Topics

166

General Discussion / Trench Warfare 3.0 Development

« on: September 29, 2012, 05:16:08 PM »

The Trench Warfare server I host is probably the first with lava. It's also by far the longest-running server I've ever had. However, it's dying. So I've decided to breathe new life into it with a much-needed design overhaul. However, I don't want this to be a closed update like so many before, because perhaps you have some ideas about how to make it better than before.



So here's a list of the features planned to be included by the time I have the open beta for the server.


Regeneration (Player)

Undoubtedly, frequent players to the previous iterations will have noticed an "irritating white flash". This signifies a slow regeneration of the player's health. This was and will be an important design feature, as it allows you to recover from hundreds of wounds which could easily kill you cumulatively, as long as you lay down and rest every so often. The flashing is gone but the regeneration remains.

How it works: High health = faster regeneration. Low health = slower regeneration. This is to motivate you to take some time out after hard fighting.


Health Levelling (Client)

In 3.0, all players start with 80 hit points, as opposed to the default 100. However, if you take a certain amount of damage without dying, you can increase your HP max, up to a cap of 350. (That's 11 gun bullets/3 sniper shots without dying.)

However, without regenerating between fights, you can only get up to the default 100. This is quite deliberate.


Shop (Client)

While in their home base, players can buy weapons, gadgets, and ammunition for score points (one kill is five points.) Weapons and gadgets are permanently owned but must be equipped, while ammunition is expendable but far cheaper. Grenades count as expendable ammunition.


Battery (Client)

The battery powers certain types of gadgets, such as jet boots (which also require fuel and drain stamina like a bitch) and radar (yes, I did just say radar.) It's also required for speaking. You can spam the chat as much as you like for a (short) time, but then your battery will be dead, baby, dead.


Stamina (Player)

Players can now only go so far before having to stop. While stamina regenerates (in the same manner as health), running and jumping too much can leave you a sitting duck on the battlefield. Try dodging side-to-side instead of vertically. (Stamina can be restored far more quickly while sleeping on a bed.)


Fatigue (Client)

Even if you stop to let your stamina regenerate for a bit, you can only go so far. Fatigue slowly fills up the stamina bar, depriving you of precious stamina. The only way to get rid of fatigue is to sleep on a bed. However, it takes several complete regenerations of the stamina bar for this effect to become signifigant. There is a fatigue maximum of 90, leaving you with just 10 stamina. You can get from the spawnpoint to a bed on that much but not a whole lot further.


Fuel / Ore (Client)

Fuel powers things like the jet boots or the superjump. It must be converted from Ore to be useful. However, converting Ore to Fuel requires a slight battery charge, which can be signifigant if you also have large amounts of battle gear running. Ore must be mined from the Underworld.


Mana / Energy (Client)

Mana allows you to cast both helpful spells on you and your allies as well as harmful spells on your foes. Like Fuel, Mana must be converted from Energy. The difference is that it doesn't require battery to convert, or any other of your stats. Mana-powered flight is possible but cannot last as long as jet boots unless you put signifigant effort into it.



Suggestions? Comments? Concerns?

Post here or PM me.
I'd definitely like suggestions for weapons, store items, and magical skills.

If any pixel artists are willing to work with me on this I'd definitely appreciate your skills.


EDIT: Using cyan for the Mana / Energy title makes it nearly unreadable.

167

Modification Help / Converting a world position into a screen coordinate

« on: September 26, 2012, 06:52:22 PM »

I'm attempting to figure out the correct methodology for converting a world position into a screen coordinate. Hence the topic title. However, this code doesn't work 100% of the time and I haven't figured out how to get rid of each of the three problems.

• Deflection from accuracy except at the center axes and edges of the screen.
• Incredible inaccuracy as one looks further up/down at it.
• Doesn't rotate if the player is in a vehicle.

