Work continues on the mannequin script. I had it working earlier without errors, but I changed something – I can't remember what it was that I changed – and now I am getting color errors that do not make sense. The server is logging "these colors are bad," but the colors are perfect and exact. Why would the server tell me that the colors are bad when they are good?
I also noticed that some mannequins have weird colors in specific areas. Closer examination revealed that some of the mannequin colors are actually transparent (just like Skirwan's cloak, or Slarty's head), and what we're really seeing are the colors of the ground. I tried changing the colors of the mannequin but the colors were not taking correctly.
Huh. I wonder if my changing the default colors of the mannequin is somehow related to the color errors that are currently logged on the server? This is a case where the color of the mannequin should be completely separate and unrelated from that of the colors of the displayed clothing, but I have learned that data within Clan Lord are often linked to each other in unexpected ways.
So work continues, as does the debugging. Once I recover from my small gaffe, I can move on and give some thought on how I am going to display belt colors on the mannequin.
07 July 2010
06 July 2010
Am I Blue
All is right with the world. Signposts and mirrors and coliseum listings are once again correctly displaying their blue action boxes.
It turned out that my suspicion was correct: the problems with the action box displays were related, and after a lot of trial-and-error testing I was able to locate and fix the problem. There was a slight delay for the bug patch to get applied as I had to wait for a GM who had the authority to apply a hot-fix.
While it is good to see the mirror's blue action box message once again, it only reminds me that I still do not have mirror access! It's almost enough to make me blue.
It turned out that my suspicion was correct: the problems with the action box displays were related, and after a lot of trial-and-error testing I was able to locate and fix the problem. There was a slight delay for the bug patch to get applied as I had to wait for a GM who had the authority to apply a hot-fix.
While it is good to see the mirror's blue action box message once again, it only reminds me that I still do not have mirror access! It's almost enough to make me blue.
05 July 2010
/Bugger
I have said in the past that "Monday is Bugday." I really should have said "Monday is Debugday," as I have traditionally spent my Mondays debugging.
This Monday, I discovered bugs, making it closer to a Bugday than a Debugday.
Normally when one bumps the mirror – and one does not have access to the mirror – then one receives some form of feedback (a blue action box displaying the words "The mirror seems impassable"). As pictured, I did not receive that feedback. Why is that? What changed? There have been no changes to the mirror script since V648, so the change must be elsewhere. Out of curiosity, I tried to create a sign:
And when I tried to read the sign (which should have displayed the words "This is a test"):
Nothing. I got nothing. Now I am left to wonder if these are part of the same bug, or – like my huntmaster bug – there are two separate bugs that seem related.
Bugger.
This Monday, I discovered bugs, making it closer to a Bugday than a Debugday.
Normally when one bumps the mirror – and one does not have access to the mirror – then one receives some form of feedback (a blue action box displaying the words "The mirror seems impassable"). As pictured, I did not receive that feedback. Why is that? What changed? There have been no changes to the mirror script since V648, so the change must be elsewhere. Out of curiosity, I tried to create a sign:
And when I tried to read the sign (which should have displayed the words "This is a test"):
Nothing. I got nothing. Now I am left to wonder if these are part of the same bug, or – like my huntmaster bug – there are two separate bugs that seem related.
Bugger.
04 July 2010
4th Of July.
If you celebrate Independence Day, then I hope that you found it relaxing and enjoyable. I'll be BAK tomorrow.
03 July 2010
Changing The World
It was on this day, July 3rd 2007, that Yappy entered Puddleby as a Helper.
It certainly does not feel like three years have passed since I was granted a back stage pass to Clan Lord. During my time as a Helper, I asked a lot of questions and I made some mistakes. During my time as a GM, I have asked a lot of questions and I made some mistakes. I suppose that I should be pleased that I have remained consistent!
Upon reflection, I feel that I was unprepared for the amount of knowledge that is required for Clan Lord development. I recall feeling very overwhelmed and feeling very much that I had made a gross error in judgment in accepting GMship. I admit that I was lured by the dream of "if I were a GM, then I would change the world," and I quickly realized just how much work – real work – is required to change just one element of the Clan Lord world. For example, the mannequin bug on which I am currently working requires knowledge of how housing works, how color works, how clothing works, how naming items work and how player data management works. Add to this some special exceptions (belts are wearable like clothing but can not be dyed, therefore they have their own special set of rules), and pretty soon ten hours of work is spent just learning about the mannequin – ten hours to change one small detail of the world.
Three years later, I find that my lofty ambitions have been tempered. Somewhere along the way I had abandoned my aggressive goal to change the Clan Lord world. I am but one man, and changing the world is not a one-man task. Instead of changing the world, I settled my focus on repairing bugs, reasoning if I can't change the world, then I can – at the very least – eliminate some of its problems, one bug-fix at a time.
