UPDATE: vBulletin 3.5.0 & RPG IH
 

I have seized all further development of the RPG Integration Hack to release a vB3.5.0-compliant version. For those that don't give a flying fk about the details, this basically means that you will see RPG v3.5 (no pun intended) with the already present features, plus the features listed in bold in the Suggestions for future version thread, under the "Approved feature suggestions" section.
As for an ETA of this new release, I cannot tell. I want to clean up every single template and remove redundant templates before I release it. My summer holidays started, so I will work day and night (almost literally) to release this version ASAP (but with as few bugs as possible).

Now for the details.
I have not yet seen the vB3.5.0 code, as the zip is sitting, downloaded, on my desktop and me almost too scared to open it. I need to upgrade my localhost, and make sure I got all the v4 edits down on paper before I want to do any more work. I also need to learn the new codes, and how to best utilise the plugin system. I promise you, I will do whatever I can to make sure file edits will be kept to the absolute minimum. IF your new vB3.5.0 will remain a hassle to upgrade due to sloppy coding, it will NOT come from the RPG.
Also I have a confession to make: Even though I bolded the Cache system feature, it is not 100 % complete. I have yet to design and code the Inventory control itself, and to update the Battle/Monster Arena with this new cache system. The latter should be a piece of cake, but the Inventory may take some time. It will be ready within the month, of that I am almost sure. Again this depends on how complex the new coding is.

That's about it, if you have any further questions about this issue, feel free to ask :)

2 months later. Curious to hear about the current status :)

Well, the cache system turned out to become abit more extensive than I first planned.
I also didn't like what was happening to the functions in the new OOP style, so I have basically rewritten the entire core. Again.
There's just a small amount of coding remaining to be done there, then I can get started on the actual files.
Now due to this new system being so different from the old (the "old" being a system that basically never made it to the public), I have to rewrite parts of every file. Therefore, remaining to do is as follows:

1. Finishing touch on new functions
2. Checking/fixing every file in / and /admincp
3. 18 Admin Help entries for the vBOptions settings
4. Extensive testing of the upgrade scripts

I haven't tested the upgrade parts at all, and we don't want anything going wrong with your databases now do we ;)

If you need any help with general PHP, feel free to get ahold of me by PMs - I don't know vB 3.5's architecture yet (But I plan on learning it once I get around to it :p), but I do have a few years experience with PHP :)

(This reply was a pathetic excuse in getting you to post an update - while actually offering help :p)

What is the projected amount of files you see being added?

Thanks for the offer, I might just take you up on that sometime ;)
As far as I can tell at this point, 4 or 5. They are all class_rpg_x.php (where x being the category of which they handle, such as items, clan, core etc), and take the place of functions_rpg.php

As for a general update:
Development has been nonexistant for a few weeks now. Ive been busy with a paid mod, and in the meantime combatting my Lineage II addiction.
The entire core is being rewritten (again, for the 3rd time and counting :p), but this new structure offers cleaner code, ease of use for developing extensions/addons, and query efficiency. For instance, in headquarters.php, you had the potential of having the script run an infinitely large amount of queries, depending on how many combinations of class/race/element etc you had available. This has been reduced to zero, due to the cache system I blatantly ripped from vB... eh I mean wrote. :rolleyes:
In any RPG file (IE not vB default), no queries need to be ran to fetch Clan, Class, Element, (Gender), Item, Race, Type. In short, everything that would need to be involved in a massive query to fetch all required info. In any vB default file (ie showthread, showpost), hooks will take care of the fetching of this info.
I am looking at a very high probability of there being NO file edits required, though this might change when I move on to the admincp.

In general, the only file I have finished is headquarters.php, though this will need slight rewrites because of some key changes to the DB table names I plan to introduce.
Ill try to make some time each day to developing the hack. I feel confident Ill be able to release the 3.5 compatible version within 2005, though this may change at any time. My sig will be updated should I have reason to believe I won't be able to make the deadline.

So you plan on important some AJAX Functionality? Maybe for the Clan Section.

I plan on making every bit of the hack that CAN be made AJAX compatible this, but not in the first vB3.5 version.
I mainly want to make the hack even more efficient, and 3.5 compatible first. Then I want to finish all the features I have listed for the 2nd version, and then I will either work on making what I have then AJAX compatible, or start coding the "next generation" version (3rd eta in my sig), which I am getting designed by a professional game designer.
I particularily want to introduce AJAX in the Battle pages, to avoid page reloads.

