New map desktop app coming soon (as long as it's still kosher with p99 rules)

[tristantio]

Please read the first part here, it has been updated - the bottom part left in for
consistency:

UPDATE - APP EXE (executable) IS READY FOR DOWNLOAD AND USE (initial version)

UPDATE - New build with friend sync is enabled, includes support for RED99 logs and a help page for people having trouble setting up their eq path. If you're savvy, you can even sync friend to friend (bypassing my http://ahungry.com server) to keep inclusive friend tracking

Ok, not really that savvy, just add to your settings.lisp

(setf *sync-url* "http://ip-address-to-your-bud.com:4444")


and make sure they're running the app as well.


Check it out!

https://github.com/ahungry/p99-patcher

Read the page there for help setting it up, the binary (exe file) can be found at:

http://ahungry.com/p99-patcher-min.7z

Just download, extract via 7-zip and you'll be able to double click the ".bat" file to launch it (it will open your default web browser to the patcher home page), you can then scroll down and click "Mapper" to open in a new tab the fun new map app!

Any and all feedback continues to be welcome! :)

You can edit the settings.lisp if you have trouble with a non-standard EQ path, but the easiest
fix is to create a shortcut/symlink from your non-standard EQ path to a standard path, so
going to C:\Program Files\Sony\EverQuest will end up taking you to the install directory of EQ.

Make sure you have a maps/ and logs/ directories or the program will run into issues.

In the next build I'll add some additional error handling so it doesn't just die under those conditions.

Original post below:

Hi all,

In an effort to add some utility to my p99-patcher (https://github.com/ahungry/p99-patcher) I have added a new map app.

The tool only reads your log data (similar to the auction tracker uploader) - it does not touch raw packets or any memory/p99 files, so should be legal per policy.

The app will look through your log file for the latest /loc you have done, and map your location on the zone you are currently in.

I have plans to expand and have shared maps (latest player locations stored on my server), so you could set up a shared map account for your guild, and be able to view any guildie's location (if they were using the app and a /loc macro bound to a movement key) in real time (even across zones).

The current maps include all the details the Sony maps do (and are drawn client side in your web browser at http://localhost:4444/mapper/?map-name=ecommons (or whatever zone)).

I have plans to go through the wiki/allakhazam/eqatlas and update the map files to include the location data for static camps, so you would see pinpoints on a map that include:


Your current location (thanks to a /loc macro)
Your friends/guildies current locations (or maybe a global shared loc list)
The data Sony provides (class trainer locations etc.)
Mob spawns (maybe paths mapped out sometime as well)


The mapping is 100% real time if you do continually use your /loc macro.

I have a little work to do on auto-detecting the player's current zone (will have to have users do a /who all themself, or see if a message is entered into log when zoning), at which point i'll put up a static windows exe for download/use (the p99 patcher exe I have right now available does not have these mapper updates).

You can get it early or review the source on my github at https://github.com/ahungry/p99-patcher

Screenshot:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ahungry/p99-patcher/master/p99-mapper.png

[BigHurb]

already confirmed OK to read log files with 3rd party.. no automation involved so kosher.

already something like this available too, but you know it will be good from this guy

[HawkMasterson1999]

Hax

[Frug]

Any chance this will run under wine?

[mipstien]

What other utilities are out there that are like this? Or even what else am I missing for just eq programs that aren't illegal?

[Messianic]

Tristantio confirmed badass

[Kika Maslyaka]

heh, disabling of in game maps have been officially made moot ;)
was going to happen sooner or later ;)

[tristantio]

Any chance this will run under wine?

sure will, I only use wine myself :)

[Ishio]

How do we run this? I don't understand completely what we're to do.

[phacemeltar]

you da man

[Mirox]

How do we run this? I don't understand completely what we're to do.

I am pretty sure this:

You have a log parser on running on your computer.
You have a macro that does /loc and bind it to one of your movement keys "wasd".
Every time the parser reads a loc in your log, it will upload to the server your current loc.

Your guild/group/whatever will have a "channel" on a main server, or you would have a private server that will store all eligible members' or connected clients' (respectively) latest loc updates locations and show you the locations of said people on a map in your log parser application or in a browser which reflects the server information.

[tristantio]

How do we run this? I don't understand completely what we're to do.

Hey Ishio! Right now you'd have to be familiar with using Common Lisp (probably unlikely for most) - soon I'll have an exe available so you will download the zip file, extract it and double click the exe to run it.

[BigHurb]

Bestow has a copy of the older one you can PM him on thugcruncher

[tristantio]

You can try out the p99-patcher current build at http://ahungry.com/p99-patcher-min.7z (currently it only patches/launches p99 to the latest p99 patch files).

You just have to download and extract the file with 7-zip.

The new one with the map features will be up probably later tonight.

[Pint]

This is cool but I'm sure the staff would shoot this idea down if they had the ability to. You're just describing showeq without real time npc movements, the entire reason in game maps were disabled after launch was that this functionality was built into the maps feature with mq2.

[tristantio]

Is it any worse than a damage parser or other tool that analyzes the contents of the /log file though?

[Pint]

Yes, being able to see where every player in a zone is in real time is worse than seeing how much damage they did post fight. That assumes that most players will use it though, I would use it if it's legal, like I said its a cool idea.

[Leeyuuduu]

Also, the staff have explicitly gotten rid of maps on P99, whereas they've never taken any explicit action on damage parsers I believe. I don't think it has as much to do with reading log files or method of gathering such information as it does with their vision of Classic EQ.

It's a cool tool though (but I personally won't use it even if it's legal).

[tristantio]

When making the auction tracker, Nilbog/Rogean did OK that parsing the log files was ok - however if this type of app is too much against the classic spirit, I'd be happy to stop it.

Technically this app is classic though, because I could have written the exact same app in 99 (had I been where I am now in my programming abilities) :)

[Supaskillz]

My comp prolly explode in 2000 if I tried to do anything while playing eq. Open a map you got to be kidding!

[Kika Maslyaka]

if you think about this for a moment - the classic EQ didn't had in game maps, cause the devs didn't wanted you to know that you are approximately somewhere in the east part of Kithor Forest (like vanilla WoW maps), yet they gave you an ability to see your EXACT map coordinates down to a decimal point!
I am surprised self /loc parser didn't came out all way back in 99! :D :D :D

[Yonkec]

http://i.imgur.com/n9ue8X6.jpg

But I still love you.

[myriverse]

MQ2's map feature goes way beyond anything this is doing.

[jarinaEQ1]

Very nice tools, does it possible to install has stand alone ?

[tristantio]

MQ2's map feature goes way beyond anything this is doing.

I wouldn't doubt it, what's up so far is a couple hours of work on my end (ie, not much time) - isn't MQ2 against the rules? (it reads packets and such doesn't it?)

The entire point of this is to provide synchronized maps/coordination among people/guilds while keeping in the classic spirit (only reading data from /log vs touching any active memory/packets).

[Lyrith]

I think it's awesome you keep working on new projects and it's always fun to see what your programming skills can do as you keep learning. However I don't think I want to see this implemented. But that's fine because it is up to the person to install it and use it. I don't think I could ever see guild's requiring their members to use it as it would take time to look where everyone was.

However it could be handy if you could "Friend" people on it per say with their permission so you can see what zones they are in and such.

[Yonkec]

How can you provide synchronized coordinates amount people without either spamming the HELL out of a chat window or illegal MQ2ing shit?

I think it's awesome you keep working on new projects and it's always fun to see what your programming skills can do as you keep learning. However I don't think I want to see this implemented. But that's fine because it is up to the person to install it and use it. I don't think I could ever see guild's requiring their members to use it as it would take time to look where everyone was.

However it could be handy if you could "Friend" people on it per say with their permission so you can see what zones they are in and such.

like a /who all friend?

[tristantio]

The idea is:


Bind /loc to a movement key (similar to how Sense Heading is commonly done)
Program reads your latest "Your Location Is yy,xx,zz" from your log file
Program shoots that off to ahungry.com for storage
Map render queries ahungry.com to pull player's in same zone and their last stored coords


Right now I have the program running entirely locally in my testing (no shared coords) and it does great to track where a player is on the map currently.

No spamming of chat needed (since /loc doesn't show to anyone but you).

[Yonkec]

Ah gotcha. I wasn't implying me spamming others chat, just my own window eating it. I guess much of the issue is certainly solved by you agreeing to middleman the LOC info. I can always minimize a chat and let it eat all that spam.

[Lyrith]

like a /who all friend?

Your friends aren't /anon or /role?

I need to get new friends...

[Yonkec]

I probably need to get more than three friends.

[sox7d]

I think it's a cool project, but imo, it shits on the atmosphere of the game and would be too tempting to use and kind of unfair for people who refuse to use it... Whatever, love the auction tracker, though.

[Yonkec]

I think this has much brighter future on p99red. Can we make this a required addon to play there?

[HawkMasterson1999]

Is it any worse than a damage parser or other tool that analyzes the contents of the /log file though?

Yes, being able to see where every player in a zone is in real time is worse than seeing how much damage they did post fight. That assumes that most players will use it though, I would use it if it's legal, like I said its a cool idea.

I think it's a cool project, but imo, it shits on the atmosphere of the game and would be too tempting to use and kind of unfair for people who refuse to use it... Whatever, love the auction tracker, though.

Its like if you tell your kid he can't smoke weed so he smokes salvia or spice instead. It sounds like a cool tracking app but it has no place here on a classic server. The Devs should just go ahead and disable all log parsing. I don't want to see any more of these "legal hax"

[Frug]

Its like if you tell your kid he can't smoke weed so he smokes salvia or spice instead. It sounds like a cool tracking app but it has no place here on a classic server. The Devs should just go ahead and disable all log parsing. I don't want to see any more of these "legal hax"

If it's legal, it's not a "hax". And the only way to turn off log parsing is to turn of the ability to log which is ridiculous.

[Lyrith]

Lol glad I already uninstalled if this is the direction "classic" is headed

Your comment is just completely negative and helps nothing here.

What exactly was classic about having live updating maps of where you where? Exactly...

I remember printing all the maps with location coordinates at school and putting them in plastic sheets in a binder so I could have them next to my computer for easy access while playing.

With comments like that we are glad you uninstalled too, now if you could just quit posting on the forums.

[heartbrand]

I'll be the judge of what's kosher or not, you feel?

[Lyrith]

I'll be the judge of what's kosher or not, you feel?

Have at it Heartbrand. :D

[Lyrith]

U serious or dumb?

