I may be completly wrong here, but I think CatVir doesn\'t really know what he/she is asking here.

Why would one waste time to make a server from scratch to connect to an ever-changing psclient, if one has to \"waste\" a lot of time making art and setting (database content) for it in the first place ?

Because that\'s the main thing here: One can\'t use the PS art publicly. And mirroring the current Planeshift setting is very hard and timeconsuming to an outsider (even for a knowledgeable addicted player).

I think CatVir should first understand how Planeshift works, because most certainly it would start by working on an alternate (maybe even open) set of art and setting for chosen freezed version of psserver+psclient.

Only after that, should he/she deal with that version tweaking. Maybe catching up with current cvs version, maybe starting a Planeshift codebase fork... whatever.

A guild-spy can gather information about the guild internal/secreat rules and goals; guild and member behaviour, strenghts, missions and skills; way of thinking and/or dealing with internal and external situations.

Some guilds already have usefull knowledge that provide a boost to members strengths.

Don\'t forget the power of detailed maps of dificult/labirinthic areas, resource locations, trainers, skills, merchants, items, monsters, bandits, etc...

Quickly knowning who sells what at what price and where, provides a serious advantage, as you all may know.

The same can be said for trainning.

What good is there for a guild with plenty of weak dumb members ?

Now, how to deal with guild-spies ? We deal with it with various \"filter\" layers.

Our guild may have or not guild spies. No guild is imune to this.

Some guilds are harder to infiltrate than others. Some need a lot of time invested, others its as easy as finding an abandoned waybread.

I like to think that my guild is in the middle of this: It\'s a little hard to get in. One has to have at least will and lots of patience, because time is a very good filter

After entering, the new member has very little access to what is known by the guild. Well, it has easy access to members tips and help, of course, but we like members that work for their knowledge, so, a guild-spy will have a hard time if he wants to access to higher ranks.
We have ways to \"teach\" or provide knowledge without dumping it the easy way to the new member.

If, by any chance, a guild-spy works hard enough to access most of the guild knowledge, well... he\'ll deserve that access since he worked for it anyway ...and, usually, he had to provide and help the guild with even more data gathering, so... it\'ll be more or less a win/win situation.

If that guild-spy is inteligent enough, he\'ll come to the conclusion that he worked very hard to get all the information he got. Will he be stupid to give that hard-earned info to his lazy original-guild members ? Maybe. But, if that happens, we see no problem about it, since he already helped our guild with his work

Is this a perfect system ? Nope, but at least we thought of it from the beginning.

At least we now know that some of our ideas are already being implemented in some new but already well respected and growing guilds, and that\'s very flattering

well, after reading the other comments, I must say that maybe that\'s what I like in this story: the fluid writing style, especially the dialogs and the comic relief pauses

and... maybe this Klyros could be a black-sheepish one, mining with all his dwarf speech-articulate miner friends.

I figured it would become handy, Moogie

Finally !!!!!! <- extra !\'s just to annoy Moogie

         

I knew a PC brand a long time ago that was even cooler (more spec-wise) than Alienware, but I lost it\'s name and URL.

I\'ve finally found it

http://www.go-l.com/home/index.htm

Now this is going to be my system, erm... after winning the EuroMillions lottery/lotto/whatever they call it.

*starts making some impossible plans:

Ok, lets see... hmmmm... maybe a couple of these to have around the house and for the main desktop console maybe one of these for A/V and 3D design and another one for Linux, Dev and main storage
One of these for main gaming console
Ah, can\'t forget the living room !
er... and the bathrooms !

Hmmm... then I\'ll just wait for the next-gen system



They used to sell these fantastic desktops, with embedded lcd screens on the case (now that\'s what I call looks&functionality put to good use, instead of silly little leds)
This lcd is used for status gfx&info etc, whatever one wants it to, I think.

It looks that they are now making a future new line of models, so the site has a lot of broken links now.


Oops... I forgot to make my euromillions bet this week
Oh well, I\'ll keep my shop list for next week, then !

EDIT: ok, I just had to put a pic on this post

Eheh yup, it really looks like a wine color...

Well, wine & mugs go well together

Thxs Ashamn !!!

I also miss a CS2Blender (or cal3d to Blend in this case) converter

So many map bug fixes or alternative animations could be submmited by this facility. :/   ...well, but a license is a license.

Anyway, one possible middle-way solution would be you trying to stage something like an intro by capturing it \"live\" from PS.

You can try to stage it with a group of players on the official Laanx server using your computer (and char) as the camera (in 1st person view) turning the Name/Guild labels off if you like, keeping all the floating windows closed and the main menu bar minimized (the arrow thing).
You could keep in touch with the \"actors\" through IRC so not so spoil your view.

Another option would be, if you have the machines and a LAN to do it: Run your own psserver with the available maps. 3 Actor chars \"ingame\" would need 3 psclients running plus a forth char acting as the Camera. Being live, you need at least one more person to help you at 2 to 3 computers in a LAN to do it.

hmm... I know this is nothing close as to your original idea but... \"staged\" (or not) live video captures of Planeshift have already happened before, like the marriage ceremony of Lordbug and Lady Agara \"video footage\".

One problem is that now (0.3.011) we can\'t use Zoom Out/In   ...even if only in 3rd person view.