[RunUO 2.0 RC1] Knives' Chat 3.0

[kmwill23]

This release works with both RunUO 2.0 RC1 and RunUO 1.0 Final. With your inputs as the SVN changes, I can also make this work. For info on how to change this to RunUO 1.0 Final, read under the Installation notes below.

Supported Systems

*** I do not offer support for these systems, nor do I specifically endorse any of them. You are not required to use any of them, nor will you ever be required to. If you have a popular system you support and feel would make a great addition, let me know!

Xanthos’s Jail System – Filter violations can now send you to jail!

Beta 9 News

This is a huge day for the chat system! With all the major features well established, ideas for ways to expand the chat system into new realms have been few and far between. Well, somehow I managed to think of quite a few, and even include a couple here for you all today. This is all just a preview of things to come! So what is it I claim is so fascinating about this update? Read on!

The major addition for this update is the new Multi-Server connection tool. This one took a lot of learning on my side to pull off, which I feel will also help expand more on the IRC interface as well. The connection tool can be found in Options -> Multi. You can run in two modes: Client or Server. If you run as a server, other shards can connect to you and you act as the hub sending out everyone’s messages. If you chose client, you can connect to another server. Be warned: I am no expert on issues regarding routers and firewalls. These can block you from connecting to other servers. Play around with it some if you wish, and report back to me!

The major issue with Beta 8 has been the double names bug. While by no means a show-stopper, seeing names multiple times can get annoying. I squashed it. There’s no way it can return. Squash!

As a second major addition this update, you can now set up automated messages in game through the Notifications Interface. You can use two styles: Broadcast or Gump. Sending a gump also has a neat little feature attached to it: if you want, you can have it track macroers. I know I personally don’t mind them, but I am sure someone will find the feature useful.

The last major addition is the new Chat 1.0 skin. Oh Nostalgia! You realize I released the original chat about 3 years ago? How time flies! Of course the skin does have a few changes, notably the buttons at the bottom have different names. This is so I could cram all the features in while keeping the look and feel =) Comments appreciated!

Here’s the rest of the changes (Wow a lot):

- Many changes to the background Gump interface.
- Avatars can now be created with itemIDs by adding 100000 to the number.
- Opened message gump text color now black against that white by default. Wow that change improved the appearance tons.
- Removed the “Deleted” message when auto deleting a Pm as a result of auto delete when inbox full. Was annoying to see that every time I got a Pm.
- Regional setting now only shows people in your region.
- Chat karma now saves.
- Players with new messages for you float to the top of all lists.
- Message opening now updates the gump the first time you click it.
- List page resets to zero if it goes above the count, which would result in a blank list page.
- Perpage on the mail gump now half of the list perpage.
- New command: [All . This is a staff command for sending an announcement to all online players. Similar in effect to the [bcast command, only using the chat interface.
- New command: [ViewAll, [Va . A quick command to bring up the Veiw All chat page, which displays all chatters, including those offline.
- Event delegates for Chat, Filter Violation, Gump Created, and Errors. If you are familiar with RunUO and Events, you might welcome this addition which will allow you to create custom scripts which react to those events without having to modify my code.
- Help button added to main menu pages.
- New Help Contents interface. Imagine the very familiar searchable help interface that comes with most Windows applications. It’s a searchable help interface that can easily be expanded by shard admins via text file. I am still in the process of adding all the chat-related helps. It’s not as fun as coding!
- There is a new IRC channel command: !status . This command, when input from the IRC server, will display some server stats in the IRC channel and in game.
- Errors will now generate an email to send to me.
- Changed Jail class name to get rid of that warning.
- IRC connection timer added. It will reset if it takes too long to connect.

As always, this system requires no existing script modifications.

And of course… The IRC capability of this chat system does not handle nickname registration. You will have to do this for your shard using another client.

Features included in this system:

- Public or regional chatting
- Channel creation or removal
- Guild, Alliance, Faction and IRC chatting
- Channel listings with simple navigation
- Ignoring, banning, listening, global listening
- Filtering and spam prevention
- In-game integrated IRC client
- Multi-server chat connection tool
- Automated player notification system
- Searchable help contents
- Localized text file for easy language changes

Commands included in this system:

- You control the commands for your public channels!
- Public: C, Ch
- Guild: G, Guild
- Alliance: A, Ally
- Faction: F, Faction
- IRC: I, IRC
- Multi Server: Mu
- Private Message: Pm, Msg (Followed by a player’s name and text to include in message)
- Mail: Ma, Mail
- Friends: F, Friends
- Staff: St, Staff
- View all: Va
- Staff Announcements: All
- Help Contents: Hc
- Errors: ChatErrors, CE

Interface details:

Most of you have been here before! For all you newer folks, here’s a short take on this Chat system. You log into the game, type in the usual [c or [ch to open the menu. There you’ll see your first channel list, with all the players who are currently in the public channel, if your server has that channel enabled!

There’s a number of useful buttons on that first page. Up on the top-left are little arrows to change the number of names that appear on the list, from 5 to 15. On the right you’ll see the ‘M’, ‘S’ and ‘Q’ buttons. The ‘M’ is the menu, which will open up on the right, and will list available channels, allow you to join or view them, change the view to others types like Mail and Friend listings, and finally allow you to change the many options available to you. ‘S’ is for Search, which filters your list by whatever you chose. Lastly, ‘Q’ gives you tiny little buttons next to each name for fast access to features like Friend, Ignore, Pm, and more for staffers.

On the bottom of the list you’ll find the Status setting. Here you can hide or tell everyone you are away or busy. Under the listing you’ll find what looks like a little stoplight. By pressing these buttons you can change the look of your list, cycling through backgrounds, text colors, and adding transparencies.

Of course, if you prefer the Chat 2.0 interface, you can now change back to that through the ‘M’ menu. Just look at the little spell-circle buttons at the bottom of the list! It only changes the look, you get to keep all the new features of Chat 3.0.

For all my non-english users, I also included a ChatLocal.txt file that will allow you to change the in-game text to whatever you wish! Just be sure you keep the line order intact! Drop this file in your RunUO/Data directory for it to work. You can also update this file and press a button in the General options to reload it without restarting the server.

Another text file of note is the Help Contents file. Using this, you can give players a searchable interface for help on the chat system. You can also expand it and add help information about your shard. Curious? Open up HelpContents.txt, read how to add new entries, and move the saved file to your RunUO/Data folder! You can even reload the file in game without restarting the server.

I’ve also included text files to make other features changeable! Inside the ‘Text Data Files’ you’ll find text files for filters, colors, backgrounds, and avatars. Follow the directions in each file to put them to use. They must also be placed in your RunUO/Data folder to work. It might be a good idea to keep an unmodified copy of these files as well, just in case.

What? This is all!?!? Never! I just decided I don’t need to write a 5 page description! This is just the icing. Once you take a bite, you’ll find the cake is filled with all sorts of goodness. Plug it in, explore the features! You won’t be disappointed.

Installing:

- Remove all previous installations of Knives’ Chat
- If you don’t need it for Town Houses, remove Knives’ Utilities.
- Drop the new Knives’ Chat into your custom folder.
- If you want to use the Localization file, move ChatLocal.txt to your ‘\RunUO\data\’ folder.
- Run the server! No existing script modifications required!

Enabling RunUO 1.0 Final:

- In the main Chat directory, open up RUOVersion.cs
- Follow the directions at the top of this file.

Enabling Xanthos Jail System

- In the main Chat directory, open up Jail.cs
- Follow the directions at the top of this file.
- You must have Xanthos’s Jail System installed for this to work.

Contact Info: Send me an email day or night (Though I will likely be sleeping at night)! kmwill23@hotmail.com

[kmwill23]

Planned Features:

"Kick" filter penalty
1.0 skin
Conversation Messages
Help buttons

~I am too lazy to list them all here and on my own list! You can get a sneak peak at future development in the Channel.cs file, if you are curious.

Bugs Reported:

[goofykid]

I LOVE YOUR SYSTEMS!!!!!!!! thats all i have to say oh and keep up the excelent work i like the improvements

[Avelyn]

Originally Posted by kmwill23

Planned Features:

"Kick" filter penalty

Would it be too wacky to have a Kill penalty?

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by Avelyn

Would it be too wacky to have a Kill penalty?

Hahaha. Maybe =) I did have Criminal as an option in 2.0, which in town could turn into a guard whacking =)

Think I should put that back in?

[Avelyn]

I have a system on my shard that auto kills you if you say predetermined words in world chat. I think it would be neat if it could happen in channel chat too. But the criminal thing would work. Especially if it announced in channel they were a criminal and attackable! Muahaha!

[Irian]

What I always ask myself is: Isn't there a possibility to integrate the normal InGame Chat into an IRC network?

