Introducing: PlasmaClient!

Deledrius · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:16 pm

sarpedon2 wrote:

Just wondering, can the Plasma client add new features like Parallax mapping and HDR? Or is that beyond it?

Theoretically, yes. How new features may interact with existing Ages is another matter. Some features would probably be easy to add, others not so much.

That's all some ways off, however.

Marten · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:31 pm

Nalates wrote:

Marten wrote:

* PlasmaClient uses a new, modern physics engine called Bullet Physics. MOUL's physics engine, PhysX, is very poor. PhysX doesn't make efficient use of today's modern computers. It doesn't really support multi-core processors, and worse yet, it performs all of its floating point calculations using Intel's instruction set for the x87 coprocessor.

I think your description of PhysX is out of date.

Actually, your description of PhsyX is too new. Mafia 2 is not using the same version of PhysX - a 2007 version - that MOUL uses.

Marten · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:36 pm

I didn't want to stick the relevant chat log in the same message as my response to Nalates, so, posting twice.
Here is the portion of the chat log from yesterday's Guilds & Groups meeting regarding this project by Branan (PaladinofKaos).

[spoiler](09/04 12:58:43) GoMeLeonardo: well yes ^^ OHB already said that, next one is Branan
(09/04 12:58:53) OHB: BRANANANANANANANAAN BRANAN!
(09/04 12:58:54) GoMeLeonardo: also known as PaladinOfChaos ^^
(09/04 12:59:00) Branan: Thanks leo
(09/04 12:59:03) GoMeLeonardo: ^^
(09/04 12:59:14) AuroraNorth claps her hands
(09/04 12:59:16) OHB: ring ring ring ring ring ring brananaphone!
(09/04 12:59:18) Branan: My posse has arrived :P
(09/04 12:59:22) janaba cheers
(09/04 12:59:24) GoMeLeonardo: ah it seems we have all the Guild of Writers there ^^
(09/04 12:59:36) Cennie: so what is going on?
(09/04 12:59:47) Hafo: Guild faitr, cennie.
(09/04 12:59:49) J'Kla: not quite
(09/04 12:59:55) OHB tweaks Whil's tushie. Or sorry Kaelis.
(09/04 12:59:56) GoMeLeonardo: The GoW has taken the stage XD
(09/04 13:00:01) Branan: Alright. For the bast few months, I've been working on a replacement for Cyan's official MOUL client
(09/04 13:00:05) Branan: *past
(09/04 13:00:07) OHB: this is not the GoW
(09/04 13:00:09) Kaelis Ebonrai: Nono, we're just brananananaanana's posse.
(09/04 13:00:18) Whilyam: Ze Kaelis iz a spy.
(09/04 13:00:21) OHB: Chiquita Branana
(09/04 13:00:28) Skydiver Anna: Lol
(09/04 13:00:35) Cennie listens to branan
(09/04 13:00:39) Branan: first things first: http://plasmaclient.servegame.org
(09/04 13:00:50) Branan: hopefully I can get that on rel.to soon
(09/04 13:01:27) Branan: So like I said, I've been working on this for a few months
(09/04 13:01:33) Branan: But I've only recently started making it public
(09/04 13:02:03) Cennie claps her hands
(09/04 13:02:05) Branan: In case anyone missed it because of folks talking: This is a replacement for Cyan's MOUL client
(09/04 13:02:13) Kaelis Ebonrai wants some space!
(09/04 13:02:18) Whilyam wants some space!
(09/04 13:02:31) Kaelis Ebonrai gives whil a shift kick.
(09/04 13:02:31) janaba cheers
(09/04 13:02:37) Dra: saw that a few days ago
(09/04 13:02:37) Kaelis Ebonrai: err.. Swift.
(09/04 13:02:38) Dra: wooy
(09/04 13:02:39) Dra: woot
(09/04 13:02:43) Whilyam: Place a dispenser here!
(09/04 13:02:58) Cennie: what else are you working on Branan?
(09/04 13:03:16) Dra: does the client work with MOUL already or is it using local data only now?
(09/04 13:03:23) Marcus Wheeler: Guys, field questions through Leo
(09/04 13:03:32) Marcus Wheeler: Let Branan talk first
(09/04 13:03:37) Whilyam: Cennie: YOUR MOTHER! :P
(09/04 13:03:41) GoMeLeonardo: (questions to me :P )
(09/04 13:03:44) Kaelis Ebonrai says DOH!
(09/04 13:03:50) Whilyam roars with laughter
(09/04 13:03:53) Branan: Right, lots of basic things are working, but there's still lots of work to do