Maybe I read your post wrong? Your short response makes it hard to tell though.

If you are against this feature then I agree with you and sorry for the confusion.

[Frug]

Your comment is just completely negative and helps nothing here.

What exactly was classic about having live updating maps of where you where? Exactly...

I remember printing all the maps with location coordinates at school and putting them in plastic sheets in a binder so I could have them next to my computer for easy access while playing.

With comments like that we are glad you uninstalled too, now if you could just quit posting on the forums.

Boom, headshot!

[Frug]

U serious or dumb?

The irony, it hurts.

[Shamalam]

I, for one, think this is really cool. I would definitely use it.

[Supaskillz]

It's cool and innovative, but not sure how I feel about this.

[Bamz4l]

if it was just a local app for yourself that's fine but streaming your logfile to some dudes server ?????? not cool

[Trosh]

Look at it this way:

Some people way back when loved to play with classic default UI, and have it full screen with printed notes and maps next to them.

Some people modded the heck out of the UI and did as much customization as possible to it to make it easier or more streamlined.

Personally, I have the Velious UI active, so I can't see mana, or the con of a target in the target window, and if they had a classic UI that had more then one chat window, I'd use that bad boy, too.

On the other hand, if you want to mod out your UI or have apps for maps and such, that's your perogative, and go for it 100%. All up to the individual's taste.

Just comes to how you want to play the game. There is not right or wrong way to do it, unless you are hacking shit and buying things with real money, of course.

Relax and play nice, people! Also good work on the map thing. I won't be using it but looks like you are putting a lot of work into it, and it isn't working terribly - so good job!

[Jauna]

Wow, im still using my /loc notebook and black and white maps I printed in my old high school and going from memory from back when. This thread is for millennial hipster kids who wanna pretend they are oldschool. For shame on all you people who played in 99-02 and think this is cool. For fucking shame.

Also whats with everyone hitting enter twice after each sentence?

Like is this normal?

Should I start doing this?

This happens a lot on 4chan too.

Im starting to wonder if I am out of touch with forum etiquettes

[Trosh]

It seperates different sentences making it neater and easier to read. Should do the same thing for business e-mails - no one likes a wall of text.

Edit: Also people won't read a wall of text, so higher chance of actually getting your point across

[Jauna]

There is a big difference between walls of text and borderline Captain Kirk speak. I think people just like how big their posts look after hitting enter so many times.

[Trosh]

it also is much more compressed in the message box where you type it in.. It looks reasonable in the smaller space, especially once the scollbar shows up, but then it gets spread out more once it actually posts

[Khaleesi]

Hi all,

In an effort to add some utility to my p99-patcher (https://github.com/ahungry/p99-patcher) I have added a new map app.

The tool only reads your log data (similar to the auction tracker uploader) - it does not touch raw packets or any memory/p99 files, so should be legal per policy.

The app will look through your log file for the latest /loc you have done, and map your location on the zone you are currently in.

I have plans to expand and have shared maps (latest player locations stored on my server), so you could set up a shared map account for your guild, and be able to view any guildie's location (if they were using the app and a /loc macro bound to a movement key) in real time (even across zones).

The current maps include all the details the Sony maps do (and are drawn client side in your web browser at http://localhost:4444/mapper/?map-name=ecommons (or whatever zone)).

I have plans to go through the wiki/allakhazam/eqatlas and update the map files to include the location data for static camps, so you would see pinpoints on a map that include:


Your current location (thanks to a /loc macro)
Your friends/guildies current locations (or maybe a global shared loc list)
The data Sony provides (class trainer locations etc.)
Mob spawns (maybe paths mapped out sometime as well)


The mapping is 100% real time if you do continually use your /loc macro.

I have a little work to do on auto-detecting the player's current zone (will have to have users do a /who all themself, or see if a message is entered into log when zoning), at which point i'll put up a static windows exe for download/use (the p99 patcher exe I have right now available does not have these mapper updates).

You can get it early or review the source on my github at https://github.com/ahungry/p99-patcher

Screenshot:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ahungry/p99-patcher/master/p99-mapper.png

So not classic. In-game maps disabled for that very reason. We can't do anything about internet maps but we can do something about this.

Block it.

[4WOFURY]

Well within the rules. If you don't want to use it, don't download it.

I'd rather just have a local app than one being submitted to a server, but either way is fine. Seems like it would be a lot faster if kept locally, too.

Maps are classic. Eqatlas.com was around in classic. This just takes it one step further, and could have been done in classic.

With that being said, I don't mind using wiki and /loc to figure out where I am now. Doesn't take that much time, and it weeds out a lot of the tards that can't figure anything out for themselves. Also, I enjoy it when "I need a CoH, don't know how to get to Random_dragon_01"...

[Nikon]

Well within the rules. If you don't want to use it, don't download it.

This. It doesn't manipulate the client or game and works off logs, which is allowed. Personally, I don't think I would use it because I don't see that I have a need for it, but it's a cool idea.

In-game maps were removed because it was not classic and the devs attempt to mimic the classic experience in-game mechanically and MQ/ShowEQ was banned because it manipulates the game and provides an unfair advantage by providing mob and players locations (of those that may not wish to have their locations known), dupes, etc... This does neither of those. If someone can give me a good example of how this would provide an unfair advantage to someone by knowing their own location and the location of those that willingly submit their own location to it, I might be persuaded otherwise, but I can't see any unfair advantage coming from this.

I commend the OP.

[Pint]

Entire guild uses program to track their raids, they send out scouts to stalk competing raids or groups so they can watch the competitions progress in real time, unfair advantage confirmed. If you can't think of ways that this tips the scales then you're either not trying or still leveling your first toon to 50.

[myriverse]

If you think it gives an unfair advantage, then you've taken to eating tinfoil... because wearing just isn't good enough.

[tristantio]

The copy I'm toying with right now does it all locally - syncing with the server will be a toggle-able option in the existing settings.lisp file that's included with the current p99-patcher exe bundle.

You'll be able to just have a line such as:

(setf
*junk-sample-setting* "junk-sample-value"
;;*mapper-sync-disable* t
;;*eq-path* "C:/Your/Custom/EQ/Path/Note/Forward/Slashes/" )


Which you would then just uncomment (remove the ;; ) to disable syncing with the server.

[Frug]

So not classic. In-game maps disabled for that very reason. We can't do anything about internet maps but we can do something about this.

Block it.

How do you block an external program reading a file that is produced by the client, which was produced in classic times? Hell, the program doesn't even need to run on the same box.

There's nothing un-classic about this.

[Xer0]

So not classic. In-game maps disabled for that very reason. We can't do anything about internet maps but we can do something about this.

Block it.



boohoo people don't play the game the way I play it

Know what else ain't classic? raid rotations, free multiple accounts, and batphone poopsocking.

[Mirox]

This is on the list of things to add to my parser I am making which uses python/GTK3 and only runs locally. Having problems with the newest GTK release tho :\ (likes to stop updating the gui when put in the background for some reason)

[falendar]

For all you screaming this is not classic eq, don't use printed/internet maps, because the game doesn't give them to you. don't use the wiki either, the game didn't give that to you either. Do you know who did? People like this guy right here who made a LEGAL way to simplify something be it a map with locs, or a spawn table, or a loc of the mob you want to kill ect. We all have a different idea's this is his. I for one would use this alot, and thank you for programming it for us all.

[tristantio]

This is on the list of things to add to my parser I am making which uses python/GTK3 and only runs locally. Having problems with the newest GTK release tho :\ (likes to stop updating the gui when put in the background for some reason)

hi Mirox, I was going to use gtk and opted for a locally run browser app similar to cups for that reason. All code is on my github if you wanna contribute

[Nikon]

Entire guild uses program to track their raids, they send out scouts to stalk competing raids or groups so they can watch the competitions progress in real time, unfair advantage confirmed. If you can't think of ways that this tips the scales then you're either not trying or still leveling your first toon to 50.

How is this different than anyone scouting/stalking other guilds and reporting their movement now? Is your argument because it would be presented in graphic form instead of just reported in guild chat? And the other guild would have to same opportunity to do the same thing in return, no? Not sure what's unfair about this. But I might just have had too many drinks already. :eek:

[Tarbos]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the maps you are using look like the in-game maps. Those did not exist back then. So, this is not classic, and you could not have done this back then, because you would not have the map to display your location on.
Parsing your locs from the logs, fine, but useless without a proper map to display your stuff on.

GJ anyways. But I would not use it for that reason.

[tristantio]

Well, it would be simple enough to plot the lines via edge detection on the old hand drawn maps (having the line plots from the maps/* directory just saved a step from what would have been done back in the day).

Anyways, check it out:

https://github.com/ahungry/p99-patcher

Read the page there for help setting it up, the binary (exe file) can be found at:

http://ahungry.com/p99-patcher-min.7z

Just download, extract via 7-zip and you'll be able to double click the ".bat" file to launch it (it will open your default web browser to the patcher home page, you can then scroll down and click "Mapper" to open in a new tab the fun new map app!

Any and all feedback continues to be welcome! :)

[fastboy21]

don't see how this is any more or less "classic" then using text trigger software for timers or for audio triggers...

at this point, there are very few zones that i don't know about anyways inside and out...but if its out there i'm gonna use it if GMs say we can.

[Kika Maslyaka]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the maps you are using look like the in-game maps. Those did not exist back then. So, this is not classic, and you could not have done this back then, because you would not have the map to display your location on.
Parsing your locs from the logs, fine, but useless without a proper map to display your stuff on.

your are incorrect cause this software can actually create a map from the scratch - your char simply runs around zone edges doing /loc and the programs draws a map from the log file. Technically it works on the same principle that LOY cartographer system worked on for first people who were running around "drawing lines" with it (I know I did).

The ONLY thing that I can find not-classic with this is that old days EQ couldn't be ALT-TAB out of - so you could not run (or at least access) any other software at the same time. This would not prevent you from creating a map, but would prevent you from looking at your active position. However there was special eq-window box software introduced at some point which was used by 2-boxers.

[tristantio]

Well, in classic days even without alt tab you could share files across computers - since this is just scanning the /log file (a static file) there would have been nothing stopping said program from scanning a network file share mount of the main computer's EQ log directory (just would have required 2 machines).

[JackFlash]

I don't agree with any of this log file parsing crap. In the end it hurts the server. But, dead server is dead anyway. Just a rotating list of 800-1200 people reliving a dream.

