Update: Updated binaries and source code now available from Codeplex!
Okay, I said I'd have a bug fix out yesterday, but I didn't get to it. On the plus side, it now uses DDE (see below), which is so much more cooler. I haven't added any other game support, but opening the XML file is easy as usual.
Changes
- Now using DDE instead of MessengerClient API calls. This allows me to set the "Game" you're playing in WLM, rather than changing your status
This is much cooler because it means it doesn't have to save your old status - it never overwrites it - and it looks cooler (see image below)
Bug Fixes
- The initial bug I had with WGS not saving configuration file only happened if you had Hellgate:London (Beta) installed. Removed second entry from XML, fixed.
What can I say? It is a minor point release ;)
Download v0.2
For installation instruction, read the previous post on WGS
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I've been digging around in my registry lately, to find a few registry values for games I have installed for WGS (v0.2 was meant to be out yesterday, but I'm waiting 'till I get the DDE code right), and I found the gem to the side.
It really speaks for itself…EA, please go and buy a book on Windows Registry, or failing that, just use common sense - you do not need 4 keys for Battlefield 2142, let alone 2 'top-ish' level keys for essentially the same thing. I'd hate to think what would happen if I installed an expansion!
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Update #2: Updated binaries and source code now available from Codeplex!
Update: this has been updated, I recommend you get the latest version by visiting the front page.
I'm a gamer, and I use Windows Live Messenger (why does this sound like an AA meeting?). I dislike it when people will start spamming talking to me asking questions like 'whatcha up to?' while I'm playing a game. So, WLM GameStatus (WGS) will automatically set my Personal Message (PSM) to the name of whatever game I'm playing, and then revert back to what I had it when I close the game
Installation
Installation is a bit convoluted, since WLM Add-in support isn't automatically enabled, that has to be done through the registry (step 2 & 3)
- Download and extract Zip file
- Open up RegEdit.exe
- In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger, set AddInFeatureEnabled to 1
- Create HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Aeoth, add a new String Value called Location. Set the value of 'Location' to where you extracted the dll and xml files (ie, D:\wsg0.1)
- Install the DLL into the Global Assembly Cache - drag and drop it into C:\Windows\Assembly or from commandline, gacutil -I wgs.addin.dll
- Run Windows Live Messenger, Options, Add-ins, Find the DLL, Click 'Settings', Detect Games. Close that settings window
- Use the drop down where you set your 'status', and you should see a "Turn on 'WGS'". Select that.
- Play game
Supported Games
So far I'm only 'supporting' games I've got installed - mainly 'cause they're the only ones I can test.
- World of Warcraft
- Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
- Neverwinter Nights 2
- Lord of The Rings Online
- Hellgate: London (Beta)
- Starcraft
- Unreal Tournament 2004
- Battlefield 2142
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
If you want to add more games support, edit gamesdatabase.xml (and then run detect games again) or detectedgames.xml. Feel free to add the details of other games in the comments
In vNext (or I should say, features I'll try and add over many versions) my plans are
- Simplify installation process
- Add some exception handling
- Use DDE instead of setting messenger.AddInProperties.PersonalStatusMessage. Should be a lot more friendly, and use the 'WLM' game icon
- XFire_Games.ini file converter
- Manual Adding/editing of games
- More "secure" detection. Currently just looks for process name, doesn't care about where it comes from.
- DirectX Overlays to enable in game chat. Need to sign a third party DLL to do that first, eek.
Disclaimer
While it shouldn't damage anything, if it does, its not my fault. It should be used 'as-is', and at your own risk.
3 Comments
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars demo came out the other week, which is one of the most hotly talked about games for this year. It joins a few others - such as Bioshock, Halo 3, Team Fortress 2, Crysis - in this half of the year, that seem to be reviving the first person shooter genre. I was a big fan of the original Enemy Territory from Splash Damage, so much so that I actually played it with a clan (White Stripes, or something like that).
I'm also a fan of Battlefield 2142 (BF2142) with its large futuristic environments, but prefer the more objective based gameplay that games like Enemy Territory and Unreal Tournament 2004's Assault mode offers. Quake Wars is essentially BF2142 + Strogg + Unreal Tournament's Assault Mode. It is a chaotically paced game, where strategy doesn't have to play a big part, but certainly can change the tides of war.
Graphics wise, Quake Wars is surprisingly nice looking. Those who have played Doom3 or Quake 4 (or Prey) will remember that while the dark corridors looked very realistic, as dark corridors go, but outside environments were a bit…lacking in realism, from scenery, general textures and lighting. Quake Wars, on the other hand, actually does very good job of the battlefront - both inside and outside.
