# Thirteenth Official Chat

### Wednesday, 29 November 2000

Abaddon | Welcome to yet another HoC chat for UOX3. Glad to see a number of people here, more than last time
Abaddon | There's no specific topic today, so feel free to ask questions. Type /msg QuestionBot !addq Your question goes here
Abaddon | There's no specific topic today, so feel free to ask questions. Type /msg QuestionBot !addq Your question goes here
Abaddon | Or type /msg QuestionBot !commandq for a full list of commands
Abaddon | So, ask away!

# Questions

- when oh when will the test versions end? =} (Dreoth, 1 votes)
- anything big going to be added to UOX before the Dec 31 release? (Dreoth, 1 votes)
- How long till we can expect the javascript system? (Binary, 1 votes)
- Are the current changes being made to the UOX code being ported over to the new upcoming LARGE build? Additionally, do the delays in the current code cause delays in the release of the "Big" release? (Tom2, 1 votes)
- Is there an eta on the ability for ships to "sail around the world"? Meaning when a ship hits the north map it wraps to the south immediately. (Paige, 1 votes)
- Will there be any moves to add some of the freelance coders, like knox, to the Devteam? (Tom2, 1 votes)
- Will we ever see items added through target cursor instead of directly to backpack again? *whistles* (Xuri, 1 votes)
- Will there be one tool that will " combine " all of abs exsisting tools and are there any updates or new tools comming out in the next few weeks? (Weazel, 1 votes)
- Do you agree that adding magic items with the ability to add to any skill would greatly expand ths possibilities for interesting magic items, and is there any plans for such implementation in the near future? (Tom2, 1 votes)
- With the Big december release will npcs stop pausing after each step and walk alot smoother with the new script engine? (Dreoth, 1 votes)
- will there be a new map building tool for UOX3 any time soon? (Dreoth, 1 votes)
- Any set date for the Test release 5? *snickers* (Tom2, 1 votes)
- With all the new posts about UO:3D's arrival, has there been any legitimate information regarding them making it harder for Emus to function, or even incorporate the latest additions they are making? (Tom2, 1 votes)
- And new information on the logo contest? (Paige, 1 votes)
- How about an entirely new look for uox's website? (Paige, 1 votes)
- Will there ever bee a windows's style interface for the emulator instead of a black dos style screen? (Paige, 1 votes)
- when you say that you step south and it wipes all static items...is that only on boats or when you cross over by land too? if it's by land, that can seriously affect some custom servers. (Binary, 1 votes)
- When will the forum link on uox3.com be fixed? It opens a entirely new window right now and errors out. (Paige, 1 votes)
- I am confused about bugs and the best way for them to be acknowledged. Specifically, do you want us to use the message boards as a dynamic medium for bug exposure, or do you want us to use the Bug Database? (Tom2, 1 votes)
- Hey Ab, am I being a pest? :) (Paige, 1 votes)
- I suppose this was just answered but what is the absolute total complete main uox3 site currently? I need to update my website to reflect this. (Paige, 1 votes)
- Over the past few years we have seen uox evolve to new versions of itself constantly bettering what it is to better provide for the users. Will uox3 ever evolve into a uox4 or just continue with the current name? (Paige, 1 votes)
- If you set tiles near the bottom of the map and have it to where when someone steps on them they teleport to the top of the map...wouldn't that work as a temp. fix for the map problem? (Binary, 1 votes)
- Would it be possible to include in the teleport.scp an effectiveness on ships? It currently does characters and horses, etc. But if you got it to work with ships then you could ignore the border problems and let admin declare the world boundaries. (Paige, 1 votes)
- Regarding the new script engine: What language will scripts be in, javascript I'm assuming, and will there be a tool out to edit them without directly writing new scripts, akin to Decius' editor, for those who don't wish to learn how to script manually? (Zane, 1 votes)
- How far from the edge can you be before uox "barfs"? 10 tiles? have to cross it? (Binary, 1 votes)
- how many of the .scp arent being used? If there is any will they be removed from the source soon so we can clean up the files a bit :} (Dreoth, 1 votes)
- What are the next problems\bugs you are working to hopefully get fixed within the next couple of builds? (Cobol_Junky, 1 votes)
- One of the things I am looking forward to is a better account system, will you be making any new releases on that before the big build or are you saving it for the big build (Cobol_Junky, 1 votes)