Code: (World Position to Screen Coordinate) [Select]

function posToCoord(%pos)
{
if(!isObject(%cl = ServerConnection) || !isObject(%pl = %cl.getControlObject()))
return;
%pi = 3.14159265;
%eye = %pl.getMuzzleVector(0);   //Not actually the eye vector but you get the idea
%raw = %pl.getPosition();
if(%pl.isCrouched())
%loc = vectorAdd(%raw, "0 0 0.5");
else
%loc = vectorAdd(%raw, "0 0 1.325");
%dir = vectorNormalize(vectorSub(%pos, %loc));
%eyeX = mAtan(getWord(%eye, 0), getWord(%eye, 1));
%dirX = mAtan(getWord(%dir, 0), getWord(%dir, 1));
%eyeLen = mSqrt(mPow(getWord(%eye, 0), 2) + mPow(getWord(%eye, 1), 2));
%dirLen = mSqrt(mPow(getWord(%dir, 0), 2) + mPow(getWord(%dir, 1), 2));
%eyeY = mAtan(%eyeLen, getWord(%eye, 2));
%dirY = mAtan(%dirLen, getWord(%dir, 2));
%yDiff = %eyeY - %dirY;
%xDiff = (%eyeX - %dirX);// * mSin(%eyeY);
if(%xDiff > %pi)
%xDiff -= 2 * %pi;
if(%xDiff < -%pi)
%xDiff += 2 * %pi;
%xRange = 0.785;   //Max x deviation for a point which is still on the screen
%yRange = 0.655;   // "  y     "      "  "   "     "    "   "    "  "     "
%extent = getRes();
%halfX = getWord(%extent, 0) / 2;
%halfY = getWord(%extent, 1) / 2;
%xVal = ((%xDiff / %xRange) * -%halfX) + %halfX;// + (mSin(-%xDiff * 2) * %halfX * 0.2);
%yVal = ((%yDiff / %yRange) * -%halfY) + %halfY;// + (mSin(-%yDiff * 2) * %halfY * 0.2);
return mFloatLength(%xVal, 0) SPC mFloatLength(%yVal, 0);
}


Any of you got any ideas what I'm doing (horribly horribly) wrong?

168

Off Topic / 100% Uptime

« on: September 26, 2012, 06:23:32 AM »

In the real world, the difference between 99.5% uptime and 100% uptime is important, expensive and worth paying for.

I saw this in a drama thread but it wasn't worth derailing that thread over. However, this drove a stake into my brain and heart so I had to make a deal over it SOMEWHERE.


ANYONE WHO IS GOING TO BE HOSTING MY SERVER FOR ME SHOULD KNOW THAT AN UPTIME OF 100% IS UNACHIEVABLE.

It's not possible to have 100% uptime because even if you never take the servers offline for Windows updates (bad idea, have fun with your viruses), some natural disaster could easily come along and wipe out the power to your data center. Claiming that you can achieve 100% uptime is false advertising.


The best you can hope for is the five nines rule, or 99.999% uptime. Even that's incredibly unrealistic, because you need more than half a minute every month to do necessary maintenance.


Let's say that every week your servermaster backs up your data, updates Windows, and downloads any new versions for software you have. Let's optimistically say this takes ten minutes a week on average. Consulting the chart above, that's 40 minutes per month, which is an uptime of 99.9%.

Now let's say that instead, the server is never taken offline for any updates or backups of any form, so you have an artificial 100% scenario. Then your server gets a virus and has to be taken offline for hours or even days for a patch that could have taken minutes if it had been done earlier. Well done, your uptime for that month just dropped to around 98%, 97%, maybe even 95%.


Now, as much as I loathe Kalphiter, at least he knows better than to claim blatantly unrealistic uptime amounts. His servers host thirty, fifty, eight people without any noticeable latency loss. They're incredibly cheap and good servers, all things considered. And he gives himself about a half an hour per day to do whatever needs to be done (assuming Lub's 99.5% figure is correct). If I had to choose between half an hour a day of server downtime and half a week of server downtime every three months, I'm going to choose the former.



AND FINALLY...

In the real world...

We are NOT talking about prospective SALES here. We're talking about a server for ungrateful bastards who join your server, suck the life out of it, pound you into the ground, and give you nothing to take away from this pain and punishment. We're talking about Blockland.

