>19.10.2006
SWG Emu - It's working! (again) Right, I think the following brief extract from my server log explains it all:
YAY!
And if that still isn't obvious enough, here's a screenie:
Yes, I've finally got it working across my network. After taking the network apart, using a different hub, removing the router all together, opening up loads of ports and setting my laptop as a DMZ I still couldn't get it to work. I just happened to stumble across a databse entry:
This table in the database is called "Galaxy" and sets out the parameters for each unique Galaxy (AKA server) in SWG. For example I used to play on the Europe-Chimaera server mostly, but there were lots. Well, this table has an entry called "address" which is unimportant if you are running the client on the same machine as the server. Of course if you run the client software from anywhere else, once you get past the log in server the client software is going to want to know the address of the "Galaxy" server. Leaving this field blank is not a clever thing to do. One IP address later and it works. I have now put my network back together properly and it is still working.
So, once I get my static IP address from my ISP, I can set up port forwarding on my router to this address on my internal network and it should work over the internet. I will then let you guys have my static IP address and we can try it out.
I am sure all you network guru's out there are having a good laugh at my stupidity. I deserve it. Oh yeah, and to explain the picture further, I ran the server on my laptop across my wireless network and I also ran the client software on the laptop and logged in from that. I the went to my games machine and logged in using the bodged client software on there and that is why there are two toons. Two accounts running at the same time. To be fair, the laptop hard drive was having a fit . . . but it did work.
It's that time again - time for sleep.
Chris
>14.10.2006
SWG Emu - It's working! And what's more, here it is in all it's glory:
Boring to look at isn't it? To be fair, the exciting stuff is the SQL database that contains all the fun stuff about toons, planets, environment etc etc. The front end though really is just as shown; you run the executable from the command line and that's it. It hooks up to the network, finds the database, checks out the message of the day and waits for someone to log in.
Of course the really cool thing about having your own SWG Server is playing god:
OK, so not everyones idea of God, but you get the picture.
So, where to go from here? Well, I conveniently left my damned SQL bible at work on Friday so I'll be picking that up in the morning. I'll also be hitting the forums at Spraticnet and SWG Servers to find out how to liven things up a bit. So far I've been running the server and client simultaneously on my laptop. This does not lead to great performance. I'll be looking at the network settings in the database and getting the thing based on a proper bit of hardware. I'll also be rolling it out across my home network. The next big step will be when my ISP finally tells me I've got a static IP address. This should be in the next ten days. Then I can create some user accounts for friends and guildies and we can see if we can crash the server! During all this time I will be tweaking the database and trying to work out how to get all the fun stuff in to the system. This will include NPC's, transport, quests, money, email, housing, crafting, combat and a whole heap of other stuff.
At the moment we have a system that includes the 9 original planets and 15 space zones (I only know this coz I looked in the database!). All the static cities are on the planets, as is all scenery. There isn't much else though. You can walk around every where without fear of being killed, or you can "@warp" around. Yep, the syntax is "@warp 999 999" where the nines are your X and Y co-ordinates. There are several commands like this apparently, but I have yet to discover the list. Apparently there is a database within the emulator that allows you to say stuff like "@warp theed_starport" but I don't seem to be able to get this working yet.
What else? Oh yeah, auto save is not yet implemented. Doh! So when you finish your game session you have to type "/save" to get the database to update your toon or it's all lost.
Right, that's enough from me tonight. The really good news is that there are loads of people in the SWG Emu community working on this project, so this means it should progress relatively swiftly. As each version of the database and code becomes available I will download and update the server. This will mean a period of instability, and it does mean that for a while there will not be much of a game that we can really play. It does however mean that we will have the opportunity to see it develop in to an old favourite that ultimately we will have total control over.
Oh, just realised one other happy thing: Because it's the original game we get the original physics back. This is something subtle from way back, but basically means that toon movement is much more realistic. When a toon starts to run he accelerates rather than going from zero to run instantly. It feels a lot more natural.
Right, I'm gonna upload this and then sleep. Night all!
Chris
>12.10.2006
SWG Emu - As many of you know, I was a bit addicted to the original Star Wars Galaxies. Unfortunately SOE decided to change it to something I was not so keen on. Such is life eh? Things have moved on in the world though and it is now becoming possible to play SWG on "private" servers. Cool :)
I have been checking out SWG Servers and experimenting with both the server software and the client software. I can report that tonight I have managed to install and run the client software successfully. I connected to one of the Spraticnet eXile test servers. These are complete SWG Galaxies in a test environment. This means that although the whole galaxy with all the systems is in place, various things are switched on or off depending on what is being tested. When I logged in I was dropped in to the middle of Theed with a few odd items in my back pack to test out. At the time there were no NPC's or transport, but the point is it worked!
I checked out all the old familiar screens and soon realised the controls were the "original" lay out for SWG. I drooled over my beloved Creature Handler skill tree and had a think about the old style character attributes screen. Nine attributes to think about, that seems like a long time a go.
The one question that is repeatedly asked about SWG Emu is "Which patch is it?". Simply, it's the Jump to Lightspeed release (as best as I can make out). So, no Mustafar or Kashykk but vehicles, mounts and space flight. Also, there is discussion on the Spraticnet forums about adding new planets and creatures. The code has been found for Taun-Tauns and the creation of Hoth appears to be a strongly supported idea. Most excellent!
So, my next "mission" is initially to find a more populated and stable server, but prior to that I wanna set up my own server!
If anyone would like information on how to install the client software then please contact me via the Brotherhood of the Wolf forums. I can mail you some good instructions. You will need your own copy of Star Wars Galaxies on CD, but that's about the only requirement. A current SOE subscription is not needed.
To finish off, here are some of the screen shots I took this evening when I logged in for the first time:
