Modcraft community launcher

[Steff]

We need a launcher for all modded servers. To easy switch and update patches.
It shouel have the following functions.

- Look good Its the importanst thing...
- Manage many server. You should download a textfile from the server provider and put it into a folder of the launcher. There should be all needed data included like realmlist url, baord and register url, download path for patches. Also link to a description of the server would be nice. Just a smale html template the server provider msut provide on his server Nice sentence.
- Update all this patches.
- If you select a server it should change the realmlist, move the old patches out and the needed from the selected server in and start the game.

[Stani]

Can do this ... Open Source? Cross-platform?

[Steff]

I also think that QT and c++ would be the best way.

[stoneharry]

Schlumpf said you can make use of the Blizzard patcher simply be making a modification to the wow.exe to accept the custom patches being sent by the server. With some investigation, wouldn't this be a much better solution?

The following file gives some concept of the processes that are taken in sending a patch through WoW:

https://github.com/arcemu/arcemu/blob/m ... atcher.cpp

[Steff]

But the blizzard one can´t handle many servers, switch them and move the files/realmlist around. So i think a own patcher that just use stormlib to add new files to the current patch MPQ whould be the best way.

[stoneharry]

But the blizzard one can´t handle many servers, switch them and move the files/realmlist around. So i think a own patcher that just use stormlib to add new files to the current patch MPQ whould be the best way.

I thought the way MPQ files work is essentially a archive, and the folders/files have different priorities depending on the order they are loaded in? I'm not so sure since I've never really toyed with this before. But if this is the case, adding the realmlist file to the MPQ would allow you to modify all the required files to play.

Or you could modify the login screen Lua/XML files to create a new text area where the realmlist can be retrieved and set. This would be a simple implementation that can be included in the MPQ 'archive'.

But I understand your points and know little myself.  

[Steff]

Why this bother.
The launcher could just create a new realmlist if you switch the server.
It must also copy the patches needed for the server so a simple txt is no prblem i think.

[sillychilly]

From what i can make out here is that steff wants a launcher that has the following features;


- You can select a server from a drop down list and then the launcher would modify the realmlist.wtf file and also retrieve and patch or additionally required files from the host,

- have a sort of web interface for the server to be able to put news/announcements into,

and a feature that could be useful is,

- a webform that could create you an account on that server,


thats from my understanding, but correct me if i'm completely off track

[Steff]

The launcher should list the servers in a list on the right side perhaps with some informations. Server type (rp,pvp).

This informations come from a file the user of the launcher must download and put it into a subfolder of the launcher.

The server provider must creat this file.
Also he/she should/must provide some urls the clinet can simple call.

- News url. Perhaps the same also the client can then load in his alertbox.
- Forum URL for Support
- Overview URL that descripe the server in some words
- An character creation or how to start url.
- Also a nice idea would be a banner that gets loaded on top of the informations.

I will make an image to show the concept.

[Mordred]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could host these files here on this forum in a sub-forum or so and with one click downloading this file (maybe in .html)

A feature to create an account via the launcher would destroy the necessity of an website for doing this, which would come in really handy in ways of usage and would provide a better overview of the servers without having to click thousands of links to get on the server.

I think the launcher also should be sortable by:
server with account active    (maybe with cache)
server without account
population (low - medium - high) -> low = < 50  medium = < 200 high = < & > 500
language(s)
type (PvP, PvE, RPvP, RPvE, CustomExpansion?) maybe also with PvP/E or PvP/E - CustomExpansion aso.

[stoneharry]

I just think it's much nicer to customise WoW rather than have a separate program. Good luck.

[Steff]

But wow will not be able to manage this good.
The point is to manage different servers. And the nature of server creators is that they want own stuff. Means own login. So you will never bring them all together to mod the login for access of other servers.
But if there is an app taht many server support and the community push, the creatores need to create an entry for the launcher to bring more people to the server.

So there must be a app in front that give the player an easy way to play on different server.

Here is a sketch of what I mean. It should not win a design price.


http://imagr.eu/up/4f9272e076e877_Sketch.jpg

Left is a list of all servers added to the launcher.
Right side shows banner and news of the selected server.
Bottom buttons are linked to the current selected server’s urls.
If the client needs updates the play button swaps to update.
Play set realm list, move out last patches, move in patches for the server and start wow.
Update opens up new window that downloads the new stuff and integrates in background to the patch.
You can update many servers the same time.
Servers that need updates are not playable.
So you can update 2 servers and play on the third.

An additional idea would be to add a search mode that connects via soap to a modcraft server and you can search for new servers there in a database.

[Mordred]

Wow this concept looks really nice,
but I think the Create Account button should be a little bit transparent if you already have an account on this server.

And maybe (if it's possible, because of different account creation pages) a feature to set a default account and with one click create this default account on the selected server, if it's not possible or an error occurred it leads you to the normal account creation.

[glararan]

I try to do something by original blizzard as i have in C# but now im coding it in Qt for Modcraft...

Concept:


you can see Web in program...

And download bar.

[Vel]

In the future there will be present and Wargate (RU)