Unfied client manager awesomeness

[Das Bruce]

Just an idea, that we could have a unified thing with which to run spring.

This that it would idealy have
- Integrated news.
- Automatic updates for spring itself, mods, maps and 3rd party tools.
- Featured items, maps, mods, etc.
- Nicer look, the current one is kinda boring.
- A "comrades" list.
- Options programmes integrated. (key edit etc).
- Precalculation of pathfinding.

I got this idea from somewhere else, ideally this would be better implemented that, but ten points for guessing where.

It might take a bit of effort to implement but the unification could be a huge benifit to attracting new players.

Any other features you guys can think of?

[Slamoid]

Offline play from lobby without having to run the LAN server first. That would be bomb.

Also, this may be a little far-fetched, but how about a quick 3D map preview? Just a thought.

[Decimator]

Perhaps it could just run the map? That would accomplish two things, it would get the pathing out of the way, and let people see the map before they play.

[SwiftSpear]

Perhaps it could just run the map? That would accomplish two things, it would get the pathing out of the way, and let people see the map before they play.

We're already packaging the game with 2 AIs. We might as well allow people to play if they're loading up maps anyways.

[sp2danny72]

a button 'precalc all' would be nice

[Zoombie]

Mabey mapmakers could bundle a small movie with there maps that would just fly around and look cool. Then you could toggle between seeing the preview movie and the minimap in the host screen.

[FizWizz]

@ Zoombie: No. Just no.

These would make pretty nice plugins for TASClient. having map previewing and precalcing would also be cool.

[Dragon45]

Problem with that is that it takes up more memory and time in the lobby, and there's a lot of people and games where we switch the map around like fifty times, so it would only hurt.

[Zoombie]

@ Zoombie: No. Just no.

Awman!!!

But i would also like a preload button, for when your waiting for that last guy to click ready damn it!

[Das Bruce]

*added precalc to list*

Now all we need to find is someone to code it.

[SwiftSpear]

I'd like precalc... anyways, as for a person to code it, isn't that betalord's job?

[NOiZE]

no he doesn't get payed for it..

[SwiftSpear]

Lobby client isn't open source though. Hence no one else can code stuff into it. Or is it? I'm so confused.

[NOiZE]

i believe (notsure) that TASclient is also a subfolder on the CVS...

[PauloMorfeo]

a button 'precalc all' would be nice

The major problem is it calculating all the maps for XTA, then all of them for oTA, then all of them for oTA + Evolva, etc, etc, etc. With more maps and more mods it starts to grow exponentially.

Not to mention that there are maps i probably won't play even once between releases of diferent versions.

[Das Bruce]

I think you've misunderstood us Paulo, or I have, but I see it as a button you push when in the battle preperation thing.

[FizWizz]

yup, a precalc button for when you are in the battle room, waiting for slowpokes to ready up

[FoeOfTheBee]

a "reload mods" button!

[Dragon45]

There's only been two worthwhile ideas in this thread thus far, and those were in the first post.


1) A friends/buddy list (stored client-side, of course). Only catch I can see with this is that it might need another pane on the main GUI, and hence clutter up the interface. Or it could be a seperate "channel".

2) A link to the key/selection editor, and the "settings.exe" under the "Options" menu.

Launching another .exe via a button option is very possible and good.

[Maelstrom]

There already is an option to launch the settings.exe from the client. Its hidden in the options somewhere I think.