169

Add-Ons / Max Shaders Screenshot mod

« on: September 24, 2012, 11:23:18 AM »

Ever wanted to take a screenshot but you couldn't run shaders on Maximum?
Me too. So I made this mod.

It will automatically set your shader level to maximum each time you take a screenshot, then set them back to what they were before once the screenshot is finished.

	With Max Shaders mod	Without Max Shaders mod
Heads-Up Display screenshot
Depth of Field screenshot

THIS IS IMPORTANT. READ IT.
This mod will not allow you to run Max shaders if your graphics card cannot handle them.
Do not attempt to use it for this purpose. The best that you can hope for is that you don't break everything.


DOWNLOAD

170

Forum Games / Faster Than Light Adventure [The Forum Game]

« on: September 23, 2012, 07:03:44 AM »

You are in control of the intergalactic starship USS Enterprise (A, but don't tell your crew that.)


No, you can't rename anything. I'm not that patient.


You are on a dangerous run to save the United Federation of Planets from a massive fleet of eeevil Rebels.


How do we know they're eeevil? Well, uh... they're not us!!!


Where shall we jump to first?


Or should we, uh, power up weapons first?



Okay, here's how this works. You, the forums, post suggestions. I then take the one which I think is the least stupid. However, I might also post loaded questions (like the "where shall we jump" one above) to deliberately mislead you into doing something dumb so I can laugh. You have to catch me when I do and tell me what to do instead.


Begin suggesting now!

171

General Discussion / Halloween Candy Bowls

« on: September 22, 2012, 04:26:09 AM »

Yay, bowls!




I want to get the "candy" part to look nicer before I release it. I also want it to be near Halloween before I release it.

172

Off Topic / So much for it being a "private" chatbot...

« on: September 13, 2012, 09:47:32 AM »

Some time ago, back when I still did anything for CJrocks17, I rewrote a new chatbot for him from the ground up. He said he was going to keep it private and I know for a fact that neither sh0ckthealien nor myself have released it. Shows how much CJrocks17 values his word.

Anyway, I've kept count of how many times I've been asked to fix a chatbot which was totally not mine yet actually was. The number of people who have redistributed the thing under their own name is staggering, and some of them are cripplingly bad find-and-rename edits for "Xalbot" to "whateverbot".


In fact, I made a new chatbot to give to people just to avert this catastrophe. Its second line can be edited to change the name of the entire bot without having to force me to rip out my liver down the road.

Then I was asked by someone to fix it because their friend had done a cripplingly bad find-and-rename edit on it when there was clearly a comment saying that you could change one word instead of the entire mod.



TL;DR: People go to ridiculous lengths (and do it badly) to get their friends to believe they're decent scripters.

Maybe I SHOULD start signing my mods, this is getting ridiculous.

173

Off Topic / RGB switcher thingy

« on: September 13, 2012, 01:09:40 AM »

I got bored, so I made some sort of program that somehow switches the RGB components of an image.



Click the image if you want to download the program.


Now we know. When I get bored, I decide to change the color components of images through a two-minute program.


EDIT: Wait, crap, I just realized that the picture is backwards. The originals are on the side and where they go is on the top.

174

Modification Help / Getting the number of divisions in the paint set

« on: September 12, 2012, 11:58:49 PM »

I'm making a script which uses "getSprayCanDivisionSlot(int index)" to find the X and Y coordinates of a given color within the paint set. However, that function gives a console error if the given index is invalid, and I can't find an equivalent function to get the number of divisions directly.

Does anyone know if such a function exists, or will I just have to come up with some hacky way of detecting this problem?

175

Add-Ons / Firework Launcher event

« on: September 12, 2012, 09:31:29 PM »

Due to a suspicion I have about the nature of various Forumer's problems when trying to download from my Google Drive download links, I have "edited" the Firework Launcher event from the "Topic Too Old" category so that I could change its one and only link to something I suspect will fix the aforementioned problem.


This NEEDS the Basic Firework Projectiles (by WillWill56).

DOWNLOAD

It turns a brick into a firework launcher with just one simple event! Please note - this can be abused. Also note - so can JVS.