[Derubael]

From a third party program standpoint, this is legitimate. Doesn't manipulate the client, just reads from log file. Not comparable to SEQ or MQ2 as it doesn't share those programs advantages. As I've stated previously, in most cases, so long as a program doesn't manipulate the client itself and is only reading from a log file, it can be used on this server.

From a classic standpoint, also legitimate. The technology to do this was clearly present at the time of Everquest's release.

Investigations GM gives it the thumbs up. Unless management chimes in and says otherwise, this is fine.*

*Project 1999 does not endorse and is not affiliated with www.ahungry.com or any of the programs or services contained within that site. Please always use caution when browsing the internet, and use any programs you find not hosted on www.project1999.com at your own risk. The statements contained within this post are only valid as they pertain to these programs not getting you banned on Project 1999 for their use.

[Thulack]

From a third party program standpoint, this is legitimate. Doesn't manipulate the client, just reads from log file. Not comparable to SEQ or MQ2 as it doesn't share those programs advantages. As I've stated previously, in most cases, so long as a program doesn't manipulate the client itself and is only reading from a log file, it can be used on this server.

From a classic standpoint, also legitimate. The technology to do this was clearly present at the time of Everquest's release.

Investigations GM gives it the thumbs up. Unless management chimes in and says otherwise, this is fine.*

*Project 1999 does not endorse and is not affiliated with www.ahungry.com or any of the programs or services contained within that site. Please always use caution when browsing the internet, and use any programs you find not hosted on www.project1999.com at your own risk. The statements contained within this post are only valid as they pertain to these programs not getting you banned on Project 1999 for their use.

haha love the disclaimer at the end :P

[SamwiseRed]

I don't agree with any of this log file parsing crap. In the end it hurts the server. But, dead server is dead anyway. Just a rotating list of 800-1200 people reliving a dream.

that's far from a dead server

[Frug]

I don't agree with any of this log file parsing crap.

Not relevant.

In the end it hurts the server.

Opinion.

But, dead server is dead anyway.

Population numbers tend to disagree.

Just a rotating list of 800-1200 people reliving a dream.

So either you're one of those, or you're an even worse sad little person coming to a forum about a game you don't play.

[tristantio]

From a third party program standpoint, this is legitimate. Doesn't manipulate the client, just reads from log file. Not comparable to SEQ or MQ2 as it doesn't share those programs advantages. As I've stated previously, in most cases, so long as a program doesn't manipulate the client itself and is only reading from a log file, it can be used on this server.

From a classic standpoint, also legitimate. The technology to do this was clearly present at the time of Everquest's release.

Investigations GM gives it the thumbs up. Unless management chimes in and says otherwise, this is fine.*

*Project 1999 does not endorse and is not affiliated with www.ahungry.com or any of the programs or services contained within that site. Please always use caution when browsing the internet, and use any programs you find not hosted on www.project1999.com at your own risk. The statements contained within this post are only valid as they pertain to these programs not getting you banned on Project 1999 for their use.

Thanks for the thumbs up approval :D

[maurilax]

Nice this is awesome trying it out today. no different than having the map up and doing /loc 100 times

[myriverse]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the maps you are using look like the in-game maps. Those did not exist back then. So, this is not classic, and you could not have done this back then, because you would not have the map to display your location on.
Parsing your locs from the logs, fine, but useless without a proper map to display your stuff on.

GJ anyways. But I would not use it for that reason.
There were websites that had maps this detailed back in the Velious era.

In the end it hurts the server.
Not moreso than your brain. If you truly want classic, then forget everything you knew about the game after Dec 2000.

Otherwise? Meh.

[Frug]

sure will, I only use wine myself :)

can you detail how you run it? I'm getting the following under wine 1.7.11 on OSX:

wine ./p99-patcher.exe --eval "(p99-patcher:main)"
< wine ./p99-patcher.exe --eval "(p99-patcher:main)"
Expression unexpectedly false: win32-os.c:857
... VirtualAlloc(addr, len, (mem_info.State == MEM_RESERVE)? MEM_COMMIT: MEM_RESERVE, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE)
===> returned #X00000000,
(in thread 00000000) ... Win32 thinks:
===> code 487, message => Invalid address.

... CRT thinks:
===> code 0, message => Success
ensure_space: failed to validate 536870912 bytes at 0x22300000

[Scrubosaur]

Great program! This is what EQ was about early on when people set up websites, built parsers, and created things that were not already in game. No one is forced to use this and there are no unfair advantages due to the fact that zone layouts don't change. Keep up the good work!

[BigHurb]

nominate trist for most productive non staff member, give him a title pls

[SamwiseRed]

pretty good job but this already exists. some fags on red have been using it for a year or so.

[BigHurb]

not totally like dis

[tristantio]

can you detail how you run it? I'm getting the following under wine 1.7.11 on OSX:

wine ./p99-patcher.exe --eval "(p99-patcher:main)"
< wine ./p99-patcher.exe --eval "(p99-patcher:main)"
Expression unexpectedly false: win32-os.c:857
... VirtualAlloc(addr, len, (mem_info.State == MEM_RESERVE)? MEM_COMMIT: MEM_RESERVE, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE)
===> returned #X00000000,
(in thread 00000000) ... Win32 thinks:
===> code 487, message => Invalid address.

... CRT thinks:
===> code 0, message => Success
ensure_space: failed to validate 536870912 bytes at 0x22300000


Hi Frug, sorry I have not tested on OSX - under GNU/Linux I run EQ in wine and run this application directly with sbcl (Steel Bank Common Lisp - the back end to all this), via:


sbcl --eval '(ql:quickload :p99-patcher)'


You'll just have to "git clone" the github repo and make sure to install sbcl, probably through homebrew or whatever mac calls it if there is not a native binary on the SBCL site.

If I had a mac available, I could set up a single file download that you'd just click the native binary and run it, but unfortunately I do not :( (the p99-patcher.exe includes the full SBCL runtime)

[fastboy21]

Great program! This is what EQ was about early on when people set up websites, built parsers, and created things that were not already in game. No one is forced to use this and there are no unfair advantages due to the fact that zone layouts don't change. Keep up the good work!

Exactly true. How do you think we all ended up playing on an EQEmulator site? :D Its because of folks who do things like this that we can even play (real) EQ today.

[tristantio]

Some people are having issues with non-standard install paths.

For this, you can edit the settings.lisp file to point to your custom path, if that still does not work (it seems it may have trouble going over different drives, if you have EQ on Z:/Games/EverQuest or something) the easiest solution is to create a shortcut/symlink so you can get to the EQ files via the standard path:

C:\Program Files\Sony\EverQuest

[khanable]

wtb exe

[tristantio]

Its up in main post, download the 7z file and unzip it, the exe is right there (just click and run it).

Well, technically you click the bat file so it can launch your web browser and the exe at once.

[khanable]

Oh, I hadn't followed this thread since the initial post saying there would be an exe soon

Right on, I'll give it a whirl

Thanks!

[maurilax]

I ended up solving the issue with the nonstandard path but moved my eqinstall to a standard path anyway. I am still having some issues with this though.

1. It doesnt seem to work in the 2 or 3 zones ive tried, it always defaults back to ecommonlands

2. even when in EC it doesnt show my character moving or anything. I have a loc macro setup and the log files seem to be named correctly.

Anyone else seeing these issues?

[Mirox]

hi Mirox, I was going to use gtk and opted for a locally run browser app similar to cups for that reason. All code is on my github if you wanna contribute

I would contribute, but (a) I don't like lisp and (b) I am not a fan of browser applications that are not the focus of the application. (having to have a browser open aside from your client)

Also, fixed my GTK problems -- apparently GTK does not like threads even when you lock resources. I wanted to make these things not require an extra monitor/small client and have full control of the surrounding container. Using GTK, I could just make the program act as a 'skin' that catches hotkeys and will show the appropriate overlay rather than having to alt-tab to a browser with no container control. Just my two cents tho!

[koros]

Ya'll bitching about this are idiots. The goal of the devs is the recreate a classic server environment. What one does with the information coming out of the game client is and always has been past where SOE/P99 devs have cared about.

[fadetree]

Lisp? wow, that's cool, haven't seen any modern lisp in years. Didn't know it was even really in use still.

[tristantio]

Yea, big fan of Common Lisp here :)

I only have a limited amount of the zone names to zone file mappings done, if anyone wants to post up a full list to save me clicking around the wiki, it should be in a format similar to:


"East Commonlands" "ecommons"

[feanan]

http://wiki.eqemulator.org/p?Zones&frm=Main

[HawkMasterson1999]

Ya'll bitching about this are idiots. The goal of the devs is the recreate a classic server environment. What one does with the information coming out of the game client is and always has been past where SOE/P99 devs have cared about.

You're weak. You can't hang with classic so you need apps to make it easier. You all should be ashamed.

[Frug]

You're weak. You can't hang with classic so you need apps to make it easier. You all should be ashamed.

Ahh, the ad hominem attack; last refuge of the lost.

[tristantio]

http://wiki.eqemulator.org/p?Zones&frm=Main

Awesome! Thanks, this will make it a lot faster.

I notice people who are anti map-app have no problem using the auction tracker :)

[HawkMasterson1999]

Ahh, the ad hominem attack; last refuge of the lost.

I was ready to let this go but then this guy called us (classic fans) idiots.

Its not I who lost but rather the server.

It's only a matter of time before someone uses /log to create a lite bot. I conceived of this mapping prog back when text triggers came out but didn't say anything about it bc I didn't want to spread around the idea. Someone made it anyway. The log bot is next. Mark my words. I wouldn't be surprised if one is not already running in secret.

I would rather play with RMTers than log progers.

Everyone knows deep down this isn't classic.

[loramin]

It's only a matter of time before someone uses /log to create a lite bot.

I think you're missing a very clear/important line. Reading from the logs? Totally acceptable. Using the information from logs to do *anything* at all in the game programmatically? Banned.

The people who are willing to risk getting banned to bot their character are going to do it whether or not some log-reading map program is legal ... and the P99 team will catch them. But that has nothing to do with a 100% classic-implementable, non-botting, and blessed by the GMs program.

[HawkMasterson1999]

I don't care if its blessed by the pope. It will never be classic.

[r00t]

This is a pretty neat idea, and the kind of outside the box thinking that is good. It's a small loophole, but still nowhere near as powerful as mq2map or showeq which let you see every NPC and PC location in the zone. Basically this just helps you from getting lost in big zones, something you could do looking at eqatlas coordinates yourself, only more convenient. Might want to make a private version for red players.