when oh when will the test versions end? =} (Dreoth, 1 votes) Abaddon | Well, they'll end when they end. A lot of it has been laziness on my part, and an indicator to the people using them that they are test versions, and may have unforeseen issues. When walking stabilizes, you'll probably see a stable 20e, or we'll skip a stable 20e and hit straight on to 20f or 21 :>

anything big going to be added to UOX before the Dec 31 release? (Dreoth, 1 votes) Abaddon | Very unlikely. The period up until Dec 31 is devoted to bug fixes and improvements. Swimming/flying NPCs may be the extent of any additions
Xuri | Of course there might be some big bugfixes or improvements *grins*
Xuri | Didn't specify "big"
Xuri | ;P
Abaddon | :>
Xuri | Or big bugs added? hehe j/k

How long till we can expect the javascript system? (Binary, 1 votes) Abaddon | Well, let's lookie and see. It's nearly December now, so basically, it's most likely going to be available Dec 31. However, depending on timing, and how much we can get done, we may be able to squeeze it in by Christmas. Perhaps earlier, though that seems a touch unlikely
Abaddon | I know you're all itching for it, I've been working on the docs and fleshing things out. You will know it's capabilities, format, and other things weeks in advance
Xuri | * drools

Are the current changes being made to the UOX code being ported over to the new upcoming LARGE build? Additionally, do the delays in the current code cause delays in the release of the "Big" release? (Tom2, 1 votes) Abaddon | Almost everything done in the current source base is being ported over into the upcoming large build, yes. Not everything, but almost everything. Things have changed, things have been reorganized, and things aren't the same. So where appropriate, we're bringing across all the bug fixes and improvements that we can. In fact, one of the major things we're bringing over is the walking code that Knox and Thyme have been working on
Abaddon | Saves us from having to do everything :>
Abaddon | Delays in the current code base, or the time I have to spend working on the current code base, do delay the big release. I can't be working on everything at once, I'm sure you can understand. That's one of the reasons we try and stick rigorously to the 2 week build release, so that I can work on the release, then spend another 1.5 weeks working on the large build, and so on
Xuri | (And I only remember to update uoxdev.com so many times per week :)

Is there an eta on the ability for ships to "sail around the world"? Meaning when a ship hits the north map it wraps to the south immediately. (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | Well, north/south is different from east/west, I guess. From interesting experiments of my own, you can actually go further south than the "valid" map locations. The client itself wraps the map0.mul stuff around, but not statics
Abaddon | So if you do want to see a staticless world, you could pop on down south, and see it that way. Fascinating, to say the least :>
Abaddon | I personally don't want to implement an east/west wrapping. Mostly due to the fact I have a river running from T2A to Britannia myself :>
Abaddon | As for north/south.... haven't looked into it, but I'll have a looksie sometime. Doubt it's that hard to do
Xuri | Not to mention countless other custom maps which would not benefit from it.

Will there be any moves to add some of the freelance coders, like knox, to the Devteam? (Tom2, 1 votes) Abaddon | Well, that's not really up to me to decide. It's up to the freelancer involved, and EviL himself. Now, I know that EviL had plans for a sort of selection criteria, an exam of sorts that people would sit, so that we can ensure we have knowledgeable people joining the team
Abaddon | But it's not up to me
Abaddon | And of course, that implies that Knox and so on want to be part of the core team, and not a freelancer :>
Abaddon | Anyone is still free to submit snippets to me

Will we ever see items added through target cursor instead of directly to backpack again? *whistles* (Xuri, 1 votes) Abaddon | One day Xuri, one day :>
Xuri | * grins

Will there be one tool that will " combine " all of abs exsisting tools and are there any updates or new tools comming out in the next few weeks? (Weazel, 1 votes) Abaddon | Unless someone puts them all together on my behalf, it's not likely. For a few reasons
Abaddon | 1) They don't all relate to each other that much
Abaddon | 2) You have a slim set of tools as it stands
Abaddon | 3) Combining them all could cause some code and size bloating, and increase start up times. You also may only want one feature
Abaddon | 4) It's easier to maintain seperate tools than a combination of them
Abaddon | As for new tools coming out in the next few weeks, I imagine there will be to support the new definition file system that is in the works, to translate from old to new
Abaddon | I don't have the time to update the current tools at the moment, so it's not likely that an update will come out for them
Xuri | Hm I think Orcberg is working on a tool (nearly finished I think) that lets you compile a text list of npcs and items in your world...:>
Xuri | And I'm almost done with version 0.20 of WorldBuilder hehe .

