Hey all, getting into the plugin development foray.


I had a couple of questions though.


1. I remember once in a screenshot of someone's decal dev setup I saw a server emulator of sorts, for testing plugins without having to log into the game every time. Does this sort of thing still exist? And if so, where can I find it?


2. I never used it, but I see some dead links around for a program called Visual Decal, which from it's description, I assume just eased the task of creating plugin GUIs and spit the format that decal likes to see for it's view schemes. Does anyone still have a copy of this around?


My idea for a first plugin would be something similar to The Deep, but would work for any item in which you can hand in. Select NPC, select object, Go. Like Triangles, Swamp Stones, Snow Lillies etc. Eventually i would also like to make an automatic pea seller, so you don't have to constantly juggle selling peas with the space you have in your main pack and the amount of pyreals you will get for the sale.


Any help, links, info, etc is much appreciated!


Thanks!

>> I remember once in a screenshot of someone's decal dev setup I saw a server emulator of sorts, for testing plugins without having to log into the game every time. Does this sort of thing still exist?


Turbine shut it down.


>> I never used it, but I see some dead links around for a program called Visual Decal, which from it's description, I assume just eased the task of creating plugin GUIs and spit the format that decal likes to see for it's view schemes. Does anyone still have a copy of this around?


Visual Decal still works.


http://web.archive.org/web/20040420012959/http://home.pmt.org/~psy/vdecal.html


>> Select NPC, select object, Go. Like Triangles, Swamp Stones, Snow Lillies etc.


Fortune Hunter will do this, but you have to edit XMLs to add stuff.


>> Eventually i would also like to make an automatic pea seller, so you don't have to constantly juggle selling peas with the space you have in your main pack and the amount of pyreals you will get for the sale.


LTX does this, but very poorly.


Good luck!

 

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>> Turbine shut it down.


thanks for the quick reply! How exactly did they shut it down? In any case, so the development procedure is basically make some changes, compile, activate in decal, log into AC, hope for the best?


>> Visual Decal still works.


Great! Thanks, this will help a lot!


>> Fortune Hunter will do this, but you have to edit XMLs to add stuff.


Thanks will check that out!


>> LTX does this, but very poorly.


Really? Just Ltx, not ltxi I assume because I've never seen that functionality.


Another question: Anyone know of open source plugins for VB I could use to learn from?


Thanks again!

>> In any case, so the development procedure is basically make some changes, compile, activate in decal, log into AC, hope for the best?


Yep, pretty much.


>> Another question: Anyone know of open source plugins for VB I could use to learn from?


http://decal.acasylum.com/


Check out Digero's plugins; most of them are open source. Not sure what VB you are talking about, but VB6 is probably not the best way to go nowadays. If you're planning to use VB.NET, converting from C# shouldn't be difficult since it is done the same way.


When you have problems with specific functions or features, 99% of the time a search on the development boards will get you an answer:


http://forums.acdev.org/phpBB2/

 

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Also, the full source of LifeTankX is here:


http://www.reality.net/svn/lifetank/LifeTankX-source/

 

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theres that decalcontainer thing that y ou can install when you install decal.


but I dont think you can really test it, just see if everything appears right and all

 

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>> Check out Digero's plugins; most of them are open source. Not sure what VB you are talking about, but VB6 is probably not the best way to go nowadays. If you're planning to use VB.NET, converting from C# shouldn't be difficult since it is done the same way.


Hmp, really. I figured VB6 would be fine for Decal dev. I personally have never even worked with VB to be honest, and always considered it inferior to most other languages honestly. But, one of my plugin ideas will be directly bases off the source of another one that is written in VB, so I figured it would be a good way to go. Why would you say VB.NET over VB6?


Thanks again

fitz

>>theres that decalcontainer thing that y ou can install when you install decal. but I dont think you can really test it, just see if everything appears right and all.


Care to elaborate on that? Not sure what you mean.

>> Why would you say VB.NET over VB6?


For one, .NET runs significantly faster than VB6. Personally I use C#, since it is a much more powerful language.

 

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>>For one, .NET runs significantly faster than VB6. Personally I use C#, since it is a much more powerful language.


Resulting applications or the IDE itself? Or both?