So in a sense the system is moving more towards realtime then turnbased?

I don't want to go into details on that, because that would be telling ;)
But I can say that I won't make any drastic changes to the battle system without offering an option to revert to the old method (but still be able to utilise AJAX and all other features, of course).

I can understand. My only thing about the previous versions are the oddly unattractive sprites for characters and items. Will those get an overhaul. Also the best shop system I have seen was back in 2002 with Final Fantasy Republics System by Eric Lavender. It was seperated into accessible by what level you are in different areas. Are you planning on doing something like that?

The sprites will stay the same, Revan + Photoshop == Disaster ;)
And I haven't ever heard of this shop system, could you elaborate?

<-- Is a professional graphic designer. http://www.thesato.com

The concept behind the shop was more.
Shop Index
-- Starter Shop
-- Level 10 - 20 Shop
-- Level 21 - 30 Shop
-- Level 31 - 40 Shop
so on and so forth.

Each shop specialized in carrying different items because there were more then 1000 items, yes I was that bored that I sat back and checked...hell I was a mod. There was a GM Shop I think too. Cause I saw some GM Only Weapons.

Also: Have you thought of the GM thing? Cause it can be a need to add Usergroup for some functions to work. Some functions that only Admins and that group can run. But so that the GM Group doesn't have Admin Powers.

Me when I get a hold of the 3.5.0 version of this I am going to try my damnest to get my team to work on a GM Shop. Cause I will be using this for Naruto & Bleach.

Then perhaps youd want to do something about the sprites for the next version? ;)

I think seperating shops in those grades would be more trouble than just coding some advanced display configuration settings. Let the user himself decide whether or not he wants to view low level weapons, etc.
GM shop, now there's an idea. Though Im sure some of your members would complain that your GMs have uber powerful weapons ;)

Adding an usergroup as GameMaster, that's a brilliant idea. Its so simple yet so useful. Im bloody putting you on the credits list just for suggesting that :p
Ok added you to the manual with a link to your site from the above post :)

i've been away for a few months. but revan, just thought i'd let you know i have a laptop now, and coding with it is so much easier than it was when i was on my 30" widescreen hdtv. i haven't seen vbulletin 3.5's code yet because i would have to renew my license, but when i do i'll be back to fight the bugs again. rpg ih for vb3.5 is my only reason to renew. :)

Really GMs are not there to really play on the competitive level. Like in Ragnarok Online. GM is the great medium between the gamers and the game. So for them to truly be useful they have to be overly strong. I have the strongest character on my site and all I do is cleanup. No takening sides.

I will work with you on creating more fluent stages and character sheets if you wish. I was going to just end up creating my own sprites when this released. So I guess I can do that and this. I am going to be using this anyways.

Another thing I was wondering about. I know you hate to here this by now. Summons? Anything you can say will be done off of the books. I assume that it will be a bit easier to use since AJAX will easily be able to just simply change in and out the variable while logging the action in the database.

Cool, though Im abit reluctant with coding more vB integration before Gold is out, since hooks may change locations etc. It will be done at some point ;)
Yeah, I played Rag and got my ass kicked by a GM many times :p
That sounds cool, but what dya mean by "stages"? Battle scenes?
Yeah, there will be summons, Final Fantasy X style. If you're unfamiliar with this, it means you summon it and it "becomes" your character, until it dies.
I have some design issues with the Summons Id need to take up with my designer, so I may have to push the implementation of summons down to the last version.

More meaning the scenery. Making them look a bit more 32 bit then 16 bit. I call all scenery stages sense we play as a characters.
I can understand cause most people looking for a more robust magic system. But that will be an easy change. Dude if Kier and them add anymore stuff into vBulletin that makes it more realtime with GOLD you are going to get much more development end questions from me.

Aight, so you mean like all graphics in the RPG then? Sounds cool :)
The magic system (well its actually a skill system that can be configed as magic and much more) will be able to handle much more complex things than the current, yes.
The sentence with Kiers name in it made no sense :P

My AIM is Naishouyka. Hit me up any time Revan.

Hmm this is a suggestion. Can u AJAX actions? Like if you attack some one, and they block it can a shield pop-up? ANd when you attack and connect, can blood come out?

It sounds hard but that would cool if you can add that feature.

BTW Good progress on the current feats so far.

