ATTENTION!: YOUR Input needed!

[Zippy]

ATTENTION!: YOUR Input needed!

Hey Razor users, and especially C# and C++ developers!

I have been considering different ways of implimenting a plugin interface (or interfaces) for Razor. I want YOU to tell me what type of plugin(s) you want to see Razor support...

Something that would be good for a PLUGIN for Razor (and not a 'core' feature) is something which does not belong in the main Razor release, but which might be useful for a certain group of users. (Or perhaps, something shard specific)

If you are a developer, please tell me what kind of flexability you would like the plguin interface to allow (What would YOU want to use it for?) Please keep in mind security concerns, obviously I do not want Razor to be used for cheating, but I would also like to allow flexibility in writing plugins.

If there is wide response to this thread you may see a plugin api for razor in the future!
Please be specific!

 

[Zippy]

One example of a plugin I have seen mentioned several times is a Speech translator type of thing for RPers.... this is a great example of something which would not be suitable for the main-stream Razor release, but would be an excellent plugin for razor to use.

 

[Voodoo Doctor]

It would be nice to see a macro section on there for setting up crafter functions and such

 

[Chosen]

The plugins should be plug and play. We should be able to put them in and load them right away even after razor starts. Also a screen where plugins are listed and we have the ability to start/stop remove them would be great. Also the plugins should be compact, like just one DLL and maybe some JPGs.

idea for a plugin:
most of the shards in my country use connectors instead of UOGateway, and they tend not to give their IP addresses. Maybe a plugin that will allow razor to communicate with the connector would be great.

Ex:
User opens the connector
Click connect.
If Razor is present, the connector passes the necessary information to Razor, which opens automatically.
This way the shard won't have to give the IP "openly" and the user would still be able to use razor.

 

[Krazy_zack]

I'm against the hole idea...

PLEASE rethink this Zippy because I can see this leading to people making 'plugins' that allow you to cheat. (then Razor just becomes another cheat program that we have to try and block....)

 

[Yyrkoon]

I'm against the hole idea...

PLEASE rethink this Zippy because I can see this leading to people making 'plugins' that allow you to cheat. (then Razor just becomes another cheat program that we have to try and block....)

Does the sun revolve around the planet you live on ? It is this kind of backwards thinking that slows the whole technilogical/science learning curve. Lets put it this way, you can do add-ons for any given application,
and let the general userbase enjoy this feature, OR you dont make it add-on friendly, and let only 'hackers' make them(more likly they will hack your app to high heaven, then distribute it as thier own) I myself would prefer to see the first option. Also, with the addition of .NET, and the use there of comes the ease of reversing any applications written in it. Not being a terribly great coder in .NET (most my experience is in VB/C++) I found it very easy to look at the inards of Razor without even disassembling the code. Now if someone such as myself not having any experience in reversing apps can do this, think of someone who does.

Anyhow I am pro add-on, and would love to see this feature implemented.
I would think anything like 'UO Curse tool add-on' or a 'UO tamer/Rudder' ect. Also I would like to see you add macro recording to Razor (for use in casting spells, and preforming repeditive tasks) I dont see these features as 'cheats' as UOA does all this and more, while the whole time being a UO pro application.

EDIT: just thinking about my post here, It would also be cool if you added a feature to not remove encryption, so it could be used with OSI shards aswell (if this is all thats needed)

 

[Zippy]

Of course I am concerned about cheating, thats why I'm hoping some people will be specific about what they would want the plugin interface to be able to do, and thus I can allow that without allowing thigns that could be used maliciously.

One of the things already mentioned by numerous people is speech plugins like the curse tool and some kind of orc translator that helps you RP easier.

In response to encryption, while I have already finished the encryption for OSI shards I have decided at this time not to include it in Razor.... I don't see much point. Also I wont be including encryption specifically for Sphere 55i (which requires an even older version) because I don't really see that point in that, either.

 

[Krazy_zack]

Does the sun revolve around the planet you live on ? It is this kind of backwards thinking that slows the whole technilogical/science learning curve. Lets put it this way, you can do add-ons for any given application,
and let the general userbase enjoy this feature, OR you dont make it add-on friendly, and let only 'hackers' make them(more likly they will hack your app to high heaven, then distribute it as thier own) I myself would prefer to see the first option. Also, with the addition of .NET, and the use there of comes the ease of reversing any applications written in it. Not being a terribly great coder in .NET (most my experience is in VB/C++) I found it very easy to look at the inards of Razor without even disassembling the code. Now if someone such as myself not having any experience in reversing apps can do this, think of someone who does.

Well lets just say that my understanding of Zippy's original attempt was to NOT make this project open source so that malicious folks could turn it into a 'hacker' tool. My kind of 'backwards thinking' would have killed the issues we all experienced with 'that OTHER unmentionable free tool' had sombody kiboshed the 'open source' aspect of it in the first place...

Anyway I'm glad to see that you are still in control of the coding and are going to be personally making these plugins and not releasing the code for others to potentially warp Zippy!

 

[Krazy_zack]

One of the things already mentioned by numerous people is speech plugins like the curse tool and some kind of orc translator that helps you RP easier.

a 'translator' could be cool...

how about this piece of positive feedback:

Make a plugin that reads a data file (or two, or three) that's a list of words and what they mean in english. Then we can create our 'own' orc translator (or elf, or whatever...)

And while we are on the topic of languages and macroing, how about somthing where we can plug in HUGE speaches and have it read one line at a time as we press a button? It could make 'online weddings' go alot easyer (and also help for long winded beginings for quests and explinations for tourneys and stuff)

 

[IdahoLynxx]

how about a GM/admin tools plug in. Not to knock Pandoras box but it would be nice if i could just open Razor and have everything i need there

 

[Nim]

Also I would like to see you add macro recording to Razor (for use in casting spells, and preforming repeditive tasks) I dont see these features as 'cheats' as UOA does all this and more, while the whole time being a UO pro application.