(09/04 13:03:57) OHB smacks Whilyam
(09/04 13:03:58) Branan: It's very primitive in lots of ways
(09/04 13:04:10) Cennie thinks a babysitter is needed
(09/04 13:04:11) Branan: but it generally works, and it gets past avatar selection to link you to Personal
(09/04 13:04:20) Dra: ah, good :)
(09/04 13:04:52) Branan: It should work on Windows Mac and Linux when it's done, but right now there are some issues on Windows
(09/04 13:05:01) Branan: and it's completely open-source
(09/04 13:05:03) OHB can attest to that
(09/04 13:05:20) Cennie claps her hands
(09/04 13:05:26) janaba claps her hands
(09/04 13:05:28) Luna(nne): (site has been added to the list-of-things-to-be-added-to-rel.to)
(09/04 13:05:30) Branan: I'd honestly rather have Cyan's code to work on and improve, but at this point I really feel this is a more productive thing to do than twiddling my thumbs waiting for them
(09/04 13:05:33) Whilyam claps her hands
(09/04 13:05:37) Hafo claps his hands
(09/04 13:05:37) Dra: right
(09/04 13:05:46) Dra: and if OS Uru never comes, we will have a replacement
(09/04 13:05:51) Branan: alright, I'm not really sure what bits of this people are interestd in most, so... questions?
(09/04 13:06:01) janaba: right Brannan
(09/04 13:06:24) GoMeLeonardo: ok
(09/04 13:06:26) Branan: oh, one thing OHB mentioned about unicode:
(09/04 13:06:31) GoMeLeonardo: First one is Anna
(09/04 13:06:34) Skydiver Anna: K
(09/04 13:06:41) Branan: I can add proper unicode support in PC, beyond what MOUL has currently
(09/04 13:06:49) OHB: PC = PlasmaClient
(09/04 13:06:54) Avi Tarr cheers
(09/04 13:06:59) Branan: whoops, yeah. I'm so used to typing PC >_>
(09/04 13:07:00) Cennie is so lost in coding
(09/04 13:07:19) Skydiver Anna: Are you saying that we will be able to play MOUL on a platform like Drizzle do it for URU CC?
(09/04 13:07:21) OHB: Vince asked for a quick explantion that wasn't too techy
(09/04 13:07:42) OHB: PlasmaClient is a new MO:UL client. It would potentially replace the one we're using now
(09/04 13:07:51) Vince 2.0: sry... i'd hate to be a stick in the mud
(09/04 13:07:54) OHB: It's just for MO:UL right now
(09/04 13:08:05) Branan: Anna, It's a complete client replacement. So it will be just like running Cyan's MOULa client, but will work natively on Mac, Linux, and maybe other weird platforms someday
(09/04 13:08:11) OHB: it means that we can fix bugs, and perhaps one-day support additional functionality
(09/04 13:08:12) Branan: plus Windows of course
(09/04 13:08:15) Whilyam: PlasmaClient will make stuff better. That's pretty simple.
(09/04 13:08:21) Avi Tarr: replaces uruexplorer.exe
(09/04 13:08:25) OHB: correct
(09/04 13:08:27) Branan: exactly, avi
(09/04 13:08:49) janaba: wow!!! :-)
(09/04 13:08:50) OHB: MO:UL will still be the same on the inside
(09/04 13:08:58) OHB: there's no intentions to change the cavern, or internal stuff
(09/04 13:09:05) OHB: this is just the program we use to access it :)
(09/04 13:09:08) Skydiver Anna: Ok so diafero will be able to implement such cool things as jump command and spawn?
(09/04 13:09:19) Jaytee: OHBoy
(09/04 13:09:22) OHB: initially, no
(09/04 13:09:22) Branan: Those are handled in python, so they're outside of the engine
(09/04 13:09:26) OHB: that's entirelly separate
(09/04 13:09:31) Skydiver Anna: Oh that is bad LOL
(09/04 13:09:35) OHB: Plasma is the "engine" that makes it work
(09/04 13:09:37) Branan: but those sorts of mods would be just as possible in my client as they are in Cyan's
(09/04 13:10:05) Avi Tarr sees a need for someone to write just what part of uru code does what for the complete dummy (himself)\
(09/04 13:10:10) Skydiver Anna: Oh ok I will hope you release it soon then
(09/04 13:10:20) Whilyam starts to laugh
(09/04 13:10:22) Branan: It's still very early, but I'm hoping to have something to share soon
(09/04 13:10:26) Branan: next question?
(09/04 13:10:30) Skydiver Anna: Great thx