And in doing so, I find that I have changed the world.
It certainly does not feel like three years have passed since I was granted a back stage pass to Clan Lord. During my time as a Helper, I asked a lot of questions and I made some mistakes. During my time as a GM, I have asked a lot of questions and I made some mistakes. I suppose that I should be pleased that I have remained consistent!
Upon reflection, I feel that I was unprepared for the amount of knowledge that is required for Clan Lord development. I recall feeling very overwhelmed and feeling very much that I had made a gross error in judgment in accepting GMship. I admit that I was lured by the dream of "if I were a GM, then I would change the world," and I quickly realized just how much work – real work – is required to change just one element of the Clan Lord world. For example, the mannequin bug on which I am currently working requires knowledge of how housing works, how color works, how clothing works, how naming items work and how player data management works. Add to this some special exceptions (belts are wearable like clothing but can not be dyed, therefore they have their own special set of rules), and pretty soon ten hours of work is spent just learning about the mannequin – ten hours to change one small detail of the world.
Three years later, I find that my lofty ambitions have been tempered. Somewhere along the way I had abandoned my aggressive goal to change the Clan Lord world. I am but one man, and changing the world is not a one-man task. Instead of changing the world, I settled my focus on repairing bugs, reasoning if I can't change the world, then I can – at the very least – eliminate some of its problems, one bug-fix at a time.
And in doing so, I find that I have changed the world.
02 July 2010
Fool In The Rain
I found myself out in the Big Blue Room for an extended amount of time today and it was rather refreshing. The downside is that the outdoors kept me away from the computer (not necessarily a bad thing), therefore I did no CL development – unless scheduling tests for an area under development counts as "development," in which case I did do some CL development today.
The next couple of days will be busy for me, as I plan to spend more time outdoors. I hope that the weather in RL is clearer than the weather in CL.
The next couple of days will be busy for me, as I plan to spend more time outdoors. I hope that the weather in RL is clearer than the weather in CL.
01 July 2010
Electric /Bugaloo
I spent four hours today organizing and addressing the bug cases from V654. I managed to organize around half of the open cases before having to stop for the evening. Four hours is a long time for bug cataloging. My eyes hurt.
Not that anyone asked, but a commonly filed bug case concerns pathfinding and loss of known paths. Pathfinding, as I have previously mentioned, is a very complex script that goes far beyond a simple rank filter. I should take another look at it, but in all honestly this script is just too complex for my level of scripting experience. I consider myself a 2nd Circle scripter, and I would feel better if a more experienced GM were to review the whole pathfinding ball of wax (and its associated supporting scripts).
Another common case regards the balancing of hunting areas – it is felt that some areas are heavy on the challenge and light on the rewards. I find this to be another set of challenging reports but for different reasons: I lean towards "generous" in my monster reward design, so I am a poor candidate to review area balances – or, depending on one's perspective, I may be the perfect candidate for such review.
I was capable of fixing some of the bugs as I read them, and closed them right away. I like those bugs. Some of the suggestions shall require more thought: for example, the kudzu merchant NPC requires the player to hold individual seedings in order to sell them, but the bakery merchant NPC can buy items right from the player's inventory. Why can't the kudzu merchant do the same? This is because the two NPCs are running two (very) different scripts, and for one to have features of the other requires significant rewriting of that script. It can be done, but requires budgeting time.
I mention this to say yes, all cases are read and categorized. Yes, all cases will be addressed in turn. Believe in the beat. They will get fixed. "Soon!"
Not that anyone asked, but a commonly filed bug case concerns pathfinding and loss of known paths. Pathfinding, as I have previously mentioned, is a very complex script that goes far beyond a simple rank filter. I should take another look at it, but in all honestly this script is just too complex for my level of scripting experience. I consider myself a 2nd Circle scripter, and I would feel better if a more experienced GM were to review the whole pathfinding ball of wax (and its associated supporting scripts).
Another common case regards the balancing of hunting areas – it is felt that some areas are heavy on the challenge and light on the rewards. I find this to be another set of challenging reports but for different reasons: I lean towards "generous" in my monster reward design, so I am a poor candidate to review area balances – or, depending on one's perspective, I may be the perfect candidate for such review.
I was capable of fixing some of the bugs as I read them, and closed them right away. I like those bugs. Some of the suggestions shall require more thought: for example, the kudzu merchant NPC requires the player to hold individual seedings in order to sell them, but the bakery merchant NPC can buy items right from the player's inventory. Why can't the kudzu merchant do the same? This is because the two NPCs are running two (very) different scripts, and for one to have features of the other requires significant rewriting of that script. It can be done, but requires budgeting time.
I mention this to say yes, all cases are read and categorized. Yes, all cases will be addressed in turn. Believe in the beat. They will get fixed. "Soon!"
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