Gameplay, as mention, isn't entirely unfamiliar to existing games such as UT2004's Assault mode, BF2/2142, and Enemy Territory. It doesn't take long to see this game is geared towards competitive play, there are signs such as 'pings' when you've hit somebody with a weapon, which is both a good and a bad thing. Competitive based games tend to develop some really good players of the game, but at the same time, those players often belong to a single clan, which results in public servers often being no fun when one team is incredibly well coordinated, and you're a casual gamer.
Given that it is just a demo, and fairly recently released, so far there aren't too many 'uber' players (other than myself of course) which has led to some very interesting battles on the demo map, where looming doom has been undone by inexperience, turning into a surprising win. That being said, I've noticed a few tactics that cannot be described as anything but bastardly. Strogg going behind GDF spawn points as snipers, using the Icarus (jet pack sort of thing); GDF flying behind the last spawn point and shooting down Strogg as they spawn; etc.
The particular map in the demo is certainly inclined to favour the Strogg (somewhat too much one might say), which isn't really helping show off the game, but it is fun.
I'll be picking this game up on release, I think, and can Stroggly (ha, get it, Stroggly - strongly? hahaha..ha..ha..) recommend this. Given Splash Damage's track record, I'd say any inbalances will be picked up rather quickly through a series of patches. Bottom line is, this game has got some tough competition coming out, as well as existing similar games. BF2/2142 players will probably stick to that, although those disgruntled by how poorly EA/DICE have addressed the bugs/lag (which there seemed no such problems in the Quake Wars demo) will move over. UT2004 players will want something to play until Unreal Tournament 3, and this could certainly be that.
Quake Wars come out tomorrow-ish, but at a horrible price of AUD$99.95 from EBGames…I think I might import it or buy it from Steam (once I'm uncapped) since the exchange rate is so nice at the moment
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Past
ANZGW started off as the ANZAC Guild's forum, hosted by me. Others had delusions of grandeur, and started making ANZGW. I was 'called in' to help out and for the most part, supervise. We had a reasonable level of success, with most guilds at the time at least knowing the ANZAC or ANZGW name.
Following a hacking of our forums twice in one week, we moved to our own software I was developing with one of the other admins. It was about this stage that the admins associated with the site started to drop, for reasons unknown to me. Maybe I'm horrible to work with, maybe they bit off more than they can chew (anybody noticed this with a lot of PHP 'programmers'?), but one by one all the volunteers we had stopped frequenting the site and stopped talking to the rest of us.
Sadly, this had very little impact on the progress of the site - after the hacking when we ran phpBB2, the site's code was about 90% mine. I should correct that last statement, it had a lot of impact on the progress of the site. Seeing everybody else lose interest certainly didn't help my interest, and I started to second guess anything I did.
ANZGW's been through more code changes, and now it is safe to say its 100% mine (code-wise). Since I haven't played Guild Wars for so many years, it has stopped growing in numbers, which reflects the feature I've been adding (or, more to the point, have not been adding)
Present
The idea of ANZGW wasn't mine, but it became mine as I was the last standing. I've been thinking more and more, contemplating what could get me into the site more, as well as what sort of service/site there is a need for. From that the idea of ANZGN, or the Aus/New Zealand Gaming Network, was born.
It would be somewhat like an Aus/NZ based "myspace/facebook" site, but focusing on gaming. Add that to some decent forum software, a (again, game focused) wiki, ladder/tournament system, gaming news written using words containing a multitude of syllables, etc, and you've got my idea in a nutshell. There is more to it, of course, but I don't really feel like explaining it all, as its not the point of this post so much.
Future
Is there any point to me developing such a site? Competition-wise, Ausgamers has in recent months ramped up the news it covers, as well as starting to add their own review section, while all the others have not only several contributing members but seemingly money to back them, and pre-established relationships with publishers/developers. Certainly, this is a bummer, but I enjoy a challenge.
The real issue comes from other people, not other sites/services.
While many people have said my idea is good, there is a general lack of interest. Any support for contributors has resulted in some offering content, but no designers (during ANZGW's days, the few designers we've had offer services, apart from Sev, have been hopeless) or developers popping up their hand. I don't think I want to be stuck in this cycle of sole development, design, and management of a website that could get out of hand. Without others to discuss ideas with, to criticize my code, etc, there is no desire to continue.
This gets me to the real point of my post. Do I get over myself and create ANZGN anyway, or give it all up and let somebody take ANZGN/ANZFury/ANZGW.com domains?
The problem with the latter is I need something to do. Thanks to these sites, I've learnt a lot…I'm fairly comfortable with PHP/MySQL, and ASP.NET(C#)/MSSQL, AJAX (framework/less), and my CSS-fu is enough to defeat the Web1/2/3 teachers at Monash to say the least. I guess if I was capable of going out and working, it wouldn't be such a need to do something, as (hopefully) I'd feel the creativity through coding need satisfied by commercial work.
Any ideas/suggestions (or heck, job offers where I can code from home) of what I should?
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