Sound Alert in Addition to Visual Color change upon Name mention.

[svuun]

To clarify, I think its great that the text changes color when one's name is mentioned as it gives the person an opportunity to see a conversation as it pertains to him/her.  However I'd also like to see an option for a sound alert, a simple beep or .wav/.mp3 of the users choice, to be played when my name is mentioned.

Why?

Well for one, I have to be in that particular chat/guild tab to see the color change.  If, for example i'm in another tab, i probably won't see it.

So why not switch when the other tab is flashing?

It would make it a whole lot easier if I knew if it was worth taking my hands off my keybard, getting to the mouse, moving the mouse to the flashing tab, to see if I'm actually in the conversation or if something is being asked of me, and if it is relevant, moving the mouse to the input row and then procede to typing.  Then switching back with the previously mentioned mouse maneuvers to the guildchat tab and continue conversation there.  Obviously this doesn't relate to the Tell tab as I know that window is always relevant.

Come now, aren't you just being lazy, its not that difficult is it?

Its not a question of being lazy but it can be needlessly exhausting mouse movements when one doesn't have to.  Interrupting the flow of conversation without cause isn't conducive to maintaining continuity of thought.

Is using the mouse that difficult, you're exaggerating, surely?

Using the mouse is already cumbersome and painful and in some senses useless in areas where the keyboard is a better solution.  Training skill, especially at the higher levels, is equivalent to developing carpel tunnel syndrome.

Can't you just develop a macro that does all that clicking for you?

Bite your tongue!  Its illegal to use a script of any kind in this game, even if it promotes ergonomic health and prevents future tendinitis, median nerve assocaited paralysis, and loss of sensation in your right hand.  Its a rule that's meant to be followed for a reason.  And these aren't reasons to break it.

What do you mean by useless?

Well as of several updates or couple of versions ago, can't pinpoint or remember when it happen, just that it happened in march perhaps, mouse look or turning with mouse isn't smooth as it once was.  Someone pointed out before, that it looks like its recentering while you turn.  From talking to other players, it doesn't seem to affect the linux versions, just some people with the PC client.  Since it was already mentioned, I figured it would be fixed one of these days, but I suppose its just a small minority of us or that it wasn't important or that it was done on purpose so that one can't turn very quickly and enter the dungeons via the alternative route.  For whatever reason, it probably won't ever be fixed, so I have to use my keyboard to turn, which is surprisingly faster than using the mouse, but still takes 4 seconds to make a 360 degree turn.

Can't you jsut increase the horizontal sensitivity of the mouse?

One would think, but no, it doesn't work.  It seems that the with every movement it tries to recenter such that if you move the mouse too quickly (which is moderately quickly) the turning movement stops.  If you want I could post a video showing you, if my description fails to let you imagine what's going on.

That would be splendid!  But don't you think that if it was a problem it would have been resolved already?

Yeah you're probably right, I figured its not such a pressing problem, though it takes quite a bit from the game play, it only really prevents me from using the alternate dungeon entrance and doesn't prevent me from doing anythign else in the game.  I just learned to use the keyboard a little differently, more expertly as a solution to the mouse deficiency.

Sort of like losing one's upper limbs and then being able to use a fork with your feet to eat a salad?

Exactly like that!

But wouldn't another solution be to have a keyboard conrol of switching between tabs?

That would be awesome indeed!  to switch between the various tabs using Ctrl^tab or Ctrl^Backspace would help immensely.  I think that in addition to a sound alert would make chatting as smooth as mIRC and less like IRCII.

Well those are interesting arguments, and well thought out, let's keep our fingers crossed, wish on the next falling star, and hope it gets implemented!

Yes little Voice-inside-my-head, I will, I will.

[Karyuu]

Its illegal to use a script of any kind in this game, even if it promotes ergonomic health and prevents future tendinitis, median nerve assocaited paralysis, and loss of sensation in your right hand.  Its a rule that's meant to be followed for a reason.  And these aren't reasons to break it.

It's not all illegal :] If someone writes an add-on that they and others find beneficial while not influencing the game itself and approaching cheating, go nuts.

But I wouldn't want this to turn into an instant-messenger. The beeps are too reminiscent of that for my taste. So I'd just recommend a unofficial mod.

[Nikodemus]

But wouldn't another solution be to have a keyboard conrol of switching between tabs?

That would be awesome indeed!  to switch between the various tabs using Ctrl^tab or Ctrl^Backspace would help immensely.  I think that in addition to a sound alert would make chatting as smooth as mIRC and less like IRCII.

If this, then it would be good if we would be allowed to set it in options. Like other keys for other actions.

The beep as unofficial mod.... Well, sure but only if you can do it without compiling PS this way normal people cad do it ;P Otherwise there would need to be someone who will compile PS every bigger update and provide the necessary files. ;P

The mouselook. I belive it will be fixed!
A hint i can give is that if you are in windowed mode and you move your mouse too fast, the mouse marker is going outside the window, somehow ( i can see it flashing and poping up at the border ) So as it is outside window,  you dont turn around anymore, because its how it works in M$windows.
Oh.... how i would love the mouslook to be the way how it is in most games, but oh well.... maybe it will come here too. 

