Vehicle/Player Skins, Gnome ideas, Stat-tracking

[Guardian]

Vehicle/Player Skins:
What might be a very cool, new thing to do is implement the ability to change the skin of your vehicle. But, not only that, make it not so much a pain in the butt as it was in Tribes 1 (dunno about the other tribes, I never tried skinning for T2 and T:V) and implement a skin designing tool right in the menu of the game. Allow for players to import graphics from their computer to their skins, and then save the skin as an image.

I understand it could be a problem to have everyone's skins visible in-game using in-game downloader. Regulating the skin can be done. But, the connotation of the word "regulate" imply that the skins would be crappy since they are limited file size. This does not have to be the case.

I think if the regulated file size was still a pretty big amount (like 2 meg or something I dunno how big a skin usually is) it could still be downloaded seem-lessly if when the player joined with his/her skin, the packets being sent to the other players were just added with the skin data. Send 75kbps of the skin image in addition to the game data packages. While the skin is still downloading, the default skin would appear on the persons with the custom skins.

Anyways, if that doesn't make sense, please tell me.

Gnome:
I REALLY hope there are gnomes as playable characters! I thought that if they are, they shouldn't have any weapons or jetpacks at all. What they would use is their magic.

The usual energy meter will, instead, act as a magic meter to gnomes. Gnomes will be able to fly by using their magic and as they fly, fairy dust should shoot out of their feet.

For weapons, the Gnomes could maybe purchase 'spells'. Those would also, when used, come out of their magic. Naturally, the actual meters for the energy bar would need to be significantly higher for Gnomes than for other humans.

The downside to Gnomes are that they cannot use vehicles and they have pretty week attacks. They're mostly distractions, though they CAN kill. A plus for being a Gnome is that you have a lot of magic and can attack quite a bit and are also very fast.

What do you think, Ascension devs? eh? eh?

Stat-Tracking:
I think stat-tracking would be an awesome idea. Integrating it would be easy, I think. I believe that if you have the server send to a database: 1) The name of the server 2) The mod running on the server 3) The names of the people playing 4) The scores after each map, then it's easy from there.

All the total scores and stuff could be done on the server side of the database. Also, a website to display the data would, of course, be implemented. Say we're playing Imperator Mod. I think it's entirely possible to make a site where you can type (for example) www.stat-tracking-site.com/Imperator Mod and it'll take you to the mod page and give a global list of players and their points. Also, in a menu, you can select each server available that plays the Imperator Mod, find your own, see how you rank up against the others in the same server as you play in.

And guess what the best news is? I'm willing/I AM making the website and database for you guys! I'll be working on it, totally by my choice, and I'll show you what I get done. Then you can tell me whether you want to use it or not, it doesn't matter.

So tell me what you think of my ideas. I eagerly await responses.

[Archnemesis]

Ok I want to be the first to say WTF???? You play too many MMORPG. Gnomes are just easter eggs and would probally have the same attributes and weapon sets as everyone else. With the ability to add gnomes I figure there are many other things you could add which will become a MOD like the Tribes RPG for those of you that remember that MOD in T1. Football Mod was fun as hells BTW the RPG Mod sucked.

[Danderson]

Any in-game downloading should be toggled by client/server choice (and can be changed by what type of file it is). During the game is a bad idea though, as that just eats up both the server's and the clients bandwidth. You have to realize many people might be playing with 256kbs or along those lines.

Stat tracking I think has no objections except technical ones. But in this case, I think that it would be hard to make sure its the mod it is. What I mean is someone could make a mod just to get points and name it something else. Although if it tracks the server too, that won't be a problem. Base should be (relatively) easy too.

[teratos]

I'm not sure how the skin thing would work, so I'll let someone else comment on that one.

Gnomes are the most secret part of RenWerX. Gnome information is given out on a need to know basis. Any developer responses regarding gnomes are simply their opinions.

Stat-tracking...this is becoming quite a popular topic lately. I'd really love to see something implemented. I'd also like to hear ideas for it. Logs have to be parsed - should we do this on the server and send it to the master? How so,how often, how??

If not, just parse server logs into html?

What about retrieving them from the master if we go about it that way?
or what about a web service?

[HardDrive]

I don't care too much about the skins, or the gnome thing, I find them equally irrelevant.

As far as the stat tracking I enjoy the idea, but I won't miss it if it's not some huge master-server oriented operation. Considering all of the factors it seems to me you either end up with a user account system (which I think is too cumbersome to be that useful, UNLESS totally optional for both servers and users) or just raw data with names on it in which there's no real integrity to the data (or at least in the sense that you have no real sense of who is actually doing what, you're just querying about a name which has no real protection.)

[coma]

Originally Posted by teratos

Stat-tracking...Logs have to be parsed...How so,how often, how??

The next question becomes: What about Smurf names?