(09/04 13:10:34) Cennie agrees with Anna
(09/04 13:10:37) OHB: From MY point of view - the most exciting thing is Unicode support - so native support for Chinese or typing accented characters into the chat :)
(09/04 13:10:55) GoMeLeonardo: questio from Mala ^^
(09/04 13:11:00) OHB: but it's ALL very exciting! :)
(09/04 13:11:09) Malaclypse: actually, two questions.
(09/04 13:11:12) OHB: it's a great project. Branan's a complete genius as far as i'm converned
(09/04 13:11:12) Skydiver Anna: Yes that is great too since I'm typing a lot in french without accents for now
(09/04 13:11:31) Malaclypse: First, is there, if any, a timeline for binary releases for the various operating systems?
(09/04 13:11:37) TomVal: No more "Must be a text only" errors ... WOW!
(09/04 13:11:52) Skydiver Anna: Lol tom ;)
(09/04 13:11:57) Branan: There's no real timeline yet. When I've got something that's ready to share I'll make a release
(09/04 13:12:22) Branan: but I am in the process of making a little beta signup page so I can gauge interest in that
(09/04 13:12:27) OHB: (in the meantime, if you enjoy pulling your hair out and know how to do it, you can download the source and try to compile it yourself!)
(09/04 13:12:38) Malaclypse: Thanks. Second, is there a way I could help with that? I can offer both Mac and GCC compiler services on my own CPU time.
(09/04 13:12:40) Avi Tarr: Heh
(09/04 13:12:42) Skydiver Anna: Lol OHB
(09/04 13:13:05) Malaclypse: (I'd need makefiles, though -- not a programmer here)
(09/04 13:13:13) Branan: It has makefiles and everything else
(09/04 13:13:35) Malaclypse: Thank you.
(09/04 13:13:42) GoMeLeonardo: ok, next one is JKla
(09/04 13:13:43) Branan: for now I've alread got windows and linux building capability myself, and I've already got a volunteer for mac
(09/04 13:13:48) Branan: but I'll let you know if I need more help
(09/04 13:13:54) janaba: yeah, that makes the great difference, OHB, when you're dealing with real Open Source :-9
(09/04 13:14:09) Branan: j'kla?
(09/04 13:14:11) J'Kla: So you don't you have a better timescale than a CYAN soon?
(09/04 13:14:16) Dra: i tried compiling it under Arch, major fail since for some reason it didn't find libHSPlasma.so :p
(09/04 13:14:40) Branan: J'Kla: This is more of a "Duke Nukem Forever" soon >_>
(09/04 13:14:43) Dra: lol
(09/04 13:14:49) Marcus Wheeler: So sometime next year?
(09/04 13:14:52) Dra laughs
(09/04 13:14:52) J'Kla: meaning?
(09/04 13:14:53) Malaclypse roars with laughter
(09/04 13:14:53) Vince 2.0: lol!!
(09/04 13:14:54) Marcus Wheeler grins
(09/04 13:14:54) OHB: lol!
(09/04 13:14:58) Kaelis Ebonrai laughs
(09/04 13:14:58) Hafo: lol
(09/04 13:14:58) AgeExplorer laughs
(09/04 13:15:05) Branan: It could be next year, it could be next decade :P
(09/04 13:15:06) Doobes laughs
(09/04 13:15:13) Vaht: This is open source though, so you can see just how far we are
(09/04 13:15:15) Malaclypse: Allow me, plaese:
(09/04 13:15:16) J'Kla: so no better
(09/04 13:15:20) J'Kla: k
(09/04 13:15:25) Kaelis Ebonrai: nom J'kla.
(09/04 13:15:26) Kaelis Ebonrai: *no,
(09/04 13:15:26) Branan: The MOUL engine is complex and I'm doing this in my free time
(09/04 13:15:32) Kaelis Ebonrai: You can download it right /now/.
(09/04 13:15:41) GoMeLeonardo: Next one is Marcus
(09/04 13:15:45) Kaelis Ebonrai: that's better than Cyan ;)
(09/04 13:15:53) Malaclypse: "Duke Nukem Forever" has recently been voted the #1 bit of Vaporware, i.e,. software that was announced but never materialised.
(09/04 13:15:54) Branan: But anyone who can code and wants to speed it up... Join me in the GoW IRC and I'll get you started on helping out :)
(09/04 13:16:14) janaba: you're so great, Branan!!! Thanks a lot :-)
(09/04 13:16:16) Marcus Wheeler: Mala: DNF was playable at PAX this year
(09/04 13:16:21) TomVal: DNF is progressing :)
(09/04 13:16:24) OHB smacks Whilyam hard
(09/04 13:16:31) Marcus Wheeler: Anywho
(09/04 13:16:32) Whilyam: Croikey.