[Pyro-Tech]

Originally Posted by Irian

What I always ask myself is: Isn't there a possibility to integrate the normal InGame Chat into an IRC network?

somewhere i did see a script that did this to an extent.....it may be in one of the archives though....havne't seen in a while

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by Irian

What I always ask myself is: Isn't there a possibility to integrate the normal InGame Chat into an IRC network?

Could be done by adding a single line, but why would you want this? It'd flood IRC =)

[Irian]

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing... You are using commands for the chat. I thoug of using the standard, already in UO integrated Chat system to connect to the IRC. Why would it flood IRC? The biggest problem - imho - would be to simulate or synchronize the list of people....

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by Irian

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing... You are using commands for the chat. I thoug of using the standard, already in UO integrated Chat system to connect to the IRC. Why would it flood IRC? The biggest problem - imho - would be to simulate or synchronize the list of people....

Ah ha! Now I see what you mean. I am sure that could be done as well, since all the chat traffic has to go through the server ad can then be sent to IRC.

[clevin]

i'm having problems setting it up... i can't get global chat to work as in i want [c <text here> to be visible by everyone

[Avelyn]

Originally Posted by clevin

i'm having problems setting it up... i can't get global chat to work as in i want [c <text here> to be visible by everyone

the new version is a little different. You need to make a new channel (called public or something) and then in the setup give it the command c then when you use [c it will work like the old one. Makes this system much more flexible than the old one because you can name your own command key without rescripting.

[Avelyn]

Eeek Kmwill, can you make it (or make it an option) that if your mailbox fills up it starts automatically deleting the old messages starting with the oldest? all ours are filled up and we couldnt figure out why no one could pm! lol!

[clevin]

Originally Posted by Avelyn

the new version is a little different. You need to make a new channel (called public or something) and then in the setup give it the command c then when you use [c it will work like the old one. Makes this system much more flexible than the old one because you can name your own command key without rescripting.

you mean the add/remove command? is it on the gump to make the command? or in the .cs ?

[Irian]

Originally Posted by kmwill23

Ah ha! Now I see what you mean. I am sure that could be done as well, since all the chat traffic has to go through the server ad can then be sent to IRC.

Jup, but my "problem" is, that I would like that both sides see a list of all chatters. Reading the list from the IRC and showing it in the InGame Chat shouldn't be that problem, but I think it's quite hard the other way round.

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by clevin

you mean the add/remove command? is it on the gump to make the command? or in the .cs ?

It's in the admin setup menu, first page. You can access it by the red 'A' on the main page, or by typing [cs.

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by Avelyn

Eeek Kmwill, can you make it (or make it an option) that if your mailbox fills up it starts automatically deleting the old messages starting with the oldest? all ours are filled up and we couldnt figure out why no one could pm! lol!

Or perhaps a message telling when the mailbox is full =P I did leave an option to auto delete old messages, but that is time-based.

[clevin]

Originally Posted by kmwill23

It's in the admin setup menu, first page. You can access it by the red 'A' on the main page, or by typing [cs.

im sorry mate but every time we try to talk in it it says invalid command but when they speak regulary i can see all the text they say but they can't see a thing :\

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by clevin

im sorry mate but every time we try to talk in it it says invalid command but when they speak regulary i can see all the text they say but they can't see a thing :\

When you set up the commands for the channel, did you include a '['? If so, remove it.

[clevin]

ok tyvm knives! i didn't know you couldn't do "[" awsome =]

[mehla]

Does this script work for RunUO1.0?

Or do I have to use Chat 2.0 if I'm still using RunUO 1.0?

-Mehla

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by mehla

Does this script work for RunUO1.0?

Or do I have to use Chat 2.0 if I'm still using RunUO 1.0?

-Mehla

While I'm in Beta, I don't want to maintain two versions. So after Beta! Since everything is very stable, that could be after a one more cycle.

how would i make [c for public chat,
there was this in 1.0 but now i cant find it, what would i have to add
thx

[kmwill23]

Originally Posted by Grom09

how would i make [c for public chat,
there was this in 1.0 but now i cant find it, what would i have to add
thx

Open up the [chatsetup menu. The very first page is the channel setup, press the little gold button and you'll see New Channel. There you can set it up and add the commands. Do not use the '[' in your commands, it does that auto.

For every one else:

I am slowly getting Beta 7 out, which I believe will be the final beta! I also plan to address the two most commonly asked questions: How to setup the default channel (public) and using the prefix ( [ ) in setting up commands. I will have it automatically create the public channel and include a warning on the channel setup menu not to include the command prefix.

I am balancing this with the early development of a new server, which gives me a great place to do my testing on it before giving it to you!