I was ready to let this go but then this guy called us (classic fans) idiots.

Its not I who lost but rather the server.

It's only a matter of time before someone uses /log to create a lite bot. I conceived of this mapping prog back when text triggers came out but didn't say anything about it bc I didn't want to spread around the idea. Someone made it anyway. The log bot is next. Mark my words. I wouldn't be surprised if one is not already running in secret.

I would rather play with RMTers than log progers.

Everyone knows deep down this isn't classic.

Some of the first bots for EQ were dinput.dll proxy's that read from the log file and then manually executed keypress commands. I guess it was easier to read the log file than filter the packet structures back then. However something like that still takes over EQ's memory space and is a violation of the rules.

[somnia]

I proposed this idea years ago. Glad to see it finally implemented.

It's funny how y'all spend 10 pages of a thread discussing the "legality" of using this app and support your claims by proposing what was technologically possible in classic-era Everquest. It's like Christians trying to adhere to the bible by looking for applicable scripture.

[loramin]

I don't care if its blessed by the pope. It will never be classic.

The same can be said of many other things too. Our internet speeds aren't classic. Our monitor sizes (or number of monitors) aren't classic. Being able to run EQ in a window (without a "cheat" of EQW) isn't classic. Epic multi-quests, puppet string OT Hammers, WC caps, etc. all weren't classic (for most people at least).

The server team can only create a classic implementation of Everquest; they can never reproduce a classic Everquest environment. And even if they could somehow "fix" all the technical things I just mentioned, that still won't suck the knowledge from our brains, which means we will NEVER have a truly classic Everquest environment.

If you're really that disturbed by that fact, then one little map app (which totally could have been written back in '99) should be the least of your worries. Really you should just quit over the many, many other aspects of Everquest 1999 that can never perfectly be reproduced here on Project 99 ...

... or you could just enjoy the game for what it is: a faithful reproduction of the Everquest game, in a modern environment.

[tristantio]

Updated download with full set of map files!

[HawkMasterson1999]

The same can be said of many other things too. Our internet speeds aren't classic. Our monitor sizes (or number of monitors) aren't classic. Being able to run EQ in a window (without a "cheat" of EQW) isn't classic. Epic multi-quests, puppet string OT Hammers, WC caps, etc. all weren't classic (for most people at least).

The server team can only create a classic implementation of Everquest; they can never reproduce a classic Everquest environment. And even if they could somehow "fix" all the technical things I just mentioned, that still won't suck the knowledge from our brains, which means we will NEVER have a truly classic Everquest environment.

If you're really that disturbed by that fact, then one little map app (which totally could have been written back in '99) should be the least of your worries. Really you should just quit over the many, many other aspects of Everquest 1999 that can never perfectly be reproduced here on Project 99 ...

... or you could just enjoy the game for what it is: a faithful reproduction of the Everquest game, in a modern environment.


sounds like desperate rationalization to me. Are you trying to convince me or convince your self?

[Cecily]

Gonna run naked through Gfay with Luclin models on and finding my way with this. Thanks Xenow!

[Frug]

sounds like desperate rationalization to me. Are you trying to convince me or convince your self?

You seem unusually obsessed with this app that you say you will never use. Meds?

[loramin]

sounds like desperate rationalization to me. Are you trying to convince me or convince your self?

Either that, or I'm someone who appreciates this server for what it is, looking at someone who is bent out of shape over "not classic" aspects of the server that can never possibly be classic, trying to convince them to appreciate the server for what it is.

[Lictor]

You mean to tell me multi questing and recharging items is not classic?

[loramin]

You mean to tell me multi questing and recharging items is not classic?

They were absolutely part of the classic mechanics, but at the same time they were not a part of the classic experience, at least to the extent they are here on Project 1999.

Take the OT Hammer for instance. In the classic era many players didn't even know it existed. Of those that did, many didn't know Puppet Strings existed. Of those that did, most didn't know that they could bypass the OT Hammer quest with them, and that they could recharge the strings after. Even if they did know all that, they needed to acquire a Puppet Strings, which meant being in a top raiding guild (and winning that rare loot) ... and even if they were lucky to have a Puppet Strings and know all that, they weren't sharing that knowledge with everyone and advertising "OT Hammer 3k" in the EC Tunnel.

But here on P99 people do have that knowledge, so we have way more OT hammers than the classic era ever did. If the GMs wanted Project 1999 to truly emulate classic EQ in the classic era, they'd have to somehow make it have a lot less OT Hammers. But doing that would require making the mechanics un-classic. You can't have both, so the GMs chose to have classic mechanics over a truly classic experience.

That's an unavoidable limit of Project 1999, and I think folks like HawkMasterson1999 would be a lot happier if they embraced that, rather than getting upset over things like a small mapping app that is classic mechanically but not experientially.

[Formal]

It keeps telling me that I don't have permission to download this. :(

[tristantio]

Fixed!

[tristantio]

Up to 54 unique downloads too, so seems like a lot of people are trying it out (or downloaded it just for the fun of it :) )

[BigHurb]

bump also stop ranting in this mans thread

[Formal]

It seems setting it up is going to be my bane. Downloaded, extracted into EQ folder. Settings updated so when I run the batch it has the right EQ directory listed. However when I try to patch it downloads but sits at the Decompressing and installing step. Running Win 7. I'm not sure what is going wrong.

[Aussie]

Interested to see what it does to the size of EQ log files.

Any testing in terms of growth per hour / week etc?

[no chewie dont]

I hope they disable logging soon
this shit makes me sick

[connect]

I hope they disable logging soon
this shit makes me sick

Does your Glass Castle have any rooms for rent?
It sounds like a lovely place to live..

[sulpher01]

I don't see what the big deal is... there are already maps of every zone with location grids on them.. how is this a big leap from that? This is directed at the people who think this is somehow ruining the game.

[no chewie dont]

Keep it on blue
Def would ruin red

[Supaskillz]

Please explain why it is worse on red than blue. It's not like this tells you where everyone else is.

[HawkMasterson1999]

They were absolutely part of the classic mechanics, but at the same time they were not a part of the classic experience, at least to the extent they are here on Project 1999.

Take the OT Hammer for instance. In the classic era many players didn't even know it existed. Of those that did, many didn't know Puppet Strings existed. Of those that did, most didn't know that they could bypass the OT Hammer quest with them, and that they could recharge the strings after. Even if they did know all that, they needed to acquire a Puppet Strings, which meant being in a top raiding guild (and winning that rare loot) ... and even if they were lucky to have a Puppet Strings and know all that, they weren't sharing that knowledge with everyone and advertising "OT Hammer 3k" in the EC Tunnel.

But here on P99 people do have that knowledge, so we have way more OT hammers than the classic era ever did. If the GMs wanted Project 1999 to truly emulate classic EQ in the classic era, they'd have to somehow make it have a lot less OT Hammers. But doing that would require making the mechanics un-classic. You can't have both, so the GMs chose to have classic mechanics over a truly classic experience.

That's an unavoidable limit of Project 1999, and I think folks like HawkMasterson1999 would be a lot happier if they embraced that, rather than getting upset over things like a small mapping app that is classic mechanically but not experientially.

Ok, you brought up my name and dragged me back into it.. Its absolutely ridiculous to equate people's advanced knowledge of the game with a 3rd party program that relays your position in real time on an overlaid map (which devs took efforts to remove from the game) and shares it with whoever else is using the app. Those two things are not even remotely close to being in the same league.

As far as devs making mechanics unclassic in order to restore classic experience, they have done so in many instances. The most prominent example that comes to mind is the nerfing of ivandyr's hoop. Not to mention all the tweaks made to end game encounters like not being able to bind in seb. I don't expect that we will have a perfect carbon copy of classic EQ but it doesn't mean we should just give up on trying to keep it as classic as possible. Real time maps in game are certainly not classic and to suggest that they are is laughable.

[no chewie dont]

Not classic

doesnt take a genius to see the problem

[nonphixion]

Not classic

doesnt take a genius to see the problem

[HawkMasterson1999]

Please explain why it is worse on red than blue. It's not like this tells you where everyone else is.

People are going to copy this app and tweak there own versions to be guild only or invite only. Spies, moles and hackers are going intercept the data from these private map app networks and use it to their advantage. Is it so hard to imagine how knowing this info in real time will give an advantage? Even just knowing the position of your allies is an advantage.

I hope they disable logging soon
this shit makes me sick

This guy gets it. More log progs are coming but they won't be advertised in the forums. Disabling /log would be a small sacrifice to uphold the integrity of the server (we should at least try. I know the server is not pure)

[Supaskillz]

People are going to copy this app and tweak there own versions to be guild only or invite only. Spies, moles and hackers are going intercept the data from these private map app networks and use it to their advantage. Is it so hard to imagine how knowing this info in real time will give an advantage? Even just knowing the position of your allies is an advantage.



This guy gets it. More log progs are coming but they won't be advertised in the forums. Disabling /log would be a small sacrifice to uphold the integrity of the server (we should at least try. I know the server is not pure)

I have mixed feelings about this program, but your tin foil hat is impressive sir. I guess I wasn't aware that the 60 people who raid on red were were hackers and moles. If your guild thinks the other guilds cyber espionage team is strong you could resort to tactics like not using this app. Perhaps you could all learn a Native American language so your vent is safe also.

I would be ok with blocking locs being recorded in logs, but need to work on a solution to the voice chat program plague.

[HawkMasterson1999]

Tin foil hat? Thats a throw away line thats getting tired. What i described is about the same as saying "you see that dog over there? he's gonna chase that cat" Is that some kind conspiracy theory? No, its called a tropism. Its the nature of things.

Is it a conspiracy theory that people who play eq tend to have knowledge of programming? No, this thread itself is proof of that. Plenty of people have been busted for hacking already so why is it some kind of paranoid delusion to suggest that people are still at it.

Do guilds infiltrate eachother with spies and moles? Yes. This is a fact, not a theory. Its not much of a leap to think that they might employ their programming skills to do so.

[webrunner5]

This is great stuff. Thanks to the OP for all the work. :cool:

[HawkMasterson1999]

I don't take kindly to being called a tin foil hatter but the rest of what you said is pretty good. Even though it was sarcastic I like the wind talker idea. lol

Devs can't really do anything about VOIP as much as i wish they could but they can put a stop to this if they really want to.

[Ziggy]

So, how long until the actual in-game map is just turned back on? I mean, it literally does exactally the same thing as this 'app'.