(09/04 13:16:37) Marcus Wheeler: Branan
(09/04 13:16:41) Kaelis Ebonrai thwacks Whil upside the head.
(09/04 13:16:49) Branan: any more questions?
(09/04 13:16:49) janaba: and everybody who cannot wait and feels so inclined can and should try his/her hands in compiling him/herself :-)
(09/04 13:16:52) janaba cheers
(09/04 13:16:57) Whilyam roars with laughter
(09/04 13:16:58) Vince 2.0: does poor whyliam enjoy this abuse?
(09/04 13:16:58) OHB smacks Whilyam even harder
(09/04 13:17:07) GoMeLeonardo: next one is Christian Walther
(09/04 13:17:08) Marcus Wheeler: Let's just "pretend" for a moment that I have absolutely no knowledge of Plasma, the client, coding or programming
(09/04 13:17:08) Thumbs up from Whilyam
(09/04 13:17:11) Malaclypse: Marc: that makes it only 11 years late...
(09/04 13:17:13) Branan: yeah, what Janaba said. It's kinda complicated right now, I'm hoping I can simplify the instructions some
(09/04 13:17:37) Marcus Wheeler: Avi was saying that the client essentially replaces uruexplorer.exe
(09/04 13:17:38) Whilyam: I don't know, I don't have much of an imagination, Marcus...
(09/04 13:17:51) Marcus Wheeler: So I have a few tiny questions
(09/04 13:17:53) OHB throttles Whilyam
(09/04 13:18:02) Vince 2.0: this is a discussion for techno machines...
(09/04 13:18:04) Kaelis Ebonrai: Behave, Whil!
(09/04 13:18:05) Marcus Wheeler: First off, what does the client control, versus what the engine controls?
(09/04 13:18:14) Branan: the client EXE is the engine
(09/04 13:18:19) Branan: same thing, different word
(09/04 13:18:54) Marcus Wheeler: So PlasmaClient is a copy of the Plasma Engine?
(09/04 13:18:57) Whilyam: I can't do it, Marcus. I can't think of you as anything other than a Plasma expert.
(09/04 13:19:02) Vaht: yes
(09/04 13:19:04) Branan: Not a copy, really
(09/04 13:19:12) Vaht: well, a replacement
(09/04 13:19:16) Marcus Wheeler: Sorry, again, just pretend I'm clueless right now
(09/04 13:19:18) Branan: PlasmaClient is written completely from scratch, it's a replacement
(09/04 13:19:18) OHB: it's a re-write of it.
(09/04 13:19:21) OHB: a re-invention of it
(09/04 13:19:24) Kaelis Ebonrai: ...a reimplementation.
(09/04 13:19:25) Marcus Wheeler: Okay
(09/04 13:19:25) Malaclypse: The client connects to the server, gets the data and "reads it out" to the screen -- total oversimplification, I know.
(09/04 13:19:34) Whilyam: I will try, Marcus.
(09/04 13:19:35) Marcus Wheeler: Alright...
(09/04 13:19:36) Avi Tarr: Something that might work better
(09/04 13:19:39) Whilyam makes straining noises...
(09/04 13:19:54) OHB smells burning rubber
(09/04 13:19:56) Marcus Wheeler: Now, another small question, there isn't any legal issue with PlasmaClient since you re-wrote it from the ground up, correct?
(09/04 13:19:58) Vince 2.0: the kiss principle would apply to those of us who don't register techno jargon
(09/04 13:20:02) Branan: correct
(09/04 13:20:08) Marcus Wheeler: Okay...
(09/04 13:20:11) Branan: at least, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not a lawyer
(09/04 13:20:20) Branan: and I haven't talked to one. But as I understand it, I'm in the clear
(09/04 13:20:46) Marcus Wheeler: So can you technically create a shard that runs on PlasmaClient rather than Plasma?
(09/04 13:20:55) Marcus Wheeler: Since you said the client draws data from the vault?
(09/04 13:21:08) Branan: Yeah, you could. You'd need an MOUL-compatible server
(09/04 13:21:09) OHB: Plasma is not a server thing
(09/04 13:21:21) Marcus Wheeler: Okay...
(09/04 13:21:23) Branan: which doesn't really exist in a form that's useful for a real shard
(09/04 13:21:25) Branan: yet
(09/04 13:21:29) Vaht: MOUL and pots servers are very different
(09/04 13:21:42) Cennie remembers shards..
(09/04 13:21:58) Marcus Wheeler: So essentially, when PlasmaClient is complete, you could run a MOUL-compatible server and patch things, and place in updates that would run similarly to the current Uru server?