Due to the complexity of this update (it's after all a complete core rewrite, along with compatability updates), AJAX has been postponed to the 2nd vB3.5 version. Then, I will add AJAX to everywhere it makes sense. And yes, this includes battles.
About the shield popup and blood thing, thats not happening, but I will prevent pages from having to reload and music interrupted.

keep up the good work fellas. We can wait.

I cant wait, im not upgrading to 3.5 untill theres a rpg intergration hack for it :)

Development is moving forward, I can tell you this much :)
The new backend is coming together and Im working my way through the frontend, updating code and phrasing the hack.

Currently working on the ClanCP, some tricky stuff there because I need to recode the multiple Ally/Enemy system.

*lights a fire under revan*

Funny, I was just about to give an update today anyways :p No, seriously. I was. I WAS! BAH!

Since last, Ive spent time teaching myself how to write a proper Data Manager class, and also made some improvements to the main RPG class to make coding easier.
Ive also gotten somewhat far on phrasing the ClanCP, but not yet gotten to the point of fixing the newly arisen bugs with the editing and Multiple Clan Ally/Enemy system.
After that, the next major hindering will be the 2 battle systems, as they require HEAVY rewritings.
Stuff like the Itemshop/Lottery/Showclans and all the other smaller pages shouldn't take long to get done, nor the AdminCP parts.
Speaking of, I think I fancy finishing the ACP before I do any more work on the frontend, it helps to have an admin backend to add testdata, ya know ;)

I am going to send you some arenas and such soon. I wonder why you don't contact me when I am on Revan XDD

Because you never report as online on my MSN.
I know I added you 45 days ago, and MSN has not reported you as online in this period. Are you sure you have me in your Allow list?

Hmmm...I use trillian...gotta figure out how to use that part here.

thx for da update!

Ive now completed the Class Manager (ie the ACP part for editing Classes), also preparing it for supporting multiple genders beyond "Male" and "Female", which again will support better limitations (Gender by Race).
As such, the Headquarters needs more recoding than I thought, since some problems arose with the JS for the dropdowns.
Over the upcoming days, I will have much more time to work on this, so the AdminCP stuff should be done in a not too huge amount of time.

Sounds nice!
But may I ask one thing? What is the difference between your RPG hack and ZeroTolerance's?

At the time of writing this, his hack has more features. Some features are also different in functionality. I can't go into details because I am not all that familiar with his hack.
Some of my friends have told me about some problems they had with Inferno, like showthread doing 600+ queries, and that the coding style of Inferno is highly unreadable.
I am also making the move to OOP, like vBulletin, which allows me to have far less coding to perform advanced caching operations for query efficiency.

My RPG might be slower in development, but hey finding motivation to work on an all-free hack ain't that easy, you know...

Yeah, sure thing... But I think a lot of people might be donating when you have finished porting it over to 3.5 (btw: do you have a rough ETA?).

The ETA is located in my sig, but I might have to move it over to Early 2006 due to problems arising here and there that takes more development time than I had previously foreseen.
As I said, starting tomorrow I will have 7-10 days without Internet, so I will get alot of work done during that time period.
Know that Im not dilly-dallying away the time, Im trying to find the best and most efficient method of doing whatever I want to do, so further extending the hack will be easier.
An example is the stats calculation, currently its doing the same calculations 4-5 times throughout the hack, which makes it extremely difficult to implement new things. Centralising this coding will make adding new features modifying stats easier.

*fans the fire that he started before under raven*

its all good bro just dont give up on it.

I believe the days of my no Inet will come to an end soon, so I think it is appropriate to give an update on how the progress is going.
The AdminCP is going along great. The following items are the ones left to work on:

• Items (Add/Edit/Delete Items) - Half the script is done
• Battles (Edit/Cancel Battles) - Not started yet
• Monster Battles (Edit/Cancel Monster Battles) - Not started yet
• Manage Monsters (Add/Edit/Cancel Monsters)- Not started yet
• Maintenance (Reset RPG) - Postponed for quickfix update after release

Everything else concerning the AdminCP is fully functional and optimised.
Note that I have splitted most of the old files, so "rpgadmin.php" has become rpg_users.php et cetera.

As for the main forum area, currently only the Headquarters work, with the HealCP 80% done. No other files/templates have been touched yet.

Im also going to aim for releasing smaller updates with smaller amount of new features in quicker succession after the release of this version. First up will be the completion of the Maintenance feature.


Thats it for todays update, thanks for reading and sticking with this hack :)

Thanks for the update m8. Can't wait.