[myriverse]

So, how long until the actual in-game map is just turned back on? I mean, it literally does exactally the same thing as this 'app'.
3 years per expansion.
Map is 3 expansions past Velious.

ETA: 2025. Or, ya know, never.

[Ziggy]

3 years per expansion.
Map is 3 expansions past Velious.

ETA: 2025. Or, ya know, never.

Actually, the map came out with the new UI in Luclin, which, ya know, the server uses.

[Ziggy]

Its ridiculous the extent that this server will try to maintain something that is classic but so clearly broken and bad for the game. p99 uses the titanium client which includes all these things but instead we break things on purpose so that we can have a parser do the exact same thing? We are years beyond the classic timeline, YEARS. Why are we trying to make this game into some unattainable classic thing instead of just making it as good as it could be.

[myriverse]

Actually, the map came out with the new UI in Luclin, which, ya know, the server uses.
No. Maps were a Ykesha thing. We didn't even have them at the start of PoP.

[RiffDaemon]

Actually, the map came out with the new UI in Luclin, which, ya know, the server uses.

Spoken so matter-of-factly....

[tristantio]

It seems setting it up is going to be my bane. Downloaded, extracted into EQ folder. Settings updated so when I run the batch it has the right EQ directory listed. However when I try to patch it downloads but sits at the Decompressing and installing step. Running Win 7. I'm not sure what is going wrong.

That's the patcher part of the app and it makes sure to update your p99 install to match the latest set of p99 files (so you don't have to install manually).

Scroll down a little bit and click the link that says "Mapper" to open the map app :)

[tristantio]

Interested to see what it does to the size of EQ log files.

Any testing in terms of growth per hour / week etc?

I keep it on 24/7 on all my characters, it gets up to 20MB about once a month or so (and that is with my guys signed in 24/7 for the auction tracker when I'm not actively playing).

This map reader has been optimized pretty thoroughly since I did all my development on it against my 20MB log file - I had the scan for last direction/coords/zone down to under 3 seconds (and my machine is a little outdated to boot).

If you truncate your log file once a week (or don't /log as much as I do) and your file is under 5MB in size, you'll almost always have an instant response (vs 3 seconds) when it goes to scan for your information.

[no chewie dont]

in the future, people will say "ah yes, i remember project1999, was great until some asshole publicly distributed map-hacks and other non classic shit"
way to go meatball, end of an era

[gwideon]

No. Maps were a Ykesha thing. We didn't even have them at the start of PoP.

It was a third party interface mod from eqmaps before it was incorporated into the release of the standard EQ UI. I thought that was before ykesha.

[loramin]

in the future, people will say "ah yes, i remember project1999, was great until some asshole publicly distributed map-hacks and other non classic shit"
way to go meatball, end of an era

Yes, this simple application is going to single-handidly ruin Project 1999 ... even though all it does is the same thing anyone with 10 seconds, access to the wiki, and a finger can already do (and really the finger is optional if your eye can follow the loc lines). But before that, it will unleash an army of spies, hackers and moles who will secretly read your map files the same way spies/hackers/moles currently read your log files.

The end is coming!

[no chewie dont]

go head, mock my words
you'll see though

[mipstien]

in the future, people will say "ah yes, i remember project1999, was great until some asshole publicly distributed map-hacks and other non classic shit"
way to go meatball, end of an era

do you need a hug?

[Wrench]

http://i.imgur.com/3KbChZm.png

[Frug]

Devs can't really do anything about VOIP as much as i wish they could but they can put a stop to this if they really want to.

Which they don't. Because there is no need to. You and chewie screaming DOOOOOOOMM!!!!, while funny, doesn't make it so.

You need to stop obsessing - it's bad for you, really.

[Frug]

in the future, people will say "ah yes, i remember project1999, was great until some asshole publicly distributed map-hacks and other non classic shit"
way to go meatball, end of an era

Wow. You and Hawk need to get a room and paranoid out together.

[no chewie dont]

why did they disable in game maps?
or, even better question:
why would you find a 3rd party workaround to enable something disabled? theres other servers that have it, have a blast there imo

[SamwiseRed]

soon well have addons and the UI will tell you everytime from the time sun will set to when the next trakanon will spawn.

[tristantio]

soon well have addons and the UI will tell you everytime from the time sun will set to when the next trakanon will spawn.

What's the trakanon respawn timer? I'll add a small check in log for when the text he has been slain is found and mark the next spawn in an overlay for the map :)

[SamwiseRed]

tbh i shouldnt troll u. i mite need your help soon.

[Vega]

Interested to see what it does to the size of EQ log files.

Any testing in terms of growth per hour / week etc?

I wonder if you could just clean the log out periodically with a quick script to remove all /loc's.

Also tristantio, I've always thought it would be cool to have a guild damage parser. One that collects and correlates the different damage logs. This seems like it would be a good base for something like that.

[Tankdan]

why did they disable in game maps?
or, even better question:
why would you find a 3rd party workaround to enable something disabled? theres other servers that have it, have a blast there imo


Im glad they disabled it due to MQ2.

Enable maps, and MQ2 will have a huge advantage, anyone thats used MQ2 (basically every single server on EQemu) can attest. As it stands now, even if u do enable MQ2, it wont be as useful as it was before.

[myriverse]

why did they disable in game maps?
or, even better question:
why would you find a 3rd party workaround to enable something disabled? theres other servers that have it, have a blast there imo
As long as it didn't affect the server or give you info you didn't already have, why wouldn't you if you wanted it?

And how is a map app any different from the printed maps we had back in 1999 sitting right next to our computer?

Most important questions: why do you care what other people do? how does another person's private fun affect you?

And no, Hawk, Devs really cannot put a stop to log parsers, any more than VOIP.

[Mirox]

For comparison, here is the currently under development map section of my P99 Parser in action. Sorry for crappy video quality. (GTK3+, Python, Cross-Platform)

http://youtu.be/3UDqWSqtcEQ

[Arclyte]

http://blogs.telerik.com/images/default-source/kendoui-blog-posts/game_genie-jpg

[Fame]

Most maps are square and a compass has four points.. wtf do you scrubs need a map for?

[Frug]

As long as it didn't affect the server or give you info you didn't already have, why wouldn't you if you wanted it?

And how is a map app any different from the printed maps we had back in 1999 sitting right next to our computer?

Most important questions: why do you care what other people do? how does another person's private fun affect you?

And no, Hawk, Devs really cannot put a stop to log parsers, any more than VOIP.

But, But, but... IT'LL RUIN THE GAME!!?!11

[Frug]

For comparison, here is the currently under development map section of my P99 Parser in action. Sorry for crappy video quality. (GTK3+, Python, Cross-Platform)

http://youtu.be/3UDqWSqtcEQ

Very interested in this. I'm running on a Mac under wine if you want another combo to beta it.

[tristantio]

Looks awesome Mirox! Are you open sourcing it? (what license?)

Maybe we can come up with a common format for /loc sharing/APIs so users of either app can share their locations with their friends/guild/world.

[Mirox]

Looks awesome Mirox! Are you open sourcing it? (what license?)

Maybe we can come up with a common format for /loc sharing/APIs so users of either app can share their locations with their friends/guild/world.

GPL v2 license. I need to go open source not only cause I like it, but people won't use the program otherwise. They may think I want to steal their pixels!

I would be interested in a common API for gets and pushes of locations. I was thinking of setting up a server mode, but it would be run by the user where people could connect to their ip if they want.

I would be interested in setting up a central server that works like channels, where someone can setup a channel with a password, and people can connect to it. That way, you don't require the server owner to be connected to the internet with the server running.

What are your thoughts on this?

[cobaltblack]

This sounds like a cool app!

Over at http://norrathmap.com we've been working on a similar app that is in closed alpha testing for the last few months. We hope to move to beta in the next few weeks.

I'm glad to hear confirmation that it isnt against the rules.

[webrunner5]

Man, I really love all the "It's not Classic" shit responses. I bet 75% of them are running a different UI than the normal one, or have the Velious models on, or the better equipment skin updates on, etc,etc.

Just go away and start your own damn server and delete your forum account on here. Shit gets old. Grow the hell up.

[HawkMasterson1999]

Man, I really love all the "It's not Classic" shit responses. I bet 75% of them are running a different UI than the normal one, or have the Velious models on, or the better equipment skin updates on, etc,etc.

Just go away and start your own damn server and delete your forum account on here. Shit gets old. Grow the hell up.

I'll forego the glaringly obvious rebuttal...

Since this argument seems to be no longer bound by the constraints of logic I'll just say this... Those of you who are for the map hacks are racists. Those of us against the map hacks are exceptionally handsome, charming and witty.

[Zuranthium]

Ya'll bitching about this are idiots. The goal of the devs is the recreate a classic server environment.

Yeah and this program is completely unclassic. Not being able to see exactly where you are in the game World is precisely what made Everquest the game it was, as compared to the fast-food MMO's of the past decade.

[mipstien]

Yeah and this program is completely unclassic. Not being able to see exactly where you are in the game World is precisely what made Everquest the game it was, as compared to the fast-food MMO's of the past decade.

it couldn't have been the long spawn times, the stupid pathing, the grouping and social aspect, or i mean any of the other things that everquest has done. nope its the map.

[Zuranthium]

It's the immersion. When you logged onto Everquest in 1999 and walked outside of your starting city, you would often have no idea where you were. Actually, lots of times, you wouldn't even be sure where you are inside your starting city. It created uncertainty, fear, and adventure. Even after you learned a certain area, it was easy to become disoriented. Especially at night. You felt like you were truly living IN an epic fantasy world.

[myriverse]

It's the immersion. When you logged onto Everquest in 1999 and walked outside of your starting city, you would often have no idea where you were. Actually, lots of times, you wouldn't even be sure where you are inside your starting city. It created uncertainty, fear, and adventure. Even after you learned a certain area, it was easy to become disoriented. Especially at night. You felt like you were truly living IN an epic fantasy world.
Immersion is a fallacy.

By 2000, everybody I knew had maps next to their computers when they played. The only difference here is the medium: paper vs pixels.

[Frug]

It's the immersion. When you logged onto Everquest in 1999 and walked outside of your starting city, you would often have no idea where you were. Actually, lots of times, you wouldn't even be sure where you are inside your starting city. It created uncertainty, fear, and adventure. Even after you learned a certain area, it was easy to become disoriented. Especially at night. You felt like you were truly living IN an epic fantasy world.