(09/04 13:22:12) Branan: yeah
(09/04 13:22:18) Cennie cheers
(09/04 13:22:18) Branan: it would be just like private PoTS shards currently
(09/04 13:22:31) Marcus Wheeler: Alright, that's all I needed to know
(09/04 13:22:33) Skydiver Anna: That would be really great
(09/04 13:22:44) Branan: next?
(09/04 13:22:46) Christian Walther: Were the screenshots on your site taken on MOULa or on a local server? Do you feel PC is ready for use on a public server like MOULa, without fear of causing vault corruption or the like? (I still haven't gotten around to trying it either way...)
(09/04 13:22:58) Branan: PC doesn't really use the server at all yet
(09/04 13:23:05) Branan: It queries the vault for your avatars, and that's it
(09/04 13:23:14) Christian Walther: Ah, ok
(09/04 13:23:18) Branan: but yeah, I was connected to Cyan's server for those shots
(09/04 13:23:22) Dra: can you link to places yet?
(09/04 13:23:26) Dra: or is that not done?
(09/04 13:23:32) Branan: it links from Avatar selection to Personal
(09/04 13:23:36) Dra: ah
(09/04 13:23:41) Branan: and if you edit the python, it can link you from selection to any age you want
(09/04 13:23:51) Branan: panic links work
(09/04 13:24:05) Branan: but clickables don't work yet, so most links are not yet functional
(09/04 13:24:37) Squirt sneezes
(09/04 13:24:39) Branan: Any more questions?
(09/04 13:24:47) Dra is using URU BabelBot
(09/04 13:24:54) GoMeLeonardo: a lot more actually
(09/04 13:24:58) janaba: great!!!
(09/04 13:25:02) GoMeLeonardo: next one is Jacsn
(09/04 13:25:04) Marcus Wheeler goes to grab a snack
(09/04 13:25:13) OHB: !ping
(09/04 13:25:14) Dra: PONG! [URU BabelBot 1.1.0.2] - Hi OHB! :)
(09/04 13:25:19) Dra: lol
(09/04 13:25:25) OHB: :) couldn't resist!
(09/04 13:25:31) Branan: Jacsn?
(09/04 13:25:31) janaba: lol
(09/04 13:25:33) Jacsn: Are you going to replicate the physics of Plasma, then?
(09/04 13:25:33) AgeExplorer: haha
(09/04 13:25:43) Dra: oh
(09/04 13:25:46) Dra: speaking of that
(09/04 13:25:48) Branan: Plasma has used several physics systems over the years
(09/04 13:25:52) Branan: Havok, ODE, and PhysX
(09/04 13:25:57) Dra: is Bullet a good replacement for PhysX?
(09/04 13:26:00) Branan: I'm using a different one - Bullet
(09/04 13:26:19) Branan: since PhysX is awful... yeah it's great
(09/04 13:26:24) Dra: lol
(09/04 13:26:28) Jacsn: Okay, so it'll imitate PhysX for the most part, then?
(09/04 13:26:34) Domna: down
(09/04 13:26:36) Whilyam is using URU BabelBot
(09/04 13:26:43) Branan: Hopefully we can get havok-quality back :)
(09/04 13:26:45) Whilyam: The Babelbot is a spy!
(09/04 13:26:47) Branan: from the old PoTS engine
(09/04 13:26:50) Dra: i'd love that
(09/04 13:26:57) Dra: PhysX sucks in Uru
(09/04 13:26:59) Branan: it does
(09/04 13:27:13) Whilyam: {DA} Placer en dispenser her!
(09/04 13:27:17) Hafo: Indeed.
(09/04 13:27:27) Dra: though they fixed some stuff in MQO
(09/04 13:27:37) Jacsn: As a Skydiver, I prefer PhysX to Havok any day of the week.
(09/04 13:27:40) Dra: :P
(09/04 13:27:54) Dra: MQO has no combo jumps for example
(09/04 13:28:04) Branan: that's because PhysX is buggier . Just right you for :)
(09/04 13:28:05) Dra: so if that ever gets to Uru, goodbye some nice spots :P
(09/04 13:28:26) Branan: Alright, next?
(09/04 13:28:40) GoMeLeonardo: Squirt
(09/04 13:28:51) Squirt: How will it make things better?
(09/04 13:28:55) Squirt: Just an idea
(09/04 13:29:01) Squirt: so i know
(09/04 13:29:23) Whilyam: {NO} Det gjor enhjorninger.
(09/04 13:29:38) Branan: Firstly it works on Mac and Linux, not just Windows
(09/04 13:29:39) Vaht: it will be better because we'll be able to fix things
(09/04 13:29:50) Squirt: like what?
(09/04 13:29:50) Whilyam: {FR} Il fait licornes.
(09/04 13:29:53) Dra: i love unicorns
(09/04 13:30:02) Branan: replacing PhysX is a good thing in my book
(09/04 13:30:08) Whilyam: {RO} OHB este un spion!
(09/04 13:30:09) Branan: and full Unicode support, for better internationalization
