Experimental webserver

[t4nk]

I'm content to do this just for Vanilla. There's a lot to cover in that list, but it's doable.

Let's do it then!

I should mention I'm intending to make something based around graphical tiles and a mouse-driven interface first of all. I know, this is not the best way to play

Well, I always thought tiles are better than text anyway (I just don't like Angband's tilesets).
As for mouse, there is already substantial support for it, although, IMO, insifficient los (radius 1 at the beginning of the game) makes playing with the mouse annoying.

[Gwarl]

Hi t4nk I've reuploaded my initial efforts (what I'll be building on) at http://gwarl.xyz/

Started a new thread here where we can discuss things in excruciating detail.

[Gwarl]

Everyone: Angband is now invoked with the -mgcu -- -b option, so you get a single large screen with no subpanels. Let me know if this is okay? I plan to add options at some to choose how many terms you get but I'm trying to address complaints.

To recap, visual artifacts have been almost fixed, shift running is now possible and I've increased the visible playing area.

I'm late with implementing chat but it's on it's way.

[Pete Mack]

That helps. One other thing: can you turn off ctl-S ctrl-Q behavior? It is hugely annoying to run into that when you are accustomed to using them for keymaps.

[Gwarl]

That helps. One other thing: can you turn off ctl-S ctrl-Q behavior? It is hugely annoying to run into that when you are accustomed to using them for keymaps.

I'll look into disabling the process signals but I'm unsure if I'll be able to free up the control sequences for game commands.

[HugoVirtuoso]

Any chance of getting PosChengband 6.1.0 incorporated into this along with chat implentation? ...So that I can have you spectators watch me in real-time?

[MITZE]

Any chance of getting PosChengband 6.1.0 incorporated into this along with chat implentation? ...So that I can have you spectators watch me in real-time?

PosChengband v6.1.0 is on there already, Hugo; the only thing that's missing is a chat function so we can all yell at you proper!

[HugoVirtuoso]

PosChengband v6.1.0 is on there already, Hugo; the only thing that's missing is a chat function so we can all yell at you proper!

So, I now have a clvl 36 Tonberry Skillmaster in progress...How do I load it from outside the webserver?

[MITZE]

So, I now have a clvl 36 Tonberry Skillmaster in progress...How do I load it from outside the webserver?

If you're asking if you can play a thus far offline character on the webserver: I don't think it works like that.

As far as I know, characters need to be created on the webserver to be played there. You might want to check with Gwarl about that, though.

[HugoVirtuoso]

Sounds like webserver-created PosChengband savefiles stay there and cannot be exported offline right? What about .HTML chardumps, etc.?

Hey, I did a test drive with Gwarl's site. HOW do I know if anyone is spectating? Or HOW do I spectate?

I found a problem - so, I started up an in-webserver character named "Hugo's Mercy" a Hasty Tonberry Skillmaster. Well, I was doing fine until I click outside of the window to do something. When I get back, the game freezes! I can't move. And I can't save either! I didn't lose any significant progress anyways.

[Gwarl]

Hey, a few answers:

As it stands, you can get screendumps and char dumps by URL - so if you name your char dump Hugo.txt, you could find it at angband.live/user/Hugo/poschengband/Hugo.txt - there will be download links provided to all your own dumps later, and probably .prf uploads too.

There's no facility for uploading/downloading savefiles, and I'm not convinced that there should be (encourages savescumming and compromises highscore integrity), but if you attach a savefile as an upload here I'll copy it over your savefile, just this once.

When there is a live game, it will show up in a list to anyone not currently playing. You can check if you're live by opening the site again in a new tab, you should be able to then spectate yourself, but not be able to play from the spectating window. Usually there's a borg running but the current borg is struggling not to get caught in loops. (Edit: started a new borg you can check spectating by watching him)

As for the thing freezing when you look away - I'm aware of this, and I know what's happening, but I don't yet know why, or how to fix it. In fact your savefile exists, but looks to be from the very start of the game - if you did more than take a few steps I'm afraid your progress has been lost. (But according to my experiments, you don't in fact lose your progress). The solution - if the game is taking more than a few seconds to respond after tabbing away, just reload the page and start up again. In the case of poschengband you might get a message about deleting old temporal files - type 'y'. I acknowledge this is annoying and I will try and fix it - because it's annoying.

There's no way yet to know if you're being spectated. That will be a part of chat when I (finally!) add it.

[t4nk]

Gwarl
I am sorry. Because of completely unforeseen circumstances I'm not having any free time. Some things happened that take all my time and energy and I'm afraid I won't be able to work on the web ui for angband.
I regret that I made false promises and couldn't deliver. I still want to do that, but at the moment that's impossible, and I don't know when the situation will get better. It will at least take several months (for some undefined definition of "several") and at most - I have no idea. At least one of us will probably lose interest in angband by then...
Again, I'm sorry. My only defence is that I really intended to write the new frontend, and didn't see my current situation coming.

[Gwarl]

No worries. I heard a rumour there was more to life than angband and I guess that happened to you - but it should still be here when you come back. Good luck in your endeavours.

[HugoVirtuoso]

Running (Shift + Directional Key) doesn't work in the webserver's PosChengband. Another potential problem is the lag.

[Gwarl]

For reasons not entirely clear to me it seems like the shiftrunning hack I put together for vanilla isn't going to work for PCB. I hope this isn't a dealbreaker - I got quite used to hitting . then the direction before I came up with a fix for vanilla (it is on the numpad after all). I'll put figuring out a hack that will work for PCB on my list of things to do.

Lag isn't something I can solve with software - the server is located in Europe, and while I can play without noticeable lag here I have heard this a lot from people further away.