[Krash]

I think on-the-fly skin manipulation through an ingame page would be a pretty interesting thing to have. Not a big full featured image editor of course, but something to flip through a few included textures, perhaps change the colourization of sections of it, and stick on decals. It shouldn't use a new image that would have to be downloaded, but apply certain attributes by marked grid locations the client sends in a line or two.

Also, using any texture on any shape would be pretty useful in mods (particularly construction) and serverside mapping as well...

[rlh]

Originally Posted by coma

The next question becomes: What about Smurf names?

I think smurf names should be allowed, as long as the server owner has the ability to know the true account identity. I will not go into how accounts will be registered at the moment (mainly because it has not been finalized yet) so any talks regarding account identification is only going to be pure speculation at this point.

You first though have to identify what is a "Smurf" account.

Is it another account for someone or is it the ability to change the current account name to something else?

rlh

These opinions are my own and not those of RenWerX.

[Amadeus]

I would think it's several names on one account, since multiple accounts on one computer can either be just multiple people or one smurf, and there's no way to tell the difference between those.

[dienasty]

personally, I would like to have different options for skins, but at the same time I would like to be able to use the no cheat functions. (forget what that was in T2 (CRC?) that checked, but was always turned off so people could use their red mines or whatever).

because this is a free game, I don't think it'd be effective to disallow 'smurf' (multiple names) as its not like you'd actually have to buy another account. IPS are good for those who have static, but i suppose some people don't.

there should be a gnome pack, that you wear on you back like yoda, which gives you the power to skip really fast and book hotel rooms.

[Guardian]

Alright, as far as how anyone knows who is actually who, there would be no trouble, in my eyes. Logging IP to names comes to my mind, but I think a far better plan would be (server keeps track of the players anyways) a quick, easy login system per server. Like maybe typing !login -pass into the console or global chat.

Screw that, make a button that justs asks for your password when you join a server. Or you can register a character. Even registration doesn't have to be a long process. If the person doesn't register, they can play, but not have any stat tracking until they register. How's that sound?

Personally, I don't think it'd matter. I think we should just list all players and their scores, regardless of smurf.

[teratos]

[DISCLAIMER=This isn't official]
Let's assume we have a master server that provides authentification and servers are given a player id.

Now tell me, do you want global stats, server stats, gametype stats, etc...

How/where should they be stored and retrieved?

My opinion is a parser that allows individuals to export in a CSV file (for importing into databases) or as html files. These would be both totals and per game, this would be an on/off thing of course.

Servers should have the same functionalility on a per game basis and a running log since the server started functioning.
[/DISCLAIMER]

[Gimme Lead]

Originally Posted by teratos

[DISCLAIMER=This isn't official]
Let's assume we have a master server that provides authentification and servers are given a player id.

Now tell me, do you want global stats, server stats, gametype stats, etc...

How/where should they be stored and retrieved?

My opinion is a parser that allows individuals to export in a CSV file (for importing into databases) or as html files. These would be both totals and per game, this would be an on/off thing of course.

Servers should have the same functionalility on a per game basis and a running log since the server started functioning.
[/DISCLAIMER]

We looked at this awhile back and began implementing it in our shifter servers. We have yet to finish it, b/c, well, tribes is on the respirator.

This would best be kept modular, with each server retaining its own stats (if stats were turned on for that server), and then having the ability to upload or exchange stats with other master servers, game servers, and/or web servers. It would be very simple to have each server export the gathered data, either upload or exchange the data, then have a web server build the output to be displayed, as needed.

One problem I see is that whatever password or even possibly the player id that a client uses in order to identify himself to the server would have to be encrypted or otherwise well guarded. This would not only apply to the stat tracking, but also to keep a leash on troublemakers.

For instance, regarding a password, it has been VERY common in the distant and even recent past that evil bastards have gotten copies of Tribes 1 client player profiles, which contain the "password" that is used by the server to identify and store that client's info on the server. (these files are stored in plain text, on the server itself, the related contents of which look like this: $funk::var["ShifterProfile_xMxxGimmexLead", password] = "pleaseusethispasswordtohackmyemail"; )

These evil bastards must have sifted through and tested hundreds of profiles in order to get just one or two passwords that actually worked on forums, email, etc. You can certainly make the argument that only a total idiot would use a legitimate password in his player profile, but don't forget that the world is comprised of 85% total idiots.

So, think this one over for awhile, test different solutions heavily, and make sure you come to the best decision possible.

[Archnemesis]

@Gimme
Truth be told that even if they were to encrypt the passwords people would still try to decrypt them. That is the way societty is. Must of the time people use the same passwords for everything they do so they can remember them. As a computer tech I have long passwords they I change frequestly for my personal data like email and other accounts. Only thing you can do is add a disclaimer to tell people to secure they passwords and change them often, also not to use the same password on their game account that they use for other personal data.

[HardDrive]

well, I figure you could do it this way.

User Contacts Server, Server contacts master server, User contacts master server, authenticates with master server and allows user to play, or something along those lines.