(09/04 13:30:11) Dra: i have one right here.. a plushie unicorn next to my Bahro pet
(09/04 13:30:18) Squirt: ok
(09/04 13:30:28) Squirt: thx
(09/04 13:30:28) TomVal would like to see a tricorn
(09/04 13:30:40) Branan: like a triceratops, tomVal?
(09/04 13:30:54) Whilyam does a dance
(09/04 13:30:56) TomVal: no, uniceratops
(09/04 13:31:00) Branan: next question?
(09/04 13:31:04) Whilyam: {FR} : (
(09/04 13:31:09) GoMeLeonardo: next one in the queue is JuleeD
(09/04 13:31:13) GoMe.Ju'lee D: What is Cyan's reaction to this proposed client-replacement?
(09/04 13:31:16) Dra: Branan: replacing proprietary stuff is always a good thing :p even replacing the closed-source UruExplorer is good
(09/04 13:31:19) Branan: No idea. I didn't ask them
(09/04 13:31:19) GoMe.Ju'lee D: (had to ask)
(09/04 13:31:26) Branan: we'll probably find out on monday
(09/04 13:31:28) GoMe.Ju'lee D: really? do they know of this yet?
(09/04 13:31:30) GoMe.Ju'lee D: lol
(09/04 13:31:48) GoMe.Ju'lee D: so this is THE official announcement?
(09/04 13:31:59) Branan: I heard my post on the MOUL forum was reported, and it's still there, so at least the mods don't hate it
(09/04 13:32:06) Whilyam: Rand rode on a unicorn and approved of everything... ever.
(09/04 13:32:30) Marten: It doesn't count if it doesn't sparkle.
(09/04 13:32:40) OHB slaps Whil
(09/04 13:32:49) Whilyam slaps OHB harder
(09/04 13:32:51) Branan: Next?
(09/04 13:32:52) GoMeLeonardo: Next one Yootay
(09/04 13:33:38) Yootay: k, is the client responsible for graphic resolution, aspect ratio, fov...etc. directx9 still?
(09/04 13:33:55) Branan: The client is responsible for all of those graphics things, yes
(09/04 13:34:02) Yootay: YES!!!
(09/04 13:34:04) Branan: and PlamaClient uses OpenGL, instead of DirectX.
(09/04 13:34:07) Yootay does a dance
(09/04 13:34:13) Malaclypse cheers
(09/04 13:34:17) Branan: which is why it can run natively on Mac and Linux, where DirectX doesn't exist
(09/04 13:34:38) Musica cheers
(09/04 13:34:41) Yootay: ok so 1080p at proper aspect ratio is possible!
(09/04 13:34:50) Musica cheers
(09/04 13:35:01) Branan: Yeah, it's conceivable you could do 1080p
(09/04 13:35:08) Branan: though the settings GUI would have to be rewritten
(09/04 13:35:32) GoMeLeonardo: next one (last one) is Marten
(09/04 13:35:37) Yootay: ok, its great to hear that thanks
(09/04 13:35:41) Marten: Regarding language support, have you thought about how to handle extended support in PlasmaClient when some players may still be using the original Cyan client?
(09/04 13:36:13) Branan: I haven't thought about that much yet
(09/04 13:36:24) OHB: That's something I'll be discussing with Branan.
(09/04 13:36:33) Branan: Yeah, OHB is the language guy
(09/04 13:36:38) OHB: All things languages and I'm on top of Branan to make it work right :)
(09/04 13:36:48) AgeExplorer: :)
(09/04 13:36:57) TomVal: I'm about to be interested into accessibility issues
(09/04 13:37:08) Marcus Wheeler imagines OHB with whip in-hand standing over Branan's computer
(09/04 13:37:13) OHB: Tom, I'm working with Branan on that too. I've got a number of ideas.
(09/04 13:37:35) Branan: Any more questions?
(09/04 13:37:39) GoMeLeonardo: no
(09/04 13:37:44) Marcus Wheeler claps his hands
(09/04 13:37:45) GoMeLeonardo: thank you very much guys!
(09/04 13:37:51) Dra cheers
(09/04 13:37:57) TomVal claps his hands
(09/04 13:37:58) Luna(nne) claps her hands
(09/04 13:37:59) Christian Walther claps his hands
(09/04 13:38:04) janaba claps her hands
(09/04 13:38:06) GoMeLeonardo claps his hands
(09/04 13:38:06) Hafo claps his hands
(09/04 13:38:06) Timami claps her hands
(09/04 13:38:11) GoMe.Ju'lee D claps her hands
(09/04 13:38:12) BIG thumbs up from TripleXXXrated
(09/04 13:38:13) Marcus Wheeler: It's been enlightening, Branan =)
(09/04 13:38:14) Branan: once again, http://plasmaclient.servegame.org/
(09/04 13:38:16) Yootay claps her hands
(09/04 13:38:19) Branan: hopefully on rel.to soon.[/spoiler]