And that was the case for about... an hour. Then you went and got a map or 3.

[no chewie dont]

Yeah and this program is completely unclassic. Not being able to see exactly where you are in the game World is precisely what made Everquest the game it was, as compared to the fast-food MMO's of the past decade.

[HawkMasterson1999]

Immersion is a fallacy.

By 2000, everybody I knew had maps next to their computers when they played. The only difference here is the medium: paper vs pixels.

I don't remember my EQ atlas print outs having real time updated position indicators for myself and my competitors / allies. Its not even fair to call this a map app, its a player tracking app. If it was just maps I don't think people like myself would really care that much. It also sounds like the developer is considering adding more "features". We don't like the direction this takes the server. A self described classic server by the way which so many of you seem to forget.

[Arclyte]

Immersion is a fallacy.

By 2000, everybody I knew had maps next to their computers when they played. The only difference here is the medium: paper vs pixels.

actively tracking yourself with a harry potter map is not the same

[Frug]

____ ___ ___ __ __ _
| _ \ / _ \ / _ \| \/ | |
| | | | | | | | | | |\/| | |
| |_| | |_| | |_| | | | |_|
|____/ \___/ \___/|_| |_(_)

[myriverse]

actively tracking yourself with a harry potter map is not the same
It's exactly the same.

[HawkMasterson1999]

It's exactly the same.

This borders on gaslighting.

[loramin]

actively tracking yourself with a harry potter map is not the same

Can your finger follow (ie. "actively track") a map? If so then it seems the same to me.

But let's put all of the deep-seated moral objections aside for a minute and focus on something practical: even if you somehow magically convinced the GMs to change their minds and ban this app IT WOULDN'T MATTER. Unless the devs also banned all log reading programs, and patched in an anti-cheat program to run alongside EQ and search for apps that are reading the log, there is nothing that the devs can do to stop this app.

ANY log reading program will (for the most part) be undetectable, which means it doesn't matter what your moral quibbles are, in practical terms there's nothing you can do about them.

[moklianne]

I don't remember my EQ atlas print outs having real time updated position indicators for myself and my competitors / allies. Its not even fair to call this a map app, its a player tracking app. If it was just maps I don't think people like myself would really care that much. It also sounds like the developer is considering adding more "features". We don't like the direction this takes the server. A self described classic server by the way which so many of you seem to forget.

The only way to stop stuff like this is to disable logging though.

[HawkMasterson1999]

Its not impossible to disable logging. Some of you must think our devs are morons. The anti cheat prog sounds pretty cool actually. I'm all for something like that.

[Zuranthium]

Immersion is a fallacy.

By 2000, everybody I knew had maps next to their computers when they played. The only difference here is the medium: paper vs pixels.

Immersion is hardly a fallacy.

Having a map did not tell you exactly where you were in the zone. You still had to sit there and /loc and move in somewhat jagged patterns. The huge difference is that if a monster ATTACKS you, then you don't have time to stop at all. You can't just click a button and see exactly where you are and how to get straight to the zoneline, while avoiding other areas with aggro threats.

Nor could you just click a button and see exactly where your party members are, so that if you get separated you can immediately find them without any threat of being caught alone.

There is a massive difference. Also, 2000 is not 1999.

[kaev]

Its not impossible to disable logging. Some of you must think our devs are morons. The anti cheat prog sounds pretty cool actually. I'm all for something like that.

1. Point out that disabling logging would be 100% not-classic.
2. Mention that even in 1999 with the full-screen UI it was possible to monitor your log from a second PC on the same LAN.
3. Give reminder that disabling logging would be, you know, like, totally not-classic.
4. ???
5. Walk off chuckling about people who demand that classic features must be removed in the name of :classic:.

[myriverse]

Immersion is hardly a fallacy.

Having a map did not tell you exactly where you were in the zone.
Sure it did.

You still had to sit there and /loc and move in somewhat jagged patterns.
You still have to do this with this program. Never ever did the jagged pattern though.

The huge difference is that if a monster ATTACKS you, then you don't have time to stop at all. You can't just click a button and see exactly where you are and how to get straight to the zoneline, while avoiding other areas with aggro threats.
Um... yeah, you can.

Nor could you just click a button and see exactly where your party members are, so that if you get separated you can immediately find them without any threat of being caught alone.
You could.

There is a massive difference. Also, 2000 is not 1999.
This game assumes 2000, not 1999. The Kunark era is nearly gone. Velious is upon us. That's 2000!

[Zuranthium]

[Having a map did not tell you exactly where you were in the zone.] Sure it did.

NO, IT DIDN'T. A printed-out map would show you coordinates, which only means something after you looked at it and COMPARED it to what your current /loc was in the game. It would not freaking tell you exactly where you are in the game world when you're being chased down by a monster, so that you can immediately run in the correct direction to safety.

[You can't just click a button and see exactly where you are and how to get straight to the zoneline] Um... yeah, you can.

No, you can't. Clicking /loc doesn't tell you exactly where the zoneline or other key spots in the zone are even if you've memorized their coordinates. It only gives you an idea. You have to process the information and orient yourself in the right direction. This takes some time and even if it's just a few seconds, that can easily be the difference between dying or not when you get aggroed. You're removing a large amount of the risk in the game if that element is gone.

[Nor could you just click a button and see exactly where your party members are, so that if you get separated you can immediately find them without any threat of being caught alone.] You could.

Huh? No you couldn't. There was only the /follow command which works in a very limited distance. If you stop for a few seconds and your party keeps moving and you lose line of sight, then you're on your own.

[loramin]

As I said, it's basically impossible to prevent the map app without preventing all log reading, and even if you wanted to do that you'd have to write a whole parallel "anti-cheat" program to enforce it. So, before banning every classic log-reading app and wasting a ton of dev time, let's consider what we'd get for it.

The personal location feature of this app is, at the least, very similar to existing classic functionality/technology (ie. printed map/2nd monitor + finger).

The "knowing exactly where your allies are" part isn't classic ... but neither is Teamspeak (Teamspeak-like programs did exist, but weren't common as few people had the bandwidth to run them and EQ simultaneously). Teamspeak offers similar functionality to the "allies location" feature; admittedly it's less precise, but it doesn't require a second monitor/window so it's superior in that sense.

So, do you really want to ban all log-readers, and waste a ton of developer time, just to prevent slightly-better-than-finger-plus-map location display and slightly-better-than-teamspeak location sharing?

[HawkMasterson1999]

1. Point out that disabling logging would be 100% not-classic.
2. Mention that even in 1999 with the full-screen UI it was possible to monitor your log from a second PC on the same LAN.
3. Give reminder that disabling logging would be, you know, like, totally not-classic.
4. ???
5. Walk off chuckling about people who demand that classic features must be removed in the name of :classic:.

This thread has gotten pretty long so I understand if you haven't read the whole thing but I covered this one way back.

...As far as devs making mechanics unclassic in order to restore classic experience, they have done so in many instances. The most prominent example that comes to mind is the nerfing of ivandyr's hoop. Not to mention all the tweaks made to end game encounters like not being able to bind in seb. I don't expect that we will have a perfect carbon copy of classic EQ but it doesn't mean we should just give up on trying to keep it as classic as possible. Real time maps in game are certainly not classic and to suggest that they are is laughable.

[Zuranthium]

As I said, it's basically impossible to prevent the map app without preventing all log reading, and even if you wanted to do that you'd have to write a whole parallel "anti-cheat" program to enforce it.

I've no idea how much dev time it would take.

But ideally they would ban it, yes. It's far more than a "slight" difference, as you try to put it.

Log-reading was not part of the intended classic EQ experience anyway.

Everquest is supposed to be a game where you log on and play a character in an epic fantasy World. Trying to break it down and software it is the opposite of actually playing the game.

[Mirox]

Wow, people are getting very upset by a simple mapper. I am afraid of what will happen when they get released with way more options than have been shown so far.

[mipstien]

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/e/4/e496c_ORIG-Let_The_Butt_Hurt_Flow_Through_You.jpg

[HawkMasterson1999]

Wow, people are getting very upset by a simple mapper. I am afraid of what will happen when they get released with way more options than have been shown so far.

You're close. We are upset because this is more than a simple mapper. Just like you, we anticipate more options. The potential for unfair competitive advantage in using log files in this way is a lot greater than some of you realize.

This is a game of margins. It doesn't have to be god mode to be an advantage.

[Tecmos Deception]

The potential for unfair competitive advantage in using log files in this way is a lot greater than some of you realize.

Doesn't go far enough, imo. Staff need to find out what the /played per week is for the 10th percentile of playtime on the server and then enforce limits on playtime per week for the whole playerbase. It wouldn't be perfect of course, the 1st through 9th percentile players would still be getting screwed out of a fair shake, but it would go a long ways to limit the competitive advantage that people who can play more than others.

[Frug]

You're close. We are upset because this is more than a simple mapper. Just like you, we anticipate more options. The potential for unfair competitive advantage in using log files in this way is a lot greater than some of you realize.

This is a game of margins. It doesn't have to be god mode to be an advantage.

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000604547/polls_bc1ff5fcbf7e760667b2870b154966d7_poll_xlarge .jpeg

[HawkMasterson1999]

I very well could be crazy but i'm also right about everything I've said in this thread.

[Kika Maslyaka]

my 2cp:

-On one hand the log reader could be considered classic cause technologically it COULD have existed back then due to its relative simplicity

-On another hand it didn't existed back then.

Its an issue similar to boxing - yes boxing WAS possible in 99, but it would cost you twice as much to run it, so only 1% did it.

Same here, even though this feature COULD have existed in 99 - it didn't ;)

But what I really find funny here is that almost 99% of the people in this thread happily accept a new method of circumventing disabling of maps by the Devs - this is showing how much people actually want CLASSIC EXPERIENCE :D :D :D

[quido]

I think they need to flag Ventrilo and Teamspeak as disallowed third party apps and add some enforcement to the DLL. Shit's not classic.

[Tecmos Deception]

CLASSIC EXPERIENCE

Almost no one has fond memories of classic EQ because of dial up disconnects or spending an hour lost in a zone or having to wait until tonight to ding because you have to go to school right now. They have fond memories because of the ingame mechanics and environments... stuff that is not affected by reading logs.

[Kika Maslyaka]

Almost no one has fond memories of classic EQ because of dial up disconnects or spending an hour lost in a zone or having to wait until tonight to ding because you have to go to school right now. They have fond memories because of the ingame mechanics and environments... stuff that is not affected by reading logs.