Events:

Brick > MakeLauncher [Interval time] [Max interval variance] [Launcher colors] [Firework spread]

• The Max Interval Variance can only be up to 50% the interval time. So no, even if you set one to 500 and the other to 15000, it'll still be 500 and 250.
• You can't have two launcher loops on the same brick. This IS enforced by the script, so it'll still not work even if you use eval to try to get a second one going. However, it is susceptible to spam clicking.

Brick > CancelLauncher
Quite simple really, it stops the brick from launching fireworks.

176

Add-Ons / Server Warnings

« on: September 12, 2012, 03:08:13 PM »

Welcome to the Warning mod! This is a mod been asked for quite a few times, so I fixed up its remaining bugs and made it release-ready!


What you get:

• A command to warn people by name or by BL_ID.
• The ability to customize the punishments for specific numbers of warnings.

The command: /warn [Name or BL_ID of target] [Multi-word reason for the warning]


Here's the format of config/server/WarningLevels.txt.

Line	Default.txt	Purpose
One	BAN -1	The action when no action for a given warning is present. BAN -1 means a permaban.
Two	NOTIFY	The action for warning #1. NOTIFY means to only tell the warned person.
Three	NOTIFY	The action for warning #2.
Four	NOTIFY	The action for warning #3.
Five	KICK	The action for warning #4. KICK means to kick the warned person.
Six	BAN 10	The action for warning #5. BAN X means to ban the person for X minutes.
Seven	BAN 30	The action for warning #6.
Line X	???	The action for warning #X-1.

You can edit the config/server/WarningLevels.txt to change the punishments to your liking.
Please note: If you only want warning to take one action ever, just put that at on the first and only line.


Also, people can see their own warnings and, if they know the correct command, other people's warnings as well. After all, if all information disseminates over a sufficient length of time, why fight against it?



>>> DOWNLOAD <<<

177

Add-Ons / Xalos Add-Ons Megathread

« on: September 11, 2012, 08:44:50 PM »

I was thinking about why my add-ons may not be that popular, and one of the reasons I came up with is that like many mods, a single add-on doesn't get enough bumping to stay at the top of the add-ons subforum for any length of time. You probably haven't even seen many of these mods because they were lost to the depths of the Add-Ons section.


Table of Contents

• Avatar Saver
• Bug-Me-Not
• Gaze (or Stare or Look or See or whatever the hell you want to call it)
• Star Trek Weapons
• BurningPlayer
• Firework Launcher Event
• Trench Toggle
• StartPass
• Ban Reasons
• Breakable Bricks
• Minecraft Creeper
• Server Warnings
• Max Shader Screenshots
• Speedometer / Cruise Control

Avatar Saver
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: A client-sided mod for saving, loading, and deleting avatars.

The Avatar Saver is a client-sided mod used for saving and loading avatars by name. While its original purpose was to allow saving and loading avatars without the use of GUIs, a menu was eventually added. However, the chat commands are still there. It also has the ability to delete and edit avatars.

Status: On Hold - more features are planned.


Bug-Me-Not
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: A client-sided mod for blocking unwanted invites and chat.

The Bug-Me-Not is designed to allow and reject certain invites based on certain criteria. There are three modes for each of three types of invites (Minigame, Build, and Full). The modes are Allow (all invites are seen by the Player), Filter (allows invites by those who have at least one ticket, removing one ticket from them in the process), and Reject (instantly and automatically rejects all invites from everyone, period).

Status: Finished - this mod will not change unless a feature is suggested.


Gaze
(or Stare or Look or See or whatever the hell you want to call it)
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: An event mod for detecting when players are looking at a brick.

Gaze allows you to have sight-based events for bricks and bots. However, being just as abusable as one might think, the events will not act upon an admin holding the D-wand, or the owner of the bricks while holding the regular wand. (However, because of potential glitches, this does not apply if you stop looking at a brick.)

Status: On Hold - more features are planned.


Star Trek Weapons
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: A weapons pack for Star Trek weapons. Currently incomplete.