And for the record, yes, http://rel.to/plasmaclient now points as a shortcut :)

OHB · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:28 am **Posts:** 1247

I'm expecting some info from Branan sometime soon. He's going to write up what he wants the PlasmaClient website to say...I'm going to translate it into human and send it back so he can post it. I'm also working with him to get some additional things on there that will give everyone a good understand of the project's progress.

It's a very complex thing...but we want it accessible to everyone while still having some techy details and links for those who enjoy that sort of thing.

So...as always...stay tuned.

Gondar · **Posted:** Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:41 pm

Ok, I kinda asked it in part and kind of not otherwise, but how will this link to servers in the future? I was told it only has a little functionality so far, but... how will it work with existing ones?

Unless we're talking a wholesale replacement to alcugs-line shards won't the servers and legacy clients have a fit over all this changed physics data and otherwise? I mean, the lag is a physics issue but a lot is pure synchronization isn't it? So what happens if one end has the old phyx and the other uses the newer stuff? Will it desynch? Will we result in servers that only run the new client?

I mean, this issue cropped up in part with the open source discussions, what happens when a build is changed, but it applies here just as strictly, moreso as people seem to think a bug fix can be slotted in happily on the server and it'll work on all clients or something. Or can it miraculously (not just a python hack or what have you, but a full fledged client code change like deep ki functionality or netcode synchronization or what have you).

Sure this is future from where it is, but.. are there plans to get around this? Or is my rudimentary knowledge of plasma not enough and it can full well handle weird conflicting stuff like this?

Lontahv · **Joined:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:51 pm **Posts:** 265

Gondar wrote:

Ok, I kinda asked it in part and kind of not otherwise, but how will this link to servers in the future? I was told it only has a little functionality so far, but... how will it work with existing ones?

Unless we're talking a wholesale replacement to alcugs-line shards won't the servers and legacy clients have a fit over all this changed physics data and otherwise? I mean, the lag is a physics issue but a lot is pure synchronization isn't it? So what happens if one end has the old phyx and the other uses the newer stuff? Will it desynch? Will we result in servers that only run the new client?

