[draive]

Hey guys,

I'm working on a more graphical game client for muds. The objective is to develop a more comfortable client for players who began online gaming with graphical MMOs. One of my favorite old games is Realms of Kaos that I was a builder for, so its somewhat similiar to that.

I started the project a couple years ago writing it in Java. I love Java but I found that SWING is total crap and I basicaly deleted the source out of frustration. Recently (a couple weeks ago) I started looking at ActionScript 3 and decided to give it a shot. I have found AS3 to be a much more suitable lang for GUIs and when used in conjunciton with the AIR platform, quite powerful.

Current features include:

-- Room list of mobs and items with rollover icons and group list of players in your group. These two lists are added to a JtoggleButton group (I use ASWing library to get some of swings features). This allows you to target someone in your group or something in the room your in. You can then hit 1-10 or press an action button to cast spell on whatever you targeted.

-- Uses Standard MXP tags for graphics.

-- 10 key action bar. This bar is for any spells, actions or anything else you want.

-- Spell book. Has drag and drop spell icons that can be dropped into the action bar.

-- Global hotkeys are in place with "WASD" movement and 1-10 for action bar implemented. You can also click on an item and hit "g" or w/e to get it.

-- Compass shows which directions you can go and is clickable to move with.

-- Player icon with stat bars for health and mana.

-- Multiple chat and information windows. Currently a general window and a combat window.

-- Spells are scripted via XML. So any game can plug in a simple XML text file to add their spells. This is also faster than obtaining that sort of information from the server.



Next round of features:

-- Inventory and equipment windows (Similiar to the spell book with the ability to drag items from inventory onto the equipment window to equip items).

-- More chat pane tabs. (Private Messages, Guild, Auction channels etc.)

-- More right click options.

-- Working map like other MUD mapping systems but using graphics for the rooms instead of simple boxes.

-- Trade windows (again with drag and drop buy / sell GUI).

-- Addition of "green bubbles" to represent movement stat on the player icon.



I also plan to make the client easily configurable so that it can be used with multiple code bases. That being said, some server side modifications maybe needed to get it to work. The client is currently being tested with CoffeeMud.

These are some screen shots of the client:

Basic room:
http://andrewscarpetcleaning.com/client/1.jpg

Spells:
http://andrewscarpetcleaning.com/client/3.jpg



Let me know what you guys think. Is this something that anyone would actually use?

[Ide]

It certainly looks like it has a lot of potential. It reminds me a little of the BatMUD client and the stand-alone client for Revelation as well.

I'm guessing the player can position, resize, and overlap the windows?

[Mabus]

Originally Posted by draive Let me know what you guys think. Is this something that anyone would actually use?

I like where you are going with it.

Keep skinning, and move-able and size-able windows, in mind as you go. Players seem to like to change the "look" of their clients, and sharing the skins is always a good part of a community.

Does it support all directions on your compass? Does it have numpad and function key assignments? Can your room picture window accept transparent overlays (possible MOB/Item pictures)? Is it application based, and if so what are the requirements for the user?

As a coder currently using CoffeeMUD I am very interested in your progress. I wish you the best of luck. I look forward to hearing about your project.

[Threshold]

It looks like you are making excellent progress. Mabus makes a good point about skinning and window resizing/moving. Those are key features (especially resizing and moving windows).

[draive]

Keep skinning, and move-able and size-able windows, in mind as you go. Players seem to like to change the "look" of their clients, and sharing the skins is always a good part of a community.

You can move around all the windows and resize them. However, I need to work on the resizing of some of the windows to make them work better.

The client uses a skinning system with AS3 but I am going to move that to XML so that players can do it with ease.. this shouldn't be too big of an issue.

Does it support all directions on your compass? Does it have numpad and function key assignments? Can your room picture window accept transparent overlays (possible MOB/Item pictures)? Is it application based, and if so what are the requirements for the user?

Currently it only supports NSEW but adding NE, NW etc. would be extremely easy. The client supports key assignments, I just need to add the UI to make those changes.

All the mob pics and graphics are overlays. I could add overlays for the room window, wouldnt be a big deal.

Not sure what you mean by application based, if you mean how would they skin or change stuff, it would be changing XML text files.

[caimen]

I am pretty impressed, I am looking to do something very similar with my MUD eventually, however I am still spending most my time with the server side and my friend is working on a javascript mini map. But Flash/Actionscript is very powerful, unfortunatley I still don't know it as good as javascript.

Sharp MUD Console username: test password: test
-Adam Rochford

[Kleothera]

Yes, this is very definitely going to be used, if the rest of the content ends up looking as good as your two pictures and it is compatible with a range of codebases, not tailormade to a couple of games.