Do you agree that adding magic items with the ability to add to any skill would greatly expand ths possibilities for interesting magic items, and is there any plans for such implementation in the near future? (Tom2, 1 votes) Abaddon | Yes, I agree that it would help to expand things. I don't know if it should be added straight into the core, mostly because that would involve storing up to 50 new numbers, per item, for most items that don't make a difference. So that's an extra (at minimum) 50 bytes, per item, for every item in the world. Do the math, and you'll see that RAM increases quickly add up
Abaddon | HOWEVER, under the newer scripting engine, it should be possible to do this without requiring that extra memory bloat

With the Big december release will npcs stop pausing after each step and walk alot smoother with the new script engine? (Dreoth, 1 votes) Abaddon | Has very little, if nothing, to do with the script engine really. It's a combination of walk speed, memory, bandwidth, and CPU time. Walk speed should be more customizable in the big release, and memory and bandwidth should be more efficient as well. But it's all in the walking :>
Xuri | And unless mysterious events interfere, NPCs should walk smoother with mul-caching enabled in server.scp

will there be a new map building tool for UOX3 any time soon? (Dreoth, 1 votes) Abaddon | TO my knowledge, dunno. The BMP->MAP converter was released last week on the boards (though I note that Xuri never put it on uoxdev *coughs*)
Xuri | * whistles
Xuri | I forgot.
Abaddon | I can't speak for others, but I don't really have any plans for one :>

Any set date for the Test release 5? *snickers* (Tom2, 1 votes) Abaddon | Nope :>
Abaddon | I might skip it and go to 6, or maybe 7... or not release another at all :>

With all the new posts about UO:3D's arrival, has there been any legitimate information regarding them making it harder for Emus to function, or even incorporate the latest additions they are making? (Tom2, 1 votes) Abaddon | Not really. I have hard rumours abounding that the land will be larger. But you must understand, OSI need to retain compatability between each of the 2 clients, and they need to be interoperable
Abaddon | So that means they will share a common encryption (which we ignore), and a common packet structure. Granted, UO:3D may have more, I understand that, but I wouldn't have thought it would be TOO difficult to cope with
Abaddon | UO:3D may have a larger map (breaking all those wonderful toys like Worldforge *snickers*) but that should be easy to deal with. They'll have new npcs, sure, but that should be easy to deal with. They need to be able to support the current map as it stands
Abaddon | They may have a new format for it, they may not. Even if they do, it shouldn't be too hard to correlate (it would be the same, after all)
Abaddon | So all in all, I don't think it'll be too hard to support

And new information on the logo contest? (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | Not my part of the system, that's up to EviL, not me. I remain ignorant on that :>

How about an entirely new look for uox's website? (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | uoxdev.com or uox3.net? If uoxdev, that's up to Xuri
Abaddon | if uox3.net, that is a new look, and up to EviL :>
Xuri | :>

Will there ever bee a windows's style interface for the emulator instead of a black dos style screen? (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | Wish it would be nice and simple. Not simple to do, and retain source compat with Linux. Now if we could get rid of Linux... *evil grin*

when you say that you step south and it wipes all static items...is that only on boats or when you cross over by land too? if it's by land, that can seriously affect some custom servers. (Binary, 1 votes) Abaddon | I don't think I said step south, I think I said go south :> You can't walk there (UOX will barf) but you can teleport there. Go to say.... 5000 4000 0, and then do 'incy 200 on yourself. Interesting view, to say the least
Abaddon | But no, you couldn't walk or sail there, you could only teleport

When will the forum link on uox3.com be fixed? It opens a entirely new window right now and errors out. (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | Well, uox3.com I don't know about... uox3.net I do. EviL's in the process of upgrading the machine with more RAM, and reinstalling some software. I believe it will be unavailable for a few more hours yet
Xuri | uox3.com has never been a "main" site for UOX3 and I don't think it ever will either.
Xuri | Used to be a shard page but the admin discontinued it.

