Theoretical Classic UI

[nichomachean]

Hey all -

So in my inability to sleep this morning I had an idea. I still have a copy of the Everquest Trilogy kicking around (http://www.amazon.com/EverQuest-Tril.../dp/B00005KFSF) my house some where, and this version came with the original UI prior to patch. So my question is, for you more technical folk out there, would it be possible to extract the UI files from the game discs and share them around for those folks who want the original UI?

I am willing to bet it might, especially if you completely avoid patching. Of course, I am sure there is some code language that needs to be updated to be compatible with the server, but I leave that in someone else's more capable hands.

PM me if you're curious to give it a whirl, I can make ISOs of the discs and share. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

edit - For half-awake grammar fail.

[SyanideGas]

That would be so awesome!

[Flunklesnarkin]

Good idea lol.. i still got the original everquest disc... well at least i think its original.. might not be version 1.

It's certainly everquest without any expansions tho. because i got the kunark disc right next to it in my cd folder.

Ill take a look at it and see if i can add a bit more info for you to compare it too ;p

[nichomachean]

I am not sure it will work because the current UI files and requirements might be so radically different from the original, but I figured it was worth a shot, cause the original UI would really hammer home the experience for me. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Secrets]

Originally Posted by nichomachean [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Hey all -

So in my inability to sleep this morning I had an idea. I still have a copy of the Everquest Trilogy kicking around (http://www.amazon.com/EverQuest-Tril.../dp/B00005KFSF) kicking around my house some where, and this version came with the original UI prior to patch. So my question is, for you more technical folk out there, would it be possible to extract the UI files from the game discs and share them around for those folks who want the original UI?

I am willing to bet it might, especially if you completely avoid patching. Of course, I am sure there is some code language that needs to be updated to be compatible with the server, but I leave that in someone else's more capable hands.

PM me if you're curious to give it a whirl, I can make ISOs of the discs and share. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Here's why you can't do this:

TLDR) The UI is XML-based now. It was hardcoded in the old files inside the client and is not as easy as copy and pasting it.

1) Protocol for EQ changed since then. To do that would require a complete re-write of the encapsulating netcode to be converting one type of netcode into another. While plausible, too much effort would be required to even remotely make this work and it wouldn't be worth the time.

2) The inner workings of EverQuest no longer support the DX8/DX7 functions needed to make DX9 work with the old UI. Yes, the OLD OLD UI (velious/kunark/old) used DX8/DX7, and full support for this UI in code would not be possible even if it was in the client (hint: it's not.)

3) The UI was removed completely from the client around the same time PoP launched. There used to be a hack you could do to enable NewUI=false through a byte, but now the entire old UI is gone forever from the client.

4) You can't use DLL injection to add it into the client because of 2 and 3. Even if you were to reconstruct all of it (which would take well over 2 months of constant work) You'd need to add support for DX8 in the client to even get it working. DX9/DX8 do not play well together in the same codebase, trust me on this!

5) Lastly, even if you were to get it working and displaying properly, you'd need to attach the UI functions to client functions that send stuff to the server. You want a list of things that do this? You'd need to download the EQEmu source, take the list of opcodes in titanium and change the over 100 functions needed to make the UI work properly with the old UI.

That all being said, the velious UI can be made in the XML format. The Velious UI is just a hardcoded version of the XML-based UI that cannot be adjusted.

If you take the inner workings of the velious UI, then perhaps you could make an XML-based Velious UI. The classic UI however is gone and you won't be seeing that with any amount of work anytime soon.

[nichomachean]

Originally Posted by Secrets [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Here's why you can't do this:

TLDR) The UI is XML-based now. It was hardcoded in the old files inside the client and is not as easy as copy and pasting it.

1) Protocol for EQ changed since then. To do that would require a complete re-write of the encapsulating netcode to be converting one type of netcode into another. While plausible, too much effort would be required to even remotely make this work and it wouldn't be worth the time.

2) The inner workings of EverQuest no longer support the DX8/DX7 functions needed to make DX9 work with the old UI. Yes, the OLD OLD UI (velious/kunark/old) used DX8/DX7, and full support for this UI in code would not be possible even if it was in the client (hint: it's not.)

3) The UI was removed completely from the client around the same time PoP launched. There used to be a hack you could do to enable NewUI=false through a byte, but now the entire old UI is gone forever from the client.

4) You can't use DLL injection to add it into the client because of 2 and 3. Even if you were to reconstruct all of it (which would take well over 2 months of constant work) You'd need to add support for DX8 in the client to even get it working. DX9/DX8 do not play well together in the same codebase, trust me on this!

5) Lastly, even if you were to get it working and displaying properly, you'd need to attach the UI functions to client functions that send stuff to the server. You want a list of things that do this? You'd need to download the EQEmu source, take the list of opcodes in titanium and change the over 100 functions needed to make the UI work properly with the old UI.

That all being said, the velious UI can be made in the XML format. The Velious UI is just a hardcoded version of the XML-based UI that cannot be adjusted.

If you take the inner workings of the velious UI, then perhaps you could make an XML-based Velious UI. The classic UI however is gone and you won't be seeing that with any amount of work anytime soon.

Kind of figured something like this would be the case, but it was worth a shot!

[Chrushev]

Yep, not really possible unfortunately... There have been some imitations done in XML though.

If you are interested in velious ui check out the Duxas All In One Installer in my signature. There are screenshots there too.

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