I agree, I would love to see a macro recording feature like uoa has but mabe alittle more powerfull like being able to customise it easily for bigger tasks like creating a potion then putting it in a bag thats on the gound lets say, uoa dosnt have this flexability as far as I could tell. It might be a feature to think about, thats one of the main features I use in a program like this or uoa

As far as a plugin, mabe you would make something like a runebook for shards that dont have them. ie. would take the names of the runes in your pack and list them, and all you would have to do is select the name on the list then click "go there" or something and it would automaticly cast recall on that rune for you.

 

[jspliff]

I would like to see more hotkeys added. Like last spell, last object, use item in hand, etc. I know these are included in UO macro options but there are some that I would like to be able to set to my mouse wheel/middle button and I need to do this through razor.

Also some more titlebar displays such as timers for bless/summons/familiars/etc. if thats possible and maybe a BOD timer. Maybe total charges for arcane clothing. Luck. Something that tells you wether you are under the effect of magic reflect/protection/reactive armor or not. Oh yeah, and a display for followers/max followers.

Other than that everything seems good except for the ability to record macros like everyone else said.


@Nim, I think that rune idea is pretty sweet. then you could just stack your runes off to a corner in your bag and you wouldnt have to go through them to find a particular one.

 

[sp000n]

Macro Recording

For the big, complex tasks such as the one mentioned above (creating potions and moving them about) when you want your program to play for you... the answer is EasyUO.

(1) That said, for simpler things like chucking potions... Macro recording at least on the level of UOA would be very, very, very beneficial.

(2) Also, I used this in Injection and LOVED it. Being able to set the # of items in my pack that I like to maintain. For example, 50 Nightshade. Then, when I approach a vendor to buy, it tops me off (doesn't sell excess, tho).

(3) A command line where typing ",sell all" gives me a targeting cursor and all of the selected items in my pack would be sold to the vendor. This worked fine in Sphere... but I'm not sure if it would in RunUO where you have to use the friggin context menu. At any rate, it's a suggestion

(4) Customizeable buy lists. Let's me create a buy list of items and quantities and save it separate from others (frequently I want to buy 10x recall runes but at different times than I want to buy 1000 Nightshade). Again, the context menu could foul this up. I honest don't know.

 

[Yyrkoon]

Re: ATTENTION!: YOUR Input needed!

Zippy, heres a thought. Put plugins/functions into groups, and add into the server application the ability to turn some or all groups off. For example:

Say Macro recording function/plugin was in group A, you could have a Admin command such as UseMacros <true/false> within the Server itsself. Or better yet, you could just make it a Plug-in, and if UseMacros false was set, the plugin wouldnt load.

This has the potentional of making everyone happy. Altho I must admit, Im not a professional coder YET, and I havent looked thru any of the Functions in the SDK .DLL yet either. Im not sure if this is possible, OR desirable, but im sure you will let me know

 

[psz]

The only problem with that is ALL Server emus would have to agree on a standard of how to enable/disable them (Remember: Razor is NOT just a RunUO tool).

Somehow, I don't think all the Server Emu camps will agree on much of anything ;->


It IS a good idea, however.

 

[rexxz]

One of the things already mentioned by numerous people is speech plugins like the curse tool and some kind of orc translator that helps you RP easier.

a 'translator' could be cool...

how about this piece of positive feedback:

Make a plugin that reads a data file (or two, or three) that's a list of words and what they mean in english. Then we can create our 'own' orc translator (or elf, or whatever...)

And while we are on the topic of languages and macroing, how about somthing where we can plug in HUGE speaches and have it read one line at a time as we press a button? It could make 'online weddings' go alot easyer (and also help for long winded beginings for quests and explinations for tourneys and stuff)

Or you could just learn orcish yourself...

I could teach you, i know it

 

[Yyrkoon]

The only problem with that is ALL Server emus would have to agree on a standard of how to enable/disable them (Remember: Razor is NOT just a RunUO tool).

Somehow, I don't think all the Server Emu camps will agree on much of anything ;->


It IS a good idea, however.

Well, unless im completely mistaken, Razor was written with RunUO in mind, and has support for other EMUs as a second thought. Even if this isnt this case the Responcability would lie with the given EMU Dev team. Reguardless something along the lines of If(RunUOServer) { /*Plug-in check code goes here*/}
probably would work fine . . .

 

[L0ki]

Hmm it seems to me like any attempt at securing plugins won't work perfectly, if any plugins are 3rd party the chance for abuse exists. The idea of making the server police the plugins could be interesting. Like if you had the server send a packet with a list of allowed plugins. Although I'm not sure how a client without Razor would react to packets not in the uo protocol. If it just ignored them you could pretty easily just have the server send a list of allowed plugins to the client on connect. I know on POL and runuo it would be a breeze to do. It wouldn't even require any help from the emu dev teams. I don't know about how easy it is to construct your own packets on other emu's though.

As for plugins I'd just like to see a tab like agents for them and the ability to add new macros and such. One plugin I'd like to see would be one to loot arrows and regs off the ground, and maybe the door opening like in krrios client. Although, since not all shards and emus will use the same regs and stuff, you'd need to make it customizable (like you can pick which items to loot) and that could lead to abuse, and the door thing is seen as unfair by a lot of people. So I don't really expect either of them.

 

[php-junkie]

and the door thing is seen as unfair by a lot of people.

Um, the door thing is a internal UO macro. Anyone has the ability to open doors with the push of a button without the assistance of a 3rd part program.

 

[Kobold]

i think he means the autoOpenDoor function used in krrios client