RTB Development

[Jaydee]

Hey I've got an idea:

Server Information on loading. Much like the Infomaniac. The difference is its on the left side and it shows the server title, number of bricks, players, etc. Its just a small info while loading.

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[Ephialtes]

I'm a bit against any sort of idea that would further obscure the loading screen or general GUI space. Blockland started off with really clean, empty windows and minimal gui. Adding the infomaniac was arguably pushing that but I think he *kind of* fits in.

I'm planning to re-do the main menu for v4 to make it less obtrusive, I like the main menu much better without all the RTB links there if I were being honest.

[Jaydee]

I'm a bit against any sort of idea that would further obscure the loading screen or general GUI space. Blockland started off with really clean, empty windows and minimal gui. Adding the infomaniac was arguably pushing that but I think he *kind of* fits in.

Hmmm, kay.

[-Jetz-]

Have you ever considered the idea of adding support for Infomaniac giving tips in-game, possibly triggered by certain add-ons to show how they work? It could be useful for less clear mod functions. Maybe have it so the add-on registers its tips with a title and context, and then could easily tell it to display it to a client when they pull out the weapon or switch to the playertype or access the add-on in some way. On the client side, registered tips could be saved for future reference, and in-game, you could have a check box to not display them again. 

[Blastdown]

And have an option in the RTB Options to disable those tips completely, if wanted.
That actually sounds rather useful in some ways, it would probably really help the new people.

[Space Guy]

A way to display help with things via RTB would be more useful. That way, simple things like when to use the Fill Can (if a player is detected as trying to paint lots of similarly coloured bricks at once) could be displayed once or twice by a tip popup rather than in every server you visit. For instance, this mod comes up with "It would seem you've stumbled upon a Swiss Army Gun!" the first time you use it in every single server. A short help tip when you first do could be monitored client-side by RTB and then not displayed again to prevent it coming annoying.

[Bushido]

holy stuff that would be useful

explain horrifyingly complex guns without having to EXPLAIN horrifyingly complex guns!





you should actually make it triggerable by scripts, too: for instance if you just joined a very complex new deathmatch server, infomaniac could tell you the ins and outs before bullets are going in and out of you

[Space Guy]

That's what I mean. Specific mods could detect you being in a situation where a tip might be useful (being near a downed teammate in Zombies, painting a huge wall) and then displaying a short help thing.

explain horrifyingly complex guns without having to EXPLAIN horrifyingly complex guns!

... although weapons and stuff should probably be made better to be 'pick up and use' without too complicated things other than "jet to scope this gun", "hold down to charge".

[Deathwishez]

Can we also pick our favorite servers? I get tired of going through hundreds of servers to find the ones I like.

Also, can you throw in a 'Karma' system, to where we may rate players if we like them and what-not?

Lastly, the in-game informaniac sounds helpful. I'd have to where we could toggle of tips for certain things, and informaniac in general. For things like CityRP (Eww!) information can say things like, "Having you considered getting a better job? Type '^help jobs' to see the job list."

[Chrono]

-Favorite servers should be a seperate mod.

-Karma system is rather a bad idea. Someone who is fair and and respected could be voted down by several kids with 'turettes' simply because they won't give out a mod that doesn't need to be given out.

-Agreed.

[Ephialtes]

Favourite servers would fall under the umbrella of what RTB does (community services, effectively) but as mentioned before, it's very hard to implement something along these lines. In most games, there are dedicated servers with static IPs (presumably they pay for this) and a static IP makes favouriting a server really easy.

However with Blockland, you're operating with two possible variables - either the IP or the player's name. Both of these can often be subject to regular change, especially the IP because not many ISPs will give their residential customers a static ip. Furthermore, Blockland servers tend to change their themes quite regularly so you may favourite a CityRP one day and come back in a week to find the only thing in your list is "Freebuild, first here gets admin" and you think "wtf?"

I will look into the possibility of server-created infomaniac tips though, it'd be a good way to extend his usefulness.

[Space Guy]

When setting a server as a favourite, use the RTB list to find the BL_ID associated with the player's name.
Loading the list of favourite servers looks up each ID you have on the RTB list to see if there's a server with their current name.

[Ephialtes]

Sounds like a decent idea. I think it could probably fit in quite nicely with my plans to store user's controls and preferences on the RTB server, too.

[Marcem]

I'm a bit against any sort of idea that would further obscure the loading screen or general GUI space. Blockland started off with really clean, empty windows and minimal gui. Adding the infomaniac was arguably pushing that but I think he *kind of* fits in.

I'm planning to re-do the main menu for v4 to make it less obtrusive, I like the main menu much better without all the RTB links there if I were being honest.

You should do something like steam, tell the user how to access RTB when the game starts up, and use an overlay.

[Cody574]

I'm planning to re-do the main menu for v4 to make it less obtrusive, I like the main menu much better without all the RTB links there if I were being honest.

This is the reason I didn't install RTB when I first bought Blockland, I didn't like the messy menu.