This pack currently holds the TOS Phasers, two weapons with Kill and Stun settings. These do precisely what you think they do.

Status: In Progress - I am ostensibly working toward the completion of the mod. (Strictly speaking.)

Signifigant Others:
Planr (Plant, 16842) - Constantly bugging me. This is the only reason the mod still counts as "In Progress". (Also, sounds.)
Khepri (Jimmg, 33219) - The original model for the Type II TOS Phaser.
xxjpxx (xxjpxx, 16575) - Modifications to the model, and the model for the Type I TOS Phaser.


Burning Player
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: A playertype which is burning.

A playertype which is burning. Seriously, that's it.

Status: Finished - this mod will not change unless a feature is suggested.


Firework Launcher Event
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: An event which turns a brick into a firework launcher.

Use makeLauncher on a brick to make it into a launcher. Use cancelLauncher to cancel its launcher.

Status: Finished - this mod will not change unless a feature is suggested.


Trench Toggle
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: Allows you to toggle between the two Trench Digging tools.

Allows you to toggle between the two Trench Digging tools.

Status: Finished - this mod will not change, there is nothing that fits the mod's purpose left to add.


StartPass
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: A client-sided mod which forces you to enter a password every time you start Blockland.

A mod designed to keep irritating siblings out of your Blockland. Please note - you should rename it. It's a bit obvious.

Status: On Hold - more features are planned, but I am patiently waiting for the approval of Badspot.


Ban Reasons
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: A client-sided mod for banning people for set reasons.

It's broken and I keep meaning to fix it. Problem is, now I can't even remember what was broken. Crap.

Status: On Hold - I should fix that bug, but I keep forgetting.


Breakable Bricks
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: Bricks which break when shot, blown up, or rammed.

I have long wanted structure damage in minigame fights. So I made bricks which can be destroyed. Better yet, you can ram into them at lethal speeds and walk away unharmed! There are too many options to be adequately explained here, so if you're confused, just PM me.

Status: On Hold - more features are planned.


Minecraft Creeper
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: An edit of someone else's Creeper mod. Left-click to explode.

A creeper which can swell up, explode, and (optionally) cloak. It even hisses like the real deal.

Status: Finished - this mod will not change unless a feature is suggested or I get bored.


Server Warnings
Back to Top

Mod in a Nutshell: Warn people on your server for being evil!

Server-sided warning mod. Has the ability for customization. Comes with a neat number-to-word capability so that words are more readable. Was originally very stupidly designed.

Status: Finished - this mod will not change unless a feature is suggested or I get bored.


Max Shader Screenshots

Mod in a Nutshell: Take screenshots at max shader settings!

Client-sided mod for taking really good shadow screenshots even if your computer is crap.

Status: Finished - this mod will not change unless a feature is suggested.


Speedometer / Cruise Control

Mod in a Nutshell: Measure your speed!

Client-sided mod; shows your speed and allows you to stay at it hands-free.

Status: Active - more features are planned and I'm still actively working on it.





Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Concerns?
Ask me in this thread or send me a PM!

178

Add-Ons / Minecraft Mob - The Creeper

« on: September 10, 2012, 04:30:07 PM »

I took the Creeper from here, and put my own spin on things.


This creeper explodes, and can cloak, unless that ability is disabled in the server config file or RTB prefs. It uses sounds from Minecraft for the hiss, four random explosions, and its death. It cannot hold items. (Unless you change from one datablock to another. Smartass.)

Click and hold your left mouse button to charge the fuse up. Release the button to let the fuse cool down. If the fuse hits zero, you and everything in your immediate vicinity will cease to be.

As for cloaking, simply click your right mouse button, and it'll toggle cloaking on and off. However, this bad boy only has five seconds of time on it, and you can't use it while your fuse is hot.


Various download links.
Google - Direct Download (V1)
Mediafire - Direct Download (V1)
Mediafire - Spammy Ad Page (V1)


You have been DOUBLE HAPPIED.

179

General Discussion / Should I release AllOrb?

« on: September 07, 2012, 11:27:07 PM »

I currently have a mod I made called Server_AllOrb. It allows everyone on the server to enter the admin orb mode, regardless of whether or not they have admin. (However, people without admin have their names hovering over the admin orb.)