Well dial up disconnects and parents screaming at you to go to sleep at 2am were not really intended by the game designers as part of experience :D
Not having maps and getting lost - sort of were.
Of course everyone hates getting lost, getting killed and loosing their corpse with hard earn newbie gear - but that was part of original design.

But all that aside, the MOST important part of Classic Experience - is being new to the game - being a newbie. Exploring and finding out things for the first time, being surprised, overjoyed, scared, shocked etc. That part is GONE. You will never be newbie again, unless someone wipes out your mind, you will never truly relieve those experiences. At most you can hope to go the places you remember fondly and feel some nostalgia.

[Frug]

I very well could be crazy but i'm also right about everything I've said in this thread.

You keep telling yourself that.

[HawkMasterson1999]

I'm coo coo for classic puffs

[HawkMasterson1999]

^^ Ya'll are fruit loops for frankenquest

[Tecmos Deception]

Not having maps and getting lost - sort of were.

Sort of... yes.

I mean, they did include the /loc and logging systems, sell kunark and velious to you with maps included in the box (albeit not to the same level as a wiki or a mapping app), eventually implement a map ingame (suggesting perhaps the desire to do so originally but it just didn't happen cause of budget/technical limitations/time constraints, etc), etc.

Stuff like this isn't far off from something like FD splitting or AE groups. Neither of those things were "intended" by the developers of EQ; they were things that the players figured out they could do (and do legally) with the mechanics the devs gave them. So is this.


You will never be newbie again

Sort of... yes.

I've learned more about EQ in the time I've been on p99 than I learned in the time I played on live from early kunark on and off through like, LOY or something. There's a lot of breadth AND depth to this game. There's still plenty to discover and learn and do even now, over a decade after the true noob phase ended :)

[myriverse]

Leggo my Eqqo.

Seriously though, I get that it's not for you. No one's forcing it on anybody. So you can't see where people are on a flashy map. Big deal.

[drktmplr12]

quite a claim to determine what is intended in a video game you didn't develop. i don't see any evidence to support it either. a claim without evidence is just conjecture.

the precise reason to implement a log is to read it...why else write it all down?

aside from that:

i can't believe this is controversial. Everything in the map is freely available information that was compiled into one place.

think it gives an unfair advantage? not sure what is unfair about an app available to everyone if some simply refuse to use it.

you don't like it? don't use it.. but why come here and cry about how it isn't fair when 100% of the player base can use it? continue to tack your way across south karana while having the wiki map open in another window... i'll be skipping the step of locating myself on a inverted and rotated Cartesian coordinate system.

in summary...

http://thumbs.newschoolers.com/index.php?src=http://www.smosh.com/sites/default/files/bloguploads/u-mad-1.jpg&size=400x1000

[HawkMasterson1999]

you don't like it? don't use it..]

I hear you but if we follow that logic then why not just play on live and ignore the last 35 expansions and pretend its classic.

Why not let people box, bot and offset? You don't like it? you don't have to use it.

This is pee in the pool. The only way to avoid it is to stop swimming and get out.

[no chewie dont]

pee in the pool confirmed
anyone using this should be ashamed

[Tecmos Deception]

get out

Go ahead then. Git!

[no chewie dont]

so why do you guys think they disabled in-game maps? to give "some of us" the "option" of NOT using maps?

[Tecmos Deception]

They disabled ingame maps because they didn't want ingame maps.

This isn't an ingame map. This doesn't directly affect the game at all. It was possible and legal in 1999, just like it is now. If the staff decide they don't like it, they'll break /loc or /log or something.

[no chewie dont]

tecmos admitting to map-hacks AKA being a terrible player? not surprised

[alaiwy0503]

People are acting like you'll be able to see everybody. You'll only be able to see the people that install/log their location. If you don't want your location to be known....don't install the parser. Not a very difficult situation here. I guess people think you'll be able to track them without their consent like the NSA. Cool app indeed!

[no chewie dont]

alaiwy0503, are you admitting to being terrible at eq also? the list of shit-tier players growing by the minute

[HawkMasterson1999]

I never wanted to voip either but then every single raiding guild started requiring it.

[Grubbz]

Not classic

[Tewaz]

Just add the map back into the game. Those who don't think it is classic don't have to use it and everyone on Red can stop crying because of pvp happening more easily.

The in game map is the exact item he is talking about creating, the only difference is it being in the EQ window instead of a window outside of EQ.

[feanan]

It's like the same 4 people posting against the maps.

who cares.

[Grubbz]

Seriously, if there going to allow this they may as well put the damn maps back in to the game.

[Mirox]

Seriously, if there going to allow this they may as well put the damn maps back in to the game.

These will be better than the in-game map (just not as responsive) -- added features and the ability to share information between clients will make it that way.

So even if they re-enabled the in-game map, people will still be complaining.

[Champion_Standing]

Seriously, if there going to allow this they may as well put the damn maps back in to the game.

It's not a matter of allowing it. It doesn't alter the game in any way, shape or form and he isn't charging plat for the program. Their only option would be to ban OP and remove the links anytime they are posted.

[Supaskillz]

It's not a matter of allowing it. It doesn't alter the game in any way, shape or form and he isn't charging plat for the program. Their only option would be to ban OP and remove the links anytime they are posted.

It would be extremely unjust if they toon such action since he posted here to verify it was ok.

Could they not disable logging if they wanted to stop this? I don't know how these things work

[Gadwen]

Cannot get this to work at all, just gives me a blank "not found" page. Tried adjusting my install path, tried moving EQ to default path, still the same thing.

[loramin]

You don't have to like this, but you do have to accept it because it is inevitable.

On this issue, you choose to be upset. The only solution is to choose to not be bothered by it.

/thread

[stonez138]

Not being able to see exactly where you are in the game World is precisely what made Everquest the game it was

That's just silly.

[Zuranthium]

you don't like it? don't use it.. but why come here and cry about how it isn't fair when 100% of the player base can use it? continue to tack your way across south karana while having the wiki map open in another window... i'll be skipping the step of locating myself on a inverted and rotated Cartesian coordinate system.

Then you'll be skipping the step of actually playing the game.

Exploration is supposed to be mandatory. It's Everquest. What do you think a quest is?

Almost no one has fond memories of classic EQ because of spending an hour lost in a zone.

Yes they do. That's a huge reason why people have fond memories of the game - going to new places and not knowing what to expect or exactly where to go and actually learning the terrain and setup of the area.

The game becomes significantly different when you can just click a button that tells you exactly where to go and takes you out of first-person perspective and into satellite view.

[Gadwen]

Then you'll be skipping the step of actually playing the game.

Exploration is supposed to be mandatory. It's Everquest. What do you think a quest is?



Yes they do. That's a huge reason why people have fond memories of the game - going to new places and not knowing what to expect or exactly where to go and actually learning the terrain and setup of the area.

The game becomes significantly different when you can just click a button that tells you exactly where to go and takes you out of first-person perspective and into satellite view.

Almost all my memories of traveling in classic were running against a zone wall lol. When it comes to maps I am sorta ambivalent towards them. In some ways they actually let people see more of the game ie not running along the zone wall every time, but on the other hand they do take away a lot of that feeling of exploration.

[loramin]

Look, it's all very simple: the map app exists. Its not going away. No amount of bitching or moaning in this thread or any other thread is going to make it go away. Even if you COULD convince the staff to change their minds, it wouldn't matter because they're not going to disable logging (which is more or less what it would take to ban the app).

So, instead of being miserable, wouldn't it make more sense to just be happy with the wonderful, free, and very-close-to-classic emulated EQ server that the developers have given us, and not get hung up one really small (in the grand scheme of things) piece that you don't like?

[Ambrotos]

Should just enable maps so this virus doesn't infect everyone.

[Ahldagor]

whatever happened to mental maps? eq zones have many landmarks in them that people can use to generate a mental map of a zone. they can also memorize the old eq atlas ones. sense heading and land marks are all you need to navigate around. folks jus wanna be all lazy

[Zuranthium]

So, instead of being miserable, wouldn't it make more sense to just be happy with the wonderful, free, and very-close-to-classic emulated EQ server that the developers have given us, and not get hung up one really small (in the grand scheme of things) piece that you don't like?

It's not small at all. I was thinking of playing again on the Red server. But with this in place? No way. What's the point?

[Champion_Standing]

It's not small at all. I was thinking of playing again on the Red server. But with this in place? No way. What's the point?

This man is clearly a connoisseur of immersion. What is your immersion threshold for wanting to play? The average player must be at least 50% as immersed as you? Maybe 40-45% is more realistic.

[Ahldagor]

1. No one is here to play your static snapshot of nostalgia any more than they are here to play mine. This server is not all about you and what "classic" subjectively means to you; EQ is many things and many feels to many different people for many different reasons. Most overlaps, but some doesn't.

2. "Classic You" would have sht their gamer pants over this logfile GPS hack for exactly the same reason Classic You printed out the entire EQAtlas site. For the daily classic player, utterly shameless spoilers were a given, remember? So long as it obeys EULA, anti-spoiler = anti-classic.

3. Logfile GPS was technically possible in '99 and just because it didn't bubble up to the surface doesn't mean it's "not classic". Have you listened to the description of it? Binding loc to movement keys, community programmers hacking log files into a makeshift GPS to produce a crude live map? Sht is classic af.

4. 100% parity with your nostalgia isn't necessary to recapture the fun of classic. You're playing P99 in 2014, not EQ in 1999. It's close, but it's not literally the same in every detail and it never will be. So ease up on the Captain Classic zealotry, it's a guaranteed path to your own disappointment.

5. No one wants to see P99 burn. Just because someone has a different definition of classic from yours doesn't mean that person respects classic / P99 less than you. We all respect it, that's why we're here. So long as it follows the rules, have a little faith & flexibility in the community when it comes to changes that deviate from your expectations of the perfect classic experience (see: #4)


http://media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/988/981/981988.gif

[khanable]

I tried to made it work, just got a blank command prompt

Pretty sure all my pixels are gonna vanish now mysteriously

[Reguiy]

It's not small at all. I was thinking of playing again on the Red server. But with this in place? No way. What's the point?

Went to type something out, then thought of this -

http://replygif.net/i/101.gif

[Yonkec]

It's not small at all. I was thinking of playing again on the Red server. But with this in place? No way. What's the point?