[svuun]

Its illegal to use a script of any kind in this game, even if it promotes ergonomic health and prevents future tendinitis, median nerve assocaited paralysis, and loss of sensation in your right hand.  Its a rule that's meant to be followed for a reason.  And these aren't reasons to break it.

It's not all illegal :] If someone writes an add-on that they and others find beneficial while not influencing the game itself and approaching cheating, go nuts.

But I wouldn't want this to turn into an instant-messenger. The beeps are too reminiscent of that for my taste. So I'd just recommend a unofficial mod.

It doesn't have to remind you of instant messenger, as you would most likely have the option turned off.  And that's subjective anyways,as beeps, if you were older, could have reminded you of dos error messages,  call waiting, beepers, car horns, rocks at a window signaling booty call.  The point being is that whatever your personal experiences are with a particular sound, doesn't necessarily hold true for everyone else. Especially if the sound could be made to resemble anything but instant messenger or made configurable by the user in the form of a .wav or .mp3. And besides, how someone else receives text, whether highlighted or with sound or both, doesn't affect your personal experience at your own computer half a world away.  Key to this discussion then is that its *optional* and won't affect your experience with the game.  For example, I have the background music turned off.  Why?  Because it reminds me too much of a Yani composition and can't get his moustached face out of my head.  But I wouldn't want to deprive others of the music because it reminds *me* of something else, even a self gratifying putz of a pseudo musician like Yani.

Secondly, I'm not sure how an instant messenger comparison would outweigh the plethora of reasons to add the option mentioned in the previous post.  Ease of use, less fatigue, uninterrupted continuous discussions only improves game play in addition to perhaps having keyboard control of switching between tabs.  Certainly, from its current state, its an improvement.  Other than subjective differences, I'd like to hear how its a detriment to the game to those that choose to have the option turned *off*.  For those that leave it on, let them decide.

If you do suggest an unofficial mod could you point one out?  Otherwise i'm lost, as I don't have the expertise in developing one.  Nor did I think any form of scripting was allowed in the game.  It doesn't have to be elegant, just function seamlessly as the in game message highlighting.  And if you know a mod for switching between tabs via keyboard that would be useful too.

I didn't do a search for the mod on the forum, so I apolgise in advance.  If you could just link the thread, that'd be great.  Thanks!   

PS. Nikodemus, Mouselook used to work perfectly in this game, just for some reason after an update that I can't specifically tell you when, it turned into this state.  Also, its not a windows specific problem per se, that three examples would show. 1.) even if you move too fast over a short distance such that the mouse still stays in the window, the mouse still moves slow or not at all. 2.) in full screen mode, where the mouse has no where to go, the mouse still gets lost and just stops moving. 3.) It worked perfectly before. 

On another note, I managed to use the alternative way into the dungeons via keyboard alone. was really proud of myself. 

[Balonik]

If anyone is still interested... a little piece of software for Windows XP. Choose your character's log file, type some texts like your name, "tells you:", "GuildChat from" or anything you want to trigger the sound then press ON button.
I'm not sure if it works with Windows Vista.
If you want it for Linux find someone who can write it because I can't yet.
Tell me if you like it and what you want to change or add.
Have a source

[Durwyn]

If anyone is still interested... a little piece of software for Windows XP. Choose your

page not found whats going on?

[Balonik]

  Sorry. It's ok now... I hope Try again.

[Durwyn]

could download it but get a missing dll :s qtintf.dll

im using vista and i hope that this dll isnt specific to Xp.. maybe you forgot to put it in the source?

[Balonik]

  again. I used wrong color identifier from wrong library. Please download again.
(it worked for me because Delphi installer installs this library)

[Lelerey]

I really like it Great little program.
Is it possible to keep in memory our "filters" when the program shuts down?
It could me more nice if we could choose more logs like system and have a special sound for selected events when we succed in mining or not by example

[Balonik]

I'll do it in the next version. Filters and logs will be stored in .ini file. You will be able to choose your own sounds for each event.
There is also a bug to fix: when PS writes to a log file first time after user logs in it writes something like this:
================================================
Mon 12-Mar-2007 17:15:09 Player Name
------------------------------------------------
so if you want to be notified about your name the program plays the sound when PS writes any first text to the log.

All this will be implemented... in the nearest future^tm (soon^tm is reserved by PS team) 

[Vexonee]

Appears to work on Vista just fine.    Neat little program.

[svuun]

Thanks so much Balonik!  When karyuu said it wouldn't be implemented in the game i was pretty downtrodden, especially after I enumerated all the advantages and she just called it instant messenger talk without listing any other disadvantages.   But alas, the community comes through on this one and I can't thank you enough.  The great thing about mods is that at some point they become so useful, that the devs will have to take it into consideration in future development and I'm hopeful that will happen here.

Wow I wrote the initial message some time ago and the mouse problem has been the same.  Perhaps someone in the community could resolve that issue??    I know I'm asking too much but I'm so impressed with this that I can't help but ask for more. Huzzah! 

[stfrn]

There's been a mouse bug for over a year that hasn't been fixed? Sometimes I think I was the only dev to ever use a mouse 

[svuun]

Balonik:  Can you add an exclude list too? As I have it currently anytime my name pops up the sound goes off, but I don't want to hear it when I type a message.  So I thought maybe an exclude list would solve that so I can add "[my name] says:" to prevent the sound from going off.