It's been asked a few times where the download for it is. Well, there isn't one. Why not? Well, it's not finished yet. It was always my intention to release it once I felt it wasn't completely abusable. For example, AllOrb allows anyone to get anywhere at any time. This includes during minigames.


The question to you is simple. Should I finish and release the mod?
This poll requires a quorum of 60% of 200 voters. The poll will run for three days.
As a result, if you actually want the mod to be released, I strongly suggest you point it out to your friends.

180

Drama / crazycrypt

« on: September 03, 2012, 06:01:49 PM »

Long-time frenemy crazycrypt has constantly bitched at me when I do anything he doesn't like, and yet, like Zealot, I put up with his loving bullstuff for an incredibly ridiculous length of time.
Apparently the person who permabans people for spawnkilling still isn't cynical enough.
To clarify, that person is me, not crazycrypt.



Let's break them down into bite-sized chunks.

crazycrypt: Unban meh, and why did I get banned in the first place? =s
crazycrypt: I don't remember
crazycrypt: lol
Xalos: Because you are constantly being a jackass to me over completely trivial things

I count three times, at least. Probably more that were minor, so I just dropped them.

Offense 1: I started a new server for some purpose, and crazycrypt gets all pissy because he's not admin.
Then, surprise, I re-evaluate whether I want him to be an admin, and he claims our friendship is over.

Offense 2: Hosting Civilization. He comes along, starts raping the new players, and causes me to lose half my players or more. I confront him about it and he ragequits. (I believe this was after we level-ground each other, so we were both able to one-hit-kill the new players.)

Offense 3: Hosting a freebuild. I'm being a jackass to several morons/spammers, and he bitches because, surprise AGAIN, I don't want people spamming up my freebuild.

crazycrypt: When did I do this? =o
crazycrypt: I dont remember any of this, please explain.
Xalos: At LEAST three times

The three times are above.

Xalos: Once when I set up a new server, you bitched when you weren't admin
Xalos: because it was A NEW loving SERVER.
crazycrypt: That was a long time ago.
crazycrypt: We resolved that.

This is true, we DID resolve it.

Xalos: And you haven't changed since.

This is ALSO true. All of the times I remember meeting him on my server since the first offense, he has been doing something totally assholic.

crazycrypt: Grudges are forbidden.

Okay. Do I have to say it?
Lord Tony has been a troll, an starfish, and a griefer on all the keys I've met him under.
Oh wait! "Grudges are forbidden." Okay everyone, stop hating on Tony! We're not allowed to hold grudges!

crazycrypt: No.
crazycrypt: I havent asked for admin.
crazycrypt: At all.

This too is true, but as I explained above, only one incident was even about admin.

crazycrypt: Now unban me.
crazycrypt: ;c

Oh yeah, that's gonna happen. Every time you've been on my server, you've caused me torment as a host.
You really think I enjoy having to deal with the problems you create for me?

Xalos: Grudges are not forbidden.
crazycrypt: I give up trying to please you and make you my actual friend, years worth of work ends now-

HEY! THAT'S MY LINE!


He's also

• ignored my various opinions on how to improve his server completely
• tried to abuse admin on Civilization (while he HAD it)
• bashed stuff just because it doesn't work picture perfectly ("YOUR EXPERIMENTAL GAMEMODE DOESN'T WORK COMPLETELY PERFECTLY, SO IT SUCKS!")
• been known to deflect the blame onto others for his offenses
  • last line of IRC
  • blames others for killing him because he's trying to kill them
  • tries to blame someone else for stealing part of my house when I'm watching him do it (this was when Civ still allowed spying)

In the end, I'm not buying it. He tries to use psychological traps on me to make me feel bad for punishing him for the stuff he's done, but you know, it doesn't work after the first twenty-three times. (No, I haven't actually counted. 0% of my statistics are pulled out of my ass. Oh wait...)

Discuss. Preferrably crazycrypt, but I wouldn't be surprised if the thread was derailed by the middle of the first page.