In all fairness, do not forget this is nothing extraordinary or unprecedented in scope. He didn't birth anything that your or I could not do on our own, were we to be educated in the means. I am certainly not perhaps you can.

The obvious solution is to remove /loc on red!

[tristantio]

I tried to made it work, just got a blank command prompt

Pretty sure all my pixels are gonna vanish now mysteriously

Did you run the exe instead of the bat file?

I put up a README (and you can view formatted on my github posted in the OP).

If the thing launches without issue (the exe) you'll just see the REPL (the * prompt).

Running the bat will launch the exe and your default web browser opened to the localhost:4444 URL this runs on.

Ambrotos, not sure what you're talking about a virus (maybe trying to spread FUD)?

All the code is open sourced on my site, you can compile it yourself, also I've had problem free auction tracker exes for log uploading available for the last 2+ years on p99.

[Bboboo]

I keep getting http://localhost:4444/ could not be found. I take it this is an issue on my side? Any quick suggestions for a fix that I can just google.

[khanable]

Did you run the exe instead of the bat file?

I put up a README (and you can view formatted on my github posted in the OP).

If the thing launches without issue (the exe) you'll just see the REPL (the * prompt).

Running the bat will launch the exe and your default web browser opened to the localhost:4444 URL this runs on.

Ambrotos, not sure what you're talking about a virus (maybe trying to spread FUD)?

All the code is open sourced on my site, you can compile it yourself, also I've had problem free auction tracker exes for log uploading available for the last 2+ years on p99.

haha dude I was poking fun

I'll try the readme tonight, I'm sure it was just user error/me being sloppy/rushed

[tristantio]

I keep getting http://localhost:4444/ could not be found. I take it this is an issue on my side? Any quick suggestions for a fix that I can just google.

Look in the console that opened with the browser, if it says something like "NIL is not a STRING value" it means your EQ path could not be found automatically.

In a future release I'll have some more helpful setup interfaces so you could just browse to it etc., and set the path.

For the time being, make sure you have in settings.lisp a line such as:


(setf *eq-path* "C:/Your/Custom/Location/")


Note that you need to remove the ;; (semi-colons) in front of the sample path, and include the trailing slash (and use forward slashes).

[Tarbos]

If the devs would want to disable this, all they would need to disable is logging of the /loc output. No need to disable all logging.

Just saying.

[Bboboo]

Look in the console that opened with the browser, if it says something like "NIL is not a STRING value" it means your EQ path could not be found automatically.


Still getting the same error.

What I have below.

http://i.imgur.com/irqRnD6.png
http://i.imgur.com/BVo5K8B.jpg

The path is to the PP99 folder not a live folder. I probably have the command wrote out wrong.

[tristantio]

Still getting the same error.

What I have below.

http://i.imgur.com/irqRnD6.png
http://i.imgur.com/BVo5K8B.jpg

The path is to the PP99 folder not a live folder. I probably have the command wrote out wrong.

Include the trailing slash, so it would be C:/Something/Somethin/ (not C:/Something/Something )

[Zuranthium]

This man is clearly a connoisseur of immersion. What is your immersion threshold for wanting to play? The average player must be at least 50% as immersed as you? Maybe 40-45% is more realistic.

LOL.

Um, but truly, immersion is something that HAS to come game-side. If everyone isn't playing by the same rules in a multi-player game, then it will never work for an individual. You can try to not twink, you can try to do dungeon crawls and outdoor hunts instead of static camps, you can try to not use GPS, but if other people aren't doing the same then it inherently ruins your own attempts when you group with them.

The obvious solution is to remove /loc on red!

That would be awesome.

[LittleSorcerer7]

I think this is not a good idea for p1999, the point is to have no maps... for anyone. And i dont want to hear, Well hey hows me being able to see everything going to kill your fun just dont use the maps. But it actually does kill everyone elses fun because now you can go around places and see everything and have an unfair advantage. If this wasnt an MMO and we all played single player games and just talked about it together id say do whatever you want.
just my thoughts on it.

[Bboboo]

Still not working, it's cool though I'll probably just wait till it's cleaned up more if you intend to do that.

Thanks for your help.

[Xer0]

I think this is not a good idea for p1999, the point is to have no maps... for anyone. And i dont want to hear, Well hey hows me being able to see everything going to kill your fun just dont use the maps. But it actually does kill everyone elses fun because now you can go around places and see everything and have an unfair advantage. If this wasnt an MMO and we all played single player games and just talked about it together id say do whatever you want.
just my thoughts on it.

Well I think it's a good idea. Maps aren't classic, sure, but what does it hurt to have have them? Nothing. Nothings stopping a person from playing in windowed and/or with multiple displays. You know what else wasnt classic? Having a GPU with 4 separate digital video outputs that could be used in perfect tandem-- windows didn't accommodate such things until fairly recently. So while you sit here on the forums whining about people not using maps, the entire POPULATION is using third party maps via the wiki. This just takes a little bit of the guesswork out of it, if you're unfamiliar with loc (which I am, Ive been playing the game since velious and I've never mastered it)

I fail to see how you rightfully can claim this can ruin other peoples fun. Because people can somewhat confidentaly explore the corner of a zone, and have a visual representation your game is being ruined? I feel like you probably have some serious developmental issues if this is a real thing for you.

I can't possibly fathom how many people back the idea of "some other guy having a real time map ruins my immersion. Must simply be an organized trolling. Kudos.

Not everyone plays the game for immersion, in fact I'd argue most people are simply addicted ot the genre (yes, p2p games are formatted in such a way to keep players hooked, thus paying monthly) and are just romanticizing their inability to face the fact that 15 years has passed and they're no longer the youthful virile "explorer" they once were.

Just my take on all these 25-40 year old men whining about immersion, anyway!

[tristantio]

Other than not wanting to bother with GTK overlay, immersion also played into the decision when I decided to draw the map in browser (where the user is already tabbing to to read map information from EQAtlas).

The play flow without the app was previously:

Do a /loc in game while auto-running the general direction
Check position on map in browser (note the destination coods)
Adjust X/Y and keep running until there


All this really does is combine into one action (two if you manually /loc).

The overlay map Mirox is working on steps into the bounds of what I considered risky from an add/app point of view (sure, it isn't rendering in the EQ client exe itself, or through the EQ UI elements, but it may as well be).

Synchronized friend locations was just a fun idea to expand since it is trivial to implement with the base setup (as soon as I decide to spend an hour or two on it).

[LittleSorcerer7]

I pray the gm's find a way to take this out.

[Zuranthium]

Well I think it's a good idea. Maps aren't classic, sure, but what does it hurt to have have them? Nothing. This just takes a little bit of the guesswork out of it, if you're unfamiliar with loc (which I am, Ive been playing the game since velious and I've never mastered it)

LOL, how can you possibly say this changes nothing when you just admitted you don't even know how to use the /loc coordinates very well?

That is exactly why this is a huge change. It takes some actual thinking and time to look at a map and then go in the direction of what you think is correct. If you remove that, you're removing the little bit of uncertainty that is even left in this game, along with the threat of being aggroed by something while you are trying to figure out which way to go.

This is especially important because you can become disoriented in the game when a threat appears, either because of being stunned by a monster and spinning or because you were tabbed out while regening and can't remember exactly which direction was the correct escape route. If you immediately know where to go by just clicking a button, it drastically cuts down on the danger factor of the game...which is a large reason why the classic EQ experience was so memorable to begin with. It was actually scary and dangerous and made you fight for your life, in the same way it would happen to a character in a good fantasy novel!

[Robben]

People are lazy and just want pixels. There are also probably far worse programs being distributed by a select few within their circle of friends.


I'll never use something like this, but most people just want the fastest route from A to B and have no concern for how they get there

[fastboy21]

i pray they don't mess with the /log command to "fix" this...

in all seriousness...if you want to prevent this from being super effective just make it impossible to use /loc more than 3 times per minute or something like that. please don't hobble the log though...too many good reasons to keep log in game.

[Examino]

I keep getting http://localhost:4444/ could not be found. I take it this is an issue on my side? Any quick suggestions for a fix that I can just google.

same problem with me.

[Champion_Standing]

LOL, how can you possibly say this changes nothing when you just admitted you don't even know how to use the /loc coordinates very well?

That is exactly why this is a huge change. It takes some actual thinking and time to look at a map and then go in the direction of what you think is correct. If you remove that, you're removing the little bit of uncertainty that is even left in this game, along with the threat of being aggroed by something while you are trying to figure out which way to go.

This is especially important because you can become disoriented in the game when a threat appears, either because of being stunned by a monster and spinning or because you were tabbed out while regening and can't remember exactly which direction was the correct escape route. If you immediately know where to go by just clicking a button, it drastically cuts down on the danger factor of the game...which is a large reason why the classic EQ experience was so memorable to begin with. It was actually scary and dangerous and made you fight for your life, in the same way it would happen to a character in a good fantasy novel!

You are confusing your nostalgia with the reality of how people play P99. The truth is that nobody is having exciting adventures being lost in Norrath anymore, most of the zones in this game are just big fucking rectangles where as long as you have sow, you can autorun your way to safety. The dungeons that people use are completely mapped out, well traveled and if you don't know where to go 9/10 of the people you encounter there will.

[Grubbz]

Not Classic

[mipstien]

My computer is fast enough to zone in before something can kill me. That isn't classic and takes away from the fear of zoning into a train.

[fadetree]

To solve my inability to experience the truly classic feel of 1999, I plan on drinking heavily and taking illegal drugs until I stroke out and lose my memory. Then I can play just like I did, with no knowledge of the game at all! Of course, I'll need a drool bucket as well as my trusty poop sock, but otherwise immersion will be complete!

[no chewie dont]

its still not ok to use 3rd party cheats.

take notice

[Mirana]

I think this is not a good idea for p1999, the point is to have no maps... for anyone. And i dont want to hear, Well hey hows me being able to see everything going to kill your fun just dont use the maps. But it actually does kill everyone elses fun because now you can go around places and see everything and have an unfair advantage. If this wasnt an MMO and we all played single player games and just talked about it together id say do whatever you want.
just my thoughts on it.

People will always have an "unfair" advantage over you in everything you do in life. Insider trading on the stock market, being born into wealth, having a connection with the CEO of a company to get a job...

People are using and getting away with hacks/exploits on every MMO, they can not and never will be weeded out. This app is a drop in a bucket.

My suggestion: play the game the way that makes you happy and stop worrying about others.

[no chewie dont]

whats it like being so bad at a 15 year old mmo that you have to cheat?