I am confused about bugs and the best way for them to be acknowledged. Specifically, do you want us to use the message boards as a dynamic medium for bug exposure, or do you want us to use the Bug Database? (Tom2, 1 votes) Abaddon | Message board (as in the bugs part) is useful for clarifying details of the bugs
Abaddon | The bugs database should DEFINITELY be used, as I use that myself to decide what to work on for the next build. So if you want it fixed, it better be there :>
Abaddon | The DB is also so we don't have to go topic chasing to find bugs (not all topics are... useful)

Hey Ab, am I being a pest? :) (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | No more than most people :>

I suppose this was just answered but what is the absolute total complete main uox3 site currently? I need to update my website to reflect this. (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | uoxdev.com is the current release point and news point for UOX3. uox3.net contains the forums. In future, uox3.net will offer more than it does now (files, tools, news, things like that). A point from which the official dev team can put stuff

Over the past few years we have seen uox evolve to new versions of itself constantly bettering what it is to better provide for the users. Will uox3 ever evolve into a uox4 or just continue with the current name? (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | Name change unlikely, to my knowledge. May move it out of alpha sometime though :>

If you set tiles near the bottom of the map and have it to where when someone steps on them they teleport to the top of the map...wouldn't that work as a temp. fix for the map problem? (Binary, 1 votes) Abaddon | For walking it would be yes. I wouldn't want to make something a few thousand tiles wide though. And that won't help sailing either
Xuri | Just in case you'd still want to go through with that..
Xuri | it would be wiser to do it in teleport.scp than through teleport tiles mayhaps.

Would it be possible to include in the teleport.scp an effectiveness on ships? It currently does characters and horses, etc. But if you got it to work with ships then you could ignore the border problems and let admin declare the world boundaries. (Paige, 1 votes) Abaddon | I'll be frank. I have never played with teleport.scp, so I have no idea what's happening there. I don't imagine it would be too difficult to add in boat support for it, but I'd have to go having a look at it myself. Even then, I don't think it supports whole ranges, but I could be wrong

Regarding the new script engine: What language will scripts be in, javascript I'm assuming, and will there be a tool out to edit them without directly writing new scripts, akin to Decius' editor, for those who don't wish to learn how to script manually? (Zane, 1 votes) Abaddon | The new script engine is most definitely in JavaScript. At launch, there will be no tool to edit these. There will be extensive and available documentation, describing all functions, variables, events, and other related data, along with examples of events and functioon usage, so that users will have a full manual that they can easily understand
Abaddon | Anyone with a knowledge of JS (or C, I have no JS knowledge, but I've picked it up through similar syntax) shouldn't have much trouble at all
Abaddon | Understand that this is a replacement for triggers, and a much more powerful and flexible one than that. You're asking for a tool that would be like plugging in a few things into a tool, and getting a whole C++ program out. Not likely to happen.
Abaddon | If you want control, if you want it some way, you'll have to write it yourself, but we do provide the docs and other things to help you, and we'll be on hand to help out as well

How far from the edge can you be before uox "barfs"? 10 tiles? have to cross it? (Binary, 1 votes) Abaddon | Right on the edge you are safe. It's the first step over that kills the server

how many of the .scp arent being used? If there is any will they be removed from the source soon so we can clean up the files a bit :} (Dreoth, 1 votes) Abaddon | Not sure. I don't know what Xuri releases in the distro (though I do know what UOX uses :>). There's a few (and will be a few more) that are unused, and they will be removed from requirement in the big build we've got planned
Xuri | class.scp and weather.scp at least....unused - still required :P
Abaddon | ntrigrs, wtriggers would be gone. Probably envoke, not likely triggers (different purpose)
Xuri | I thought I had removed the ones that aren't required...I probably missed some. or dreamt it all =) :>
Abaddon | shop.scp will go as well
Abaddon | so there's a few

What are the next problems\bugs you are working to hopefully get fixed within the next couple of builds? (Cobol_Junky, 1 votes) Abaddon | Well, normally I figure this out about 3 or 4 days before a release :> Depending on the bugs in the DB, and the state of each. However, walking is obviously going to be something that needs close attention
Abaddon | And to Thyme and Knox, we're all grateful for the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears that you put in
Xuri | and coffee cups bought.
Abaddon | They certainly understand it a lot better than I, I won't be foolish and believe otherwise :>
Abaddon | But I guess my answer will be: Whatever I deem most critical about 4 days before release
Abaddon | or what's achieveable for the release

One of the things I am looking forward to is a better account system, will you be making any new releases on that before the big build or are you saving it for the big build (Cobol_Junky, 1 votes) Abaddon | Not before the big build (as it's tied into other changes, and if we released that, then we'd have to release basically everything, and, well, it's not at a releaseable stage)
Abaddon | But accounts are definitely being worked upon