Blockland Glass Development

[Scout31]

Blockland Glass


What is this?
Blockland Glass is an Add-on that adds various features to Blockland. After ditching a piece of stuff called Back-up Blockland when I was a novice at scripting/programming, I have taken some time away from Blockland to work on my general knowledge of technology and learn Java. I have come back knowing what I am doing, and bundling a bunch of features I would like to see into Blockland Glass.


Features
Dedicated Server Console**
Do you host on a different computer and cannot/dislike going between computers to see the console? With this feature, viewing the console is just a (well, actually 2) clicks away!

Dedicated Server Boot Control**
Start and stop your server from wherever!

Server Description*
Before connecting to a server, you can read it's description (set by host) and see what other players say about it!

Server Rating
Rate servers for other players to see! While in the server list, sort servers by rating!

Personal Statistics
Track various statistics such as Bricks placed, Distance traveled, and Servers joined!

More to come later... It's a surprise!

* - Requires host to be running Blockland Glass
** - Requires open source Java server wrapper


Q&A
Q: Is this another clone of RTB?
A: No. I plan for this to be nothing like RTB.

Q: Will this be compatible with RTB?
A: Yes.

Q: What's an "Open source Java server wrapper"
A: A Java file that captures the output of the server.

Q: Why "Blockland Glass"?
A: My original intentions were for this to be just a wrapper that captured the output of the console, acting like a Glass window in front of it.

[Ad Bot]

[Zloff]

I'd use it

[Tom]

Give it a better name.

[Scout31]

Like what?

[PowerDag]

How about BlockView?

[Tom]

Also, please tell m how you are going to make player statistics secure. You know, so people can't hack it to say the've planted 9999999999999 bricks?

[halonerfer29]

How about BlockView?

[J MASTER]

BlockToast.
Btw, welcome back Scout =P

[Scout31]

Also, please tell m how you are going to make player statistics secure. You know, so people can't hack it to say the've planted 9999999999999 bricks?

One option could be for statistics to be stored client-sided, so there is no gain from modifying it. The other could be to limit the gain by a time. Like, 10 bricks per second, the server limit by default.

How about BlockView?

Possibly. If enough people like it, I will change it.

[Hydrabisque]

Will players be able to view each others' statistics?

[Scout31]

Will players be able to view each others' statistics?

I haven't decided yet. The most likely answer is yes.

EDIT: Some development progress. The Dedicated Boot Control and Console Viewer will be bundled into one GUI which will also show the Title, Map, Brick Count, Player list, and Player Count (For the ones that can't count a list) of the server that the Dedicated Controller is connected to.

I am also currently debating if the Dedicated Control should need port-forwarding or not. If it IS used, then there would be 100% uptime and no risk of mistrusting me with the raw control of the server. If it IS NOT used, then everything will run through my server with guaranteed uptime, but I would have console and boot access to your server (Of course I wouldn't use it, but some people are a bit sensitive about that). You guys vote!

[Tom]

I haven't decided yet. The most likely answer is yes.

But then storing them client sided is useless.

[TheKhoz]

Blockland Glass Development?

[Aphtonites]

Where's the people who bash these kind of projects for "being RTB ripoffs"?
Did the forum become lighthearted towards these things or not?

[Scout31]

Q: Is this another clone of RTB?
A: No. I plan for this to be nothing like RTB.