, because it might give unfair advantage, might be offensive or might break laws.
b) It is forbidden to use such kind of modified software or art to play on official game servers which gives unfair advantage, is offensive or breaks laws.
At least in case of art, rule a) is not enforced, as you can see from GUI skin mods.
Anyway - we are already hopelessly :offtopic:
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Your skill in missing the point has increased to level XII. My main problem is grammar and terminology; I understand well the problems with constructing rules for altering the client, but I couldn't read what you wrote accurately. Kinda like your last sentence "[...]already hopelessly [noun?]"; that adjective should be describe something.
Oh, and "all such mods" was to refer to the ones/kinds Aiwendil posted. The same ones you had referred to.
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You missed the image after the last sentence: "... hopelessly [off-topic!]"
And the chance of misunderstanding increases both with the time between now and the previous reply, as well as with the amount and complexity of text one has to read again to remember the last topic.