Improved UI for multiplayer
<div id="bridgedd"> <div class="excerpt-title">This is a blog excerpt. <a href="http://dengine.net/blog/2017/02/improved-ui-for-multiplayer/" target="_blank">Read Full Article</a> </div> <br /> <p>For the past two weeks I've been focusing on finishing the Home UI for 2.0. I've also been doing plenty of small improvements and bug fixes.</p>
<p>The final element that has been missing from the Home is the Multiplayer tab. That is now no longer the case: <a href="http://files.dengine.net/builds/build2227">build 2227</a> has a new UI for viewing server information, and a couple of important bug fixes for multiplayer servers.</p>
<h2>Server info dialog</h2>
<p>In the Multiplayer tab you can see more information about a server by right-clicking it or by clicking the […] button in the server description. This pops up the new dialog that can be seen in the screenshot above.</p>
<p>A direct connection to the server is automatically attempted so that you'll see the server's current status and to verify that the server is reachable. The status information includes the current map outline, just like in the Shell.</p>
<p>In addition to status information, the dialog has a “Join Game” button, a list of the packages loaded on the server (the client must load the exact same ones when it connects), and you can choose additional packages to load locally. These local packages are game-specific rather than server-specific and are remembered in the client configuration (part of <em>persist.pack</em>). The “Local Packages” button is disabled by default. It can be enabled in Network Settings.</p>
<p>Note that if you load additional local packages in multiplayer games, you must ensure that they don’t contain gameplay-affecting changes. For example, loading a different map is out of the question, as are changes to mobj states. Doomsday 2 packages with 3D model assets are safe to use locally in multiplayer games.</p>
<p>I now consider this UI, along with the rest of the Home, feature-complete for 2.0. The long-term thinking behind the server info dialog is to evolve it toward a mini-Shell interface so that you could issue quick console commands to servers that you control. That will not be part of the 2.0 release, though.</p>
<p><br /><br /> </div>
<p>The final element that has been missing from the Home is the Multiplayer tab. That is now no longer the case: <a href="http://files.dengine.net/builds/build2227">build 2227</a> has a new UI for viewing server information, and a couple of important bug fixes for multiplayer servers.</p>
<h2>Server info dialog</h2>
<p>In the Multiplayer tab you can see more information about a server by right-clicking it or by clicking the […] button in the server description. This pops up the new dialog that can be seen in the screenshot above.</p>
<p>A direct connection to the server is automatically attempted so that you'll see the server's current status and to verify that the server is reachable. The status information includes the current map outline, just like in the Shell.</p>
<p>In addition to status information, the dialog has a “Join Game” button, a list of the packages loaded on the server (the client must load the exact same ones when it connects), and you can choose additional packages to load locally. These local packages are game-specific rather than server-specific and are remembered in the client configuration (part of <em>persist.pack</em>). The “Local Packages” button is disabled by default. It can be enabled in Network Settings.</p>
<p>Note that if you load additional local packages in multiplayer games, you must ensure that they don’t contain gameplay-affecting changes. For example, loading a different map is out of the question, as are changes to mobj states. Doomsday 2 packages with 3D model assets are safe to use locally in multiplayer games.</p>
<p>I now consider this UI, along with the rest of the Home, feature-complete for 2.0. The long-term thinking behind the server info dialog is to evolve it toward a mini-Shell interface so that you could issue quick console commands to servers that you control. That will not be part of the 2.0 release, though.</p>
<p><br /><br /> </div>