I mean, this issue cropped up in part with the open source discussions, what happens when a build is changed, but it applies here just as strictly, moreso as people seem to think a bug fix can be slotted in happily on the server and it'll work on all clients or something. Or can it miraculously (not just a python hack or what have you, but a full fledged client code change like deep ki functionality or netcode synchronization or what have you).

Sure this is future from where it is, but.. are there plans to get around this? Or is my rudimentary knowledge of plasma not enough and it can full well handle weird conflicting stuff like this?

Every feature of Plasma Client written to be compatible with MOULa, contorting in places to do so (for instance, bullet uses the physX data in the files). It reads the MOULa data and can talk to the MOULa server. When it comes to physics, I doubt there will be any sort of syncing problems, since the server takes a client's state verbatim and sends it to the other players. Most, if not all of the changes will be fully client-side, meaning nothing will change when it comes to sending data to the server. Adding enhanced graphics would be an example of such a change. Right now the goal is to provide an alternative, fully open-source client that can be run nativly under Linux, Mac, and Windows. If anything were to be done with special servers, it would be a very, very, very long way off.

OHB · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:28 am **Posts:** 1247

Yeah, as far as the server is concerned...physics doesn't exist. All the server cares about is "where is that cone now, is it moving, and if so, in what direction?" Everything else is handled by the client. If you kick a cone, your computer tells the server "hey, that cone is now over there moving at north at 2mph" and the server says "ok...I'll tell everyone else in the same age so their clients can display the cone where it should be."

You have to know that this type of functionality will be tested and tested again. Releasing a build that will mess something up would not be a good thing...and that's not going to happen.

Nye_Sigismund · **Posted:** Mon Sep 06, 2010 5:00 pm

Wait, so I could in theory kick Eddie TO THE MOON and the server wouldn't care?

I sense a great potential in this young program... for hilarity!

PaladinOfKaos · **Joined:** Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:55 pm **Posts:** 625

That's correct, Nye. It's the same principle that MoulFixer uses to reset relto kickables - just tell the server the new location, and it doesn't care if there's a good physics reason for it.

To reiterate an important point - PlasmaClient does *not* currently do any gameserver interactions. Just some basic read-only vault stuff to get the avatar selection (startup.age) working.

On the subject of new features - it should be possible to do lots of fancy things with graphics, but they would of course raise the system requirements to a more modern graphics card. And most of them would require age writers to opt in. I could, for example, add fancier lighting and advanced shadows, but since most Uru ages use baked lighting (either per-vertex or using lightmaps) you wouldn't see those changes in most ages.

wisedude321 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:44 am **Posts:** 106

Nye_Sigismund wrote:

Wait, so I could in theory kick Eddie TO THE MOON and the server wouldn't care?

I sense a great potential in this young program... for hilarity!

+5 points to the first person who changes this so they kick Eddy so hard that he hits them in the back of the head!

OHB · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:28 am **Posts:** 1247

wisedude321 wrote:

Nye_Sigismund wrote:

Wait, so I could in theory kick Eddie TO THE MOON and the server wouldn't care?

I sense a great potential in this young program... for hilarity!

+5 points to the first person who changes this so they kick Eddy so hard that he hits them in the back of the head!

I'd like to know how EITHER of you expect to hit Eddie anywhere outside of THE CAVERN???

Nalates · **Posted:** Tue Sep 07, 2010 6:10 am

@OHB, Details.

To get Eddie outside the cavern one just needs to shoot canon...

(there is no misspelling there)

OHB · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:28 am **Posts:** 1247

Nalates wrote:

@OHB, Details.

To get Eddie outside the cavern one just needs to shoot canon...

(there is no misspelling there)

/me fires Nalates

(Donald Trump style)

Marten · **Posted:** Tue Sep 07, 2010 6:02 pm

I just had an interesting thought. (Maybe someone else mentioned this already but I did not see it!)

Since this open source client currently runs content offline, reading all of the ages from the hard drive and performing only a tiny bit of up-front communication with the Myst Online server...

... does this mean that, as this client evolves, it could be used to single-player test new fan ages being developed, before those ages are made available through the server? I can see how an "offline" mode for the client would be extremely useful for testing purposes.

semplerfi · **Posted:** Tue Sep 07, 2010 7:32 pm

Nye_Sigismund wrote:

Wait, so I could in theory kick Eddie TO THE MOON and the server wouldn't care?

Seems I remember a collision plain corner/crack or two where you can launch Eddie as well as one's self off into lala land. :wink:

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